Governance

Silvan Hoevenaars joined the Board in 2016. He holds a Masters degree in Business Economics from the Erasmus University Rotterdam and is Chartered Accountant. Prior to ISL, Silvan was Chairman of the School Council at the American International School of Cape Town. His experience in interacting with different cultures and languages allows him to appreciate the perspectives, values and traditions offered by ISL’s international community. Previous roles in the ISL Board include Transition Committee Chair and Treasurer.

Born in Chicago, Nakisa grew up, was educated and started her career as a lawyer in private practice in the US, before coming to Switzerland to obtain her MBA from IMD. She then spent a year working with the WHO before working in-house in the pharmaceutical industry. Nakisa has extensive experience working internationally and enjoys navigating the complexities of living and working in a multicultural and diverse environment. The powerful role that education plays in society and the importance of its evolution to match the needs of our students is a theme that Nakisa cares deeply about and is therefore committed to supporting the ISL Board in successfully fulfilling its mission.

Matthew is British by birth but grew up in Australia and New Zealand where he completed his studies in Business and Law at the University of Queensland and qualified as a Chartered Accountant working for KPMG. He moved to Switzerland more than 25 years ago, where he met his wife with whom he has moved around the world several times as Head of Finance of local Nestlé businesses in China, France and the USA. Currently, Matthew and his family are happily settled in Switzerland and plan to remain here.

Tomoko spent 20 years in the corporate world working in diverse industries such as education, chemicals, material sciences and software. Along the way she also founded a tech startup. Now as a researcher in technology and innovation, she analyses and advises organisations on digital transformation and innovation initiatives. Having initially trained in foreign affairs and international development (Japan and the US), which she coupled with an MBA(Switzerland), she believes in the value of a holistic education, diverse experiences, and creative problem-solving- all of which the ISL education encourages.

Mayka van Acht joined the Board in 2023. She holds a Masters degree in Human Resource Management from the Tilburg University in the Netherlands. Her international work environment has offered her many opportunities to work with people from very diverse backgrounds. She is passionate about Leadership Development as well as strategies that promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She appreciates the strong academic reputation of ISL and values offered by ISL’s international community

Gayatri was born in Switzerland to Indian parents and subsequently enjoyed an international upbringing and education in Hong Kong, Turkey, China, and Switzerland again where Gayatri graduated from ISL in 2010. Gayatri went on to study Economics at New York University before joining Goldman Sachs in New York in 2014 and transferring to London in 2015. In 2019 Gayatri took on a new role at Rothschild & Co where she currently works as a Principal in the Merchant Banking Division focusing on credit investments, covering the education sector amongst others. Gayatri also sits on the European Leveraged Finance Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and is a member of the Rothschild & Co Women’s Network. Gayatri is a new mother to a son born in 2022.

Werner was born in upper Bavaria in South of Germany, where he enjoyed his childhood and graduated with a German Abitur. In 1990 Werner graduated with a masters in Business Economics at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. After that, he joined Philip Morris in Germany as Sales Representative in Berlin. His career at PMI led him through various functions in Marketing and Sales, foreign assignments in Spain and Belgium, to his current position in the PMI headquarters in Lausanne. Since 2015, Werner has been a member of the Senior Management Team of PMI as President Combustibles Category & Global Combustibles Marketing. He has 30 years of experience in marketing and sales, and has led large organizations as Managing Director. Werner is married, and a father of three daughters and a son. His older two daughters are attending universities in Munich and Berlin respectively, Daniel graduated from ISL in 2020 and is studying Computer Science in England. His youngest daughter is in Year 10.

Mike is American from St. Louis married to Marta Saez de Heredia from San Sebastian Spain. After graduating from DePauw University, Mike began his career with Nestle Purina Petcare in Sales in the USA. In 1999, he moved to Barcelona, Spain with Nestle Purina beginning his international journey that saw him holding different Sales, Marketing and ultimately General Management positions located in Dublin, London, Lausanne, and Copenhagen. After 20 years with Nestle Purina, in 2016, Mike and the Burke clan moved back to Lausanne with Helen of Troy, with the opportunity for the children once again to attend ISL, a driving force in the decision.

Paolo joined the Board in 2023. He holds an Engineering degree from Politecnico di Torino and an MBA from IESE Business School. Prior to ISL, Paolo has been a Board member for eBay and Shutl in UK. His international experience coupled with his personal engagement in few communities of inclusion allow him to appreciate the values of ISL’s community.

Marco graduated from the University Politecnico of Milan as an engineer in Business Administration. He has developed his career in sales, marketing and procurement roles, working for multinational corporations in the automotive and electronics industry before joining Tetra Pak in 2011 where he leads the procurement team as part of the supply chain organization. He likes working in multicultural environments and is focusing on long-term strategy development. He has lived in the Lausanne area since 2011 and is married.

Anand is Dean of Faculty and Research and Shell Professor of Global Leadership at IMD. Anand’s research and teaching focuses on organizational transformation and board dynamics. He previously served on the faculty of London Business and Imperial College previously.

Originally from New York City, Onika graduated from Duke University with a degree in international relations. She began her career in the food and wine industry, specializing in the marketing and sales of French and Italian wines. After a decade in hospitality, Onika obtained a juris doctorate from the American University Washington College of Law and began a second career in management consulting. Working for Booz Allen Hamilton, she advised the US government on policy, governance, and strategic planning in cybersecurity and diversity and inclusion. Currently, she is a member of the New York State Bar Association. When her family relocated to Switzerland in 2017, Onika began dedicating more of her time to supporting her three children and the ISL community.