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Executive Board

The Executive Board prepares Council of the Swiss Abroad business and oversees the implementation of Council decisions. It represents the organisation externally, and ensures the work continues between Council sessions.

The Executive Board members are elected by the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA) from among the CSA members. Their term of office is four years. The Executive Board consists of the president and up to ten other members. The Executive Board designates two vice presidents and the treasurer responsible for finances.

The Executive Board holds three day-long meetings per year. Along with strategic decisions on the activities of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, SwissCommunity, and consultation on the business of the Council of the Swiss Abroad, it deals with a large number of issues related to policy on Swiss citizens abroad.

Executive Board members in office for the term 2021-2025

The following is a list of the Executive Board members for the current 2021-2025 term. Use the filter to see Executive Board members by function.

If you wish to contact a member of the committee, please send an e-mail to the following address: direction@swisscommunity.org.

Filippo Lombardi

Filippo Lombardi

President
Lugano, Switzerland

*1956, member of the Council of the States for the canton of Ticino (Christian Democratic party CVP) from 1999 to 2019, journalist/businessman (media), member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA) since 2001, president of the Council of States 2013, member of the Executive Board since 2013, Vice-President from August 2015 to August 2021, President since September 2021.

Dominique Baccaunaud Vuillemin

Dominique Baccaunaud Vuillemin

Vice-President
Ste-Colombe-en Bruilhois, France

*1959, teacher of literature. Secretary of the Cercle Suisse de Guyenne et Gascogne since 1997, member of the Soliswiss Executive Committee (1998-2009), member of the Swissinfo Public Council (1999-2011), member of the UASF Executive Board since 1996, member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad since 1997, elected to the Executive Board of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad in 2021, Vice-President since October 2021.

Laurent Wehrli

Laurent Wehrli

Vice-President
Glion, Switzerland

*1965, journalist, delegate for cross-border and European affairs of canton Vaud from 1993 to 2002, mayor of Montreux from 2011-2021, member of the Vaud cantonal parliament from 2002 to 2015, National Councillor since 2015, member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad since 2016, member of the organisation's Executive Board since 2017, Vice-President since October 2021.

Gian Franco Definti

Gian Franco Definti

Milan, Italy

*1941, federal diploma in business administration, insurance broker since 2013, president of the Swiss Society in Milan, member of the "Ticinesi nel mondo" group of the CVP, treasurer of the "Gazzetta Svizzera" and "Collegamento Svizzero" in Italy, member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad since 2009, member of the organisation's Executive Board since 2017.

Helen Freiermuth

Helen Freiermuth

Izmir, Turkey

*1958, teacher, HKG business graduate, currently not employed. A “co-expat wife” Swiss Abroad since 1995 (China, USA, Canada, China, in Turkey since 2013). Active in local charity programmes or the Red Cross as well as in Swiss clubs in each country of residence. Involved with Swiss Abroad issues during many years of work on the executive board of FDP International, acting president since 2020. National Council candidate in 2011 and 2015, CSA delegate for Turkey since 2017. Member of the Executive Board of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad since 2021.

Sonja Lengning

Sonja Lengning

Stuttgart, Germany

*1971, self-employed, licenced psychotherapist for children, adolescents and adults (2010), trauma therapist, primary school teacher Zurich (1995). Member of the Swiss Association Stuttgart since 2007, on the Board since 2019, member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad since 2019, Vice- President of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad-Germany since 2020 and its President since May 2023, member of the Executive Board of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad since 2023.

Lucas Metzger

Lucas Metzger

Quaestor
Binningen, Switzerland

*1960, Master of Business Administration (lic.oec. HSG), management trainee programme in Toronto (banking), 1988–1997 Controller Vitra and Valora, 1994–1997 Director of Epéda-Mérinos in Paris, 1998–2015 Member of the Executive Board Swiss Bankers Association. Since 2015, esisuisse Deposit Insurance, Deputy CEO, Chief Operating Officer (Specialist in Deposit Insurance, Head of Finance/Human Resources/Information Technology). Member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad and Member of the Executive Board of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad since 2020.

David W. Mörker

David W. Mörker

Minneapolis, United States

*1968, Master of Business Administration (MBA), project manager, Big Four consulting (2001-2004), president, Twin Cities Swiss American Association (400+ active members) since 2005, member, Swiss Leaders, Twin Cities, Minnesota since 2009, head of SAP business integration, internal controls & information security, medical devices (2004-2008), head of ERP system & technology integration, governance, risk & compliance, senior leadership team (2008-2017), chief business integrator & information technologist, senior leadership team since 2018, member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad since 2009, member of the organisation's executive board since 2017, and founding member of the finance, risk & audit committee since 2021.

Franz Muheim

Franz Muheim

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

*1960, physicist and professor at the University of Edinburgh since 1999, member of the Executive Board of the Federation of Swiss Societies UK (FOSSUK) since 2013, Vice-President of the Swiss Club Edinburgh, chair of the working group on the representativeness of the Council of the Swiss Abroad, member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad since 2013, member of the organisation's Executive Board since 2017.

Carlo Sommaruga

Carlo Sommaruga

Geneva, Switzerland

*1959, lawyer at the Geneva bar, president of Solidar Suisse and the Swiss Tenants' Association; member of the municipal council of Thonex/GE (1991-2000), member of the Grand Council of the Canton of Geneva (2001-2003), National Councillor (2003-2019), member of the Council of States SP/GE since 2019 , member of the Foreign Policy Committee and the EFTA/EU delegation since 2019; co-president of the Swiss Abroad parliamentary group and of the Parliamentary Group for International Solidarity; member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad since 2005, member of the Executive Board since 2021.

Carmen Trochsler

Carmen Trochsler

Adelaide, Australia

*1976, Lic.iur. HSG, MBA University of Adelaide; management consultant; legal adviser at the FDJP, Federal Office of Police, after admission to the bar; in Adelaide since 2010, board member of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and the Swiss Umbrella Organisation in Australia. Member of the Council of the Swiss Abroad since 2015, member of the Executive Board of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad since 2021.

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