To ensure a consistently high standard of operational and financial management, Swiss Philanthropy Foundation can count on its team of highly qualified professionals. With experience in civil society and the private sector, these experts contribute their wide-ranging knowledge and skills, thereby guaranteeing the foundation’s independence to donors, beneficiaries and financial institutions. They engage with the Foundation as members of the following divisions.
The nine members of the Board of Trustees are responsible for the overall supervision of the Foundation’s activities and meet at least four times a year. In late 2014, the Board adopted a Governance Charter that guarantees the transparency and professionalism of the Foundation with regard to the individuals and institutions it works with and serves.
The Finance Committee advises and assists the Board in its supervisory role on all matters relating to its investment policies, investment processes and asset allocation. It ensures these are in line with the Foundation’s mission and aims, both in terms of the Foundation’s own capital and the funds it manages.
A small team is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Foundation, ensuring it is run as efficiently as possible. Members of the Board share their expertise with the management team on a daily basis.
Alexandre Buchs
Project Coordinator
Lucile Bula
Director of Operations
Constance Chaix
Communications Officer
Didier Cherpitel
Board Member
Marion Devedzic
Administrative Coordinator
Marie Dolla
Project Administrator
Laurent Douek
Board Member
Etienne Eichenberger
Board Chairman
Anne-Cathrine Frogg
Board Member and Chair of the Finance Committee
Dominique Goy
External Member of the Finance Committee
Sabrina Grassi
Director General
Laurent Hostettler
Director of Finance and Administration ad interim
Xavier Isaac
Board Treasurer
Pauline Joiris
Project Administrator
Coralie Leresche
External Member of the Finance Committee
Elisa Liotta
Junior Project Coordinator
Maurice Machenbaum
Board Member
François Marti
Board Member
Marc Salzmann
Partnership Manager
Sonia Perrenoud
Project Administrator
Aïssata Traoré
Project Administrator
Elisabeth Tripod-Fatio
Board Member
Bernard Vischer
Board Vice Chairman
Alexandre Buchs joined the Foundation in 2022 as Project Coordinator. He manages a portfolio of hosted funds and supports the Operations team members for various projects, including those related to the Transnational Giving Europe network.
After graduating in 2019, Alexandre had several professional experiences in Switzerland and Brazil in the humanitarian and diplomatic field.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in European Studies.
Lucile Bula joined the Foundation in 2020 and is now Director of Operations.
With previous experiences in Switzerland, Senegal and Lebanon, Lucile supervises the operational team in their daily tasks while managing and monitoring several hosted funds. With a specialization in migration studies, Lucile accompanies donors in their philanthropic initiatives.
Constance Chaix joined the Foundation in January 2022 as Communications Officer. In this position, she is responsible for developing and implementing the Foundation’s institutional and event communication strategy.
After a Bachelor’s degree in art history and political science and a Master’s degree in public policy and management from the Universities of Lausanne and Bern, Constance completed her education with a DAS in digital communication, website and social networks at the University of Geneva.
She has several years of experience in the communication departments of cultural institutions such as the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne or Plateforme 10.
After completing a Diplôme d’études supérieures (DES) at the Institut d’Études Politiques in Paris, Didier Cherpitel worked for J.P. Morgan in Paris, Singapore, Brussels and London from 1970 to 1988. He was at various times Managing Director of J.P. Morgan Guaranty Ltd., London, CEO of J.P. Morgan France, and Managing Director of private banking for Europe.
Didier served for four years as Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, and as a Member of the Board of several foundations, including the Fondation Mérieux and the Fondation FX Bagnoud.
He is currently a Member of the Board of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.
Marion Devedzic joined the Foundation in February 2022 as Administrative Coordinator in support of the Administrative and Financial Director.
Marion holds a Master’s degree in Sociology and has several years of experience in the field of administration and human resources.
She has participated as a volunteer in several charity events, mainly in support of animal protection associations.
Marie Dolla joined the Foundation in May 2017 as a Project Administrator.
Marie holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Communication from the Institute of Business Administration (IAE) in Nice and spent two years as Parliamentary Attaché in Paris.
She is in charge of the management and monitoring of hosted funds as well as the relationship with donors.
Wishing to acquire experience in the field, Marie also carried out a two-month volunteer mission in an association in Cambodia.
A graduate of the Universities of St Gallen and Middlesex in London, Laurent Douek has over 25 years of experience in the IT services and software industry.
He began his career as a consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers and IBM Global Services, a global information technology services provider. Since joining SAP in 2006, he has managed large national and international accounts and sales of services and software in various industries in Switzerland and in Europe.
He is currently responsible for software sales in the public sector at SAP. Laurent also volunteers with several nonprofits in climate change, intercommunity dialogue and arts.
Etienne Eichenberger co-founded WISE-philanthropy advisors, the first company in Europe to provide philanthropy advisory services to entrepreneurs and their families, helping them define and implement charitable projects.
He previously worked for Fondation Avina for social entrepreneurship and the World Economic Forum. A graduate of the University of St Gallen, Etienne is also a Member of the Board of Fondation Hahnloser and a co-founder and former Vice President of Sustainable Finance Geneva.
He served as a Member of the Board of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation since 2006 and is currently its Chairman.
Anne-Cathrine Frogg is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Hugo Fund Services SA in Geneva, a firm focused on providing fund representation and distribution services in Switzerland. Prior to Hugo, Anne-Cathrine was a hedge fund portfolio manager at Mirabaud & Cie’s. Before joining Mirabaud in 2004, she was active in hedge funds analysis at Agora Capital Services, Banque Franck S.A. and Commodities Corporation/Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Anne-Cathrine is an independent board director for several hedge funds and investment management companies. She holds a Masters degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.
As Chair of the Finance Committee, Anne-Cathrine Frogg’s know-how and experience strengthens its governance.
Dominique Goy is the founder of SwissLending, providing private debt investment opportunities.
He is also the co-founder of Wecan Group, a company specializing in the co-creation of software based on blockchain technologies. A graduate of EPFL and HEC Lausanne, Dominique worked for 13 years at J.P. Morgan, then for 4 years at Lombard Odier.
In particular, he was a portfolio manager with “private clients” and various foundations during these years and obtained the qualifications of Certified Financial Analyst (Chartered Financial Analyst and Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst).
In 2020, Dominique Goy joined the Financial Commission of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.
Sabrina Grassi joined the Foundation in 2015 and today holds the position of General Director.
Previously she worked in the field of international trade, in close contact with public and private institutional clients.
With a Master’s degree in international relations and a Diploma of Advanced Studies in commodity trading, Sabrina Grassi supports donors in the creation of their philanthropic fund, and supervises administration and proper monitoring.
She manages the operational team and ensures cohesion with the Foundation Board.
Sabrina is a member of the SwissFoundations Board of Directors as co-vice-president.
Laurent Hostettler joined the Foundation in 2020 as Administrative and Financial Director.
With a 30-year career within commodity trading companies, he brings his knowledge in accounting management and financial analysis.
A graduate of the Geneva Business School, he also worked in as a volunteer accountant for local associations.
Laurent supervises the financial aspects of the funds, liaises with the Finance Committee and follows up on administrative files.
Originally from Belgium, Xavier graduated magna cum laude in law from the Université catholique de Louvain. He served as the inaugural Vice President of the Swiss Association of Trust Companies (SATC) and remained active for many years as a committee member. He is currently Chief Executive Officer at Accuro. Xavier had over 20 years’ experience in management positions with ABN AMRO Bank and Trust in Luxembourg, Geneva and Jersey, before joining Investec Trust in 2005 as Managing Director of the Geneva branch and CEO as of 2009.
He is Treasurer of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.
Pauline Joiris joined the Foundation as Project Administrator in July 2022.
With a degree in art history and a Master’s in cultural management, Pauline lived in Brussels before moving to South Africa. There she gained several years of experience in promoting corporate sponsorship for art and culture and in tourism management. She also spent her free time volunteering for local charities.
Today, Pauline is in charge of a diverse portfolio of philanthropic funds, dealing with both private donors and donor foundations.
Coralie Leresche is a specialist in “sustainable investment”. She is currently Head of Business Development at OpenFunds Investment Services AG, a Swiss company providing legal representation services and distribution of investment solutions.
Previously, she worked for ten years in the field of impact finance first at Symbiotics as portfolio manager and then at responsAbility Investment AG as head of business development.
After studying business law, Coralie joined JPMorgan Chase Bank as a specialist in credit structuring. After 10 years with the bank, she undertook an MBA from IMD in Lausanne before joining the impact finance community in 2010.
It is in 2020 that Coralie Leresche joined the Financial Commission of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.
Elisa studied Economics and Management at the University of Geneva, followed by a Master’s degree in Controlling and Accounting in Finance at HEC Lausanne. During her university studies, she mixed studies, sports, work and volunteering in various associations. After starting her professional career in financial auditing, Elisa wanted to discover the field of philanthropy and joined the Young Talent Program of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation in September 2022.
Maurice Machenbaum co-founded WISE-philanthropy advisors in 2004, of which he was a partner until 2021. WISE was the first company in Europe to provide philanthropy advisory services to entrepreneurs and their families, helping them define and implement charitable projects.
Previously, he founded Casa Alianza, an international NGO which defends the rights of street children, and managed its programmes in Nicaragua. Before that, he was a research officer with the International Committee of the Red Cross specialising in the issue of child soldiers, and Regional Director of Terre des hommes Lausanne for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Maurice served as Treasurer of the World Scout Committee for six years and of Médecins du Monde Suisse for three years. He currently sits on the boards of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation and Cansearch.
François Marti is an independent consultant in the fields of energy and services. Until 2019, François was Chief Operating Officer of the North American region for Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) and was Vice President of the Industrial division between 2015 and 2019. Currently in charge of the group’s digitalization initiatives, he was also Vice-President of the Certification division for 3 years. In addition, François was also CEO of Fiat-Chrysler Services from 2005 to 2011. Since obtaining his master’s degree in international relations in 1994, his career has included working as a Senior Manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers IBM in Basel.
Marc Salzmann joined the Foundation in 2021 as Project Administrator, and has held the position of Partnership Manager since November 2022. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic development of the Foundation in Switzerland and abroad, in particular with other partners, such as donor foundations, banks, family offices, law firms, notaries, as well as academic centers. He is also responsible for the organization and facilitation of the annual Master Class in Philanthropy.
Marc has a first experience in the field of philanthropy, acquired in London with the organization New Philanthropy Capital. After graduating in 2016, he had several professional experiences in the field of public policy, including at the European Commission and the UN, and in humanitarian work in Greece in two refugee camps.
He holds a BA in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Bath and an MA in Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
It was in May 2018, after four years spent in Colombia, that Sonia joined the Foundation as Project administrator with the main tasks of managing and monitoring sheltered funds as well as the relationship with donors.
She is also responsible for the Master Class in management of foundations.
With over ten years spent working for international organizations, Sonia brings a solid knowledge of the field.
Now a Project Administrator, Aïssata Traoré first joined Swiss Philanthropy Foundation in January 2020 as an intern as part of her Master’s degree in Political science at the University of Geneva. She has held a permanent position at the Foundation since July 2020
Aïssata administers and coordinates all activities related to the network of cross-border donations “Transnational Giving Europe” and ensures the management and monitoring of sheltered funds.
During her university studies, Aïssata had the heart to mix studies, work and voluntary work in several fields as well as to go to Sweden and the United States to perfect her knowledge, thus allowing her to combine her studies with professional life experience.
Expert in communication, public relations and public affairs, Elisabeth Tripod-Fatio is at the head of De Facto, the agency she created in 2017. With a long-stanging experience in both the private and public sector, she worked for various communication agencies as Senior Account Manager and Director, but also as head of communications and relations with the press of the Head office of the economic development, the search and the innovation of the State of Geneva.
Passionate about governance standards and strongly involved in numerous causes in Geneva, the know-how and the experience of Elisabeth Tripod-Fatio strengthens Swiss Philanthropy Foundation’s good governance.
Bernard Vischer is an attorney admitted to the Geneva Bar, partner with Schellenberg Wittmer of which he was managing partner from 2000 to 2007 and now heads the “private clients” department. He is especially active in estate and wealth planning and advises regularly on family business governance and succession. He is also involved in various sustainable finance and charitable projects.
He is currently Vice Chairman of the Board of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation.