Governing Board Elections 2024

Biographical Data

Svetlana has been living in Switzerland since 2017. Her son is an IB student at La Grande Boissière.

Svetlana has been elected to the Governing Board of the Ecolint Foundation for the period 2023-2024. She is a member of the Finance and Strategic Planning Committees.

She is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified in Strategy and Competitive Analysis (CSCA), and has certifications in Project Management (Agile, Prince2) and Change Management.

Svetlana is a member of the Global Advisory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA, USA) and the statutory auditor for the IMA Swiss Chapter.

Before moving to Geneva, Svetlana spent 20 years working in different positions in Finance and Strategic planning in Russia and Ukraine working for Japan Tobacco International (JTI). She started her career as a Financial Manager in 1997 and became a Business Planning and Analysis Director in 2006. During her assignment in Ukraine in 2011 – 2017 Svetlana worked as a Business Decision Support Director being responsible for consolidation of analytical data and streamlining the strategic planning process.

In 2017 Svetlana moved to Geneva to lead the Finance Stream of One Data project to implement a common enterprise-wide performance platform, integrating commercial & financial management information. She holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia.

In 2023, Svetlana completed a Master of Advanced Studies in European and International Governance program at the University of Geneva.
 

What does Ecolint mean to you?

For me, Ecolint is a community of dedicated people united by the school's mission.

A school that provides excellent academic education, but also translates important values to our kids (i.e., equality, solidarity, human rights, social justice, inclusion, dignity at work, and intolerance of any type of discrimination). Ecolint is the oldest international school which builds on its great traditions while constantly adjusting the education process to address the modern world challenges.
 

What skills/expertise can you bring to the School?

I bring my solid expertise in finance, knowledge and practical experience in project and change management, deep understanding of governance in the public and private sector, and volunteering in the DE&I Advisory Committee in IMA that will be instrumental for the Board and the school. During my work on the Ecolint Board, I got a good understanding of Ecolint’s priorities and areas for improvement. I would like to capitalize on this knowledge and contribute further to making Ecolint an even better place for all the students and stakeholders.
 

Understanding that the Governing Board focuses on long-range and strategic issues, and not specific management, personnel, or curricular issues, how would you support the Ecolint Mission if you were elected to the Governing Board?

I would like to continue serving in the Finance and Governance Committees to ensure the long-term financial sustainability and price competitiveness of Ecolint without compromising the quality of education. Also, I want to support the ongoing governance review to make all the processes more straightforward and to ensure the segregation of duties.
 

The Ecolint Governing Board is the key governance body of the International School. What is your understanding of the tasks you are called upon to perform in this context? And, what particular skills and experience would you draw on to fulfil this role?

The Governing Board is the guardian of the school mission. To fulfil this obligation the Board needs to ensure that the Foundation has a long-term sustainable strategy that aligns with the mission, ensuring long-term financial sustainability and excellence in education.

To achieve these objectives The Governing Board should enhance the existing governance structure, introduce a strong financial discipline including control on operational and capital expenditures, and continue reviewing the fee structure to provide high-quality while affordable education. Next year Ecolint will celebrate its centenary which provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the local community, the UN, and bring fundraising to the new quality level.

The Board should demonstrate an active commitment to inclusivity, diversity, equity, and anti-racism, ensuring a culture of openness, learning, and belonging in all the Board's work. The Board should collaborate with the Foundation management to create a framework supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion via conducting educational activities, introducing reporting concern mechanisms, revision of existing anti-bullying policies, etc. This is the area where the Board should lead by example.

If elected, I would be interested in continuing to serve on the Finance committee to ensure long-term financial sustainability focusing on the implementation of a control framework. 
In addition, I would like to contribute to the governance review where I also have expertise and support I-DEA initiatives.
 

Fair and equitable access to an education of excellence such as that of the International School of Geneva is at the heart of the objectives on which the Governing Board must focus. What might your thoughts be on this matter at this time? Do you have any particular expertise that you could draw upon in such societal matters?

This is a complex objective that could be viewed from different perspectives, i.e. financial affordability, creating an inclusive environment, offering bi-lingual education, etc.

From a financial perspective, the Governing Board should always balance long-term financial sustainability with the opportunity to keep the school fees affordable and competitive for current and future families. This could be achieved through fact-based collaborative financial planning in combination with strong financial discipline and the implementation of an efficient control framework. Ecolint offers a unique opportunity for students with special learning requirements to receive a high-quality education via the Extended Support Program. To reinforce this initiative the Governing Board should encourage the management of the Foundation to review the content and the cost structure of ESP to make it more affordable. Another important component is a combination of marketing and fundraising activities. Raising awareness about Ecolint, its values, and the ESP program may attract potential donors who can contribute to ESP support and the scholarship program opening a door to high-quality education for talented students with limited financial capabilities. Promoting bilingualism is another possibility to build closer relations with the local community. By participating in local activities, Ecolint students can receive hands-on experience in such areas as sustainability and the protection of nature. In return, the Foundation will reinforce the relationship with the local community and may attract new families and new donors. If elected, I am committed to using my knowledge in finance and marketing to support all these initiatives.
 

Ecolint aims to ensure a framework that serves to provide a distinctive high quality international education through which all students are helped to develop their abilities to the highest level of the potential. In your opinion, what are the different elements that are critical to this framework (buildings, interior and exterior spaces; technical supports and equipment; management team, teachers, and administrative staff; or others...)?

The Foundation is a unique ecosystem where all the mentioned elements play an integral and important role. However, the core element is the culture and the spirit of the school, and here the importance of teachers could not be overestimated. Teachers spend most of their time with the students, and they share not only the specific subject knowledge, but also teach students cooperation, critical thinking skills, and respect for not only others but themselves too. Creating a safe and comfortable atmosphere for the teachers, and their professional and personal development are the key success factors. It is important to make sure that the teachers are equipped with all the necessary elements to organize the teaching process including but not limited to books and technical equipment.  As the second element, I would highlight the role of the management as their prime responsibility is to set a direction and synchronize the work of all elements of the ecosystem. This is the management that should set a student-centric approach and prioritize the activities and financial expenses based on the students' interests. Building, interior, and exterior space should support the learning process and be compliant with the standards of education. This means that the classrooms should have the space to incorporate the average class size, and the cafeteria should have enough space for a comfortable lunch, etc.
 

Ecolint embraces diversity and honours the unique voice and personal experience of all members of the community. What do you think of this statement in terms of your experience as a member of the community? In your opinion what should be the role of the Governing Board in strengthening inclusion of diversity in the Foundation?

Ecolint is a school that has the privilege of having students of 130 nationalities, so it is critical to create an environment where everybody is safe and respected. Ecolint students have different ethnic, religious, and social backgrounds, thus for me as a parent and community member is important that the kids understand and respect these differences. We are living in a time of growing political and religious conflicts which create additional challenges for international education. I support Ecolint's position to keep the school free of politics while creating a safe space to discuss global problems on a respectful and factual base. The Governing Board is the guardian of the Foundation's mission and one of the key objectives of the Board is to create a safe environment for the students. To achieve this objective the Board should have an I-DEA topic as a part of its regular agenda to make sure that all the initiatives are followed up and properly executed.  This requires strong collaboration with management, staff, students, and parents to identify the potential areas for improvement. Reinforcement of the anti-bullying framework is the focus area of the Governing Board where cooperation with the management and regular follow-up is required.The Extended Support Programme (ESP) is a unique inclusive offer proposed by Ecolint, but it is hardly affordable for many families. The Governing Board should lead a comprehensive review of ESP to make it more affordable using all available opportunities including fundraising and cost optimization.
 

Are you aware of the financial information related to the Foundation? While efforts have been made, what else can be done in your opinion, to make the Foundation more sustainable in the long term continuing to ensure affordable fee structures while providing qualitative inclusive education in an effort to make global citizens and optimum capital development efforts?

As a Board member and a member of the Finance Committee, I have full awareness of the current financial situation of the Foundation. As a result of the collaborative efforts of Ecolint management and the Board, current financial situation of the Foundation is stable. Moreover, a long-term plan was approved by CIS that allowed to maintain the accreditation. In the frame of 2024-2025 budget preparation the detailed examination of expenses allowed to keep the school's fees flat for the second year in arrow. On top of this, the fees for pre-reception and reception years were decreased to make Primary school more affordable and competitive. The first enrolment results confirm that this strategy pays off. This is a solid start to ensure long-term financial sustainability, but several further initiatives could be implemented, i.e.:

• Development and implementation of the governance framework to ensure budgetary and spending discipline.
• Introduction of a more collaborative approach to Capex planning which includes bottom-up requirement collection and further spending prioritization by joint management and Board team based on the Foundation’s priorities.
• In-depth review of fundraising activities to ensure additional funding of Opex and Capex
• Review the existing cost structure of the Extended Support Programme (ESP) and find ways for cost optimization while keeping high-quality education.
• Assess extracurricular activities and holiday camps proposition for the potential to generate additional income flow.
   

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