IDEAS COMPETITION 2025

At the age of 18, Lisa Mazzone founded the Versoix Youth Parliament and immersed herself in the world of politics. Since then, she has worked tirelessly for a fairer and more sustainable Switzerland. In 2015, she was elected as the youngest member of the National Council, followed by the Council of States in 2019 and took over the presidency of the Swiss Green Party in 2024. With a background in the humanities, she also champions the rights and interests of children in politics as Co-President of Alliance Enfance and is involved in Camarada, which promotes literacy and supports migrant women in Geneva.

Larissa M. Bieler grew up in Bonaduz (GR). She graduated from the University of Zurich in 2007 with a degree in Linguistics, Management and Economics and Political Science. After graduating, Larissa M. Bieler worked at the German Department of the University of Zurich and at the CNRS research institute in Paris. During and after her studies, she worked for many years as a freelance journalist for local and regional media. In 2013, Larissa M. Bieler became editor-in-chief of the ‘Bündner Tagblatt’. In January 2016, she moved to SRG as Editor-in-Chief of SWI swissinfo.ch, and in 2018 she became Director of SWI swissinfo.ch. In July 2022, Larissa M. Bieler gave up her position as Editor-in-Chief to become a member of the SRG Executive Board.

Curdin Duschletta has many years of experience in the areas of corporate learning, talent and leadership development, communications, community impact and philanthropy. As Head of Social Impact & Philanthropy Switzerland, he moderates UBS's social commitment in the Swiss home market together with a dedicated team and accompanies, advises and supports the bank's clients in all areas of philanthropy. Since the beginning of the year, he has also been responsible for the big bank's global volunteering programme. He is also Managing Director of the UBS Foundation for Social Affairs and Education and is involved as a lecturer and on the boards of educational organisations, foundations and social enterprises. Curdin Duschletta holds a federal diploma as a banking expert, certificates in methodology and didactics as well as education management, a CAS in Global Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Basel and a CAS in Board of Directors from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Dr. Luciana Vaccaro studied physics at the University Federico II in Naples, Italy, before earning a doctorate in Microengineering from EPFL in Lausanne. Since October 1st, 2013, she assumes the role of Rector of the HES-SO, where she leads Switzerland's largest university of applied sciences, encompassing over 21,000 students within 28 schools and six fields of study. As of February 1, 2023, Dr. Vaccaro serves as President of swissuniversities, the Rectors' Conference of Swiss Universities. Dr Vaccaro is Italian and Swiss dual citizen, she is married and mother of two daughters.