As of 22 June 2020, the Usthi Foundation has a new executive director, Ms Alessandra Grosse. In future she will be responsible for the management of the foundation and thus for its day-to-day operations. In addition, Olga Egli returned from her maternity leave at the beginning of June and is now again responsible for fundraising and public relations.
It is not an easy year to take over the management of an NGO. It is difficult to foresee the long-term impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the donations market and the implementation of projects in India. It is therefore all the more exciting to take over the leadership of the Usthi Foundation during this time. After an introduction by the founder Kurt Bürki and the existing Usthi team, Alessandra Grosse will take up this challenge and will be responsible for the foundation’s operative business in the future.
Ms. Alessandra Grosse, who grew up in the Italian-speaking Calanca Valley, studied biology and environmental governance at the Universities of Basel and Freiburg i. Br.. She then gained experience in development cooperation during several assignments abroad as part of her studies, an internship in Indonesia for the German Cooperation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and subsequently for almost 3 years as project coordinator for German development projects in Asia. She is thus well equipped to take responsibility for the foundation’s operative business in the future.
India is not unknown territory to her. In the context of her master’s thesis, she investigated participation possibilities of marginalised population groups in Karnataka. Part of the investigation was a three-month research in the field. During the last three years she has also travelled regularly to India, especially Northeast India, in order to coordinate the planning and implementation of German development projects together with local partners.
She will be supported in her new role by Olga Egli, who joined Usthi in 2018 and has since taken over the role of deputy in the absence of the executive director. She returned from maternity leave at the beginning of June. Together with Christian Rübensaal, she will again be responsible for fundraising and public relations. Christian Rübensaal joined the team in the summer of 2019, initially as a temporary assistant, before taking over Olga’s maternity representation in early 2020. After her return, he continues to support her in fundraising and is responsible for the foundation’s administration.
The team is looking forward to work together and is excited to continue Usthi’s long-standing commitment to education and health together with the local partners.
