Derrick Widmer, an executive at the Swiss Holderbank (Holcim) Cement Group, travelled to Moscow, with his assistant, in December of 1991, 15 months following the downfall of the Soviet Union, a visit prompted by an invitation extended by the Russian Alfa Investment Fund. In 1991,it was apparent to any visitor that the political and economic structures of the country had been shattered and the population impoverished, except for a few businessmen (bisnessmeni) who had quickly become rich and who ultimately became the nucleus of a rising social class referred to as the oligarchs. The country verged on anarchy and total collapse. Law was meaningless, might made right and wealth walked hand-in-hand with death. Mr. Widmer, the author, experienced these wild years of Post-Soviet Russia in the 90s as a contemporary witness. His fascinating insights into the underlying forces that forged the political and economic transformation of the country are insights gained from his first-hand encounters with famous politicians, oligarchs, bankers and lawyers. His initial perception of Russia, shaped by the many years of the Cold War, was, following these visits, dramatically changed, from that of enemy to friend.

Derrick Widmer studied jurisprudence at the University of Bern, The University of Chicago Law School, the University of Mexico D.F., and business at the Harvard Business School. He is past director of the Swiss Holcim Cement Group Support, former president of a Swiss military court with the rank of colonel. Other credits include: founder and long-time president of the Swiss-Indian Chamber of Commerce, former Honorary Consul to the Republic of Kazakhstan, former President of the 18 Swiss Schools Abroad (educationsuisse), President of the Argovia Philharmonic Orchestra, and Vice-president of the Swiss-Russian Forum. Additionally, he served on the board of two foundations dedicated to raising scholarships for talented youth from under-privileged backgrounds. His publishing credits include: 1) America in the Early 1960's - A Love Story; 2) The Merry Mad Monks of the DMC: Memories of an Adventurous Life on the Thirty Eighth Parallel in Korea (an autobiographical novel, 1964); 3) Kunst in Holderbank (twenty expositions of contemporary art, published more recently than his other books).

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