Keynote session

Erik Fyrwald

CEO, Syngenta

J. Erik Fyrwald was previously President and Chief Executive Officer of Univar, a leading distributor of chemistry and related products and services (2012–2016); President of Ecolab, a cleaning and sanitation, water treatment, and oil and gas products and services provider (2011–2012); and Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nalco, a water treatment and oil and gas products and services company (2008–2011). He was Group Vice President of the Agriculture and Nutrition Division of the DuPont Company (2003–2008). He currently serves on the Board of Directors for CropLife International and the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce.

Keynote session

Leslie Johnston

Executive Director, C&A Foundation

Leslie Johnston joined C&A Foundation as its first Executive Director in August 2013 and brings over 20 years of management experience across multiple sectors, including smallholder agribusiness, entrepreneurship and corporate philanthropy. At C&A Foundation, Leslie led the development of the foundation’s first global vision, mission, and strategy, anchored on making fashion a force for good. She oversees team of over 50 people across 10 countries, working to improve lives and livelihoods across the foundation’s five signature programmes.

Master of Ceremony

Sophie Hersberger

Research Assistant, Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS)

Sophie Hersberger holds a Master of Science in Business and Economics of the University of Basel. Since 2016 she has been working at the Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS) as a PhD student and research assistant in research, further education and teaching.

Before joining the CEPS she has worked as a program administrator for the Summer School in Law & Economics of the University of Basel and collaborated closely with the Georgetown University in Washington, DC. As part of her PhD she has spent a month at the University of Pennsylvania, where she participated in a doctoral fellows program.

Her research focuses on markets and stakeholder management of nonprofit organisations.

Session 1: The Prologue

Frank Niederländer, BMW Foundation

Dr. Frank Niederländer

Board Member, BMW Foundation

Frank Niederländer joined the Board of Directors of the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt in January 2018.

A native of Saarbrücken, he is influenced by the cultural diversity of his home region and the related challenge of helping shape a peaceful, united Europe. Choosing a bilingual educational path was a logical choice: a German-French Abitur and a joint degree from Saarland University and the École Supérieure de Commerce de Lyon were followed by first work experiences in Paris and Brussels.

Session 4: Teamwork

Lead or Follow? The evolving role of corporate foundations in the innovation space

Bennet Barth

Bennet Barth

Program Manager, BMW Foundation

Before joining the BMW Foundation, Bennet worked in an impact investment fund and start-up accelerator in Lisbon, Portugal. At the foundation, Bennet is developing the ways in which the BMW Foundation works alongside impact entrepreneurs both from the investment perspective as well as venture philanthropy. Engaging corporates both in debate and action around social and environmental impact is paramount to the success of entrepreneurs working on social innovation and the pace at which successful impact models are scaled across the globe.

Session 4: Teamwork

Saving face or adding brand value? The implications of alignment on public perception

Miren Bengoa Delalande

Executive Director, Chanel Foundation

A Sciences Po Paris graduate with a Masters in Public Health, Miren has worked for over 15 years in international development organizations, including UNFPA and UNICEF. Her interests include maternal and child health, gender equality and knowledge sharing. As the Executive Director of Chanel’s Corporate Foundation since 2011, she has developed a large portfolio of sustainable partnerships with French and international NGOs promoting women’s empowerment. She was also the President of the French National Committee for UN Women in the recent years. Miren has lived and worked in eight countries.

Session 4: Teamwork

Alignment as a catalyst for new corporate social investing approaches

Bénédicte Bonnet

Director, Base of the Pyramid (BoP) Innovation Lab and Market acceleration Europe and Africa, Essilor

French by nationality but really feeling like a citizen of the world, I’m passionate about meeting people from all backgrounds and cultures. What gives me energy is connecting people and ideas to enable innovation that generates impact.

After 8 years in business consulting with the American consulting firm Accenture, I joined Essilor in 2009 and held 3 different roles in the Procurement function (from Indirect Purchasing Manager, to leading the Performance and Transformation of the Procurement function globally, and finally leading the European Procurement organization) over the past 10 years.

Session 4: Teamwork

To align or not, that’s the question!

Margarida Couto

CEO, VDA Foundation & Senior Partner, Vieira de Almeida & Associados (VdA)

Margarida is a senior partner at the Portuguese Law Firm Vieira de Almeida & Associados (VdA) and the CEO of the corporate foundation “Fundação Vasco Vieira de Almeida” (FVVA). At VdA, Margarida leads the Pro Bono Programme and the Social Economy Legal Team, providing legal advisory to a wide range of non-profit organizations and social enterprises. At the Foundation level, besides being the CEO of FVVA, she is frequently involved in matters related with Corporate Foundations, including as speaker in conferences and seminars.

Session 3: The Breakaway

Business Alignment

Alice Deissner Vodafone Institute

Alice Deißner

Director Strategy and Programmes, Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications

Alice Deißner is Director Strategies and Programmes at the Vodafone Institute. She is responsible for the strategic development of the institute’s programmes as well as heading up research and policy work in our various areas of work. Before she joined the Institute she worked at the Vodafone Foundation, leading the Social Innovation programme.

Session 4: Teamwork

Lead or Follow? The evolving role of corporate foundations in the innovation space

Daniela Deuber

Daniela Deuber

Head of Social Innovation, BMW Foundation

Daniela has spent most of her time at the BMW Foundation developing and facilitating new ways of collaboration and engagement of leaders from different sectors as well as identifying and promoting different tools for social innovation and impact. As such, she was the main driver in building up the social innovation work of the Foundation including such instruments as Social Entrepreneurship, Social Intrapreneurship, Social Finance and Pro Bono. At the moment she is focusing her energies on global network development, impact investing and financial system transformation and the building of ecosystems around impact investing and venture philanthropy in Africa.

Session 3: The Breakaway

Thematic Alignment

Vincent Faber

Director, Trafigura Foundation

A geophysicist engineer by background, Vincent Faber started his career in the oil industry and management consulting. In 1990, on the occasion of a sabbatical year, he gave a new orientation to his professional life and followed a humanitarian and development path, which took him to a countless number of countries, job positions and international organisations.

Session 4: Teamwork

Saving face or adding brand value? The implications of alignment on public perception

Patrícia Dias Mendes

Senior associate in the Social Impact practice and director of the PLMJ Foundation

Patrícia is a senior associate in the Social Impact practice and director of the PLMJ Foundation. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a lawyer, specialising in the areas of private clients and family wealth, corporate M&A and private equity. She also provides legal support in the context of the social economy.

Session 4: Teamwork

Lead or Follow? The evolving role of corporate foundations in the innovation space

Valérie Faillat

Head of Sanofi Espoir Foundation

After earning a Doctorate of Pharmacy in 1989, Valérie began her career at Sanofi where she held positions with increasing responsibilities in Regulatory Affairs. In 2005, she joined the Access to Medicines department, in the Corporate Social Responsibility Division. For more than 10 years, she has developed a recognized expertise and network with WHO, NGOs, etc, in the area of access to healthcare for vulnerable people and quality of medicines in developing countries. Recently, Valerie has been appointed Head of the Sanofi Espoir Foundation which contributes to reduce health inequalities and responds to humanitarian crisis to assure access to healthcare for the victims and displaced people.

Session 4: Teamwork

Saving face or adding brand value? The implications of alignment on public perception

Theresa Gehringer

Research Assistant, CEPS

Theresa Gehringer has been working as a research assistant at the Center for Philanthropy Studies (CEPS) in Switzerland since 2015. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration of the University of Bayreuth and a Master of Science in Sustainable Development of the University of Basel. Theresa is currently involved in several consulting and research projects within the interdisciplinary research agenda of the CEPS. Her research focus is mainly on Corporate Philanthropy, especially Corporate Foundations, CSR and NPO Sustainability.

SESSION 4: TEAMWORK

Moving closer to the business: more influence and more legitimacy?

Cynthia Hansen, Head of the Adecco Group Foundation

Cynthia Hansen

Head of the Adecco Group Foundation

Following a career in the private, and non-profit sectors, Cynthia Hansen joined the Adecco Group in August 2017 to head the new Adecco Group Foundation. Cynthia’s areas of expertise include corporate governance, social responsibility, partnerships and impact. Prior to joining the Adecco Group, she spent nine years at the World Economic Forum, in leadership roles across Civil Society, Strategic Partnerships, Professional Services industry and Content Strategy.

Session 2: Setting the pace in the peloton

Karoline Heitmann

Karoline Heitmann

Corporate Research Manager, EVPA

Karoline is a young professional driven by her passion and curiosity for creating social impact with business relevance. She joined the European Venture Philanthropy Association’s (EVPA) Corporate Initiative in 2018. Since then, she has been supporting Corporate Social Investors (such as corporate foundations, impact funds, accelerators, social businesses) in their journey towards creating social impact through venture philanthropy and social investments.

Session 4: Teamwork

To align or not, that’s the question!

Tom Hoyle

Charitable Trust Manager, Genesis Charitable Trust

Tom Hoyle joined Genesis in April 2016 and manages the partners’ Charitable Trust, which makes grants to improve livelihoods in developing countries (av. approx. $2m annually). Tom began his career in the charity sector with Ambitious About Autism and has worked in social business, helping set up StudentFunder. As a consultant at Cause4 he advised the Peter Sowerby Foundation and ran a trustee training programme with Close Brothers Asset Management and the Clothworkers livery company.

Session 3: The Breakaway

Industry Alignment

Rebecca Hubert Scherler

Legal Counsel, Secretary to the Foundation Board, Syngenta Foundation

Rebecca Hubert Scherler is the Legal Counsel and Board Secretary for the Syngenta Foundation, and is responsible for the legal function and overseeing matters relating to the Foundation’s governance and regulatory compliance. Rebecca is a member of the Foundation’s senior leadership team and also overseas talent management strategies on behalf of Syngenta Foundation.

Session 4: Teamwork

Alignment as a catalyst for new corporate social investing approaches

Svetlana Ivchenko

Director of Social Policy Department, Norilsk Nickel

Director of Social Policy Department in Norilsk Nickel – Russia’s leading metals and mining company and the world’s largest high-grade nickel and palladium producer.

Svetlana holds a Master of Management from the Novosibirsk State Technical University (Russia) and Master of Public Administration from the Valdosta state University (USA).

Session 4: Teamwork

Lead or Follow? The evolving role of corporate foundations in the innovation space

Annette Jung

Strategic Lead Ashoka Partnership, Philips Foundation

Annette is the Managing Head of Philips Capital Southern Europe & Africa for Royal Philips. She has a background in banking and holds various senior functions in customer, export & project financing at Deutsche Bank and Philips, covering various industries. Annette is a founding member of Philips Capital and since August 2017 she leads the Southern Europe & Africa team. She is also the representing Philips Capital in the “Captives Forum”, an Industry Association of global finance captives. Next to her role in Philips Capital Annette is a volunteer of the Philips Foundation since inception. She is the strategic leader for the Ashoka Partnership Program for the Philips Foundation.

 

 

Session 4: Teamwork

To align or not, that’s the question!

Franz Karl Prüller - ERSTE Foundation

Franz Karl Prüller

Senior Advisor, ERSTE Foundation

Franz Karl Prüller has been Senior Advisor to the ERSTE Foundation Board since 2016. Before joining ERSTE Foundation, where he was Director of the Social Development Programme from 2005 until 2013, Member of the Board from 2012 until 2016, and the Board’s Chair from 2015 to 2016, he worked at Caritas Austria for 17 years. For a period of nine years there, he was Secretary General in charge of international programmes and the project department.

Session 4: Teamwork

Moving closer to the business: more influence and more legitimacy?

Kisten Ottens

Kirsten Ottens

Director, ING Netherlands Foundation

Kirsten has been focused on the role corporates can play in solving social issues for 10+ years. Employed by ING, a global financial institution with a European base, she founded ING’s corporate foundation in 2014. Believing in the power of people, the foundation supports social entrepreneurs that move society forward by providing grants, loans, knowledge and network. The foundation focuses on digital inclusion, financial empowerment and job opportunities for all. Kirsten spends most of her time building a strong community of change makers by finding the best players and providing the best support.

Session 3: The Breakaway

Instrumental Alignment

Dr. Stefan Rissi

Managing Director, JTI Foundation

Stefan Rissi studied at the universities of Zurich and Paris Sorbonne, and holds a PhD in philosophy. Between 2002 and 2004, he was editor at the Swiss National Science Foundation, and subsequently Dramaturg and strategic advisor at the Zurich Opera from 2004 until 2009. Since then, he has been global head of Community Investment at JTI, a multinational company based in Geneva, and Director of the JTI Foundation, a charitable foundation supporting disaster management programs across the globe.

Session 3: The Breakaway

Business Alignment

François Rouvier, Renault

François Rouvier

CSR, Director Social Business, MOBILIZ Programme, Renault SAS

François Rouvier is managing a social business programme within the CSR department of Renault since January 2011 after 23 years at Michelin and then Renault where he had various management responsibilities in marketing and sales, both in France and abroad.

Session 2: Setting the pace in the peloton

Lonneke Roza

Dr. Lonneke Roza

Assistant Professor, Rotterdam School of Management & EVPA

Dr. Lonneke Roza is a part-time Assistant Professor at Rotterdam School of Management and she specializes in non-commercial strategies to create social impact. Her research is mainly focused on (employee engagement in) Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Social Investments. She published articles in renowned journals such as Journal of Business Ethics and Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly. In addition, Lonneke is the leading editor on the first academic book on Corporate Foundations, published by Springer in 2019. Her latest project is a co-edited book that will be published at Sage on employee engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility, expected in Spring 2020.

Session 4: Teamwork

Moving closer to the business: more influence and more legitimacy?

Edward Schwarz

General Manager, LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction

Edward Schwarz is a Swiss national. He has been the General Manager of the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction including the international Awards competitions for sustainable design since it was launched in 2004. Prior to this, he was editor of a Swiss building trade magazine, journalist for a daily newspaper and editor-in-chief of a radio station, all in the region of Zurich.

Session 2: Setting the pace in the peloton

Steven Serneels

Steven Serneels

CEO, EVPA

In 1992, Steven started his own advisory company specialized in Supply Chain and Operations Strategy. After growing the company to about 100 people, working with senior management of medium and large companies in Europe and beyond, he sold it in 2008, remaining in charge as CEO. In 2011, Steven joined Ashoka Global, Washington, as strategic advisor. In this capacity, he focussed on how citizen sector organizations (and social entrepreneurs in particular) and corporations can work together successfully in creating social impact at scale in a commercially viable setting. Today, Steven is CEO and board member of EVPA (European Venture Philanthropy Association), and chair of the Corporate Social Investment Initiative.

Session 3: The Breakaway

Instrumental Alignment

Paul Streets

Paul Streets

Chief Executive, Llyods Bank Foundation for England and Wales

Paul joined the Foundation in May 2013 after a career which has spanned the voluntary and public sector and work in International development (DfiD/Sight Savers), Human Rights (Amnesty International), professional and service regulation and health and social care. He has been Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, the Health Development Agency and the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board. Since he became CE the Foundation has developed a new operating model focused on longer term funding, organisational development support to those funded and policy and practice influence on their behalf. The Foundation launched it’s new strategy ‘Reaching Further’ with the themes we ‘fund’; ‘we develop’; ‘we influence’. The Foundation is recognised as a leading advocate for the 97% of charities with an income of less than £1m, and in 2018 Paul was named as one of the UKs Top 25 ‘Social CEOs’ @PaulStreets_

 

Session 4: Teamwork

Alignment as a catalyst for new corporate social investing approaches

Dr. Christina Tewes-Gradl, Founder and Managing Director, Endeva

Dr. Christina Tewes-Gradl

Founder and Managing Director, Endeva

Dr. Christina Tewes-Gradl is passionate about making the global economic transformation inclusive. As a founder and managing director of Endeva, she works with partners from all sectors to accelerate systems change and innovative business models for the SDGs. For example, she facilitates Corporate Impact Venturing by connecting large companies and impact startups. She has 17 years experience in strategy, sustainability and inclusive business.

Session 3: The Breakaway

Thematic Alignment

Natasja van Mil

Natasja van Mil

Communications Manager, Rabo Foundation

Driven to create impact by always looking for opportunities. Natasja van Mil is a communications manager by heart and always combined her passion with being engaged with international and development issues. In her career and in her personal life. She is eager to make a difference and realizes that one of challenges for organizations is linking communication and business strategy. But she has experienced that communication can contribute to realize strategic goals.

Session 1: The Prologue

Max von Abendroth

Executive Director, DAFNE

Max von Abendroth is the Executive Director of DAFNE, the Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe. Before joining DAFNE in October 2017 Max has set up and ran the European Magazine Media Association, EMMA, representing 15.000 press publishers vis-à-vis the EU institutions. He is also the founder of the Future Media Lab., an innovative European advocacy platform for media, technology, journalism, academia and politicians. Max sits on the Board of Fondation Euractiv #Media4EU. He studied Economics and Business Administration at the Witten/Herdecke University in Germany. Max lives with his wife and 3 children in Brussels.