Introducing Christina Reuther as the New Country Director for Aiducation International (Switzerland Chapter)!
We are pleased to introduce Christina Reuther as the new Country Director Switzerland of Aiducation International from February 1, 2024. Christina was born in Bonn, Germany and has lived in Zurich for 20 years with her Swiss partner and their two children (11 and 13 years old). Her over two decades of experience spans the areas of marketing, sales, and event management. She has worked in various professional positions, including a trust and family office, the education sector at a Swiss FH alumni umbrella organization and her most recent position at a Fintech News Network (FNN) platform, for which she started to work in Singapore in 2016.
In her most recent role as a partner at FNN, Christina was responsible for marketing and sales for a small, international news portal with a focus on the APAC region. For seven years (from 2016 to 2023), she led a team based in Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Under her leadership, the company built a portfolio with large international companies as key clients. Christina remains connected to the FNN as a non-operating partner. Her experience in dealing with international teams and diverse stakeholders brings a breath of fresh air to our organization and she has set herself the goal of transferring her sales successes to our fundraising goals.
Christina got involved with a small Zurich NGO back in 2009, where she spent a year gaining experience in fundraising for orphans in Kampala, Uganda. She completed a design education and studied media economics in Cologne, Rotterdam, and Zurich.
We spoke to Christina about her decision to join Aiducation International and her goals for her new role.
Growing up on a horse farm that her father converted from an agricultural business into an equestrian facility, Christina recognized early on the importance of education. She gained this insight from the diverse community of riding students, riding instructors, horse buyers, horse owners and her sister's horse sponsors. Her focus on show jumping meant she rarely travelled abroad with her family. Instead, she enjoyed life in a village of 600 people in the Rhineland, which gave her a carefree childhood. The supportive environment of academic horse clients and overall, the academic path of her big brother convinced her to focus on an academic career and at the same time helped her to receive her parents’ acceptance of her decision.
At the age of 25, Christina travelled to Vietnam for the first time and experienced first-hand the poverty, famine, and educational gaps in this developing country. While working in the Kids of Africa organization, she recognized the challenges of running a development organization from Switzerland. Finding donors, implementing it on-site and coordinating a network with various stakeholders includes enormous approaches. But what she understood most during this time was the fact how important education is.
Together with her Aiducation team in Switzerland, it’s Christina's goal to give as many young people as possible living in countries that are less privileged than Switzerland the chance to enhance their knowledge and discover their professional abilities. She aims to provide them with mentors who will accompany them throughout their careers.
What differentiates Aiducation International from other non-profit organizations?
Aiducation International stands out from other non-profit organizations through its “lived” holistic approach. Many NGOs work in the education sector, but Aiducation not only supports specific sections during an educational career. Their approach is to support young people from high school, throughout their college years until starting a professional career and finally becoming participants in the alumni network of Aiducation.
This comprehensive approach allows beneficiaries not only to learn but also to grow and give back to others. Aiducation's diverse team consists of people with different backgrounds and reflects therefore the meritocratic approach: it's not just about where you come from, but who you are and what you do!
How would you describe the key responsibilities and objectives of your role as Country Director?
My focus together with the Swiss team will be to get many donors on board to provide the necessary funding. In the future, in addition to selling scholarships, we want to focus more on cooperation with companies and foundations. We want to inspire them to support our vision and we will design the “Go to Market” strategy for this.
Taking on this new role is a privilege. I happily accept the responsibility entrusted to me to contribute my part to Aiducation's future journey - together with our stakeholders: students, donors, core team, volunteers, and partners.
Overall, the main approach of Aiducation places a strong focus on impact. Our mission is clear: we will empower talented students from underprivileged families by giving them the tools they need to pursue their personal and professional paths!
Published by Boniface