Committee
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The Swiss Association Committee
Lionel Berthod
President
joined in July 2016
About Lionel: He holds a MSc from HEC Lausanne in Business Information Systems and has worked around 20 years in the insurance, banking and consulting services in Switzerland and Europe. He seized with enthusiasm the opportunity of a new position in Singapore and relocated in January 2016. His first contacts with SAS motivated him not to let the VP position vacant any longer but to join the committee, take an active part in the life in the Swiss community, network and enjoy the people and places of this astonishing country.
After almost three years in this position he stepped up to take over the role of President in April 2019.
Favorite Local Dishes: Ayam buah keluak, black pepper tiger prawn, prata double egg
Favorite Touristic Places in Singapore: Little India & Tekka Centre, Keong Saik Road
Special Interest: Discovering Asia, geopolitics, good food paired with good wine
Daniela Wespi Civelli
Vice President
JOINED IN March 2017
About Daniela: Before relocating to Singapore in December 2015 with her husband and their little son, Daniela had been working over 6 years as a Executive Assistant in the Zurich banking industry and previously many years as organizer in the film industry. Three months after her second son was born, Daniela started to look for something to balance family life and found a great opportunity with SAS as Event Coordinator and running the back office as Secretary. After two years in these positions she stepped up to take over the role as Vice President of the Swiss Association of Singapore in April 2019.
Favorite Local Dishes: Dim Sum, Dumplings, Laksa Singapura, Peking Duck
Favorite Touristic Places in Singapore: The Pinnacle at Duxton, Dempsey Hill, Gardens by the bay, One° 15 Marina Sentosa Cove, Nature Reserves and Walks
Special Interest: Family & Friends, Traveling & different Cultures, IFC Choir & Sport
Emmanuelle Barasche
Treasurer
Joined in November 2017
About Emmanuelle: She grew up in Paris and moved to Geneva about 13 years ago where she studied Law. After her bar exam in 2011, Emmanuelle worked and studied in Zurich, Beijing and London before relocating to Singapore with her husband in 2014. She is registered as a Foreign Lawyer in Singapore since January 2015 and works in a law firm since then. Eager to take an active part in the Swiss community in Singapore, she joined the committee in November 2017.
Favorite Local Dishes: Dim Sum, Peking Duck and Satay
Favorite Touristic Places in Singapore: Tiong Bahru, Labrador Park and Sentosa
Special Interest: Family, Sport, Music
Kristof Trautwein
RESPONSIBLE FOR FUNDRAISING & SPONSORING
Joined in January 2019
About Kristof: Motivated in meeting great people and to keep the connection to Switzerland (and inspired by the fantastic annual ‘welcome-back’ event in 2018), Kristof took over an active role with SAS in January 2019, soon after arriving in Singapore. He is an Economist, working as management consultant and regularly publishes thought leadership papers about Wealth Management and the Swiss Financial Center. Before moving to Singapore, Kristof has lived in Germany, France, Korea, and Switzerland.
Favorite Local Dishes: Carrot Cake, Hong Kong Fried Rice
Favorite Touristic Places in Singapore: Tiong Bahru, Botanic Gardens, National Gallery
Special Interest: The Arts, Literature, Cultures, Hiking, Diving
Virginie Esparon
Secretary
Joined in January 2019
About Virginie: Virginie grew up in Strasbourg, before moving to Paris, London and then Geneva.
Graduated from a Management Business school, she has an accounting profile with work experiences in external audit, consolidation and accounting department.
In 2017 she moved with her family from Geneva to Singapore. She decided to join the SAS Committee in January 2019 in order to stay in touch with the Swiss community, first as an Event Coordinator and then as Secretary.
Favorite Local Dishes: Dim Sum, Satay, Cereal prawns, Sushis and Tiger Beer
Favorite Touristic Places in Singapore: Botanic Gardens, Tiong Bahru, Dempsey Hill
Special Interest: Travelling, Food, Sport, Reading, Family
Silvia Frank
Event coordinator
Joined in NOVEMBER 2019
About Silvia: Silvia grew up in the beautiful canton of Nidwalden where she and her husband still have their “home base” – a nice contrast to the hustle and bustle of life in Singapore where her husband’s job has brought them. She has worked as a primary school teacher for years and is now a mentor and teacher trainer. A job she loves and still does from time to time back in Switzerland. She currently also works on her PhD and writes teaching materials. Joining the SAS balances out her jobs in her homeoffice and gives her a good excuse to get away from the desk to socialize.
Favorite Local dishes: Beef rendang, sushi and Indian vegetable dishes
Favorites Touristic Places in Singapore: Kampong Glam, the area around Tajong Pagar and the nature reserves
Special Interests: Discovering Singapore, Travelling, Outdoor Sports, Yoga, Food, Books
Florence Thonney
Event coordinator
JOINED IN DECEMBER 2019
About Florence: She grew up in Geneva and moved to Lausanne where she started to study Architecture. Then she lived in Asia for the first time in 2010 for an internship in Vietnam & Singapore. After this first asian experience, Florence finished her studies in Zurich. Before coming back for the 3rd time to Singapore with her husband in 2019.
She works as a design consultant in Singapore since January 2020. To enrich her life in Singapore with a twist of Switzerland, she joined the committee in December 2019.
Favorite Local Dishes: Dim Sum, Chicken Rice and Palak Paneer
Favorite Touristik Places in Singapore: Tiong Bahru, East Coast Park, Marina Barrage
Special interests: Art, Running, Meditation, Pétanque & Books
Esther Vannay
Event coordinator
JOINED IN JUNE 2020
About Esther: Esther grew up in Valais and studied Law in Geneva. After passing her bar exam, she moved to Thailand with her husband. They spent 12 years in several locations in Asia, where their 3 boys were born. She moved to Singapore with her family in December 2019, after living 3 years in Switzerland where she started working in the exhibition industry. Currently collaborating remotely with Switzerland, she has just enrolled on a postgraduate course in event management. Joining the SAS committee is a great opportunity for her to socialize and stay in touch with the Swiss community.
Favorite Local Dishes: Nasi Lemak, Curry Laksa, Biryani
Favorite Touristik Places in Singapore: Nature reserves & parks, Little India, Kampong Glam
Special interests: Discovering new places & meeting new people, Sailing, Horse riding, Partner Dancing
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Any Swiss citizen or foreigner linked with Switzerland can apply for a membership
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Once you are admitted as a Member of the Swiss Association Singapore, you are entitled to all the membership’s privileges.
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The Swiss Association of Singapore offers a large range of events and provides a platform of contact and network to Swiss people living in Singapore.
