Governance

Managing Partner of the Pictet Group from 1987 to 2016, Jacques de Saussure acted as Senior Managing Partner from 2010 until his retirement in June 2016. He remains a Member of the Supervisory Board of Pictet Group SCA as well as a member of the board of directors of its asset management subsidiary, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA. During his banking career, Jacques served on the board of several entities at the core of the Swiss financial services industry, including the Swiss Bankers Association, the Swiss Stock Exchange and SIX Group AG, as well as its subsidiary EUREX AG. Jacques holds a degree in Greek and Latin from Collège Calvin in Geneva, a degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and an MBA in Finance from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Ms. Krasna is the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Ethos Services SA, and the Chairwoman of the Foundation Board of IHEID (Geneva Graduate Institute). She is also Member of the Council of the Università della Svizzera italiana, Member of the Council of AVICEN SA, and Member of the Council of The Roberto Giori Company SA. Previously, she served as Vice Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Swiss Federal Railways (CFF), Vice Chairwoman, and later President of the Ecoles Polytechniques Fédérales, and member of the Councils of BCV, COOP, Bonnard & Gardel Holding, Alcosuisse AG, Raymond Weil, and Xsensio SA. She holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from EPFZ and an MBA from the Sloan School at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Me David Ledermann is an expert on corporate law, M&A and financing transactions with a particular emphasis on complex equity financing for privately held companies, convertible debt financing and debt financing backed by traditional and non-traditional assets. He regularly advises Swiss and international investors, borrowers and lenders. David joined Lenz & Staehlin in Geneva in 1999 to become a partner in 2007. He holds a degree in Law from the University of Geneva and an LL.M. degree from Duke University School of Law.

Antoine Delaporte is the Founder and Managing Partner of Adenia Partners, a Private Equity firm focused on Africa since 2002. With offices in 7 countries on the continent, Adenia Partners has raised more than USD 800 million. The funds make controlled investments in high potential companies and aim to promote sustainable development in the countries of operation. Prior to founding Adenia Partners, Antoine Delaporte was an entrepreneur in Madagascar from 1995 to 2002 and a manager at Bain & Co, a leading strategic consulting firm, in London and Paris from 1988 to 1994. Antoine holds a master’s degree in management from ESCP (Paris, Oxford, Dusseldorf) and an MBA from INSEAD, France.

At Symbiotics since 2005, Roland has been head of business development and CEO, before being appointed chief executive of the holding company and board chair of affiliated business lines. Prior to co-founding Symbiotics, Roland worked for BlueOrchard Finance as their CFO for three years, as well as for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Geneva in management consulting, for McKesson in San Francisco in corporate finance, and for UBS Switzerland in institutional asset management. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute (IHEID) in Geneva and a master’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago.

At Symbiotics since 2010, Christophe has been investment manager, head of asset management fixed income and head of investment operations, before being appointed CFO. Formerly, Christophe worked for sixteen years for UBS in Lausanne, Geneva, Zurich and in New York in positions ranging from credit and recovery management, risk management and structured lending to client-facing activities in the Sub-Saharan African market. Christophe holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business, a diploma of advanced studies (DAS) in commodity trading from the University of Geneva and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Applied Sciences, Lausanne.

With over two decades of global HR expertise, Imane leads the HR agenda at Symbiotics since January 2022. Her role encompasses strategic and operational leadership, ensuring the continued growth and development of HR-related functions in line with Symbiotics' mission to promote sustainable development in emerging and frontier economies. Previously, Imane held the position of Group Head of HR at Philia SA overseeing offices across Switzerland, Singapore, UAE, Congo, and Morocco. Her international HR background includes roles at Louis Dreyfus Company, Edesia Asset Management, and Addax Petroleum Services. Passionate about personal and organizational growth, Imane thrives on leading teams and organizations toward success. She holds Swiss and Moroccan nationality, she holds a Swiss Brevet Federal in HR, certified qualifications in Coaching, in Mediation, a degree in International Trade at the University Ibnou Zohr as well as a Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management from the Swiss Federal Institute (EPFL).

Amy has worked as a lawyer at Symbiotics for six years and currently oversees the general counsel, governance, and impact matters of the firm. Prior to Symbiotics, she worked at a full-service global law firm and various international postings. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College and a juris doctorate from the University of Michigan Law School.

John joined Symbiotics in 2005 working in marketing communications. He then worked as head of marketing for the Swiss entity of HSBC Private Bank. He was back in 2014 in a marketing & communication role and since has taken various responsibilities including digital, project management and CSR. John holds a Bachelor in Visual Communication, a marketing certificate and a CAS on management challenges.