Prof. Yves Flückiger
Dean of the University of Geneva, President of the Latsis Foundation
Born on November 2, 1955, Yves Flückiger received his university degrees in economics and sociology as well as a doctorate in political economy from the University of Geneva. He was a Research Associate at the Universities of Harvard (USA) and Oxford (UK), visiting Professor at the Universities of Fribourg, Lausanne and Senior Lecturer at Deakin (Australia). In 1992, he was appointed professor at the University of Geneva and became the head of the “Observatoire universitaire de l’emploi” (OUE). He also took over the responsibility for the Leading House in the “Economy of Education”. He has published numerous books and is the author of more than 120 published articles in international peer reviewed publications. At the University of Geneva, he taught labor economics, industrial organization and public finance. He managed numerous projects for the Swiss National Science Foundation on the subjects of migration, salary discrimination, sexual segregation, new forms of employment and child poverty. From July 2007 to July 2015, he occupied the post of “vice-dean” of the University of Geneva in charge of finances, international relations, strategic planning and the convention of objectives concluded with the “Conseil d’Etat de Genève”. Since July 15, 2015, he is “Recteur” (Dean) of the University of Geneva. In February 2020, the plenary assembly of “swissuniversities” elected Yves Flückiger as president. He exercised this function between February 2020 and January 2023, in parallel with his presidency at the University of Geneva. From May 2022 to May 2023, Yves Flückiger was the president of the League of European Research Universities (LERU).
Prof. Astrid Epiney
Board Member since January 2024
After completing her law studies with theses in Mainz, Lausanne, and Florence, Astrid Epiney earned the venia legendi in public law, International public law, and European law. She then worked as a scientific collaborator at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Public Administration in Lausanne. Recipient of the National Latsis Prize in 1995, she subsequently divided her activities between research in the fields of European law and international and European environmental law, and advisory roles in numerous strategic commissions. Her expertise led to her appointment as the director and president of several prestigious institutions. She served as the dean of the Faculty of Law and later as the rector of the University of Fribourg. A member of the Legion of Honour and accomplished organist, Astrid Epiney remains devoted to her passion for church music.
Dr John Latsis
Board Member since January 2023
John Latsis is the Managing Director of Gestron Services SA and Chairman of Gestron Asset Management. He is also an active member of a number of committees and Boards of Directors. Amongst others, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of EFG International since 2018, EFG European Financial Group since 2016 and La Tour Holding SA since 2018. He is also the Chairman of the Foundation Board and the Investment Committee of the “Independent Social Research Foundation”.
Dr Latsis has extensive academic experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oxford, a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, a PhD from the University of Cambridge, and is a member of the “Higher Education Academy” of the United Kingdom. He held positions at the Universities of Reading, Oxford and Harvard during a thirteen-year academic career.
Monsieur Alex Latsis
Board Member since January 2024
Alex is the founder and managing partner of Brighteye Ventures, a software fund which he runs with partner Ben Wirz. Founded in 2017, with 150m in AUM, Brighteye Ventures fund is the leading Pan-European EdTech focused VC. BEV invests at seed, series A and B, with a geographic focus on Europe, UK and the USA and looks for early stage companies that leverage technology to help people and organisations learn and grow. Since founding the fund has rapidly become, both the most active investor and a thought leader in the European EdTech space, holding events, speaking at conferences and publishing frequent state of the art articles and market research reports. Prior to starting Brighteye Ventures, Alex spent 12 years as a successful media and software entrepreneur, working with the likes of Netflix, Disney, Sony Pictures Animation and has distributed interactive software to millions of users through the Apple and Google stores. He holds two BAs, in History (Oxford) and Computer Graphics (Central Saint Martin’s), and an MBA from HEC & LSE.
Madame Verena Lenz
Board member since 2013
Verena Lenz has been involved with the Foundation since its inception, and her commitment is as strong as ever. For many years, she worked as the Foundation’s Secretary, before being elected to the Foundation Board in 2013. She is the living memory of this institution. She was destined to become a teacher, but had to interrupt her studies. However, from the age of 17, this self-made woman never stopped broadening her qualifications. She perfected her French in Geneva while taking business courses. Then it was off to England for 8 months. Back in Switzerland, she worked as a secretary in a diplomatic mission to the UN, before joining the corporate world. Drawing on her experience, she became a valued member of the Latsis family office, where she worked for 32 years. Now retired, Verena Lenz shares her time with hospital patients undergoing rehabilitation.
Prof. Nicolas Martin
Board Member since October 2017
Nicolas Martin is a political and economic anthropologist who obtained both his BA and PhD in social anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Following his PhD, he taught at LSE for three years before joining the University College London anthropology department on an ERC-funded post-doc project. In 2016, Nicolas transitioned to the Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies (IAOS) at the University of Zurich as an assistant professor, and by 2022, he had been promoted to full professor. His research primarily focuses on the intersections of democracy and inequality in South Asia, underpinned by extensive fieldwork in India and Pakistan.
Prof. Frédéric Merkt
Board Member since October 2017
Frédéric Merkt is a physical chemist born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland in 1966. He studied chemistry at ETH Zurich and received his PhD degree from the University of Cambridge. After postdoctoral research at the University of Paris-Sud and Stanford University, he worked at Oxford University as Junior Research Fellow of St. John’s College. In 1995, he returned to ETH Zurich as assistant professor and was promoted to full professor of physical chemistry in 1999. His research is in high-resolution molecular spectroscopy, molecular optics, and low-temperature chemistry. He is Fellow of Optica, of the American Physical Society, and of the European Physical Society and member of German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
Prof. Dusan Sidjanski
Board Member since 1990
Founder of the Department of Political Science at the University of Geneva in 1969, Dusan Sidjanski is Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Social Sciences and of the European Institute in Geneva. For three decades he was a close friend and colleague of Denis de Rougemont at the European Cultural Centre, of which he was Chairman from 2003 to 2008 and is currently co-Chair. He was also Special Advisor to the President of the European Commission from 2004 to 2014. He is currently Chairman and founder of the “Swiss Committee for the Reunification of the Parthenon Marbles” and a long-standing member of the Board of the International Latsis Foundation.
The University of Geneva paid tribute to him in October 2016 by creating the “Dusan Sidjanski Centre of Excellence in European Studies” within the Global Studies Institute.
He is the author of numerous books and articles on European federalism, regional integration and international relations.
Madame Eva-Maria Martin-Troy
Secretary of the Fondation Latsis
Prof. Justin Thorens †
President of 1986 – 2011
Prof. Denis Duboule
President of 2012 – 2022
Maître Ariel Bernheim †
President of 1975 – 1986
Monsieur Maurice Aubert
Monsieur Papandreou Basile †
Monsieur Stefan Catsicas
Prof. Nicos Devletoglou
Monsieur Nicolas Kaloyeropoulos †
Monsieur Blaise Knapp †
Madame Marguerite Latsis
Dr Spiro J. Latsis
Madame Marianna Latsis
Monsieur John S. Latsis †
Madame Henriette Latsis Tsoukalas †
Monsieur Olivier Reverdin
Monsieur Bruno Stahl
Contact the Foundation
Fondation Latsis
40, rue Le Corbusier
1208 Geneva
