team
wise is managed by Etienne Eichenberger and Maurice Machenbaum, each with more than 15 years' experience in the humanitarian and social fields as well as in the interface between the social and private sectors.
Etienne Eichenberger
Executive Director
Prior to setting up wise - philanthropy advisors, Etienne worked for 10 years in the field of international development and foundations. He began his career with the Swiss Agency for Co-operation and Development, before joining the Avina Foundation in Latin America. He then became for 5 years Senior Manager at the Centre for Strategic Insight (part of the World Economic Forum). He worked directly with individuals and their families in shaping their endeavor in philanthropy across Europe and in selected emerging markets. He is currently board member of numerous foundations including the Swiss Philanthropy Foundation and he is vice-president of Sustainable Finance Geneva.
Maurice Machenbaum
Executive Director
Maurice is a social development and project management expert. Prior to setting up wise - philanthropy advisors, he founded and was for several years, Programme Director at Casa Alianza Nicaragua, an international NGO dedicated to the defence and rehabilitation of street children. He was subsequently in charge of research on the topic of child soldiers at the International Committee of the Red Cross, and later became Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at Terre des hommes Lausanne. Maurice draws on a broad and multifaceted experience in the social development field and has visited or collaborated with over 300 projects in over to 35 countries. He was treasurer of The World Scout Organisation for 6 years and is currently board member of Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, Médecin du Monde and Cansearch.
Martial Paris
Program Manager
Martial has been managing projects in fields such as local economic development and human rights in South East Europe and Caucasus. He used to work, first as Field Director in Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina, then as Regional Coordinator for the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (AADL). He managed a team of 22 project managers from 6 different countries implementing projects sponsored by the European Commission; different Foreign Ministries and Swiss Agency for Development.
Jessie Johnsson
Key Client Manager
Jessie finished her Bachelor degree in Political Science and Economics at McGill University in Canada. Previous to WISE, she has been working for 4 years in the core organisation of the business of her family, Race of Champions, a global event that convenes between 50'000 and 90'000 people over two days every year. Jessie has had extensive global exposure during her young career through internships in Central America and China as well as through field visits with clients at wise (mostly in Asia and Africa). Jessie speaks five languages fluently including Swedish and is a member of the Executive Committee of Giving Women, a Geneva-based organisation that supports projects dedicated to disadvantaged women or founded by women.
Mael Steiner
Foundation Manager
Maël, after studying sociology, anthropology and management of social and humanitarians organizations, worked more than 10 years in the social development field. Initially with Médecins Sans Frontières, in Nicaragua and Switzerland, then with the Terre des hommes-Lausanne foundation where he managed jointly more than 15 development and emergency projects in 7 countries of Latin America and the Caribbeans, related to child relief thematics.
