Jacqueline Coté was the Director of Public Relations and previously Head of Communications at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva from 2009 to 2021. In that role she was instrumental in building the new campus of the Institute, the Maison de la Paix, as a vibrant centre of conferences and seminars, thus solidifying the reputation and outreach of the Institute in International Geneva and beyond.

Prior to that Ms Coté was the Permanent Representative to the UN of the International Chamber of Commerce and also served as Senior Advisor Advocacy & Partnerships to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.  In the early part of her career, Ms Coté practiced as an international lawyer in Canada and Switzerland and held management positions with multinational companies SGS and DuPont.   

Ms Coté believes that the global agenda can best be tackled by linking the public, private and non-profit sectors, and that dialogue and empathy are essential tools to achieve the sustainable development goals.  She recently trained as a mediator at Harvard Law School and joined the board of several associations to continue her engagement with International Geneva.

Ms Coté has Swiss, Canadian and British nationalities, is a member of the Bar of Quebec and has two grown-up children who share her passion about tackling today’s global challenges in their areas of work.
 

Elisabeth Tooms studied Law at Oxford University and at the same time participated in theatre projects as director, wardrobe mistress and stage manager.  She married in 1985 to Tim Firth, who died of cancer in 2014. She became involved with IofC/MRA at university and after graduating she worked with the organisation on a full time basis, directing musical shows and touring around the world. A career change resulted in working for 19 years in the City of London for Allen & Overy, a global law firm, as the Head of the Library and Information Service.  She took early retirement in 2004 and returned to theatre work, taking commissions as director, stage manager and lighting designer.  In particular, stage manager for Intermission Theatre in London helping to develop the Shakespeare inspired youth theatre project.  Became a trustee of the Oxford Group (IofC UK) from 2005-2009, taking the chair in 2007.  In 1997 founder member of Renewal Arts and involved in creating a series of arts conferences in Caux. She joined the Council of the CAUX-IofC Fondation in 2014.

*Member of the Executive Committee

Laurent Wehrli joined the Foundation's council in August 2024. He is a member of the Swiss party PLR.Les Libéraux/Radiaux and was Mayor of Montreux from 2011 - 2021. He was a member of the Constitutional Assembly of the Canton de Vaud (1999 - 2002) and was the president of the First Commission. 

Laurent Wehrli is a member of the Swiss Parliament (National Council), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and sits on the Control Committee. He is also the president of the Education and Culture Commission of the Francophonia Parliamentary Assembly (APF) and the president of the Health Network Commission of APF. Laurent is a member of the Swiss Delegation to the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), and vice-president of the group of countries of which Switzerland is a member.

Laurent Wehrli is married and has five children and two grand-children. He has a Master Degree in History-Geography-French at University of Lausanne and has been awarded the White House Prize.

Vivek Asrani has been part of the family business for 35 years and is currently the Managing Director of Kaymo Fastener Company, India. He graduated with a Bachelors in Science and went on to get a  law degree. He was an executive body member of AIESEC from 1986-89 and the Founder President of Association of Youth for Better India (AYBI) from 1990 to 1993. He met IofC in 1992 and has been an active member since 1995. He currently serves on the Board of IofC India.

Vivek also serves on the boards of several NGO’s in India :

• Toybank - a project that has set up 325 play centers in municipal schools and in rural India impacting over 45,000 children on daily basis.
• Praja - One of the India’s largest citizens’ initiative holding the system accountable for its performance on the back of  information gathered through Right To Information (RTI).
• Muktangan - Adoption of 7 Municipal schools in Mumbai teaching 3200 children and having trained over 500 community based teachers.

His wife Rashida runs a furniture business and his two sons are currently studying in their under- graduate years.

Karin Oszuszky is Advisor in the Private Sector and Trade Finance Department at the development finance Institution OFID. She is based in Vienna, Austria. She has been in commercial banking since 1985 in various assignments for large international banks in Vienna, Amsterdam, Geneva and Zurich. From 1998 to 2002 she was director at the Structured Commodity Finance Department at ING Bank in Amsterdam. From 2002 to 2005 she headed the corporate clients department of ING Geneva and was head of the corporate office of ING in Zurich.

Ambassador François Barras is originally from Valais in Switzerland. Following a degree in law at the University of Geneva, a Masters in Anthropology from the University of Virigina, USA and a Doctorate in Anthropology from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, he began his career with UNDP and World Bank missions. He went on to a career as a diplomat which took him successively to Tel Aviv, Washington, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Lebanon, New York, Beirut and Bern.

He retired in June 2017 and that same year joined the Council for Initiatives of Change Switzerland. He is also President of the Institute of Arab and Mediterranean Cultures (ICAM) in Geneva and President of the association Swiss Made Culture in Crans-Montana.

Peter Brey has a long professional background strongly linked to the values Initiatives of Change stands for. He directed the Leenaards Foundation from 2012 to 2023, a philanthropic foundation which seeks to stimulate creative dynamics in the Lake Geneva region and supports initiatives that anticipate, question, and accompany changes in society in the fields of the arts, ageing and health. Previously, he was Director General of Terre des hommes Foundation, a major Swiss INGO with operations in over 30 countries, and Director General of a Dutch scientific research institute in the field of biopsychosocial medicine. At the same time, he was a member of the Executive Board of the Swiss Solidarity Foundation and a consultant to the International Council of Amnesty International. From 2015 to 2022, he was also Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of SwissFoundations, the umbrella organisation for Swiss philanthropic foundation. He currently is a member of its senior experts network. Peter lives in Martigny (Valais). He is married and has two grown-up children.

Ignacio Packer was appointed as Executive Director of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation in May 2023. Until March 2023, he served as Executive Director of ICVA, the global consortium of humanitarian NGOs. ICVA is a global network of non-governmental organisations whose mission is to make humanitarian action more principled and effective by working collectively and independently to influence policy and practice.

Ignacio has over 30 years of experience in humanitarian work and development issues. He served a five-year term as Secretary General of the Terre des Hommes International Federation, and previously worked for the Terre des Hommes Foundation, the Swiss Tropical Institute, the European Association for Development and Health, Medecins Sans Frontieres, KPMG and the European Bank for Latin America.

He is an expert on human rights and social issues. He has been strongly engaged in global advocacy on protection frameworks for migrants and refugees with a particular focus on children and youth.

Passionate for long-distance challenges, he is also an enthusiastic ultra-trail runner.

Valentin Brunet is a Swiss and French national who has worked as a manager and assistant manager for hotels in the canton of Valais in Switzerland before joining the Foundation in 2022. With a background in hotel management and a financial training applied to hotels, he had the opportunity to work in various establishments to manage various projects and events related to the hotel and restaurant industry.

A French national, Etienne Jacques trained in the traditional hotel industry at the Ecole Hôtelière de Nice. He has a diploma in cooking and catering and looks back on more than thirty years of international experience at the head of atypical hotel establishments. A man of the field, he is quick to adapt and has already successfully managed several high-altitude hotels and restaurants in the Swiss canton Valais. Pragmatic and a fan of digitalisation, he knows how to make proposals to make a business more efficient, but also more human. Etienne and his family have been living in Switzerland for more than a decade where he loves the quality of life and enjoys hiking in the mountains.

Evelyn Vy Nguyen is from Vietnam and came to Switzerland in 2013 where she studied at SHMS at the Caux Palace and completed her Bachelor degree in International Hospitality Management. She has fallen in love with Switzerland and has a great passion for the business and hospitality industry. She has been to Asia, Europe, America and Australia as she loves to explore many different cultures and cuisines from all around the world.

Edna Da Costa Sanches is originally from Cape Verde. She now lives in Switzerland and is responsible for the cleaning of the rooms, halls and meeting rooms of the Foundation's centre in Caux.

Anne-Catherine Sutermeister has worked in the cultural sector for more than 25 years. She worked in cultural organisations (Théâtre de Vidy-Lausanne, Bibliothèque cantonale universitaire, Théâtre du Jorat), in higher education (La Manufacture in Lausanne and HEAD-Geneva), in cultural policy (Canton of Berne, Pro Helvetia Foundation Board, State of Valais), and as a consultant and trainer (MAS in cultural management at the University of Lausanne/Geneva), which gives her a global view of the cultural sector.

In 2019, she took a sabbatical in South-East Asia and Australia, meeting artists and cultural managers and interviewing them to learn more about their realities and best practices. At the same time, she completed her yoga practice by training to become a yoga teacher. She is interested in mental health issues and takes classes in first aid.

Anne-Catherine is delighted to join Initiatives of Change, connecting her different passions.

Sarah Noble is originally from Canada and but was born and has lived in Switzerland for more than half her life. She has dedicated her career to building a better world and is passionate about showcasing people's stories about how we build peace with each other and the planet. In her TEDx talk, Storytelling is Our Real-Life Superpower, she invites us to embrace this ability to take on the existential issues of our time and create a better future.

Sarah has held leadership positions at international organisations focused on peacebuilding, humanitarian issues, and independent media. She brings with her more than 20 years of experience in strategic communications, fundraising, and partnerships in the field of international peace and security. She is co-founder and is Curator of the Peace Talks at Interpeace where she has held a number of positions, including Special Assistant, Chief of Staff, and Director of Global Engagement. She has overseen more than 20 editions of the Peace Talks that have taken place in more than 8 countries with over 8.000 attendees and has worked with more than 200 speakers from over 50 countries. Sarah also served as Director of External Relations at The New Humanitarian, a non-profit newsroom that puts quality, independent journalism at the service of the millions of people affected by humanitarian crises around the world, where she led the rebrand process and helped build the funding base of the organization.

She has 2 small children and volunteers on the Parent Teacher Association at the International School of Geneva. She also volunteers as the Country Chair of Global Dignity for Switzerland and serves on the Global Advisory Circle of the Future of Good. 

She has an MA in International Affairs from Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and a BA in Political Studies and Economics from Queen’s University. She is an Alumni and Past President of the Geneva Hub Association of the Global Shapers.

Simren Cornut holds a Master's degree in contemporary history from UNIL and is now an archivist in the private sector. He trained with various university and cantonal archive services, and this year is completing a Master in Advanced Studies in archival science at the University of Bern.

This dual perspective of historian and archivist allows him to treat an archiv such as that of the Caux Palace and its rich history, while taking into consideration its access and future valorization. Understanding this heritage, recognizing it and knowing how to highlight it is indeed essential to enlighten the present and forge links between past, present and future generations.

Very attached to the Riviera, Simren lives at the Domaine de La Doges, on the heights of La Tour-de-Peilz, where he leads guided tours and develops a cultural program which brings to life this listed historic monument, seat of the Swiss Heritage association, Vaud section.

Adrien Giovannelli started working in August 2016 for the IofC Switzerland as Head of Facilities and brings with him 10 years of experience in the construction field in France and 3 years as Duty Manager for a Swiss Hotel Management school. He works on the renovations and is in charge of the maintenance department for the Caux premises. Adrien is a real aficionados of photography.

Jérôme Bertini comes from Nice (France), where he worked as a painter for a local company for 17 years, and 7 years as a craftsman. He joined the maintenance team in Caux in September 2016 as a painter and became Team Manager and Technical Coordinator in December 2023.

Originally from the canton of Valais, Fabien Lattion holds a CFC and an agricultural certificate. Having worked on the family estate for more than 20 years, he decided to pass the torch on the farm to his nephews and joined the Foundation's team as a multi-skilled technician and landscape gardener in June 2024. Fabien loves hiking, cycling, gastronomy, farming and old-fashioned mechanics.

Having travelled in Africa and the Lebanon for various humanitarian projects, Olivier Homs is passionate about human relations. He loves sporting challenges and nature is omnipresent in his life. His profession as a gardener has led him to work in various fields, such as viticulture, landscape management and the maintenance of public and private gardens.

Abderrazak Rabouz was born in Morocco and arrived in Switzerland in 2010. His first job was as a multi-skilled worker and sanitary fitter in a renovation company in the canton of Vaud where he worked from 2020 to November 2023. Abderrazak enjoys football and has a passion for oriental cuisine.

N'kolongo Kalombo was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and came to Switzerland at the age of 6. He joined the Foundation in March 2023 as a multi-skilled technician and painter. His first boss was a real mentor to him and it is thanks to working with him that N'kolongo acquired all his professional skills. He has been working as a painter since he was 15 years old and says: 'Now life has given me the opportunity to be part of your team.' N'kolongo is married and has 4 children, likes travelling, competitive sports, nature and fitness.

Salomé Flamand, who hails from the canton of Neuchâtel and holds a Swiss Federal Diploma in Sound Engineering, also specialises in lighting and video. For over eight years, she worked as a sound, lighting and video manager, as well as a production manager in major theatres, concert halls and conference centres in French-speaking Switzerland. She has also worked for a number of companies, including the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, on their European tours. Since May 2024, she has been putting her technical, artistic and cultural management skills to work for Caux Initiatives of Change.

Salomé plays the flute and has a particular passion for music, theatre and dance. Humanitarian values, such as those promoted by the Foundation, are particularly close to her heart.

Tina Clifton joined IofC Switzerland as the Head of Communications in March 2023 and brings over 20 years of experience leading successful marketing and communications programmes and implementing customer experience initiatives for international industrial companies.

Tina's passion for working in international and multicultural environments is driven by her conviction that diversity is essential to gaining unique perspectives and enriching projects. She is deeply committed to applying her skills and expertise to make a meaningful contribution to society.

In her free time, Tina enjoys swimming, preferably in a mountain lake, and hiking. Originally from the UK, where she obtained her marketing degree, she moved to France in 2001 and now resides in the beautiful Geneva area with her husband and two amazing daughters.

Ulrike Ott Chanu has been part of the communications team since February 2014. She takes care of and coordinates translations and proofreading and looks after the Foundation's websites and social media accounts. After studying English, French and History she worked as a teacher in Germany until marriage to a Frenchman not only made her change country but also retrain professionally. She studied International Logistics, business and economics translation, worked for various shipping companies and managed a B&B in Normandy. She now divides her time between her work for the Foundation and her family.

Géraldine Dardel works for the Foundation as Head of Operational Excellence. With significant experience as Director of Operations in a communications agency in Switzerland, as well as an enriching immersion in New York in the fields of events and catering, Géraldine combines competence and passion. Deeply attached to our magnificent region of the Leman, she hopes to put her expertise to good use at Caux Initiatives of Change, with a human and committed approach.  

Originally from the canton of Neuchâtel, Claude Dubey lived there until 2008 before she went a long trip to the USA to learn English. On her return she moved to Fribourg, Switzerland, and then to the countryside of Lausanne before settling permanently in Valais in 2015 where she is raising her daughter. Claude loves nature and the outdoors and enjoys skiing or walking in the mountains, swimming in the clear waters of the lakes and tasting the culinary wonders of Switzerland.

Originally from the canton of Fribourg, Jessica Afonso has always lived in the canton of Valais, where she feels at home. After holding a number of positions in various SMEs, she decided to move into Human Resources and obtained her HR Management Certificate in 2023. Sensitive to the needs of others and keen to continue developing her own skills, Jessica attaches importance to forging genuine human relationships and fostering an environment conducive to personal fulfilment and development. Outside work, she enjoys immersing herself in inspiring books and discovering new horizons on walks. She particularly enjoys spending time with her horse to recharge her batteries, putting the emphasis on respect and the relationship between human and animal.

Born in Macedonia and raised in the Riviera region, Diana Veselinovska has always been open to the world and receptive to the different cultures she discovers. After completing her studies in Business Administration, she had the opportunity to work in a variety of rewarding positions in the real estate sector. Her recent stay of several months in Australia broadened her outlook and confirmed her interest in sectors that have a tangible social and human impact. The diversity of the Foundation's activities, in particular the promotion of dialogue between nations and the strengthening of peace, is a perfect match for her desire to get involved in an environment with meaning and strong values. In her spare time, she has a passion for creative hobbies and hiking, activities that feed her curiosity and recharge her batteries.

Joshua Nichols supports the Foundation on a consultant basis as a CRM Data Analyst.

Sidra Raslan from Syria is the logistics and outreach lead of Creative Leadership, a youth-led Caux Initiatives of Change initiative for young leaders that organises programmes focused on dialogue and storytelling. Sidra also volunteers on topics of refugees rights and inclusion, inner development, and youth empowerment. Sidra holds a masters degree in environmental, economic and social sustainability from UAB and works at HP on their partner sustainability programme.

Daniel Clements is British and has a passion for working with young people. He is a teacher in Coventry with strong ambitions to engage in educational reform. He sees the challenges people face today as deeply spiritual, and has a desire to enable people to overcome inner darkness and live lives of truth and compassion. Daniel supports the Creative Leadership team as a volunteer.

Ines Mokdadi is a University Agrégée Professor of English at ISEAH in Tunisia and specializes in Applied Linguistics. Her research focuses on critical discourse analysis and power dynamics. She also works as a freelance translator and interpreter and has served as a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Alumna at the University of Notre Dame, USA (2020-2021). In addition to her academic and professional pursuits, Ines is deeply passionate about civic engagement, inclusion, and cross-cultural understanding. She volunteers as the Lead Content Strategist for the Creative Leadership team, dedicating her free time to youth-based causes. Furthermore, she recently expanded her involvement by joining the faculty of IofC UK as a trainer for the Refugees for Re-Builders (RRB) programme, demonstrating her commitment to supporting refugees and promoting community rebuilding efforts on a broader scale.

Willi Studer is an organizational coach based in the Lake Geneva region. Deeply rooted in the Swiss Alpine area, having grown up and studied in the greater Zurich region, he later lived for 7 years in Paris. Willi is a Swiss and French citizen. He has more than 20 years’ experience in organizational development and transformational change. People who know his work call him an engineer of the human, providing real and rapid help. He is the Swiss Partner of Denison Consulting and has worked together with its founder Dan Deniison for many times, he is also Partner of The Fearless Organization (Amy Edmondson) and Associate of The Development Edge (Robert Kegan). Finally, he acts as a proud Ambassador of the global Inner Development Goals initiative (IDGs). Willi is a spouse and father; he loves skiing, plays table tennis, and he enjoys reading books on a wide range of topics from history, through sustainability, to the exploration of countries and people; finally, he loves receiving inspiration from art. Willi Studer supports the Foundation as a consultant for the Inner Development Goals.

After studying business and marketing and with 10 years' experience in the private sector (communications, negotiation and event organisation), Carole de Bazignan entered the world of development and humanitarian aid, coordinating projects to provide access to drinking water and education. She is involved in project management, designing and implementing strategy within different structures, communication, training and partnership research. In 2016, after training in mediation, she embarked on a programme of self-knowledge, learning how to facilitate self-management tools and supporting individuals in their search for a balance between personal fulfilment and responsibility within the community. Driven by the idea that "alone you can go faster, but together you can go further", she enjoys working with people and organisations who embody the values of fairness, humility, perseverance, commitment and trust - in oneself, in others, in life - and exchanging and sharing ideas to see how we can work together on sustainable projects. Carole de Bazignan supports the Foundation as a consultant for the Inner Development Goals.

Diana Damsa holds degrees in Law and Music and has pursued postgraduate studies in Healing of Memories and Intercultural and Interfaith Communication. In 2004 she was inspired by Initiatives of Change (IofC)’s message that change in the world starts with change in oneself; she has been active in several IofC programmes since then. In particular, she has been involved with Foundations for Freedom in various capacities both as a member of the management and coordination team, as a designer and facilitator of youth and leadership programmes and of interethnic dialogues in Ukraine and Romania. She was vice-president of Creators of Peace, Managing Director of the "Tools for Changemakers" programme, organized the Young Ambassadors Programme and worked for the Foundation as training programme manager until spring 2023. She is also a founding member and the President of the Centre for Social Transformation in Romania, which works to promote peace, build trust and empower women and Roma youth. Diana supports the Foundation as a consultant for training and facilitation.

Bhavesh Patel designs and facilitates learning and development for people, organizations and networks. He believes that in an increasingly uncertain world, there are no off-the-shelf ideal pre-defined solutions. Instead organizations can find their evolutionary capacity through engaging the hearts and minds of their own people. This leads to a variety of work from strategic development to helping community groups discover their shared vision. He also works as a trainer, delivering workshops that explore skills in self-management, communication, training and facilitation. Bhav has a Master’s in Management Psychology and has worked in over 30 countries for a mix of social and corporate clients. As a consultant, he is part of the Caux Design team.

Jonathan Dudding has been working internationally as a trainer and facilitator for over twenty years. He was trained by the Institute of Cultural Affairs and specializes in their methods. In addition to facilitating events and training others in facilitation, Jonathan also offers advice on how to incorporate participatory approaches into sectors where participation is less valued. He has provided training and support to the facilitators of the Caux conferences facilitators, has run courses with ICA:UK in partnership with the Foundation in Geneva and is part of the Caux Design Team as a consultant.

Diana Topan supports Caux Initiatives of Change as a consultant for graphic design. She has worked with various NGOs at an international level since 2012, having gained experience as a project manager in the Netherlands and Romania, and as a freelance social media manager with clients in Europe, the Middle East and the USA. She studied psychology and is passionate about photography and digital arts. She was part of the communications team of several international IofC conferences and programmes in Caux, including the Foundation's "Tools for Changemakers" programme. Diana worked 2021 - 2023 as a communications officer for the Foundation and is currently the vice-president of the Centre for Social Transformation in Romania.

Sebastian Hasse studied computer science and is a trained mediator. He is from Germany and has been actively involved with IofC as a volunteer for many years.

Eliane Stallybrass looks after the Foundation's archives. She has been actively involved with Initiatives of Change in various capacities for many years. She organised conference, looked after the smooth running of the summer conferences, was part of those who started the work weeks in 1986 and of the small international team of (mainly) volunteers that put together the book "75 Years of Stories" for the 75th anniversary of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation.

Together with his wife Eliane, Andrew Stallybrass has been involved in the work of Initiatives of Change for many years and in many capacities, including conference organisation, the work weeks and communications. His extensive knowledge of the history of our centre in Caux makes him the perfect person for a guided tour through the buildings and gardens of the Caux Palace.