Who stands behind elea?
Our Team
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Dr. Peter A. Wuffli
Founder & Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Dr. Peter A. Wuffli
Founder & Chairman of the Board of TrusteesPeter Wuffli (born in 1957) is the Founder and Chairman of elea Foundation for Ethics in Globalization. elea was established in 2006 and has the purpose to fight absolute poverty (i.e. less than USD 3 per capita daily income) with entrepreneurial means. elea is a philanthropic impact investor in the fields of agricultural value chains, informal retail and last mile distribution, and employable skill building.
In addition, Peter is Honorary Chairman of IMD and a Member of the Advisory Board of the elea Center for Social Innovation at IMD. He also serves on the Board of Sygnum, a digital asset bank in Zurich and Singapore. Furthermore, he is Member of the Board of Trustees of BlueEarth Foundation and the Vice Chairman of the Zurich Opera House.
Previously, Peter was Partner at McKinsey & Company, CEO of UBS Group, and Chairman of Partners Group and IMD respectively. Peter earned a Ph.D. in economics from University of St. Gallen based on a dissertation on Swiss Direct Investment in Mexico.
He regularly publishes articles and books on themes of globalization, ethics, impact investing and leadership. His latest books are: "Inclusive Leadership – A Framework for the Global Era", Springer 2016, and "The elea Way – A Learning Journey Toward Sustainable Impact" (together with Vanina Farber), Routledge, November 2020.
He is married and has three adult children.
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Andreas R. Kirchschläger
Founding Partner & CEO
Andreas R. Kirchschläger
Founding Partner & CEOAndreas R. Kirchschläger is Founding Partner & CEO of the elea Foundation for Ethics in Globalization and President of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation.
elea was established in 2006 with the purpose to fight absolute poverty with entrepreneurial means. elea is an active philanthropic impact investor in the fields of agricultural value chains, last-mile retail and services, employable skills, and climate and livelihoods.
Since its inception in 1978, the Max Schmidheiny Foundation has advocated the promotion of a free economic and social order. It actively supports dialogue between business, politics, and society on key issues confronting Switzerland and open societies world-wide.
In addition, Andreas serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Blue Earth Capital AG, an independent global impact investing firm, and as a Senior Advisory to Houlihan Lokey, a leading global investment bank. Furthermore, he is a member of the Board of Governors of the University of St. Gallen, a member of the Advisory Board of the elea Center for Social Innovation at IMD, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the St. Gallen Endowment for Prosperity through Trade and the HSG Foundation.
As Managing Director and President of the St. Gallen Foundation for International Studies, he led the annual International Management Symposium St. Gallen for more than one decade. Andreas holds a Master’s degree in Law and Economics from the University of St. Gallen. -
Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh
Managing Director & CFO
Niloufar Aazam-Zanganeh
Managing Director & CFONiloufar Aazam-Zanganeh is a Managing Director and the Chief Financial Officer of elea. She is responsible for finance functions supporting elea’s activities in fighting absolute poverty with entrepreneurial means. In addition, she oversees elea’s impact management and measurement and is involved in all stages of the investment process – from sourcing to strategic value creation. Niloufar joined in 2023 and represents elea on the board of Elucid.
Niloufar brings a wealth of senior experience in banking, finance, and transaction management to elea’s philanthropic impact investing activities. From 2017 to 2023, she held the position of Group Treasurer, first at Orior AG and then Colosseum Dental Group. Amongst her responsibilities were group financing, liquidity and risk management. She began her career at UBS and spent a decade in various roles mainly in the Corporate Finance and Investment Banking divisions in Geneva, New York, and Zurich.
Niloufar holds an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, and graduated from Duke University in Durham (North Carolina) with a B.A. in economics.
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Stéphanie Abels
Executive Director
Stéphanie Abels
Executive DirectorStéphanie Abels is an Executive Director at elea. In addition to being a member of the investment team, she leads our pipeline and due diligence activities. Stéphanie ensures that elea has a relevant pipeline of impact ventures that align with the organization's philanthropic investment strategy and enables the successful implementation of due diligence processes. She also spearheads further development of our investment theme “employable skills” within a practice group that provides sector-specific expertise to support the investment process. Stéphanie currently represents elea on the boards of ATEC and BluLever Education.
Before joining our Zurich office in April 2020, Stéphanie worked for us as an external consultant in Costa Rica. Prior to that, she gained professional experience as a financial analyst at Credit Suisse in the Mergers & Acquisitions department and at a textile machinery manufacturer in India. Stéphanie holds an M.Sc. in Strategic Management from HEC Paris and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). -
Adrian Ackeret
Partner & CIO
Adrian Ackeret
Partner & CIOAdrian Ackeret is a Partner and the Chief Investment Officer of elea. He is responsible for overseeing elea’s philanthropic impact investing activities focused on building, managing, and strategically supporting a portfolio of impact ventures that create lasting social impact by giving people living in absolute poverty access to employment, markets, and value chains.
Adrian has been involved in all phases of elea’s investment process – from sourcing, carrying out due diligence, providing strategic support for active portfolio ventures to managing exits – across elea’s global portfolio. He currently represents elea on the boards of BagoSphere, Essmart, Leap Skills, and Fundamento.
Before joining elea in 2013, Adrian worked at the St. Gallen Symposium, an initiative that fosters global dialogue between business, politics, and society, and at RISE management research at the intersection of strategy and entrepreneurship. He graduated with an M.A. in Management from the University of St. Gallen (HSG).
Adrian also serves as the Deputy Managing Director of the Max Schmidheiny Foundation, a private Swiss foundation promoting a free economic and social order. It actively supports dialogue between business, politics, and society on key issues confronting Switzerland and open societies world-wide. -
Mauro Betschart
Associate
Mauro Betschart
AssociateAs part of our two-year elea Talent Program, Mauro Betschart is acquiring in-depth knowledge of philanthropic impact investing. He sources potential investments, supports the due diligence process of impact ventures and works closely with the elea team to create value for impact entrepreneurs worldwide. He also engages with the impact investing ecosystem, building productive relationships with investors, co-investors, and other stakeholders. Mauro joined our team as an Associate in December 2023.
Before working at elea, Mauro was an Executive Assistant to the Group CFO at the Schindler Group. He holds a CEMS Master’s in International Management as well as an M.A. in International Affairs & Governance from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). During his studies, he spent semesters abroad in Hong Kong and Milan and gained professional experience through several internships in Finance and Business Development. -
Anna Blunschi
Associate
Anna Blunschi
AssociateAs part of our two-year elea Talent Program, Anna Blunschi is acquiring in-depth knowledge of philanthropic impact investing. She sources potential investments, supports the due diligence process of impact ventures and works closely with the elea team to create value for impact entrepreneurs worldwide. She also engages with the impact investing ecosystem, building productive relationships with investors, co-investors, and other stakeholders. Anna joined our team as an Associate in September 2022.
Before working at elea, Anna gained initial experience in corporate communications at UBS and international business development at Planted. A volunteering experience as an English teacher in rural China sparked her interest for development economics. Anna holds an M.A. in International Economic Policy from Sciences Po Paris and a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). She spent exchange semesters in Beijing and Milan. -
Dagma Burki
Assistant
Dagma Burki
AssistantDagma Burki is an Assistant at elea, supporting the smooth operation of all organizational and administrative matters in our office in Zurich. This includes database management, processing support requests, and ensuring seamless communication. Additionally, she organizes internal and external elea events for our philanthropic investors and venture partners. Dagma Burki has been with our team since September 2022.
Prior to working at elea, Dagma completed a vocational training in Business Administration, which included a traineeship with Schroders, a global investment manager. Dagma currently pursues a Bachelor in Business Administration at the University of Applied Sciences Zurich (ZHAW). -
Dominik Candreia
Head of IT
Dominik Candreia
Head of ITDominik Candreia is Head of IT at elea. As the IT lead, he is responsible for ensuring smooth operations, security, and the ongoing development of our technical infrastructure. Additionally, he leverages his expertise to identify investment opportunities, takes part in due diligence processes, and provides technical support to portfolio companies. As a passionate photographer, he visually documents our events. Dominik joined our team in September 2022.
Prior to working at elea, Dominik founded two companies: the ETH spin-off "Projekt Neptun" and OpenCircle. He is still involved in OpenCircle, an IT infrastructure management company, as a member of the Board of Directors. "Projekt Neptun" is now one of the leading IT suppliers for students in Switzerland. Dominik completed an M.Sc. in Computer Sciences and an M.A. in Management and Economics at the University of Zurich (UZH). -
Greta Carioli
Senior Associate
Greta Carioli
Senior AssociateGreta Carioli is a Senior Associate at elea. She contributes to our investment and value-creation activities. Additionally, she is an integral part of the Partnerships team, establishing relationships with elea’s growing network of institutional partners. Greta joined the elea Talent Program as an Associate in September 2021 and graduated in September 2023.
Before joining elea, Greta completed a Master's degree in Economics at the University of St. Gallen (HSG). While pursuing her studies, she contributed to the development of the ROSE framework at START Global, focusing on the establishment of a sustainability and impact assessment for startups. Prior to that, she completed a B.A. in Business and Economics at the University of Bologna with an exchange semester at the Technical University of Buenos Aires. -
Jennifer Chan
Associate
Jennifer Chan
AssociateAs part of our two-year elea Talent Program, Jennifer Chan is acquiring in-depth knowledge of philanthropic impact investing. She sources potential investments, supports the due diligence process of impact ventures and works closely with the elea team to create value for impact entrepreneurs worldwide. She also engages with the impact investing ecosystem, creating productive relationships with investors, co-investors, and other stakeholders. Jennifer joined our team as an Associate in September 2023.
Before starting the elea Talent Program, Jennifer completed a six-month internship at elea to support our team in developing the elea Vision 2030. She was responsible for conducting comprehensive environmental analysis on the topics of impact investing and poverty alleviation. Jennifer graduated from the University of Zurich with an M.Sc. in Mathematics and a B.Sc. in Psychology.
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Melody Chua
IT Analyst
Melody Chua
IT AnalystMelody Chua is an IT Analyst at elea. She is responsible for the user and client management, as well as the network infrastructure, and team training. A main focus of her work is on finding and implementing new technologies such as AI and machine learning to optimize and automate processes, aggregate existing knowledge, and gain new data insights. Melody joined our team in October 2018.
Melody finds synergies between her work at elea and her extensive background in systems engineering in the arts as an audiovisual programmer and performer-composer. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music technology, performance, and transdisciplinary studies from the University of Illinois and Zürich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and is a recipient of the Fulbright for her research at the Zurich Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the Kunstuniversität Graz and in residence at the ZHdK Immersive Arts Space, working with AI in music systems. -
Benoît Demaurex
Executive Director
Benoît Demaurex
Executive DirectorBenoît Demaurex started his professional career in consulting at Accenture Strategy in 2012. He later held positions in corporate strategy and as Head of Finance in mid-sized companies in the building material industry. Benoît holds a Bachelor degree in physics and a Master in Management, Technology and Economy (MTEC) from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and Zurich (ETHZ) respectively. In 2021 he graduated with an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid and subsequently joined elea.
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Amanda Turner Ege
Executive Director
Amanda Turner Ege
Executive DirectorAmanda Turner Ege is an Executive Director at elea. In addition to being a member of the investment team, she is responsible for leading elea’s ecosystem development initiatives, including its partner network and the elea Entrepreneurs' Community. Also responsible for elea’s Talent Program, Amanda is dedicated to empowering a new generation of impact investing professionals. She represents elea on the boards of B’Ayoba and Signalytic.
Before joining elea in April 2018, Amanda developed expertise in poverty alleviation working for a non-profit in Guatemala, the UNDP, and an award-winning social enterprise that develops small-scale farmers in Latin America. She lived in Guatemala for almost four years and traveled extensively in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Amanda obtained an MBA at the Yale School of Management with a focus on emerging market finance. Her degree led her to study entrepreneurship and social enterprises in China, South Africa, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. She graduated from Yale College with a B.A. in History. -
Lars Flükiger
IT Analyst
Lars Flükiger
IT AnalystLars Flükiger is an IT Analyst at elea. He is responsible for data management and oversees the maintenance and enhancement of our CRM and web infrastructure. Lars tailors Salesforce precisely to meet our requirements and programs the foundational elements of elea's impact reports. In addition, he provides support to team members facing technical issues and ensures smooth operation of the technical equipment at external events. Lars joined our team in July 2021.
After his apprenticeship as a computer scientist, Lars worked for several years as a Java Software Engineer at Siemens / ATOS. He then completed the Berufsmatura and the general qualification for university entrance, while pursuing engagements in the social sector and in the airline industry. Lars is currently studying Philosophy and "Methods, Data and Society" at the University of Zurich and obtained a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science from the same university. -
Jacob Greil
Associate
Jacob Greil
AssociateAs part of our two-year elea Talent Program, Jacob Greil is acquiring in-depth knowledge of philanthropic impact investing. He sources potential investments, supports the due diligence process of impact ventures and works closely with the elea team to create value for impact entrepreneurs worldwide. He also engages with the impact investing ecosystem, creating productive relationships with investors, co-investors, and other stakeholders. Jacob joined our team as an Associate in September 2022.
Before working at elea, Jacob gained experience in the venture capital industry and in strategy consulting, including at Arthur D. Little. He completed an M.Sc. in Philosophy at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and graduated from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) with a B.A. in Business Administration. Jacob spent semesters abroad in Barcelona and Medellín. -
Lisa Jean-Mairet
Executive Director
Lisa Jean-Mairet
Executive DirectorLisa Jean-Mairet is an Executive Director at elea. In addition to being a member of the investment team, she leads the elea Africa Hub based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is responsible for the continuous expansion of our hub activities and our investment portfolio in Africa. She also oversees due diligence and awareness activities on the continent. Lisa currently represents elea on the boards of AMAZI, Lernern, and Yebo Fresh.
Before joining elea in June 2018, Lisa worked in the Impact Investing team of the Chief Investment Office at UBS, where she previously completed the Graduate Talent Program. Prior to that, she gained professional experience at start-ups and a social enterprise in India. Lisa holds a M.A. in International Affairs and Governance and a B.A. in International Affairs from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). She spent exchange semesters at the National University of Singapore and Maastricht University.
Lisa is also a board member of the Dalyan Foundation. The foundation promotes the well-being of women, young people and children in India and Turkey with a focus on education and income opportunities. -
Stefan Kappeler
Partner & COO
Stefan Kappeler
Partner & COOStefan Kappeler is a Partner and Chief Operating Officer of elea. He is responsible for elea’s activities related to talents, resources, and communities providing the necessary infrastructure and creating an environment that facilitates shaping the ecosystem to further strengthen the fight against absolute poverty with entrepreneurial means.
Having been with elea since 2011, Stefan has contributed to building up the organization for more than a decade. He plays an active role in all phases of elea’s investment process – not least as a member of elea’s Investment Committee – and represents elea on the boards of Digital Divide Data, Green Dreams TECH / iCow, and Pricepally.
Prior to elea, Stefan worked for Esri Switzerland Ltd., both in Eastern Africa and Europe. From 2006 until 2009, in collaboration with a local university, he built an office and a flourishing business in Rwanda. He graduated with a Master of Science from the University of Zurich, where he studied Geography, and completed his MBA at the University of St. Gallen (HSG). -
Beatrice Möckli-Bürge
Assistant
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Ija Ogwang
Senior Associate
Ija Ogwang
Senior AssociateIja Ogwang is a Senior Associate at elea. She contributes to our sourcing, due diligence, and value-creation activities on the African continent. Furthermore, she supports the growth of the elea Africa Hub and its contribution to elea’s overall goals. Ija joined the global elea team in August 2023 and is primarily based in the elea Africa Hub in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Before joining elea, Ija gathered professional experience working in value-creation and venture building in an impact investing fund in Southern Africa. She has worked with multiple ventures across industries, including Waste Recycling, Fintech, and Edtech. Ija completed an M.Sc. in Development Studies at SOAS University of London and a B.Sc. in Finance at the University of Cape Town. She has co-founded two ventures and is also an author. -
Tina Ruchti
Executive Director
Tina Ruchti
Executive DirectorTina Ruchti is an Executive Director at elea. In addition to being a member of the investment team, she leads the elea Latin America Hub based in Mexico City. She is responsible for the continuous expansion of our hub activities and our investment portfolio in Latin America, where she also oversees due diligence and awareness activities. Tina spearheads further development of our investment theme "last-mile retail and services" within a practice group that provides sector-specific expertise to support the investment process. Tina represents elea on the boards of Arbusta, Inka Moss, and Voalá.
Before joining our Zurich office in February 2018, Tina completed a five-month assignment as an external consultant for one of our impact companies in Nairobi. Prior to that, she worked at Credit Suisse in the Strategy and Business Development team for Latin America. Tina holds a Master in International Affairs and Governance and a Bachelor in International Relations and Affairs from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). She spent semesters abroad at Queens University in Canada and at Fundação Getulio Vargas University in Brazil. -
Romy Sauer
Communications Specialist
Romy Sauer
Communications SpecialistRomy Sauer is a Communications Specialist at elea and the main point of contact for all communication and media-related matters. She leads our newsroom, creates our Annual Review, oversees our website, and contributes engaging stories to the elea blog as well as to our social media channels. Furthermore, she consults our team on strategic communication topics as well as branding and fosters connections with relevant media partners. Romy joined our team in September 2022.
Before working at elea, Romy gained extensive experience in marketing and communications within the international medical device sector. Most recently, she was a Communications and Brand Manager at the Corporate Foundation of a global leader in the hearing aid industry. She also worked as a copywriter at a Swiss children's aid foundation. Romy holds a Master's degree in International Business Management from Hochschule Harz and a B.A. in Marketing and Accounting from Saxion University of Applied Sciences in Deventer. She spent semesters in Belgium and France. -
Jutta Schläpfer-Elsässer
Assistant to the Chairman and to the CEO
Jutta Schläpfer-Elsässer
Assistant to the Chairman and to the CEOJutta Schläpfer-Elsässer is an Assistant to the Chairman and to the CEO at elea. In this role, she supports the Founder and Chairman as well as the CEO of elea in a variety of matters and also acts as Secretary to the Board of Trustees. At the same time, she heads elea’s Human Resources unit. Jutta joined our team in November 2017.
Before joining elea, Jutta was a Program Director of the Notenstein Academy, an internal scientific platform of Notenstein La Roche Private Bank. Prior to that, she worked for Wegelin & Co. private bankers in its wealth management. From 1996 to 2010, Jutta was with the St. Gallen Foundation for International Studies where she supported the activities of the Board of Trustees and shared responsibility for the programme design and the selection of the members of the faculty of the St. Gallen Symposia. Jutta studied economics at the FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany. -
Arnaud Schuele
Senior Associate
Arnaud Schuele
Senior AssociateArnaud Schuele is a Senior Associate at elea. He contributes to our investment and value-creation activities, notably in Western Africa. He joined the elea Talent Program as an Associate in September 2021 and graduated in August 2023.
In parallel to his work at elea, Arnaud joined the Development Economics Group at ETH Zurich as a PhD student in August 2023. His research focuses on impact investing and impact entrepreneurship in the Global South and is supported by elea.
Before joining elea, Arnaud worked with Terre des Hommes Suisse, BlueOrchard Finance Ltd., and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. He holds a Master's degree in Quantitative Economics and Finance and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). -
Pape Sène
Associate
Pape Sène
AssociateAs part of our two-year elea Talent Program, Pape Sène is acquiring in-depth knowledge of philanthropic impact investing. He sources potential investments, supports the due diligence process of impact ventures and works closely with the elea team to create value for impact entrepreneurs worldwide. He also engages with the impact investing ecosystem, creating productive relationships with investors, co-investors, and other stakeholders. Pape joined our team as an Associate in September 2022.
Before joining elea, Pape gained practical experience at a private equity fund in Dakar, Senegal, as well as in the areas of mergers & acquisitions and corporate finance, including at KPMG Switzerland. His interest in emerging markets motivated him to lead the Africa Association St. Gallen and organize the Africa Summit 2021. Pape holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). During his studies, he spent an exchange semester at the ESADE Business School in Barcelona. -
Marcin Stryczek
Senior Associate
Marcin Stryczek
Senior AssociateMarcin Stryczek is a Senior Associate at elea. He contributes to our investment and value-creation activities with a particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia and our investment theme “agricultural value chains”. Marcin is also responsible for the elea Talent Program, recruiting the future generations of impact investing professionals, as well as elea’s impact management and measurement. He joined elea as part of the first cohort of the elea Talent Program in September 2019 and graduated in August 2021.
Before joining elea, Marcin completed a Master’s degree in Accounting and Finance at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting at Kozminski University in Warsaw. During his bachelor studies, he spent a semester at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) and completed an internship at a management consulting company in Warsaw. -
Isabelle Sun
Senior Associate
Isabelle Sun
Senior AssociateIsabelle Sun is a Senior Associate at elea. She contributes to our investment and value creation activities with a regional focus on Latin America and a thematic focus on our investment theme “climate and livelihoods”. Isabelle joined the elea Talent Program as an Associate in September 2021 and graduated in August 2023.
Before joining elea, Isabelle gained professional experience in management consulting and the media industry. Her strong interest in impact investing was sparked while volunteering for a Costa Rican project on climate change and while working with a student-run consultancy for sustainable startups. Isabelle completed an M.A. in Quantitative Economics and Finance and a B.A. in Economics at the University of St. Gallen (HSG). She also holds a CEMS Master in International Management. During her studies, she spent exchange semesters in Medellín, Taipei and Paris. -
Elena Torresani
Head of Communications & Partnerships
Elena Torresani
Head of Communications & PartnershipsElena Torresani is Head of Communications & Partnerships at elea. As the Head of Communications, she is responsible for the positioning of elea as a thought leader and pioneer in philanthropic impact investing. As the Head of Partnerships, she is responsible for the systematic extension of elea’s portfolio of institutional partners such as foundations, corporates, family offices, and government institutions. Elena joined our team in November 2021.
Elena brings a wealth of senior experience in philanthropy, communications, development cooperation, and sponsorship to elea's philanthropic impact investing activities. Before joining elea, she led the strategic and operational management of the Hear the World Foundation for over nine years. Elena began her professional career at UBS, where she worked in sports and arts sponsorship in Zurich and New York.
She holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Since then, she has continued her education in communications and media relations. Most recently, she completed a CAS program in Development Cooperation at ETH Zurich. -
Gerald Weigl
Executive Director
Gerald Weigl
Executive DirectorGerald Weigl is an Executive Director at elea. In addition to being a member of the investment team, he leads our impact value creation, where he is responsible for the continuous strategic support of our investment companies across our portfolio. Gerald also spearheads further development of our investment theme "agricultural value chains" within a practice group that provides sector-specific expertise to support the investment process. He represents elea on the boards of J-Palm, Oorja, Pricepally, and Ricult.
Before joining elea in June 2018, Gerald worked as a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group in Vienna, focusing on corporations in the financial and industrial goods sector in Germany. Furthermore, he was active in their Social Impact Practice and acted as a mentor in an accelerator program of the Impact Hub in Vienna. He started his career in Financial Risk Management at KPMG.
Gerald graduated from the University of Cambridge with a MPhil in Finance and from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria with a B.A. in Accounting in Finance. He spent a semester at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Canada. -
Felix Wüthrich
Associate
Felix Wüthrich
AssociateAs part of our two-year elea Talent Program, Felix Wüthrich is acquiring in-depth knowledge of philanthropic impact investing. He sources potential investments, supports the due diligence process of impact ventures and works closely with the elea team to create value for impact entrepreneurs worldwide. He also engages with the impact investing ecosystem, creating productive relationships with investors, co-investors, and other stakeholders. Felix joined our team as an Associate in September 2023.
Before working at elea, Felix gained experience in management consulting with private and public clients. A volunteering experience in rural Kenya sparked his interest in emerging economies. Felix graduated from ETH Zurich with an M.A. in Comparative and International Studies and from the University of Zurich with a B.A. in Business and Economics. During his studies, he spent semesters abroad in Hong Kong and France. -
Carmen Zehnder
Associate
Carmen Zehnder
AssociateAs part of our two-year elea Talent Program, Carmen Zehnder is acquiring in-depth knowledge of philanthropic impact investing. She sources potential investments, supports the due diligence process of impact ventures and works closely with the elea team to create value for impact entrepreneurs worldwide. She also engages with the impact investing ecosystem, creating productive relationships with investors, co-investors, and other stakeholders. Carmen joined our team as an Associate in September 2023.
Carmen’s passion for entrepreneurship was sparked during her involvement with the student association START and further nourished during her time at a Berlin fintech. She also embraced opportunities in the Americas: volunteering at a Peruvian children's hospital, studying in Buenos Aires, and working at the Swiss Embassy in Washington DC. Carmen holds an M.Sc. in International Finance from Nova School of Business and Economics (Nova SBE) in Portugal and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). -
Sarah Zuellig
Associate
Sarah Zuellig
AssociateAs part of our two-year elea Talent Program, Sarah Zuellig is acquiring in-depth knowledge of philanthropic impact investing. She sources potential investments, supports the due diligence process of impact ventures and works closely with the elea team to create value for impact entrepreneurs worldwide. She also engages with the impact investing ecosystem, creating productive relationships with investors, co-investors, and other stakeholders. Sarah joined our team as an Associate in September 2022.
Before working at elea, Sarah gained experience in the private equity sector at LGT Capital Partners and in strategy consulting at the Boston Consulting Group. She started working with impact entrepreneurs during her studies at HSG, having organized a large student-led conference focused on purpose-driven business. Sarah holds an M.Sc. in Management and Strategy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen (HSG).
Our Board of Trustees
Our Comité de Patronage
- Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach
- Marianne Haefner
- Martin Haefner
- Maria Haldner
- Felix Haldner
- Dr. Peter Maurer
- Manuela Schaeppi
- Jürg Schaeppi
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