Management Advisory Board

Professor Sophie D'Amours is the first female rector of Université Laval, Québec. Elected in 2017, she was re-elected for a second term in 2022. Sophie d'Amours is a mechanical engineer.

She holds a master's degree in business administration from Université Laval and a doctorate in engineering mathematics from the École polytechnique de Montréal. She has been a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Université Laval since 1995, and was vice-rector of research and creation at the university; from 2012 to 2015, she has extensive experience in higher education, research and university management, both in Canada and internationally.

Her career has been marked by significant contributions to research in business engineering and planning, particularly in the forestry sector. She has held both a Canada Research Chair and an Industrial Research Chair with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and has led national and international initiatives in her field.

She is a member of the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) and the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM).

Sofia de Meyer began her studies at St. George's International School in Montreux. She went on to study law at Bristol University and began her career as a legal adviser for Ashurst after graduating in 1997. She spent 7 years advising companies on mergers and acquisitions in London, Chicago and Milan.

In 2004, she founded Whitepod, an innovative and environmentally-friendly hotel complex. Then, in 2009, she set up Opaline, a local drinks company which she managed for 12 years.

In 2021, Sofia de Meyer joined Daughters for Earth, an organisation that supports projects around the world in the fields of biodiversity protection and conservation, and energy transition.

She also holds positions in various organisations:

• Member of the steering committee of the Fédération romande des consommateurs
• Member of the jury of the Prix Suisse de l’Éthique
• President of the board of the Jean-Marcel Aubert Foundation
• Member of the Conseil d’établissement de l’hôpital Riviera-Chablais
• Member of the Foundation Board of the FiBL organic farming research institute

Alisée de Tonnac's career began at international school, first in Singapore, then in Silicon Valley, before returning to France. She obtained a Bachelor's degree in Management and Economics from the HEC faculty at UNIL. She then went on to complete a Master's degree in International Management at Bocconi University. In 2011, she moved into the field of marketing, joining the L'Oréal group in Milan. After two years, she decided to apply to join the founding committee of Seedstars, an organisation dedicated to supporting promising start-ups in emerging countries.

Under the leadership of Alisée, Seedstars works with governments, institutions, foundations, companies and investors to promote entrepreneurship in emerging markets. They provide capital, knowledge and connections to high-growth technology companies through capacity-building programmes, funds such as Seedstars International Ventures, and partnerships with venture capital fund managers through Seedstars Capital. Seedstars also fosters talent development with Seedstars Academy, with the aim of creating strong entrepreneurial ecosystems for targeted social and economic development.

In addition to her role at Seedstars, Alisé sits on the boards of international foundations and companies, including Proton, and is a member of the Swiss Innovation Council (Innosuisse), further contributing to the global entrepreneurship and innovation landscape.

After graduating from Imperial College London with a BSc in Physics, Eftychia Fischer began her career in 1986 as a trader at Societas Geral Strauss Turnbull. She enriched her career by obtaining a degree from the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and certifications as a Chartered Financial Analyst and Financial Risk Manager.

In the course of her career, she has held various positions of responsibility, both in Paris and Zurich, with institutions such as J.P. Morgan & Co, Julius Baer and EFG International.

In 2010, she joined UBP (Union Bancaire Privée) as Head of Treasury & Trading. From 2012 to 2015, she headed the institution's Asset Management division, before joining its Board of Directors. In 2022 she will succeed Jacques de Watteville as Chairman of BCV's Board of Directors.

She is also involved in a number of other bodies:

• Member of the Board of Directors of Vaudoise Assurances
• Independent director at Sherpa Asset Management
• Independent director of the Alberca Foundation

Valée Hauert began her academic career with a two-year course in medicine at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) before turning to the Geneva School of Translation and Interpreting. In 2003, she began training in European journalism, specialising in the institutions of the European Union, at the Institut des Hautes Etudes des Communications Sociales in Brussels (IHECS).

She began her career as a translator for the International Publishers Association. She then spent a year as a trainee journalist at BFM Belgique, Télébruxelles and La Libre Belgique. She continued her experience with a two-year internship at Radio Lac in Geneva. In 2006, she joined Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS), where she held a variety of positions before moving on to La Matinale.

Parallel to her journalistic career, she is a member of the Swiss Press Award jury.

André Hoffmann studied economics at the University of St. Gallen before going on to earn an MBA at INSEAD (Institut europé en d'administration des affaires).

His career began as temporary administrator of the Tour du Valat biological station. In 1985, he was appointed Director of the European Mergers and Acquisitions department of Jamel Capel and Co. He then joined the Nestl team in England, where he worked until 1993. In 1996 he became a member of the Board of Directors of Roche.

André Hoffmann also holds various positions in the following institutions:

• Chairman of the Board of Directors of the MAVA Foundation (conservation and protection of the environment)
• Director of the Supervisory Board of Capitals Coalition (consideration of natural, social, human and product capitals in decision-making)
• Member of the Management Board of the World Economic Forum
• Leader of the B Team initiative (a global initiative promoting more people-centred and climate-friendly business practices)
• Member of the Board of SystemIQ Ltd (strategic consultancy company)
Founder of the Global Hoffmann Institute for Business and Society at INSEAD and Chairman of its Strategic Advisory Board.
• President of the Fondation Tour du Valat (research for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands)
• Président of W.A. De Vigier Stiftung (award of an annual prize to young Swiss entrepreneurs)
• Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Venture.ch (annual award for young Swiss companies)
• Member of the Board of Peace Parks Foundation (conservation and renewal of ecosystems in Africa)
• Chairman of the Board of the Givaudan Foundation

With a degree in medicine and a specialisation in general internal medicine and geriatrics, Stéfanie Monod has held a senior position in the geriatric medicine department;Stéfanie Monod worked as a senior doctor in the geriatric service at CHUV for more than ten years. She then joined the Direction générale de la santé (DGS) of the canton of Vaud..

During her years at the helm of Vaud's public health system, Stéfanie Monod put her skills to good use for the canton, working in particular on adapting the health system to the challenges posed by demographic ageing and the increase in chronic diseases. These include the 2017-2022 health policy report, the creation and implementation of Unisant, the reorganisation of emergency response and the creation of the status and training of specialised nurse practitioners.

It has also chaired the conference of public health directors of the French-speaking cantons, which is attached to the Latin Conference of Health and Social Affairs, for several years.

In 2021, Stéfanie Monod joins Unisanté to develop expertise, research and teaching in the field of governance and organisation of the Swiss health system.

Nasri Nahas began his studies in biology and medical sciences at the University of Beirut, which he continued in France until 1995 (Master's degree in biological engineering). On completing his studies, he joined Genset SA as a financial and commercial analyst, where he worked for five years. In 1997 he began an MBA in administrative management at UNIGE.

In 2000 he became head of operations at ValiGen (a French biotech firm focusing on the differential validation of genes). From 2001 to 2013 he was Managing Director of GeneBio, then held the same position at Spinomix until 2015.

With a CAS in health management, he simultaneously piloted the Healthbank (development of a global health data platform owned by citizens) during his time at Spinomix.In 2015 he became managing director of Biopôle (a Vaud-based park dedicated to hosting life sciences companies).

It is also a member of the following institutions:

• Board of Trustees of the CHUV
• Member of the Advisory Board of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation HUB (UNIL)
• Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Elemental Machines

Before joining the Institute in 2020, Marie-Laure Salles was Dean of the Management and Innovation School at Sciences Po Paris, a school she helped launch in 2016. Previously, she was a professor at ESSEC Business School, where she was also, in turn, Dean of the Faculty and Associate Dean of the doctoral programme.

With a doctorate in sociology from Harvard University and a habilitation to direct research from Dauphine University in Paris, Marie-Laure Salles was, until her arrival in Geneva, a professor at the Centre de sociologie des organisations (CSO) at Sciences Po Paris.

Her work focuses on the contemporary transformations of capitalism and the regulation of the economy in a globalised economic environment, but also on the social responsibilities of companies and their political role in this context.

She has been a visiting professor at prestigious academic institutions in the US and Europe. She holds an honorary doctorate from Stockholm University and was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur by the French government in 2017.

A graduate of UNIL, Didier Schwarz holds a Master's degree in information systems as well as a Bachelor's degree in management from HEC Lausanne and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

In 2013, as part of his studies, Didier co-founded and ran his first start-up, Wicard (a mobile app in the tourism sector), for 3 years. As a result of this experience, he was selected as one of the 100 young people who are shaping the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

His passion for entrepreneurship and innovation then led him to join Innovaud in 2017, the innovation agency of the canton of Vaud, where he has advised more than 300 start-ups.

At the same time, Didier launched the FIT Digital programme within the Foundation for Technological Innovation, which he has headed since 2018. In 5 years, FIT Digital has provided financial support for 68 projects, investing a total of more than CHF 3,700,000 and helping to create 438 jobs in Switzerland and around the world.

The FIT Digital programme is a major step forward in the development of the Swiss economy.

Today, his main focus is on 1m83, a start-up he co-founded in 2018, operating at the convergence of art, architecture and technology. At 1m83, artists, media designers, engineers and architects work together to create collective, multi-sensory art experiences for passers-by in public spaces. Following the success of three major exhibitions, including one at UNO Geneva, in 2023 the studio signed a partnership with internationally renowned architect Shigeru Ban to develop travelling, interconnected art modules.