cinfo looks to the future under the joint leadership of Irenka Krone-Germann and Urs Stauffer
A new chapter for cinfo, the Swiss competence centre for careers and working in international cooperation, began on 1 January 2023. Lisa Isler handed over the leadership of cinfo, a position she has held since 2014, to the new management team, Irenka Krone-Germann and Urs Stauffer. Over the years, both have already established themselves as strong leaders within cinfo.
Always looking for exciting challenges, Irenka Krone-Germann is a woman of initiative. She has extensive operational experience in programme management in international cooperation. She enjoys exploring new opportunities for collaboration through active networking and nurturing these relationships. As evidenced by the numerous studies she has led since joining cinfo in 2018, her interest in research and analysis of labour market issues is undeniable. In conjunction with her new role, Irenka is Co-Director of We JobShare and Director of the PTO (Part-time Optimisation) association. She is also recognised as a leading figure in the field of job and top sharing in Switzerland.
Urs Stauffer is a passionate specialist in human resources in an international context, particularly in the private sector and the multilateral world. Before joining cinfo in 2015, he worked as Global HR Business Partner for the World Bank Group. At cinfo, in his function as Head of HR Marketing and Recruitment and Deputy Director, he played a crucial role in consolidating and expanding talent search and recruitment services. Urs enjoys working with a diverse team of people with different skills.
Irenka and Urs form a highly complementary duo, an ideal combination that ensures a global vision and effective decision-making for cinfo. While the new co-directors bring new ideas for the future of cinfo, they are also a continuation of the work done by the team under the leadership of Lisa Isler.
Two questions for the new co-directors
Irenka and Urs, you each have different experiences and skills that complement each other. What brings you together even more?
Our complementarity goes far beyond our different professional experiences and skills. We share values that are at the core of our leadership vision. We care deeply about diversity, inclusion, flexible work, accountability and professional ethics.
We firmly believe that these values are the foundation of any successful organisation, and we are committed to putting them into practice within our shared leadership. This will enable cinfo to continue to flourish and reach its full potential.
What is the strategic line you want to strengthen as co-directors of cinfo?
Our motto for cinfo is 'global network, local roots'. As specialists in international cooperation, we take account of ongoing global processes, in particular localisation and its impact on the new skills required by professionals in the sector. Localisation aims to give more decision-making power and resources to local actors in the Global South. This leads to new ways of thinking about different ways of working together.
Localisation directly impacts how we work with our partners, clients and their needs. We look forward to providing new solutions by establishing new collaborations in the Global South and integrating localisation into all our activities, from studies on competencies to talent recruitment and staff development.
© Photos: Christoph Stöh Grünig