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Women Founders
20 June 2019

Alumna Creates Opportunities for Part-time Workers in Switzerland

Economist Irenka Krone-Germann’s (MA, ’95) thesis was the starting point of her initiative in the field of job and top sharing employment and the optimisation process of part-time work affecting around 60% of women in Switzerland.

Previously, Ms Krone-Germann worked at the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a Swiss Delegate employed by the former Federal Office for External Affairs (BAWI). She also worked for the Swiss investment promotion agency, and after, as Program Manager at the Development and Trade Cooperation Section at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in Berne. Her trade promotion programmes took place in several countries – from North Africa to Eastern Europe – and economic sectors. She also acted as the focal point for sustainable tourism at SECO.

In 2013, Ms Krone-Germann co-founded the Part Time Optimisation (PTO) Association with Anne de Chambrier, which promotes job and top sharing models of work in Switzerland. Since 2016, she has served as PTO’s Director. She is also Co-founder of We Jobshare Sàrl, a match-making platform that helps potential job and top sharers find professional partners. 

Ms Krone-Germann is a social entrepreneur and, since 2018, has been active as Co-head Network, Communication and Knowledge Management at cinfo.ch. She is also the author of a book on part-time employment: Part-time Employment in Switzerland: Relevance, Impact and Challenges. She received a PhD in Economics from the University of Geneva and before that, a Master in International Relations.