Executive Team

 

 

Elianna Sabbag Moquette
Director

Elianna is a professional philanthropist dedicated to gender equality, social and environmental justice. She has lived, worked, and studied on 4 continents and holds degrees in Anthropology and Environmental Studies (McGill), and Law (Kent).

After supporting a number of grassroots organisations in India, she joined the Aga Khan Foundation where she oversaw the design and implementation of a market development programme in East Africa, honing her skills in systemic change methodologies and financial resilience programmes. 

Her commitment to sustainability lead her to support start up social businesses working in Europe and beyond. 

She is an active member of the executive committee of the Giving Women Association and the Human Rights Watch Geneva Committee.

Elianna has a deep love of dancing and is the mother of three girls.

She joined the If! Foundation in March 2018. In the fall of 2023, she accepted the position of Director of the Foundation.

Nina Ingenkamp
Technical advisor & Portfolio Manager

Holding degrees in political science, public financial management and adult education, Nina has more than twelve years’ experience in international development.

Having worked for organisations such as Oxfam, Unicef and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, she has specialised in monitoring and evaluation, in particular in public health.

Her last involvement was with Camarada, a Swiss NGO, where she helped migrant women enter the Geneva labour market. A passionate advocate for equality, she is looking forward to continuing her commitment to serving populations in need as Programme Manager of If! Foundation.

In her free time, you can find her sailing on lake Geneva or running after her two children (although the latter seems to take place a lot more frequently).

She joined our team in October 2019.

celine morgan 
Programme Manager

Céline joined If! Foundation in September 2022. Previously, she worked at Geneva Call, engaging armed non-State actors on international humanitarian norms as a programme manager for Syria, and later overseeing the organisation’s operations in Africa (DRC, Libya, Mali, South Sudan). She managed the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs human security programme in Lebanon and the Middle East region from 2013 to 2015, and implemented projects to strengthen Yemeni civil society in 2011-2013, with the consulting company Pursue Ltd. Prior to that, she worked with swisspeace on impact analysis and gender dimensions of international peacebuilding and aid. 

She holds a master’s degree in Islamic and Middle East Studies, Modern History and French Literature from the University of Bern, and is a trained mediator. 

ANITA GURGEL 
Acting Programme Manager

Anita is an international education professional with 15 years of experience working in international development and the private sector. Anita joined the IF team in September 2023 from the World Bank Group (WBG), where she has worked since 2014. At the WBG, Anita focused on early childhood and basic education, technical and vocational skills, and childcare.

She worked in the private sector for eight years, leading regional CSR for Odebrecht Engineering & Construction. Anita has also worked in public-private and non-profit organizations around the world.

Anita studied international development and economics at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and international education policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Anita is passionate about improving people’s lives through better access to quality education, inspired by her mom, a retired public-school teacher in Brazil. Anita loves traveling and seeing the world with her three children and family.

NATHALIE JAIME-BOURNE 
Administrative Assistant

Nathalie holds a Master in hospitality management and has more than 15 years of experiences in administrative and financial support to international companies.

She started to work in philanthropy in 2012 by joining the Trafigura Foundation. She supported the team in the implementation of their mission to improve the socio-economic conditions of vulnerable communities. Then she worked for WILPF.  

Nathalie is happy to join If! Foundation in May 2022 and to continue serving the more vulnerable.

Nathalie is an active mum of 3 children.

 

Foundation Board

VALENTINE DEMOLE

Valentine started her journey in the philanthropist sector in 2008 when her father set up the family’s foundation.  She joined him in this new project to develop this grant-making foundation. Before that she was involved with several psychosocial initiatives in Switzerland and South Africa.

From 2012 to 2017, Valentine has been active within the Giving Women association, a Swiss network of women philanthropists offering their time and skills to strengthen projects dedicated to the advancement of women and girls in need. In 2014, she became a consultant for charitable foundations advising them on their strategy and communication. In 2017, she set up the If!! Foundation and was its Director until late 2023.

In 2023, she decided to resign from her position at If! Foundation to dedicate more time to her family Foundation. However, having developed a strong emotional attachment to the If! Foundation, she was invited to join its Board as Chairman.

Valentine is the mother of 3 children.

VICTOR ARGAND

Victor is a qualified Swiss lawyer who also worked in a prestigious UK law firm before settling in Geneva. He advises various families in the fields of financial and estate planning as well as in the field of philanthropy. He is also an active Committee member of the Geneva Young Bar Association.

Victor lived in Brazil for a year before travelling around the world for half a year. His experiences abroad developed his eagerness to actively engage in the fight against poor education, poverty and bad health, which are in line with the If! Foundation’s aims.

 

 

VANESSA ILHARREBORDE LETTE

Vanessa, is a lawyer member of the Bars of Paris and Québec. She advises families on complex international legal matters, specializing in estate planning with cross-border implications.

With a diverse cultural background, Vanessa's legal journey studied in Montreal and graduated from the Faculty of Law at Paris Pantheon – Sorbonne University. Based in Geneva for a decade, her global perspective aids clients in an interconnected world.

Beyond law, Vanessa serves as a board member of Swiss based Reload Foundation, advocating for life-saving organ donation practices. Her commitment to intellect and philanthropy shapes her dedication to bettering society.