Advising on strategy for the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy at IMD Business School
The Mauvernay family created the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy in response to a growing need for research and teaching in the field of philanthropy. The Chair was launched in 2017 within the IMD Global Family Business Center. The first endowed chair of its kind in Europe, it aims to enhance knowledge of family philanthropy, help individuals and families engage with and strengthen their philanthropy, and integrate philanthropy into family businesses. It achieves this goal by supporting enlightened leadership, education, and awareness.
Client needs
At the request of the Mauvernay family, WISE, represented by partner Etienne Eichenberger, was invited to join the Advisory Board of the Debiopharm Chair to contribute to discussions on the Chair's positioning strategy, alongside Cédric Mauvernay and Anand Narasimhan, Shell Professor of Global Leadership at IMD. The holder of the Debiopharm Chair for Family Philanthropy is Professor Peter Vogel.
How WISE added value
The Advisory Board is responsible for guiding the Chair's current and future activities and defining a program of research in philanthropy. Drawing on his expertise in high-impact philanthropy and years of experience advising philanthropists, Etienne contributed many valuable insights on how best to position the Chair.
Impact of the project
In 2020, the Debiopharm Chair published the Family Philanthropy Navigator, a step-by-step guide and toolkit for donor families. Published first in English, the Navigator is now available also in French. Events were organized in Lausanne and Paris to launch the French version of the book. Translation into other languages is under consideration. The book is currently used as a textbook at IMD and by practitioners advising families on their philanthropy.
We created the Debiopharm Chair in Family Philanthropy at IMD in Lausanne with the aim of increasing the social and financial impact of donor families. This Chair aims to develop the field of knowledge in family philanthropy, disseminate good practices and provide donors with tools to strengthen analysis, decision-making processes, performance indicators and governance.”