At a meeting in June, Swiss Solidarity’s Foundation Council appointed Roland Thomann as the foundation’s new director. 43-year-old Thomann, who lives in Zurich and is originally from Bern, will take up the position in Geneva in January 2020, when the current director Tony Burgener retires.
Roland Thomann will take over from Tony Burgener, who has successfully headed the Swiss Solidarity Foundation for eight years, at the beginning of next year. The new director brings many years of experience to the foundation, in marketing and digital communication, fundraising and public relations, as well as in humanitarian aid. Mr Thomann is currently a senior manager at the communications agency Spinas Civil Voices, which specializes in campaigning and fundraising for NGOs and aid agencies.
Roland Thomann has over twenty years’ management experience in renowned communications agencies, and has supported Swiss companies such as Migros and Coop, and associations such as Swissmilk in introducing digital change. During his time as vice director for communication and fundraising at Doctors without Borders (MSF) at its headquarters in Geneva, he gained experience in the field of humanitarian emergency aid and worked in a number of African countries, including Swaziland, Niger, Chad and Congo (DRC).
“After 20 years working in communication and fundraising for renowned Swiss agencies and international NGOs, I would like to give all my energies to Swiss Solidarity. I am very much looking forward to devoting my talents and experience to this extraordinary foundation and its partners, in order to help people in need,” explains the newly appointed director.
Pascal Crittin, Swiss Solidarity president, is looking forward to working with the new director: “The Foundation Board is convinced that Mr Thomann is perfect for the job, with his wealth of professional experience in the digital field and in fundraising, and his familiarity with humanitarian aid and the media. He brings a new dimension to Swiss Solidarity at a time of profound change.”
Swiss Solidarity, 1211 Geneva 8
