The Foundation Board

Jacques Forster was a member of the Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) until 2010 and was its Vice-President from 1999 until 2007. He was Vice-Chairman of the Institute's Foundation Board from 2007 until 2010. From 1977 to 2006, he was professor at the Graduate Institute of Development Studies (IUED) where he was Director from 1980 until 1992. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Neuchatel and worked with the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development for over a decade. He has authored several publications on north/south relations and international development cooperation.

Isabelle Werenfels is a senior researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, and lectures at the Freie Universität Berlin. Before joining the SWP in 2001, she headed the Swiss Delegation to the “Temporary International Presence in the City of Hebron”. Prior to that, she worked as an editor for Swiss Radio DRS2. She has written widely on a variety of topics including transformation processes in North Africa, Islamist movements, and Euro-Mediterranean co-operation. From 2008 to 2010, she co-chaird the Euro-Mediterranean Study Commission. Ms Werenfels holds an MSc from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and a PhD in Political Science from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Iris Bohnet is Professor of Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is also the Director of the Women and Public Policy Programme at Harvard and the faculty chair of the executive programme “Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century” for the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. A behavioural economist, her research and teaching focus on decision-making and how to improve decision-making in negotiation, organisations and public policy. She has written extensively on trust and has conducted her research in various parts of the world, most recently in the Middle East.

Anne-Christine Clottu Vogel has been President of the Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries since 2002. She was Chairwoman of the Foundation Board of the Graduate Institute of Development Studies (IUED) from 2002 to 2007 and Secretary-General of the Swiss Academy of Natural Science from 1997 to 2001. She holds a degree in humanities from the University of Neuchatel.

Journalist and columnist with a long-standing affiliation to the Swiss daily newspaper Le Temps, Joëlle Kuntz is the author of "Genève, Histoire d’une vocation internationale", (published by Zoé, Geneva, 2010) a brief history of Switzerland (“The History of Switzerland in the Blink of an Eye”, published by Zoé, Geneva, 2006) and an essay on borders (“Adieu à Terminus”, published by Hachette Littératures, Paris, 2004).

Jacques Marcovitch is Professor of Management and International Affairs at the University of São Paulo in Brazil and a member of the Global Agenda Council for the Future of Latin America at the World Economic Forum in Geneva. His past appointments include Rector of the University of São Paulo, President of Electric Utilities of the State of São Paulo and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies, University of São Paulo. His research and publications focus on environmental challenges, entrepreneurship and Latin America.

Julia Marton-Lefèvre is the Director of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Previously, she was Rector at the University of Peace, Director-General of Leadership for the Environment and Development (LEAD) and Director-General of the International Council for Science.

Yves Mény, former Professor of Political Science, taught at the Paris Institute of Political Studies as well as numerous other universities. From 2002 to 2009, he was the President of the European University Institute in Florence and upon stepping down was designated Emeritus President. His research focuses on compared politics, national and European institutions, political corruption as well as populism.

A Professor on the law faculty and former Dean of the University of Geneva as well as Judge for Geneva’s court of appeals, Robert Roth specialises in Swiss, European and International criminal law.

Andrea Schenker-Wicki is Professor of Business Administration, Chair of “Performance Management” and Director of the Executive MBA programme at the University of Zurich. Her research focuses on performance management at private and public institutions, decision analysis, crisis management and university management.

Rolf Soiron, Swiss entrepreneur, is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Holcim and Lanza. His international experience covers a wide-range of industrial and financial sectors. He chaired the Council of Basel University for 10 years and has held several elected political positions at the communal and cantonal levels. He is member of the Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross Council and chairs the Board of the think-tank Avenir Suisse.