Caux Democracy Forum 2026

Michael Camilleri has served since 2025 as Chief of the Rule of Law, Accountability and Civic Space Branch in the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, where he oversees OHCHR’s work on rule of law, democracy, civic space, business and human rights, digital technology, development finance institutions, and migration. Michael’s prior experience as a human rights lawyer, diplomat, and policymaker includes positions at USAID, the Inter-American Dialogue, the U.S. State Department, the White House, the Organization of American States, and the Center for Justice and International Law. He holds a B.A. in History from the University of Notre Dame and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

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.
 

Ambassador Tim Enderlin took office as head of the Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on 19 August 2024. He studied law in Zurich. Since he joined the diplomatic service in 1997, his positions have included Deputy Head of Human Resources of the FDFA, Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Swiss Confederation, Regional Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in Laos, and Ambassador of Switzerland to Myanmar.
Tim Enderlin is married and has two children.

Matjaž Gruden is the Director for Democracy at the Council of Europe.

Ghazala F. Hashmi is the 43rd Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is the first Muslim woman to be elected to any statewide office in the nation, as well as the first South Asian American elected statewide in Virginia. Lieutenant Governor Hashmi spent nearly 30 years in higher education prior to being elected in 2019 to her first term in the Virginia State Senate. While in the Senate, Lieutenant Governor Hashmi built a reputation as a thoughtful, effective legislator focused on strengthening public education, expanding access to affordable health care and housing, protecting reproductive freedom, and advancing economic opportunity. 

H.E. Yukio Hatoyama is a Japanese politician who served as the 93rd Prime Minister of Japan from 2009 to 2010. He comes from a prominent political family; his grandfather, Ichirō Hatoyama, led the country from 1954 to 1956.

Originally trained as an engineer, Hatoyama earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tokyo in 1969 and a PhD from Stanford University in 1976. He later became a professor at Senshu University before entering politics. In 1986, he was elected to Japan’s House of Representatives as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. A decade later, he co-founded the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and played a central role in its rise, serving as party president in 2009.

As prime minister, Hatoyama sought to reshape Japan’s political landscape and strengthen regional cooperation in East Asia. After leaving office, he remained active in public life and international dialogue. He has led the East Asian Community Institute since 2013 and continues to contribute to initiatives promoting regional cooperation and global understanding.

After completing a bachelor's degree in international relations and a master's degree in environmental governance, Marie Hürlimann (Switzerland) worked for six years in the fields of water governance, sustainability and citizen participation. She has worked in Switzerland, but also in the Netherlands, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, which has only strengthened her interest in foreign policy. Guided by her experience in participatory collaboration methods, she aspires to build bridges between different spheres of society in order to tackle the major challenges of our century together. In March 2024, she took up her new position as co-director of foraus.

Christine Lutringer is a Senior Lecturer at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), where she is also the Executive Director of the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy (AHCD).

Her research focuses primarily on social movements, their influence on public policy, and participatory practices, particularly in the context of youth mobilization. At the AHCD, she leads the projects “Youth Climate Activism and Local Institutions: Rethinking Democratic Spaces in the Face of Polarization,” “DE.CO.DE – Debating, Co-creating, Debating,” and “Understanding the Links Between Multilateralism and Democracy to Address Global Challenges.”

Christine Lutringer has published numerous articles on citizen participation and contemporary democratic issues. She regularly participates in public debates on youth engagement and the mobilization of Generation Z.

Sarah Noble is a Canadian-born peace advocate and storyteller currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. Sarah is the Head of Global Engagement, Creative Peacebuilding & Inner Development at the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation where she works on partnerships, inner development, the Caux Arts and Peace Encounters, and the Caux Forums.

She is also co-founder and Curator of the PeaceTalks, a global storytelling platform dedicated to stories of peace at Interpeace. She has over 20 years of experience in strategic communications, fundraising, and partnerships in global organizations focused on peacebuilding, humanitarian issues, and non-profit public interest media.

Passionate about storytelling as a tool for healing and social change, Sarah believes in its power to address global challenges. In her TEDx talk, Storytelling is Our Real-Life Superpower, she highlights how narratives can shape a better future. Sarah is the mom of 2 small kids and is motivated by a desire to be a good ancestor. Sarah 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.

Ignacio Packer is Executive Director of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, a Swiss charitable foundation committed to promoting trust, ethical leadership, sustainable living and human security. With over 30 years of experience in humanitarian and development work, he worked at the European Bank for Latin America and then at KPMG, before becoming a recognised leader of NGOs and international alliances for over 25 years. An expert in human rights and social issues, he has been particularly involved in defending protection frameworks for migrants and refugees, especially children and young people.

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.

Ai Sasaki is the founder and chairperson of the Asia Women Leaders Forum (AWLF), a Kyoto-initiated co-creation platform connecting Asian leaders across borders, generations, and sectors. Recognized as an architect of the Asian Women Leadership Ecosystem, she promotes women’s empowerment and next-generation leadership through dialogue and collaboration. She convenes international summits bringing together leaders from politics, business, education, and civil society, including gatherings at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok. She is CEO of Asia Pacific Innovation Inc., Japan Representative of the Inner Happiness Foundation, and an advisor to several international initiatives advancing citizen diplomacy, regional cooperation, and sustainable development in Asia.

Talia Smith is a peacebuilding and trustbuilding practitioner with over 17 years’ experience in the international NGO sector. She has worked with Initiatives of Change for 13 years and currently serves as International Trustbuilding Program Manager, leading the expansion of the programme to 14 countries. Her work focuses on strengthening social cohesion, dialogue, and trust across divided communities. In 2021, the programme received the UN Intercultural Innovation Award.

Talia brings field experience from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Peru, working with grassroots leaders and civil society to address conflict drivers and build sustainable local capacity. She holds a Master’s in Development Studies and combines strategic leadership with practical, community-based approaches.

Christine Wamsler is Professor of Sustainability Science and Director of the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Program at Lund University, the world’s leading university in sustainability (QS World University Rankings). She is the 6th most influential scholar in ecology, earth, and environmental sciences globally (Stanford–Elsevier Top 2% Scientists) and a leading expert in the emerging field of inner transformation for sustainability. Christine has co-developed theories, approaches, leadership training, and educational programs in these areas, and has published more than 200 academic articles, book chapters, and books. She serves as Senior Scientific Advisor for the UNDP Conscious Food Systems Alliance, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and its Mindfulness Initiative, the Global Compassion Coalition, the Inner Green Deal, and the Inner Development Goals (IDG) Initiative, among others. 

Richard Werly is the France and Europe correspondent for Blick, Switzerland's largest newspaper. He appears frequently in TV news programmes in France and Switzerland, and has been awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic. He is also senior strategic advisor to the Swiss Diplo Foundation, which aims to improve global governance and international policy development, especially by increasing the power of small and developing states to influence their own futures.

Luisa Ballin is an Italian-Swiss journalist who moderates discussions and public events in French, English, Spanish, and Italian. She serves as a correspondent to the United Nations for the website Global Geneva. Her articles have also appeared in the French daily La Croix and in several Swiss newspapers, including La Tribune de Genève, Le Courrier, Le Temps, La Cité, as well as on the website geneveMonde.ch. She collaborates with the Swiss Press Club in organizing and moderating debates, and also works with the Rencontres Orient-Occident in Sierre and with the association Swiss Made Culture, based in Crans-Montana.She is the author of two books published in the L’Âme des peuples series by Éditions Nevicata: Venice: Veneto Is a Fable, winner of the Prix Méditerranée Essai 2024, and Milan: Audacious and Proud.

Shri Pramod Bodo (India) is a regional leader in Assam and former Chief Executive Member of the Bodoland Territorial Council.

Lewis Cardinal is a communicator and educator from the Sucker Creek Cree First Nation in Treaty No. 8 in northern Alberta, Canada. For over three decades, his leadership has spanned local, national, and global advocacy roles, particularly in promoting Indigenous rights, cultural revitalization, urban Indigenous advocacy and capacity development, and interfaith relationship building. His contributions have been recognized with honours such as two Queen Elizabeth II medals (Diamond and Platinum Jubilee), the Indspire Award for Public Service (a recognition by Indigenous Peoples of Canada), the Province of Alberta‘s Centennial Medal for Human Rights and Diversity, and an honourary Doctorate of Sacred Letters from St. Stephen’s College at the University of Alberta for his work in bridging cultural and faith divides. And last October, Lewis was installed as the 11th Chancellor of St. Stephen’s College at the University of Alberta at Edmonton, Canada.

These experiences inform every facet of his consulting and media production work, where he specializes in Indigenous education, Indigenous governance, and strategic communications, and project development. Above all, he remains guided by a lifelong commitment to nurturing sacred relationships among diverse communities and worldviews.

Carine Ayélé Durand is a social anthropologist and obtained her PhD from the University of Cambridge in 2010. Following an initial stint at the African Museum in Verona (Italy) in 2000, she began her career in 2001 at the Natural History Museum in Lyon (France), now the Musée des Confluences, and has since devoted herself to studying collaborations between European museums and indigenous peoples.

She has held various roles as a curator, researcher and cultural heritage consultant in France, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Spain. Chief Curator of the Museum of Ethnography in Geneva (MEG) between 2015 and 2022, she has served as its Director since July 2022.

David Faber is a longstanding advocate for Indigenous reconciliation, recognized for his ability to connect people, ideas, and communities with care and integrity. His work spans the creation of Edmonton’s Urban Aboriginal Accord, Indigenous justice initiatives
across Canada, and the development of Kihicykaw Askiy, Canada’s first urban Indigenous ceremonial grounds. Through his work with Global Indigenous Dialogue and Initiatives of Change he engages and assists Indigenous Elders across the world in both humanitarian and environmental programs. Guided by Indigenous teachings and ceremony, David brings both strategic insight and deep compassion to his work. He is known for meeting complex challenges with wisdom, humility, and an effortless kindness - knowing when to lead with humour, when to listen deeply, and when to act with purpose in service of reconciliation and healing.

 Amanda Fernandez is the Policy Director at ACLU Hawaii and will bring perspectives from her work defending civil liberties and advancing democratic rights in the United States. 

Konstantine Gagnidze is executive board member of JEF Europe & founder and president of JEF Georgia. He is a passionate civic activist, and a committed leader in the field of youth empowerment and democratic engagement across Europe. Konstantine has worked extensively as a project manager and trainer in Latvian (Young Folks LV), Ukrainian (SATELLITE NGO & JEF Ukraine), and Georgian (Umbrella & JEF Georgia) NGOs, spearheading initiatives that strengthen civic participation, youth leadership, and cross-border cooperation. Driven by a strong belief in democracy, inclusion, and European values, Konstantine is actively involved in the civic sector and a proud member of Volt Europa, a pan-European political movement advocating for progressive and united change across the continent. His work focuses on empowering youth and youth workers through different programs, capacity-building trainings, and international exchanges that foster critical thinking, activism, and civic responsibility. As a dedicated youth worker and trainer, Konstantine continues to build bridges between Eastern Europe and the rest of the continent, ensuring that the voices of rural, underrepresented, and non-EU youth are heard in European discourse.

Ghazala F. Hashmi is the 43rd Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is the first Muslim woman to be elected to any statewide office in the nation, as well as the first South Asian American elected statewide in Virginia. Lieutenant Governor Hashmi spent nearly 30 years in higher education prior to being elected in 2019 to her first term in the Virginia State Senate. While in the Senate, Lieutenant Governor Hashmi built a reputation as a thoughtful, effective legislator focused on strengthening public education, expanding access to affordable health care and housing, protecting reproductive freedom, and advancing economic opportunity. 

H.E. Yukio Hatoyama is a Japanese politician who served as the 93rd Prime Minister of Japan from 2009 to 2010. He comes from a prominent political family; his grandfather, Ichirō Hatoyama, led the country from 1954 to 1956.

Originally trained as an engineer, Hatoyama earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tokyo in 1969 and a PhD from Stanford University in 1976. He later became a professor at Senshu University before entering politics. In 1986, he was elected to Japan’s House of Representatives as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. A decade later, he co-founded the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and played a central role in its rise, serving as party president in 2009.

As prime minister, Hatoyama sought to reshape Japan’s political landscape and strengthen regional cooperation in East Asia. After leaving office, he remained active in public life and international dialogue. He has led the East Asian Community Institute since 2013 and continues to contribute to initiatives promoting regional cooperation and global understanding.

Hiroshi Ishida is the Executive Director of the Caux Round Table Japan. Preceding the CRT Japan, he worked at the Industrial Bank of Japan (IBJ) for 10 years. After resigning from IBJ in 2000, Ishida was appointed as the Coordinator of CRT Japan, and now he has been working as the Executive Director of CRT Japan. He provides extensive consulting services on CSR and Sustainability for enhanced intangible asset of corporate value, including, disseminating the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights domestically with global initiative organizations, and assisting government, organizations, and companies in implementing them into their daily operations.

Isabel Sommer is co-project manager at Democratis, a strategist for systemic change and a passionate advocate for democratic participation in global governance. With a background in Rural Development and Political Science, her work centers on dismantling top-down hierarchies in favor of inclusive, bottom-up decision-making.

Isabel specializes in navigating complex political landscapes to foster social equity and structural transformation. By bridging the gap between institutional policy and grassroots empowerment, she champions a model of participatory democracy where affected communities hold the agency to shape their own futures. She is committed to building resilient, transparent systems that prioritize collective well-being over narrow technocratic interests.

Chantal Tauxe is a Swiss journalist and public figure, born in 1962 in Lausanne. She holds a degree in Letters from the University of Lausanne (French and history) and a journalism degree from the University of Neuchâtel.

She has worked as a journalist since 1986, contributing to various French-speaking Swiss media outlets, mainly covering economics and politics. In May 2003, she became head of the Swiss affairs section at L’Hebdo, and from 2009 until the magazine’s closure in 2017, she served as deputy editor-in-chief.

In 2005, she co-founded the Forum des 100, a major annual event bringing together leading figures from Switzerland’s political, economic, academic, scientific, and cultural spheres.

Since 2020, she has been Vice President of the Swiss European Movement, contributing to public debate on Switzerland’s relationship with Europe.

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.

Richard Werly is the France and Europe correspondent for Blick, Switzerland's largest newspaper. He appears frequently in TV news programmes in France and Switzerland, and has been awarded the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic. He is also senior strategic advisor to the Swiss Diplo Foundation, which aims to improve global governance and international policy development, especially by increasing the power of small and developing states to influence their own futures.

Sveinung Nygaard is from Norway and works as a professional composer, based in Gothenburg. He holds an MA in Audio Production from the University of Westminster and composes music for TV series, film and documentaries, among others the documentary The Lost Leonardo (Denmark) and the TV series Freej (Dubai). He also has his own musical project called FLYT which combines musicians from different cultures. Before the war in Ukraine, he travelled across Ukraine and recorded music there. He is the founder of the micro-festival TRACKS, seeking to bring Ukrainian and European artists together, and he is also behind the initiative Bards for Climate.

With 10 years of experience in singing lessons, Tsvetana Petrushina, a musician and vocal coach based in Switzerland, has developed a teaching system that reveals a person's natural voice, helps them overcome their internal blockages and opens them up to the world in a new way.

Martin Albani is a Senior Advisor, trainer and coach on peacebuilding, mediation and negotiation, supporting governments, international organisations, civil society actors and individuals in navigating complex conflicts. He previously served as an EU diplomat, including as Head of the Peace Mediation and Dialogue Sector in the European External Action Service. 

Drawing on nearly two decades of experience in diplomacy, international affairs and crisis response, as well as his training and practice as a psychological coach, he focuses on how dialogue, trust-building and negotiation can transform conflict across divides. He also lectures and leads workshops at the University of St Gallen and the University of Oxford. 

Leonid Donos is Executive Director of the Association for Community Participatory Development (ACPD), a network of local governments and civil society organisations working across more than 50 communities in Ukraine. With over 20 years of experience, he specialises in participatory democracy, civic engagement, and strengthening the relationship between citizens and public institutions.

In the context of the war in Ukraine, Leonid focuses on adapting democratic practices to extreme conditions, ensuring participation remains inclusive, meaningful, and responsive during instability. He leads initiatives that integrate participatory approaches into community recovery and governance, including public consultations, dialogue formats, and participatory decision-making in frontline and recovery settings.

His work centres on building trust, social cohesion, and resilient local systems. He actively facilitates dialogue between authorities and communities, mentors civic leaders, and develops practical models of participation in conflict-affected environments, guided by the principle: “nothing about us without us.”

Sophia Kayes is a London-based human rights advocate with a background in independent journalism. She has worked with UK charities such as the Frontline Club, Rory Peck Trust, and Justice for Journalists Foundation. Before moving to the UK in 2007, she was a reporter and producer in Russia. Born in 1983 in the former USSR to a family of Soviet dissidents, Sophie was raised among intellectuals persecuted by the KGB. A close family friend and mentor, human rights defender Andrej Mironov, introduced her to peacebuilding at age six and to Initiatives of Change. He also helped launch her journalism career at The Baltimore Sun’s Moscow bureau. Andrej remained a guiding force until his death in 2014 while reporting in Ukraine. Since then, Sophie has been a vocal advocate for political prisoners in Russia and Belarus and has campaigned against authoritarian threats to democracy.

Hiroshi Ishida is the Executive Director of the Caux Round Table Japan. Preceding the CRT Japan, he worked at the Industrial Bank of Japan (IBJ) for 10 years. After resigning from IBJ in 2000, Ishida was appointed as the Coordinator of CRT Japan, and now he has been working as the Executive Director of CRT Japan. He provides extensive consulting services on CSR and Sustainability for enhanced intangible asset of corporate value, including, disseminating the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights domestically with global initiative organizations, and assisting government, organizations, and companies in implementing them into their daily operations.

Kateryna Maltseva is Programme Director at the Association for Community Participatory Development. She has over 10 years of experience in the civil society sector and 5 years of work with local self-government bodies in Ukraine.

Her work focuses on participatory governance, strengthening social cohesion, and supporting the democratic recovery of communities affected by war. She brings a people-centred approach grounded in trust-building and partnership.

Olga Merezhuk is Operations and Programme Officer at Initiatives of Change International, working in close collaboration with the Association for Community Participatory Development. She has 10 years of experience in the civil society sector, including international development and values-based organisations. Her work sits at the intersection of operations and human-centred engagement, supporting programme delivery, partnerships, facilitation, and grant management. Through her work on initiatives such as the Trustbuilding Program, she contributes to fostering dialogue, strengthening collaboration, and supporting more inclusive and resilient communities.

Prior to joining in Caux Round Table Japan, Miho Okada worked at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. She joined CRT Japan in 2009 and supported client companies in promoting business and human rights initiatives. After transferring to the ESG Promotion Department of a Japanese company in February 2024, she has returned to CRT Japan in February 2025. She aims to support the advancement of business and human rights activities at client companies by providing practical advice tailored to each client company’s governance structure, business operations, level of awareness regarding business and human rights, and the status of their initiatives.

Mira Onischenko Schlate is a Ukrainian-American emerging filmmaker, artist and poet. She holds a BA in Film and Media from Birkbeck, University of London.
Currently working as an assistant to Academy Award-winning filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov (20 Days in Mariupol), Mira is honing her craft at the forefront of documentary cinema. Working alongside the acclaimed director has deepened her documentary expertise, sharpening her ability to navigate complex narratives and high-stakes production environments. Previously, Mira worked as a con political prisoners at the Belarus Free Theatre alongside Index on Censorship and Human Rights House.tent manager and archivist at the Frontline Club and led a campaign for Belarusian
Specialising in film editing and language interpretation, Mira is deeply passionate about archival footage. Inspired by her family’s activist history, she weaves historical media into contemporary stories, committed to reclaiming truths through archival preservation and pushing the boundaries of documentary storytelling

Mariam Poloyan is Communications Manager at the Association for Community Participatory Development. She has 3 years of experience working with local self-government bodies. Her work focuses on strengthening communication and collaboration between community representatives and civil society organisations. Since the full-scale invasion, she has also managed the Trust Building Program in Ukraine, supporting dialogue, resilience, and social cohesion. She works closely with vulnerable groups, including educators and community workers, helping them cope with loss and rebuild through inclusive dialogue and recovery initiatives.

Hannah Reinl is a gender equality expert with over seven years’ experience advancing change for gender equality across the multilateral system. In her current role as Project Manager at the International Gender Champions, a network of over 300 international decision-makers, she leads on strategy, operations and communications. In her previous role, Hannah promoted gender equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as feminist culture transformation within a UN organisation. Prior to moving to Geneva, Hannah served as Executive Director of This Is Not An Ulpan, an Israeli-Palestinian non-profit in Tel Aviv. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and a master’s degree in International Development Studies, with an academic focus on men engagement for gender equality.

Julia Sullivan-Detheridge is a clinical associate professor at Arizona State University who teaches undergraduate courses in public health, healthcare systems and community health. Her master’s degree, from Temple University, is in Journalism and her doctorate, from Tulane University, is in International Development with a concentration in Public Health.  

Prior to teaching at ASU, Julia was President of the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help, based in Phoenix and founded by her late father, the Reverend Dr. Leon Sullivan, author of the Sullivan Principles. Under her watch, she developed collaborative self-help initiatives working at the local level. She implemented pre-service and in-service teacher training programs working with local ministries, market livelihood projects, primary education teacher training programs, neo-literate teacher training, conflict resolution and child repatriation, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDs and many others.  

She has worked in Nigeria, the Democratic of the Congo, Benin, Senegal, Malawi, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Benin, Djibouti, Tanzania, and other regions.  In 2013 she was guest speaker for a symposium sponsored by the United Nations Association, titled “Nuclear Disarmament in the Light of Humanitarian Need” and in 2008 was awarded the Yunus Award for her work on finding innovative solutions toward the achievement of the UN Millenium Goals. In October 2025, she was invited to present her peer-reviewed article on cross-cultural empathy at the Stoneygate Center for Empathic Healthcare, at Leicester University. Since that time, she has developed an international cross-cultural consortium, working with faculty associated with academic institutions in India, Ireland, the U.S. and Japan to establish best standards in health provider empathic care of marginalized patients living in low resource settings. She was also recently made a visiting professor at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. 

She is the author of two books, Against the Tide, a biography about her great-grandfather, who was a steamboat captain who faced discrimination during the Jim Crow era in the U.S., and The World is Full of Champions.  She is married to a Brit and together they have six children who live in the U.S. and the U.K. 

Philippe Ungar is a writer, sound archivist, and filmmaker based in Lausanne, Switzerland. For over 25 years, he has worked with families, businesses, art collections, and foundations to preserve and transmit their stories for future generations. At the heart of his work is the belief that every form of heritage—family, entrepreneurial, or artistic—carries a narrative shaped by vision and values. Maintaining this connection to memory, he argues, is essential to staying rooted in one’s identity.

Earlier in his career, Ungar taught philosophy at a teacher training institute (IUFM) in Lille, France. At the same time, he worked as a journalist for cultural programs at RTS (Swiss Radio and Television) and led seminars on heritage transmission as part of the European Interreg III program.

He is also the creator of Sounds Like Portraits, a long-running podcast (now in its ninth season) featuring conversations with creative and inspiring individuals. (photo: Frank Bohbot)

Catherine von Graffenried began her career as a teacher before becoming the voice of the children’s programme on Swiss radio, where she reached millions of young listeners each day. She later worked independently as a facilitator and storytelling expert, collaborating mainly with private companies. Catherine has trained as a clown and meditation facilitator, and has deepened her work with the human voice through workshops at the Roy Hart Voice Centre in France.

After completing PhD studies in geography, Pierre Walther worked for more than 30 years as a consultant and mediator in international cooperation. Alongside this professional path, he developed a deep interest in the human voice. He obtained a certificate from the Roy Hart Voice Centre in France and has shared his experiences and reflections on voice work in a published book.

Yuko Tsutsui joined NYK Line in 1986. Her career spans cruise and port terminal businesses, public‑sector engagement, and corporate functions. She has held leadership roles in human resources, governance, and compliance, including leading initiatives on diversity, inclusion, and organizational reform. She also served as head of corporate functions at NYK’s UK subsidiary. Appointed an Executive Officer in 2020, she has overseen legal affairs, internal audit, and ESG management. Since 2024, she has served as Managing Executive Officer and Head of the Sustainability Strategy Headquarters, integrating social responsibility, human rights, and decarbonization into NYK Group’s sustainability strategy.

Ignacio Packer is Executive Director of the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation, a Swiss charitable foundation committed to promoting trust, ethical leadership, sustainable living and human security. With over 30 years of experience in humanitarian and development work, he worked at the European Bank for Latin America and then at KPMG, before becoming a recognised leader of NGOs and international alliances for over 25 years. An expert in human rights and social issues, he has been particularly involved in defending protection frameworks for migrants and refugees, especially children and young people.

A French national, Eve Brenot is a young graduate with a passion for international cooperation and geopolitical issues. With a double degree in Economics and Foreign Languages, followed by a Master's degree in International Relations, she completed a six-month internship with the Foundation as an executive assistant in summer 2025.

After living in Grenoble, Trondheim and Lyon, she joined the team once again in November 2025 as Programme Officer. Convinced that dialogue and collective intelligence are essential for advancing democracy and social cohesion, she wishes to continue contributing to the Foundation's mission by promoting spaces for reflection, inclusion and exchange.

A keen hiker, she particularly appreciates the inspiring natural setting offered by Switzerland!

Sarah Noble is a Canadian-born peace advocate and storyteller currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. Sarah is the Head of Global Engagement, Creative Peacebuilding & Inner Development at the Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation where she works on partnerships, inner development, the Caux Arts and Peace Encounters, and the Caux Forums.

She is also co-founder and Curator of the PeaceTalks, a global storytelling platform dedicated to stories of peace at Interpeace. She has over 20 years of experience in strategic communications, fundraising, and partnerships in global organizations focused on peacebuilding, humanitarian issues, and non-profit public interest media.

Passionate about storytelling as a tool for healing and social change, Sarah believes in its power to address global challenges. In her TEDx talk, Storytelling is Our Real-Life Superpower, she highlights how narratives can shape a better future. Sarah is the mom of 2 small kids and is motivated by a desire to be a good ancestor. Sarah 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.

John Bond lives in Oxford, England, and has worked with Initiatives of Change in over 30 countries. For five years he coordinated the Caux Forum for Human Security. Previously he was the Secretary of Australia’s National Sorry Day Committee, which enlisted a million Australians in initiatives to overcome the harm done to Aboriginal Australians by cruel and misguided past policies. For this he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. He is also a writer. His most-recent book, a biography of Professor Jerzy Zubrzycki, known as 'the father of Australian multiculturalism', has been published in English and Polish.

Dr Laurie Johnston is Professor of Theology at Emmanuel College in Boston where she teaches courses on social ethics. She is the author or editor of works on peacebuilding, reconciliation, and just war theory and most recently edited a journal issue on the thought of Jacques Maritain and contemporary challenges to democracy. She also serves as the Executive Vice President of the Sant'Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue. She first visited Caux in 1999.

Christoph Spreng is IofC International’s representative to the Council of Europe. He was part time correspondent for Swiss newspapers on international affairs in Geneva. He was also INGO Project Manager, Elaboration of the Council of Europe White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue 2006-2008, and contributor of a chapter in “Human Rights in culturally diverse societies – Challenges and perspectives”, Council of Europe, 2009. Spreng also served as an INGO Expert for the European Union/CoE Joint Programme “Minorities in Russia: developing languages, culture, media and civil society” 2009-2011.

An associate professor at the School of Engineering and Management in Yverdon-les-Bains in western Switzerland, Véronique Sikora brings her passion for knowledge sharing, and several years of multicultural experience in communications and training, to TIP. Having worked in business and government in Canada and Switzerland, she became keenly interested in how people share knowledge. This led her to steer her career path towards higher education where she has been designing and delivering courses in business communications.  Her extensive volunteer experience includes delivering workshops and leadership training and facilitating seminars and round tables for the Swiss Knowledge Management Forum.