Jenny Pieth

What was your role at SAD?

I began in 2004, with an internship at the Centre for Intercultural Dialogue. I was tasked with developing a project and ensuring the funding was in place. When it was clear that we had received enough financial support to begin the project, I was employed as a project manager in 2005. More projects followed this first one, ‘Meeting through movement’ which ran over several years. In 2007, I lead the Centre for Intercultural Dialogue, and was a member of senior management. In 2008, I reduced my hours and by the beginning of 2009 I was a project manager again.

What is the best memory you have of your time at SAD?

I’ve got a lot of good memories of this incredibly intense period. My first permanent job after my studies was at SAD, and I learnt a lot. I remember that I was very motivated and involved when I worked at SAD, and really identified with the work and the organisation, but that it could also be very stressful. As a team, we helped each other a lot but all worked very independently too – we were all responsible for the successful implementation of our projects as well as coming up with ideas and funding for new projects. We were very involved in the whole organisation’s strategic planning. I will never forget our strategy workshops up the Twannberg mountain and our long discussions on SAD’s USP. My best memory of my time with SAD is a personal one though – I met my husband whilst working with a partner organisation, and started a family.

Where do you work now and what do you do?

After leaving SAD, I continued in the same field and worked as head of the office for integration through sport at the Federal Office of Sport FOSPO. At the beginning of 2013, I moved to the Swiss Red Cross, where I currently work as head of the division for diversity and transcultural competence at the national office. I am responsible for training and advising specialists and organisations who work in health, for leading various projects and for managing staff in my specialist area.