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Team
Stefan Schlegel, Director
Stefan Schlegel (*1983) is a jurist. He was research assistant to Prof Walter Kälin and Prof Alberto Achermann at the University of Berne and obtained his doctorate in 2017 with a thesis on migration law. In 2015 Stefan Schlegel completed a research stay at the University of Toronto, and from 2016 to 2018 he worked at the Max Planck Institute for the study of Multi-ethnic and Multireligious Societies in Göttingen. From 2019 to 2021, he was a senior research assistant at the University of Berne. Since 2021, he has been working on a habilitation project on the scope of protection of the property guarantee and new forms of property, which is sponsored by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Stefan Schlegel studied at the University of Zurich and the Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University.
In addition to his scientific work, Stefan Schlegel has always been strongly involved in civil society. During his time as a research assistant, he was a member of the legal group of Amnesty International Switzerland, where he was particularly involved in conveying the value of the European Convention on Human Rights. In 2009 he co-founded the foreign policy think tank "foraus" and set up its migration programme. In 2014 he helped found the political movement "Operation Libero" and has been on its board ever since. With the commencement of his duties as Director of SHRI, he retired from the board.
Stefan Schlegel grew up in the St Gall Rhine valley and now lives in Berne.
Languages: German, French, English, basics in Spanish
Carole Gürtler, Head of Organisational Development
Carole Gürtler (*1968) has been managing the establishment of the SHRI since August 2023 on a temporary mandate basis. She holds a Licentiate in Art History, History, and Journalism, an MAS in Museum Sciences, and a Certificate in Advanced Studies in NPO Management. She grew up in Basel and now lives in Zurich. Since 2021 she has been working as a freelance consultant in the fields of sustainable development, cultural and creative industries, and media. She has proven experience in the development of organisations and impact-oriented strategies with foundations and NFPOs in Switzerland, Southeast and Eastern Europe and the MENA region, among others in the field of human rights.
Languages: German, French, English
Samantha Atia, Office Manager
Samantha Atia (*1984) has been temporarily managing the development of the SHRI on a fixed-term contract since August 2023. She has completed business management training and brings with her extensive expertise in the areas of secretarial management, event organisation and general administration.
Her professional career has taken her through various areas of the private sector, including tourism, market research, and media architecture. Samantha Atia worked in the Departments of Youth and Sports as well as Culture in the public administration of the city of Adliswil, and also took over the practical support of apprentices.
She gained valuable experience on human rights related topics during her last position at the Integration Office of the city of Zurich. Since 2020, she has been studying social anthropology and German as a foreign language at the University of Fribourg. She lives in Fribourg.
Languages: German, English, French, Arabic.
Noémi Manco, Communications Manager
Noémi Manco (*1989) joined the SHRI in May 2024 as Communications Manager. She has over 11 years' experience in human rights communications, both in Switzerland and abroad. She has worked for a number of NGOs, including in the former Yugoslavia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nepal and Colombia.
Thanks to a wealth of experience in digital communications and editorial project management, she has specialised for the last seven years in institutional communications: positioning, identity, public image and media relations.
A graduate of Sciences Po Lille (France), she also holds a BA in International Relations and an LLM in International Criminal Law from the University of Kent (UK).
Languages: French, English, Italian, Spanish and German.