ESG Unlocked: Mastering Opportunities for Sustainable Performance

Mirjana is Chief Executive Officer for the CFA Society Switzerland, one of the largest CFA Institute societies globally. She is responsible for implementing the Society's overall strategy and management. Core to her mandate is continuing to deliver outstanding member value, providing quality, independent and reliable content and resources for multiple key stakeholders and promoting high ethical standards in the investment industry. In her leadership role, Mirjana oversees all the Society’s staff and operations. 

Before assuming a role of CEO of CFA Society Switzerland, Mirjana was co-leading the University Relations Commitee where she was responsible for the strategy development and execution of the CFA Institute Research Challenge. Mirjana also worked with volunteer committees to execute successful Swiss Pensions and Generations Conferences. She further developed and maintained various initiatives in an ongoing effort to deliver, improve and refine Society's programs to its members.

Mirjana is a trained neurobiologist and has previously worked as a scientific advisor and program director in a NPO, family office and at the University of Zurich and University of Groningen. 

Dimitri Senik, CFA, leads the Investor Trust Services at PwC Switzerland. With 27 years of professional experience, he provides assurance services to investment managers and investors with respect to investment process and governance, investment performance and risk management, compliance with the GIPS standards, and ESG Investing. 

Dimitri Senik is also a member of the Investment Committee of the Pension Funds of PwC Switzerland. He has been a long-standing volunteer in the global standard-setting bodies of CFA Institute and currently chairs the GIPS Technical Committee and the ESG Examination Subcommittee of CFA Institute and also the ESG Committee of CFA Society Switzerland. 

Dimitri is a CFA Charterholder, Chartered Certified Accountant and a holder of the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing.

Dr. Zeno Staub is a financial professional with extensive experience in banking, asset management, and corporate governance. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Vontobel from 2011 to 2023, leading the company through a period of significant growth and transformation. Under his leadership, Vontobel’s assets under management increased from CHF 132 billion to CHF 250 billion, reflecting a strong focus on client needs, investment excellence, and risk-aware growth.

Dr. Staub joined Vontobel in 2001 and held several leadership roles, including Chief Financial Officer, Head of Investment Banking, and Head of Asset Management, before becoming CEO. Prior to his time at Vontobel, he was the Founder and Managing Partner of Almafin AG, a risk management and software consulting firm, which was successfully integrated into a larger financial technology company in 2000.

Since stepping down as CEO, Dr. Staub has remained actively engaged in the financial sector as an investor and advisor, focusing on companies in the areas of sustainability, technology, and innovation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Bühler Group and has been nominated for election to the Board of Vontobel Holding AG in 2025.

Beyond his corporate work, he has long been involved in public and societal initiatives. He serves as President of the AWG Zürich and has been a trustee of the Max-Schmidheiny Foundation since 2014, supporting projects aimed at economic and social progress.

Dr. Staub holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of St. Gallen and a degree in Economics from the same institution. He is fluent in German, English, French, and Italian.

For more information, visit: www.zenostaub.ch

As a Senior Lecturer at the ZHAW, Tomasz Orpiszewski focuses on development and application of evidence-based ESG data to investments. By combining data science methods, Natural Language Processing, geospatial and remote sensing information, he actively seeks to uncover the risk exposures and investment opportunities across liquid and illiquid asset classes.

Laura Archer-Svoboda is a Research Associate and Lecturer at the ZHAW School of Management and Law, specializing in sustainability-focused real estate finance. She drives research and industry collaboration on CO₂ reduction strategies, transparent reporting, and climate risk assessment. By bridging academia and practice, Laura works to advance innovative solutions that promote long-term sustainability in the real estate sector.

Frederik von Ameln is a senior portfolio manager and strategist at the Swiss Federal Pension Fund PUBLICA, the second pillar pension provider for the Swiss federal administration and associated organizations. 

Frederik joined PUBLICA Asset Management in 2014 as a portfolio manager and strategist, focusing on (listed) equity and commodity investments. He’s responsible for overseeing the management of the listed equity allocation, and co-manages the precious metals allocation. 

Prior to joining PUBLICA, he worked as a senior portfolio manager for indexed equities at a Swiss asset manager. Frederik started his career in finance in 2002 at UBS AG in credit portfolio management after graduating from Technical University of Dortmund with an M.Sc. equivalent degree in Statistics. He is also a CFA charterholder.

Michael Haene, CFA, FRM, is a member of the investment team of the City of Zurich Pension Fund. His main responsibilities include listed corporate investments, the Fund’s sustainability and climate strategy as well as projects related to strategic asset allocation. 

He has been working in the industry for more than 25 years and previously worked with Deutsche Asset Management as a Multi-Asset Portfolio Manager, with Credit Suisse as Strategist, Investment Risk Analyst and Multi-Asset Portfolio Manager and with Neue Aargauer Bank as a Foreign Exchange Trader. 

Michael Haene has an MAS in Pension Fund Management from the University of Lucerne, a BA in Philosophy and Social Anthropology from the University of Fribourg, and a Diploma in Business Administration. He is both a CFA Charterholder and a Financial Risk Manager certified by the Global Association of Risk Professionals. During 2019-2020 he completed in the Advanced Sustainability Executive Program of University of St. Gallen (HSG) & Mission Possible Foundation.

Sara Razmpa, CFA is a Sustainability and Investment Specialist with over 13 years of experience in investment management, including a decade dedicated to responsible investment and sustainability. She joined Piguet Galland in 2024 as the Sustainability Investment Specialist within the investment team.

Prior to this role, Sara served as Head of Responsible Investment and Senior Equity Portfolio Manager at Unigestion, where she was also a member of the Equities Investment Committee. Before 2018, she was a portfolio manager in the Fundamental Fixed Income team at Lombard Odier Investment Management. Her career in finance began in 2012.

Sara holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Tehran University, a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of British Columbia, and a master’s degree in Financial Engineering and Risk Management from HEC Lausanne. A CFA Charterholder, she is an active member of the CFA Society Switzerland ESG Committee. Additionally, she has earned the CFA Institute’s Certificate in ESG Investing and the Certificate in Climate and Investing.

Fiona Frick is a highly accomplished professional in the financial Industry Investment Specialist with over three decades of hands-on experience in the Financial Industry as a practitioner, Board Member and CEO.

Fiona began her career in 1990 at Unigestion, an international asset manager, as a fundamental analyst and then investment manager in high yield and convertible bonds. She became CEO in 2011. She successfully diversified Unigestion’s activities into Private Equity and led Unigestion to become a recognized player in sustainable finance.

In 2023, after 32 years at Unigestion, Fiona decided to create her own consulting company, Circe Invest, around the themes of asset allocation and sustainability, as well as serving on boards of directors. Fiona currently sits on the boards of Swiss Sustainable Finance and Sustainable Finance Geneva. She was appointed as a board member of BofA Securities Europe in December 2023.

Fiona has also gained wide recognition in the financial industry and academia as a respected speaker on economics, financial markets, investment allocation and the rise of sustainable finance. She has been recognized by the financial industry as one of the most influential women in European finance.

Fiona holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Institut Supérieur de Gestion (I.S.G.) in Paris and a degree in Literature and Philosophy from the University of Dijon.

She has also completed several executive programs at IMD, IESE and Harvard Business Schools.

Adrian Schatzmann became CEO of the Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS) in January 2021. He is also a board member of the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) and a member of the Board of Directors of Swiss Fund Data AG. Adrian Schatzmann has been working in the asset management industry for almost 30 years, including numerous management positions at UBS in Switzerland and Asia, including Head of Global Sales for investment funds and ETFs. He studied economics at the University of St. Gallen.

Adrian Schatzmann has four children and enjoys spending his free time in the mountains, whether on his bike or on ski.

Erol Bilecen is Head of Sustainable Finance at the SBA since October 2024. 

Erol has in-depth knowledge of the financial industry and is also a lecturer due to his many years of experience in the field of sustainable finance.

From 2016 to September 2024, he was responsible for the sustainability of products and services at Raiffeisen Switzerland, focusing from 2021 onwards as Head of the Competence Centre Sustainability Pension & Investment. In this role, he was key in designing the standardised integration of ESG criteria into the Raiffeisen Group's investment and pension products and services and implementing all the necessary accompanying measures, such as sustainability reporting. 

During this time, he was a member of the respective sustainable finance working groups of the European Association of Cooperative Banks (EACB), the Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS) and the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA), where he was involved in and helped to shape regulatory developments at both national and international level. 

Erol studied economics at the University of Basel and completed the interdisciplinary degree programme MGU (Man-Society-Environment). He has been a lecturer at various teaching institutes such as AZEK and Fachschule Personalvorsorge for many years. 

He started his career in the private sector in 1997 as one of the first sustainability analysts at Bank Sarasin (now Bank J. Safra Sarasin). From 2000 to 2013, he established and headed the Client Services Asset Management unit. 

Martin Roth has been Chief Executive Officer of the Manor pension fund since the end of 2013 and President of the ASIP since May 2022. 

Before joining the Manor pension fund in 2004 as head of investments, he worked for UBS for 15 years as a client advisor and senior portfolio manager.

Martin Roth holds a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Pension Fund Management from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and is a Swiss Certified Financial Analyst (AZEK).

He also lectures regularly at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in the Pension Fund Management course on the subject of pension fund investments. 

Martin Roth is married and lives in Basel City.

Sabine Döbeli has worked in the field of sustainable finance for over 20 years in different roles. She is the CEO of Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF), an organization that was established under her lead in 2014 with the objective of making Switzerland a leading voice and actor in sustainable finance.

Previously, she was Head of Corporate Sustainability Management at Vontobel where she was responsible for the sustainability strategy at group level and sustainable investment services in asset management. At Zürcher Kantonalbank she built up the sustainability research team and contributed to the launch of various sustainable investment products.

Sabine holds a Masters in Environmental Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich and a post-graduate degree in business administration and marketing from the University of Basel. She is a member of the Advisory Committee on International Cooperation to the Swiss Government (BK IZA), of the Research Advisory Council of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and of the advisory councils of the Sustainable Digital Finance Alliance (SDFA), of UNCTAD as well as of other organisations. 

Alexandra Pastollnigg is Head Responsible Investing at Graubündner Kantonalbank, where she is responsible for continued ESG integration and sustainability initiatives across the bank's investment activities. 

Since joining Graubündner Kantonalbank in 2023, Alexandra has also been driving the bank's stewardship activities, including its commitment to Climate Action 100+, Ethos engagement activities and the AMAS Engagement Letter for Swiss companies to contribute to a climate-neutral economy, amongst others. 

Alexandra is a CFA Charterholder and holds a Master of Finance from the University of Hong Kong. She has also earned the CFA Institute Certificates in ESG Investing, Data Science for Investment Professionals, and Climate Risk, Valuation, and Investing. 

Since 2024, Alexandra has been an active member of the CFA Society Switzerland ESG Committee.

Aurélia Fäh is an investment professional with 10+ years of experience in sustainable finance. In her current role within the Asset Management Association of Switzerland (AMAS), Aurelia leads the Swiss asset management industry’s efforts in transitioning to climate-neutral strategies and a sustainable economy by building best-practices directed to enhance transparency in this area.

Passionate about combining finance with purpose, Aurelia started her career at the IFC (World Bank Group), the largest asset manager focused on emerging markets. Successively based in Johannesburg (South Africa), Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) and Washington DC (US), she executed debt and equity transactions in banks, fintechs, and insurance companies across Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. After 7 years working and living abroad, she returned to Geneva to join and develop a Swiss-based start-up providing credit to SMEs in emerging countries before joining the AMAS as a Senior Sustainability Expert.

Aurelia graduated from the University of St. Gallen and from Sciences Po Paris with a Master in Finance and a Master in International Affairs.

Sandro Leuenberger is the author of the climate rating of pension funds, now in its sixth year. His aim is to promote a shift towards sustainable investments in equity, bonds, real estate as well as for impact generation in economy and society. He engages in challenging and consulting with a large number of institutions, which account for 90% of the investment volume in the pension sector.

As a PhD chemist, he was a senior manager in the chemical industry in his previous professional life, responsible for quality management, environmental protection, food law and chemical safety. This role included working in associations at the European Union and Swiss level. He is familiar with finance through his membership of the board of trustees of the company pension fund.

Vincent Kaufmann has been the CEO of Ethos Foundation and Ethos Services since June 2015. Vincent joined Ethos in 2004 as a Corporate Governance Analyst, later becoming a Senior and Deputy Head Corporate Governance. He has been Member of Ethos Services’ Management in charge of investment since 2011 and deputy CEO since 2013.

Since June 2019, he has been a Member of the Board of Swiss Sustainable Finance. Vincent Kaufmann, a Swiss Certified Expert for Accounting and Controlling since 2009, holds a Master’s degree in Business Economics of the University of Geneva (2004).

Prof. Dr. Eelco Fiole, CFA, Fellow IoD, is co-founder (2015) and Managing Partner of Alpha Governance Partners, an international boutique fiduciary partnership, honorary professor of Finance Ethics at the University of Neuchâtel, Chair Switzerland of Tiger21, where he facilitates peer governance for a diverse group of primarily Swiss-based UHNWIs, and a nominee director for the IFC. With almost three decades in finance, including over 15 years of board, CFO and COO-experience with multi-billion USD alternative investment organizations, a.o. with Credit Suisse Asset Management, Eelco is an accomplished governance specialist and investment executive. His board mandates are in complex investments, impact and blockchain.

A Dutchman, he holds a.o. a PhD in Economics from the University of Basel and various professional designations, and volunteers for a variety of high-end bodies. In 2022, Eelco was one of four recipients of the global CFA Institute Inspirational Leadership Awards. In 2024, he was named an Exemplar by the DRCOI for a career of Integrity, Innovation, Leadership, and Service.

Captain Cornelissen has participated in more than 25 Sea Shepherd campaigns, beginning as Chief Cook, rising through the ranks to become Captain. After six years on the ships, he spent another six years running a successful campaign in the Galapagos Islands as the Director of Operations.

In his current role as Chief Executive Officer for Sea Shepherd Global, Captain Cornelissen guides global operations. Leading a highly capable team of professionals that spans five continents, he oversees a wide array of international public-private partnerships, manages country agreements, and is responsible for the movements of all vessels in Sea Shepherd Global's fleet.

Captain Cornelissen is an expert on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing as well as marine wildlife protection.

Over the last eight years the organization has broadened its conservation reach by partnering with countries worldwide to combat IUU fishing. This has resulted in the arrest of nearly 100 vessels.