{"id":55065,"date":"2024-10-08T16:57:04","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T14:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/?post_type=story&p=55065"},"modified":"2024-10-30T13:02:23","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T12:02:23","slug":"changes-in-the-biovision-foundations-board-of-trustees","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/story\/changes-in-the-biovision-foundations-board-of-trustees\/","title":{"rendered":"Changes in the Foundation Board"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Dr. Barbara Frei Haller: From researcher to foundation board member<\/h2>

Over 25 years ago, a television program changed the future of Dr. Barbara Frei Haller: “During my PhD work at ETH, I learned about Hans Herren and his work as Director General at the insect research institute icipe in Nairobi through a television broadcast. I found Hans\u2019 earlier research successes incredibly exciting and was eager to contribute to icipe’s research on disease-transmitting mosquitoes and ticks,” Barbara recalls. And indeed, she began a postdoctoral fellowship in Nairobi. After her work at icipe, Barbara remained loyal to the institute for decades: through a Swiss-Kenyan research project, by supervising a Kenyan PhD student, and between 2016 and 2022 as a member of icipe’s Governing Council. During this time, she also served as a member of the Board of Trustees at Biovision and shaped the organization\u2019s development since its early phases.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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As a member of Biovision's Board of Trustees, Barbara Frei Haller has helped shape the development of the organisation since its founding phase. With her many years of experience, including as head of the programme committee, she played a central role in the strategic direction of the projects.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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As a pharmacist with a PhD, Barbara Frei Haller chaired the program committee of the Board of Trustees for many years, overseeing Biovision’s strategic project direction. Today, she looks back on many successes from her time on the board: “I am particularly proud that Biovision, thanks to its long track record, was accepted into the small circle of strategic partnerships with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Or the awarding of the Right Livelihood Award to Hans Herren and the Biovision Foundation. Above all, I was always deeply moved to see the positive impact Biovision\u2019s work has had on farmers in Africa, and how our efforts have contributed to the growing presence of organic and sustainable practices in many African countries,” she says.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Challenges and looking ahead<\/h2>\n

Barbara remained optimistic even during difficult times: “Armed conflicts or natural disasters have repeatedly affected Biovision\u2019s work and are part of the challenges NGOs face. Despite these hurdles, Biovision has grown successfully and expanded into exciting new areas. We have achieved many successes in projects in both Africa and Switzerland, and continuing these will be crucial for the foundation in the coming years. I find the enormous progress in international advocacy particularly impressive, as well as how our loyal donors have continually contributed to Biovision\u2019s success.” <\/p>\n

Now, Dr. Barbara Frei Haller is looking forward to applying her expertise in her new role as a Member of the Board of Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT), Biovision\u2019s strategic partner in Kenya. She succeeds Andreas Schriber, who established BvAT as Board Chair and is now transitioning into the Board of Trustees in Zurich. When asked if she has any advice for her “successor” on the Biovision Board, she responds with a smile: “Andi doesn\u2019t need advice. As a founding member of Biovision and with 17 years of successful leadership as CEO, he brings a wealth of experience. His strategic competencies and excellent networks in Africa and Switzerland are incredibly valuable to Biovision. Andi is also a persuasive communicator and, with his ability to see the big picture, is a perfect fit for this board. What was always important to me is that the Board of Trustees, together with the entire Biovision team, pulls in the same direction, pursuing the goal of ‘Healthy people in a healthy environment’ and working with joy towards it.” <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The camel projects in the semi-arid regions of northern Kenya were among Barbara Frei Haller's particular favourites. Thanks to her medical-pharmaceutical background, she was also closely involved in projects on medicinal plants in Uganda and malaria projects in Kenya, which particularly fascinated her due to their complexity and importance for people's health.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Andreas Schriber: Back to the roots<\/h2>\n

Andreas Schriber, who from 2003 to 2020, led Biovision as CEO, has now been elected to the Board of Trustees after an absence of just over four years. “It is an honor to be appointed to Biovision’s high-caliber Board. Our vision with its holistic approach is more relevant than ever,” says Andreas. As a former CEO of Biovision and long-standing Board Chair of the Biovision Africa Trust in Kenya, he knows the importance of good relations between management and a Board of Trustees. “Four years ago, I purposely stepped-back from the operational business, and in my new role at Biovision, I will help to further develop Biovision’s values and guiding principles from an overarching perspective.” <\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Andreas Schriber (left) at the Biovision Symposium, which has become a trademark over the years and attracts up to 1000 interested people to the Volkshaus in Zurich. The symposium provides an excellent opportunity to inform patrons about our close cooperation with partner organisations and to give them a personal insight into Biovision's diverse fields of activity.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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A Focus on Innovation and Partnerships<\/h2>

Andreas Schriber sees urgent priorities in two areas: “Access to innovation, and partnerships based on equal footing are crucial for Africa. For example, modern training of young farmers with access to the latest knowledge and resources in ecological agriculture is key. Likewise, sustainability needs to be improved along entire value chains, from farms to processing to consumers. Since its founding Biovision has strongly advocated for the mission of \u201cZero Hunger\u201d. Unfortunately, this goal is still a long way off. Therefore, our commitment remains important. We will continue to vigorously advocate at all levels, including in our political work, for our conviction that everyone has a right to sufficient and healthy food.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A project close to Andreas\u2018 heart: in 2005, together with journalist Peter Baumgartner, we founded the first farmers\u2019 newspaper in sub-Saharan Africa - an innovation that has been expanded to this day. Today, our partner organisation in Kenya, the Biovision Africa Trust (BvAT), implements a comprehensive communication programme that includes radio broadcasts, instructional videos, practical application courses and policy advice. We reach people of all ages and social classes via various channels and in local languages. Above all, the transformation of food systems requires a great deal of education and knowledge transfer on the ground.<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Andreas Schriber is aware of the challenges facing the foundation. “Development cooperation, or specifically how much money to allocate for genuine “help for self-help” in poor regions of the world is being hotly debated at the political level. Sadly, this is nothing new, and as those who have been involved in this issue for decades know: we need perseverance, patience and trust in our partners in order to be truly successful.” Despite financial and political challenges, he looks forward to his new role, as his commitment to these matters has always been close to his heart. “I want to help ensure that African partners can work with us as equals, sharing and bringing their perspectives, knowledge and values. Moreover, I trust in the innovative power of the highly motivated teams of Biovision and our partners – and look forward to many new encounters.”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This fall there will be a change in the Biovision Foundation Board: Barbara Frei Haller is stepping down from the Board after more than two decades of dedicated commitment and passionate engagement. Joining the Board is Andreas Schriber, founding member and CEO of the Foundation from 2003 to 2020. Let\u2019s take a look back at Barbara’s noteworthy time at Biovision and a look ahead to the future with Andreas. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6074,"template":"","exclude-from-search":[],"newsletter":[],"region":[],"projektthema":[],"themen":[255],"class_list":["post-55065","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","themen-about-us"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-16 06:36:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"newsletter","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/55065","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/story"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/55065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56089,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/55065\/revisions\/56089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"exclude-from-search","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/exclude-from-search?post=55065"},{"taxonomy":"newsletter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newsletter?post=55065"},{"taxonomy":"region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/region?post=55065"},{"taxonomy":"projektthema","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/projektthema?post=55065"},{"taxonomy":"themen","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biovision.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/themen?post=55065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}