Governing Board

The Governing Board of the Foundation consists of twelve elected members and two members appointed by the Canton of Geneva, and one member appointed by the Canton of Vaud. The Board also exercises its powers of co-option, for example by inviting the United Nations to nominate a representative.

Elected members are chosen by an electorate that consists of parents, members of staff, former members of staff, and former students. Votes are cast either by electronic ballot or at the Consultative General Assembly of the Foundation that is held each year in May.

The Board is the guardian of the School’s mission. This stewardship involves ensuring that the Foundation has a well-developed strategy which is aligned with this mission, responsive to external conditions and to the expectations of its stakeholders, is realistically costed and will ensure the organisation’s continued success; ensuring that the necessary structure, function, policy, controls and information are in place to enable the effective, secure and sustainable operation of the Foundation; accountability for the financial well-being of the school, including capital assets, operating budgets and fundraising.

Board committees

Much of the work of the Board is conducted through committees, most of which also include parent members of the Campus Advisory Bodies and members of the teaching staff. These committees include an Executive Committee and committees responsible for Finance, Strategic Planning, Nominating and Governance (elections) and Bursaries.

Board priorities

At the beginning of each school year, the Governing Board identifies and approves its priorities for the current school year, which you can find here.

The Board will report to the 19 May 2025 Consultative General Assembly on the implementation of these priorities.

Ijeoma Aghanya

Chair (Ad Interim)

Ijeoma Aghanya is a husband to Elspeth and father of 3 boys, Benjamin, Samuel and Alistair, who have all been students at Ecolint (LGB). Benjamin is currently in Year 12.  He grew up in Nigeria and in Scotland where he attended school and University.  He has been in Geneva for the last 14 years, most of which was spent working within the financial services industry primarily in the Legal and Compliance sectors.  He has enjoyed professional stints in London and Bermuda, working mainly for Banks and Asset Management companies. 

Ijeoma is a qualified British Chartered Accountant with an MBA in Finance from Manchester Business School. He also holds the UK Investment Management Certificate (IMC).  He currently runs his own Geneva based companies in the Health, Beauty (Swiss Nail & Spa SA) and Commercial Property sectors (PVI Offices). He is an Executive Director at PrivateTrust Partners SA, an M&A Boutique in Private Equity and Real Estate providing independent advisory services for cross border acquisitions and divestments for the small and middle market segment. 

Ijeoma has a passion for tennis, boxing and playing the piano.  He is a co-founder of the African Professional Network Switzerland and a registered “volunteer” in his local Commune in Geneva. 

Ijeoma was elected to the Governing Board of the ECOLINT Foundation for a one-year mandate (2023-2024).  In  2023-24, he was a member of the Finance, Strategic Planning and Development committees.  In June 2024, Ijeoma was co-opted for a one-year mandate. In October 2024, he was elected for a one-year mandate (2024-2025) to replace an outgoing member (2024-2025) and since November 2024, he is the Treasurer of the Governing Board, the Chair of the Finance Committee and a member of the Executive and Strategic planning Committees (ex-officio).
 

Vanessa Mattar Boley

Vice-Chair (Ad interim)

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, and naturalized as Swiss in 1992, Vanessa Mattar Boley grew up in Jamaica, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. She holds a master's degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and has been working in different positions for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for over two decades. She has served in Kosovo, Bosnia Herzegovina, Afghanistan and Kenya, and continues her humanitarian commitment at Headquarters in Geneva. Her son is a student at LGB.

Vanessa's expertise lies in program oversight and integrity, Data Protection and crisis management.

Vanessa was elected to the Governing Board of the ECOLINT Foundation for a four-year mandate (2024-2028). In 2024-2025, Vanessa is a member of  the Nominating and Governing Committee.

Patrick Callaghan-Pace

Treasurer (Ad interim)

Biography available soon.

Patrick was elected to the Governing Board of the ECOLINT Foundation for a four-year mandate (2024-2028). He is a member of the Finance, the Nominating and Governance and the Strategic Planning Committees.

Nirmalya Syam

Secretary

Nirmalya Syam is a lawyer specializing in international law and intellectual property law. He is a professional staff at the South Centre, a Geneva-based intergovernmental organization of developing countries. Nirmalya has been a resident in Geneva since 2008 and has two children studying at the Campus des Nations in Ecolint in the early and middle years programmes respectively. Nirmalya is passionate about education for inclusion and celebrating diversity in schools. Before joining the Governing Board, he also served as a parent representative in the Campus Advisory Body at the Campus des Nations.

Nirmalya was elected to the Governing Board of the ECOLINT Foundation for a two-year mandate (2023-2025). In 2023-24, he was a member of the Finance, the Nominating and Governance and Strategic Planning Committees. Nirmalya is the Secretary of the Governing Board since 1st July 2024. In 2024-2025, Nirmalya is a member of the Executive, the Finance and the Nominating and Governance Committees.

Neil Allison

Neil serves as the Head of the Education, Skills, and Learning Mission at the World Economic Forum, where he leads global efforts to advance education and skills for the future of work. The Forum is the international organization for public-Private Cooperation. It provides a global, impartial and not-for-profit platform for meaningful connection between stakeholders to establish trust, and build initiatives for cooperation and progressHe previously held leadership roles in strategy, transformation and innovation at the Adecco Group and Pearson, and advised the Gates Foundation on investments to improve postsecondary access and completion for all students.

He holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the College of William and Mary in the United States. 

As a dual citizen of the United States and Great Britain, he has lived in Switzerland for 3 years and attended primary school at La Grande Boissière. He is married and has two daughters who attend the Nations campus in Year 12 and Year 9. 

Neil was co-opted to the Governing Board of Ecolint in November 2024 for a two-year mandate (2024 - 2026).
 

Jill Bailey

Jill is a retired Ecolint teacher who has dedicated 41 years of service to the Foundation. She came to Geneva in September 1978 and in the same month volunteered her services at the lakeside Foundation school of Bellevue. Over the years she worked as a primary school teacher at Pregny, La Châtaigneraie, LGB and finally in the PYP programme at Nations, from where she retired in 2019.  Ecolint has been an integral part of her life throughout all these years. 

She is a British graduate from Leeds University. Her two children are alumni of La Châtaigneraie and both now live and work in the area. From the early days she was an active member of the Ecolint community, serving on the Board Nominations Committee, the LGB Campus Development Group, and as the Nations PYP representative in the Staff Association. Here she represented the Campus des Nations on the Commission Paritaire and was also a staff representative in the negotiation of the 2012 Collective Contract.  

Having worked hands on across all the Foundation’s campuses, with the various members of its community, she brings to the board over forty years insider knowledge of Ecolint’s modus operandi, unique culture and values.

Jill was nominated to the Governing Board of the Foundation by the Staff Association Committee for a two-year mandate (renewal) (2022-2024). In 2023-24, she was a member of the Strategic planning committee. Jill was renominated  for a two-year mandate (2024-2026). In 2024-2025, Jill is a member of the Strategic Planning Committee and is also the Safeguarding Child & Protection Board Representative.

Kristy Barclay

A South Korean national living in Switzerland since 2017, Kristy has two children at La Grande Boissière, and her husband is a La Châtaigneraie alumnus.

An active member of the Ecolint community for the past 7 years, she is committed to serve towards solutions for the evolving visions and sustainable growth of the Foundation.

Kristy is also selectively engaged in strategic projects as well as executive coaching and consultancy. She has worked in Finance, prior to devoting most of her time to her family.

Kristy is an avid life-long learner, and is passionate about surfing and boxing as pastimes.

Kristy was elected to the Governing Board of the ECOLINT Foundation for a one-year mandate (2024-2025).  She is an active member of the Finance, Nominating and Governance, and Strategic Planning Committees.
 

Emanuela Dose Sarfatis

A certified lawyer, Emanuela Dose Sarfatis was head of the legal department of a private bank in Lausanne and served as a member of her commune’s municipal council before joining the State of Geneva in 1994.

Previously, Emanuela Dose Sarfatis was successively Deputy Director of the Department of Economic Promotion and the Directorate General for the Economy, Research, and Innovation. She is currently Deputy Secretary General of the Department of Finance, Human Resources and External Affairs (DF), specifically in charge of issues relating to Geneva International Airport. 

Over the course of her career, Emanuela Dose Sarfatis has served as a delegate on the foundation boards and boards of directors of a number of organisations supporting the business sector and promoting innovation, as well as on official commissions relating to the labour market [namely, Cautionnement romand; SIP West EPFL; Fondation d'aide aux entreprises (FAE); Fondation Eclosion; Fondation genevoise pour l'innovation technologique (FONGIT); Genilem, Office for the promotion of industry and technology (OPI); Plateforme intercantonale d'innovation (Platinn); Conseil de la fondation Timelab; Interprofessional Council for Training (CIF) ; Labour Market Supervisory Board (CSME), and the Tripartie Commission for the Economy].

Emanuela Dose Sarfatis has been a member of the Board since 2009 as the DF's representative for international Geneva.
 

Liv Ducrocq

Liv Ducrocq has been Deputy Secretary General of the Department of Public Education, Training and Youth (DIP) in the canton of Geneva since 2019.

In particular, she is responsible for overseeing issues relating to secondary education (Level II) and vocational training. She has also taken on responsibility for social issues relating to schools, such as citizenship, equality, LGBTIQ+ issues, climate challenges, and sustainable development.

After a Master's degree in Political Science from the University of Geneva, Liv Ducrocq began her career in the banking and multinational corporate sector. She then put her career on hold for seven years to devote herself to her children, the eldest of whom is autistic, while at the same time becoming actively involved with the disabled community.

This period also gave Liv Ducrocq the opportunity to reflect on her career path, underpinned by the desire to retrain as a secondary school (Level II) teacher. She went on to earn a Master's degree in History and Geography, followed by a Master's degree in Secondary Education in these two subjects, and worked for 11 years at the Collège et École de Commerce André-Chavanne, an experience that was highly enriching in every way.

She was appointed to represent the canton of Geneva (Département de l’instruction publique | DIP) in 2024 for an until 31 January 2028.
 

Arafat Jamal

Arafat is a senior United Nations diplomat by profession, and an internationalist by background and conviction. 

His youth was marked by series of global moves (North America, Africa, Europe), anchored by attendance at international schools.  Completing his education in the US (Cornell) and UK (Oxford), Arafat embarked on an international UN  career that has alternated between working on frontline humanitarian situations (Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, DR Congo, Lebanon, Jordan, Libya, South Sudan), and on multilateral diplomacy and partnerships in Geneva, New York and elsewhere. 

Ecolint has played a formative role in Arafat’s life.  When his parents’ international careers brought him to Switzerland at age 14, Arafat (often known as Arif at school) leveraged a passion for heavy metal into new friendships over four heady and intellectually edgy years (the friendships have, happily, outlasted the musical preference).  When Arafat and his wife Shalini themselves moved to Geneva in 2012, Ecolint was the natural choice for their two daughters, who went on to have an enriching experience at the La Châtaigneraie campus that has carried them through their university education in the UK. 

Arafat is committed to giving back to the school that has nurtured his family.  He believes that Ecolint represents a place where students can achieve without pressure; where excellence is prized over elitism; and where values are more important than status.  He is committed to helping keep Ecolint a distinct, principled, attractive and financially robust institution. 

Aafat was elected to the Governing Board of the ECOLINT Foundation for a two-year mandate (2024-2026).

Safia Ladak

Safia has completed a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master’s in Business Administration. Her professional career spans several sectors, including: management consulting, telecommunications, global health, international development, and education. Through roles with increasing responsibility, Safia has experience in a myriad of organisational functions such as: board/complex governance, policy making, strategic and financial planning, risk analysis, change management, resource mobilisation, and general management. She has lived in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Her children attend the Primary School at La Châtaigneraie. 

Safia was elected to the Governing Board of the ECOLINT Foundation for a four-year mandate (2024-2028).  In 2024-2025, she is a member of the Strategic Planning Committee.

Svetlana Ryzhik

Svetlana has been living in Switzerland since 2017. She is married and her son is a student at La Grande Boissière secondary school.

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 with the objective 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 has completed a Master of Advanced Studies in European and International Governance program in the University of Geneva.

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

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

She was elected to the Governing Board of the ECOLINT Foundation for a one-year mandate (2023-2024). In 2023-24, she was a member of the Finance Committee. In May 2024, she was reelected for another one-year mandate (2024-2025). Svetlana was the Treasurer of the Governing Board (July-November 2024). She is the Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, a member of the Executive, Finance and Nominating and Governance Committees.
 

Jamie Williamson

Jamie Williamson, a British citizen, has been based in Geneva since 2012, where he works as the Executive Director of the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Providers' Association, an international multi-stakeholder initiative, which regulates and monitors the activities of private security companies operating in complex and hostile environments worldwide.

Jamie Williamson previously served with the International Committee of the Red Cross, in numerous capacities, most recently, where, managing over 60 delegates worldwide, he was responsible for the strategic orientation and implementation of core ICRC programs, advising and training State and non-State arms carriers, including multinational forces and private military and security contractors, on International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law. Jamie Williamson worked also as the ICRC’s Legal Adviser for Common Law Countries in Geneva and Southern Africa, and, from 2008 to 2011, he was the ICRC Legal Adviser for the Washington D.C. Delegation, providing legal support for ICRC activities in the U.S. and Canada, with particular focus on Guantanamo and military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

Before joining the ICRC, Jamie Williamson was with the UN ad hoc international criminal tribunals in Tanzania and the Netherlands, and the Special Court for Sierra Leone, working on the first international judgments on the crimes of genocide, at trial and appellate level. He has published numerous papers on repression of war crimes, international justice, and challenges to international humanitarian law in contemporary armed conflicts.

Jamie Williamson is on the Faculty of the Human Rights Academy at American University, Washington D.C. and was a Visiting Professor of Law at New England School of Law, in Boston.

He is married, and has one daughter, who attends Nations.

He was elected to the Board of Ecolint for a four-year mandate (2017-2021) and he was co-opted for a 2-Year mandate (2021-2023).  In June 2023, he was co-opted for a one-year mandate (2023-2024). He was the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and a member of the Executive Committee. In June 2024, he was co-opted for a one-year mandate (2024-2025) and he is a member of the Nominating and Governing Committee.

Staff observers

Management