Governing Board Elections 2024

Biographical data

Dan, a dual Swiss and French citizen, has been a resident of the region since 2009, where his child attends Campus des Nations Secondary School. Prior to this he has lived in North America, Africa, and Europe.

Dan began his career as a civil servant in the French administration and then at The World Bank, before transitioning to the private sector. His professional journey has centered around infrastructure, construction, and real estate, including roles at firms such as Bouygues and PwC where he supported a diverse clientele including UN agencies, funds, and private enterprises. Dan has assumed board positions at regulated companies in Luxembourg and Switzerland, as well as engagements with startups and associations. Until 2023, he served as CEO of a subsidiary of J. Safra Sarasin, overseeing real estate fund management operations.

Presently, Dan is a part-time self-employed consultant and university lecturer leveraging his expertise in construction, decarbonization, asset management, and governance in corporate and real estate finance.

A graduate in physics and engineering from France, Dan further honed his skills with an MBA from the London Business School, an MSc from the University of Westminster, an IDP certification from INSEAD, and a DAS in risk management from the University of Geneva. Proficient in English and French, he also commands a working knowledge of German and Portuguese.
 

What does Ecolint mean to you?

A multicultural education center of excellence and inclusivity that supports students in becoming global citizens with the courage and capacity to create a just and joyful tomorrow.
 

What skills/expertise can you bring to the School?

Finance + Governance + Construction

Network of contacts that can help with operational issues (architecture springs to mind) and that could be drawn from to bring speakers at conferences.
 

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?

Drawing from my extensive experience serving on the boards of regulated companies and startups, I aim to bring valuable insights and expertise to the Board be they in terms of strategic direction or governance.

Together with my fellow Board members I hope to contribute to further strengthening a school culture where every student feels valued and empowered to embrace diverse perspectives. Indeed, and as a result of my personal experience, the promotion of inclusivity and well-being of all children is very important to me.

Additionally, I recognize the difficult issues facing our children, ranging from personal identity to the existential threat of global warming and the unsettling reality of armed conflicts. I firmly believe that, during their time at Ecolint, we can empower our children to perceive these challenges as opportunities for positively impacting the world and for personal growth.
 

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 of Ecolint holds a crucial role in overseeing the management of our school’s resources.

Responsibilities encompass ensuring effective governance and providing strategic direction.
Other tasks include the approval of the accounts, risk and crisis management, developing policies, and providing support to the Director General.

The Governing Board’s work should rely on engagement and collaboration with various stakeholders such as parents, staff, faculty, authorities, students, and alumni.

In all activities, promoting the well-being of students, inclusivity, sustainability, and alignment with the school's mission will be paramount.

My educational background as an engineer and an MBA graduate from the London Business School, and my career in the public and private sector, showcases expertise in strategic leadership. As a CEO, as a member or chair of various boards and as a consultant, I have driven strategic initiatives, be they for financial improvements, sustainability, or stakeholder engagement. My experience in structuring and managing regulated companies, coupled with my governance certificate from INSEAD and governance CAS from the University of Geneva, underscores my abilities with regards to governance issues. With extensive experience in real estate and construction in Romandie, I bring local relationship-building skills and insight into capital projects.

As a member of the Governing Board, I'm ready to leverage this expertise to ensure effective governance and contribute to Ecolint's continued success in fulfilling its mission to “educate students to be global citizens with the courage and capacity to create a just and joyful tomorrow together”.

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?

Ensuring fair and equitable access to the exceptional education provided by Ecolint is indeed an important objective.

It requires concerted collaboration with a spectrum of stakeholders.

One avenue for such collaboration could entail further exploring the possibility to partner with cantonal and Swiss authorities to secure grants and funding whose purpose would be to support students with specific learning needs or from underprivileged backgrounds.

Further engagement with the private sector, NGOs and international organizations may also offer opportunities to bolster the scholarship program. Through partnerships corporations, foundations, and further call upon its alumni network, our school could possibly mobilize additional resources to provide vital financial assistance to deserving students, breaking down barriers to enrolment and maybe even increase the number of bursaries.

In the medium to long term, the endowment fund could aim to financially support deserving students that may otherwise not be able to access our school.
 

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...)?

On many of these aspects, I perceive Ecolint to be already excelling. This is reflected in the tremendous results achieved and which are well above world average. Our school boasts passionate teachers who effectively transmit their enthusiasm to students, as well as an approach of pastoral care that delivers results. Ecolint also provides diverse facilities catering to various activities, from music, to theatre to exemplary experiences such as the Students League of Nations, and empowers students to spearhead initiatives like the "Art Club", the “Anti-Discrimination Committee” or the "Debate Club".

In other words, the array of achievements is already truly commendable.

To identify detailed areas for further improvement, I would need to engage with all stakeholders involved. Nevertheless, (i) I can picture that further personalizing the learning environment could prove fruitful; (ii) I believe that space and facilities remain matters where further progress can be made; (iii) I could foresee that establishing partnerships with local research and educational centres of excellence could prove appropriate to further enhance the students experience (CERN, EPFL, IMD, EHL spring to mind).  

In all case, maintaining a holistic and addressing elements such as infrastructure quality, managerial competence, faculty proficiency, partnerships, and administrative effectiveness in a coherent manner would be indispensable to ensure that the overall objectives are effectively reached.
 

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?

As a member of the community, I deeply appreciate Ecolint's commitment to embracing diversity and honoring the unique voices and personal experiences of all its members.

It does resonate with me. I have personally been exposed to a diverse array of backgrounds, including varying social status, ages, sexual orientations, gender inclinations, nationalities, languages, and religions.  This extensive exposure, especially through leadership roles in organizations pioneering diversity initiatives, convinced me of the need to ensure that we all benefit from the richness that stems from our differences and the myriad of perspectives that diversity offers to our community.

I believe that it is crucial for the Board to continue to actively promote initiatives that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion. This may include implementing training programs for staff and faculty. It could incorporate initiatives to ensure that the importance of diversity figures clearly in the school’s digital presence. Recruitment and hiring practices and policies should prioritize diversity, and our school should take every opportunity to actively seek input and feedback from diverse members of the community. Additionally, the Board could instigate the participation of the school in organizations and initiatives that are active in this space.

In summary, by championing diversity and inclusion at all levels of the organization, the Governing Board can help create a more inclusive, welcoming and equitable environment for all members of the Ecolint community.
 

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?

I have perused the 2022-2023 annual report. The balance sheet of the school is strong and the cash flow generation was healthy in 2023.  Commendable efforts have been made and tangible results have been achieved to ensure the financial sustainability of the institution while maintaining the stability of the fees and renewing the CIS accreditation. 
It is thus encouraging to see that our school is on solid ground.

The 2022-2023 operating result was slightly negative. The balance between revenues and expenses thus needs to be improved. This is an opportunity to explore new strategies which could encompass engaging with other educational organizations to share resources or co-develop programs, but also the development of new educational activities, the organization of conferences and fundraising events, and the establishment of partnerships with the public and private sector or the vibrant UN and NGO networks surrounding the school.

Initiatives such as the endowment fund have been started or revived to provide a stable, long-term financial future, while maintaining affordable fee structures and the high quality of the education. These initiatives should be monitored and supported when they deliver results.

On these aspects and others, I would be delighted to facilitate discussions with universities I am connected to, to discuss best practices, collaboration and ideas.
 

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