Governance

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.

From the creation of the Foundation in 2006 until April 2023, he was a Board member and is now an external member of the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation’s Financial Committee.

Anna Devine joined the Foundation in 2025 and serves as Head of Legal, overseeing the Foundation’s legal matters. With several years of experience as a lawyer in Switzerland and abroad, including with international organizations and NGOs, she brings solid expertise in legal strategy and governance. Anna is also responsible for the legal and administrative management of testamentary funds, working closely with various stakeholders and ensuring that the wishes of testators are fully respected.

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.

Bénédicte holds a Master’s degree in Management from Toulouse Business School and a DAS in Corporate Social Responsibility from the University of Geneva.

Prior to joining Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, she served as a Senior Administrative Assistant in the Resource Mobilization team at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. She also worked as an Executive Coordinator within the Strategy and Impact team at the WHO Foundation.

Bénédicte also has experience working with private equity investment firms in Geneva.

A native French speaker, she is proficient in English and possesses a strong command of German.

In her free time, she enjoys running and cross-country skiing.

Chloé joined the Foundation in June 2025 as a project administrator. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Lausanne (UNIL). She has gained solid experience abroad working for international organisations.

Before joining the Foundation, she worked for the United Nations in New York, Geneva and Myanmar. As part of her duties, she carried out missions in the Central African Republic, Uganda and Côte d’Ivoire. She also worked as a project manager for a consulting firm in Germany. She is fluent in English and German.

Laurent Hostettler joined the Foundation in 2020, as Finance Manager.

With a 30-year career in commodities trading, he brings a wealth of experience in accounting management and financial analysis. As part of his activities with a major multinational, he was actively involved in setting up control and monitoring systems for entities based in China, India, Mexico, Egypt and the USA. He contributed to the creation of a joint venture with a major player in the agricultural sector in Brazil. A graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Genève, he has also worked as a volunteer accountant for local associations.

Laurent oversees the financial aspects of the funds, liaises with the Finance Committee and monitors 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.

Ella joined the Foundation in April 2025 as Communications Officer. In this role, she is responsible for the Foundation’s communications strategy and for its development.
With a degree in Information and Communication Sciences and Management, she has in particular focused on the impact of local media in the context of climate and political crises, and the disparities in the handling of international affairs. As art historian, Ella has several years’ experience in the communications departments of cultural institutions as well as in academic mediation projects with a high social value.

 Michael Levy is the founder of EC Management providing advisory works on European real estate in particular in Germany.

Before shifting to real estate investments, he started his career in an international bank and joined afterwards a single family office based in Geneva. He graduated from HEC Lausanne with a major in finance.

Between 2010 and 2015, he was member of the Board of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation as Treasurer and from 2015 until 2019 he was an external member of the Financial Commission. In 2025, Michael Levy re-joined the Financial Commission of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation as external member. In addition, he is personally active with several philanthropic initiatives.

Martial Paris is Managing Partner of WISE Philanthropy Advisors, which he joined in 2008. He advises individuals and foundations on project identification, strategic planning, fund management and impact assessment. He also lectures at training courses in Switzerland, drawing on his diverse field experience in particular.

Sonia joined the Foundation in May 2018 as Project Administrator. In this position, her main tasks include managing and monitoring named sheltered funds, as well as donor relations. She has over ten years’ experience in international organizations and a solid knowledge of the field. In her professional life, she has lived in the Central African Republic, Mali, Cameroon, Burundi and Colombia, and made short visits to Côte d’Ivoire and Cuba.

She was responsible for organizing the Master Class in Philanthropy from 2018 to 2022.

Olivier Ratel joined the Foundation team in October 2023 as Director of Administration and Finance. In this position, he plays an active role in the Foundation’s strategic choices. He oversees accounting management, draws up the budget and carries out the financial analyses and projections essential to the Foundation’s equilibrium. He also oversees the administrative management of human resources.

Holder of a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Management in the service industry, he worked for nearly 15 years in the luxury hotel sector within several international groups in France, the United States and Switzerland. Today, he has decided to join the world of philanthropy, to put his expertise at the service of the Foundation’s initiatives.

Muriel Reboh Serero runs the Institut Maïeutique Foundation in Lausanne, providing care for adolescents and young adults suffering from psychological disorders.

She trained as an FSP psychologist-psychotherapist in Switzerland and Canada, and in hospital management at HEC Geneva. She has been interested in philanthropy for several years, and has developed skills in strategic planning and fundraising. She is Vice-President of the Groupement des hôpitaux de jour psychiatrique (Belgium, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg).

Fanny joined the Foundation in January 2025 as Project Administrator.

She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from EDHEC business school, and specialised in supply chain management during a university exchange in Bath (UK) and in international relations during a semester of study in Seoul (South Korea).

With 18 years’ experience in the international transport and logistics sector, she decided to leave her management position to embark on a career in philanthropy, in the hope of contributing to a better world.

Of Hungarian origin and having been schooled in German in her youth, she is always very enthusiastic about the idea of working on projects rich in cultural diversity.

Shauna joined the Foundation in August 2025 as a Junior Project Coordinator as part of the Young Talent program. She is mainly responsible for the administration and coordination of activities related to the Transnational Giving Europe cross-border giving network.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management, as well as a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences. Between the two degrees, she completed an internship at an NGO in Geneva, which marked her first steps in the non-profit sector and helped her develop an awareness of climate issues and their impact on society.

She was also involved as a volunteer in a student association during her studies. Before joining the Foundation, she gained international experience through an internship in Cuba, as well as two academic exchange programs in Berlin and Bogotá.

Aïssata Traoré first joined the Foundation in January 2020 for an internship as part of her Master’s degree in Political Science at the University of Geneva. Today, as a senior project administrator, she manages several funds, including named, collaborative, and institutional funds, and oversees the Foundation’s processes, which she knows inside out. During her years at the Foundation, Aïssata has also administered and coordinated all activities related to the Transnational Giving Europe network, participated actively in the development and implementation of new digital tools within the Foundation, and managed and monitored sheltered funds. 

During her university studies, Aïssata was keen to combine multidisciplinary studies, work, and volunteer work, while also completing an Erasmus exchange in Sweden and an internship in the United States, thereby strengthening her diverse approach to issues and their solutions, as well as her critical analysis of problems, while appreciating cultural diversity and a high degree of autonomy. 

True to her radiant personality, Aïssata also enjoys leading the Genva Christmas Cup team, which has been jumping into the winter lake since 2021. She also looks after the office candy box, which you are welcome to sample when you visit our offices. 

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.

Lucile Yersin 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.