The core of oikos are our chapters. Each of them is a member of oikos International – a Swiss association that serves as an umbrella organization. See the Constitution of oikos International.
Chapters are supported by an international management team based in St. Gallen. They also elect a board for oikos International which decides on the overall strategic direction of the organization together with the Board of trustees.
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Who are Board members?
Talented oikos members who are passionate about sustainable economics and management. They strategise and develop the oikos community, bring fresh ideas and implement new projects.
What do Board members do?
The oikos International Board governs and manages the departments of oikos International and governs strategic decisions for oikos to be a sustainable organization and have a sustainable impact. As representatives of the oikos community, the VPs have the opportunity to inspire and empower the network towards oikos’ purpose, mission, and vision. Contributing to the organization’s development and sustainability, VPs work in dedicated departments and roles and collaborate with the oikos management team, the working groups, the community, and the strategic partners with similar objectives.
Mike Brodersen
Finance and Fundraising
International Vice-President
Mike Brodersen
Finance and Fundraising
International Vice-President
Mike studies socioeconomics at the University of Hamburg and International Business Management at the University of Applied Science in Mikkeli, Finland. He works as the Head of Finance at oikos Hamburg at this moment. Furthermore, Mike is a team member for organizing the FutureLab 2019 in Geneva. He focuses on topics of sustainable consumption and sustainable finance. Mike is keen to learn more about the theory of sustainability and wants to gain practical experience by working on projects with people who have the same passion for sustainability. Besides, he likes being a part of an international student organization with a vast network of people who share the same vision. He wants to engage other people in sustainability issues and raise awareness about its impact on our society.
Sophie Charrois
Organizational Development
International President
Sophie Charrois
Organizational Development
International President
Sophie is an open-minded change agent and courageous leader with a passion for human development and community involvement. She joined oikos 2014 in Reutlingen, Germany and has been active on the international level since 2017. Taking part in the LEAP program has been a fundamental, transformational moment in her life and she has been supporting the community in working groups or as a board member ever since. After 6 years of journeying through the different roles at oikos and graduating from a master’s in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability in Karlskrona, Sweden, she currently represents the oikos community and stewards the international team as the international president.
When not saving the world, Sophie considers herself a culture and art enthusiast, sparking positive energy.
Asif Gurbanov
Communications and Marketing
International Vice-President
Asif Gurbanov
Communications and Marketing
International Vice-President
Asif Gurbanov was born on December 12th, 1999, in Vladimir, Russian Federation. In 2007, he moved to Baku, Azerbaijan and started studying in the Foundation of Researches of Turkish World, Baku Ataturk High School. In 2017, he was accepted to Baku Engineering University at the Faculty of the World Economy. In September 2017, he became a graphic designer in the oikos Baku chapter. In the same year, he interned in Azerbaijan Industrial Bank as a marketing assistant. In March 2018 went to the first oikos International meeting in Barcelona, Spain. Two months later, he served as an interpreter of the Prime Minister of Estonia and Lithuania in Azerbaijani Presidential Elections. The same year, he had the second International experience in Vienna, Austria. In September, he became a part of the UN Youth Advisory Council and got involved in the regional project of UNICEF. The same year, he started as a Marketing VP in oikos Baku. In May 2019, he served in a project team of the biggest SDG survey of the country. In 2019, he became a Young European Ambassador and started to implement projects for Inclusive Development.
Carolin Lemke
Organizational Developments & Alumni
International Vice-President
Carolin Lemke
Organizational Developments & Alumni
International Vice-President
I am Carolin, I was born in Germany in 1999 and I study International Business in Reutlingen, Germany. A few years ago, I started to learn more and more about sustainability, climate change and its impacts on our lives and future. That’s why I joined the oikos chapter in Reutlingen in 2018 and helped organising several events at university.
In 2020, I became a member of the Fundraising Working Group. With my commitment I want to contribute to the impact oikos has on individuals, their education and personal development.
In my free time, I like to do yoga, cook and be outside.
Arthur Mària
Chapter Matters
International Vice-President
Arthur Mària
Chapter Matters
International Vice-President
My name is Arthur Mària, I’m French and Spanish and I’ve been most of my life living in Barcelona. I am really interested in sustainable matters and in the situation on our planet. I think a societal change is needed if we want to survive to the 6th extinction. I’m sure we can change the world and it starts with small actions that we take every day. I also love to travel, learn and get involved in other cultures. Furthermore, I’m a rugby fan. I think that rugby has strong values and sharing them is a way for me to commit my self to social leadership.
Darija Miletić
Programs & Legal
International Vice-President
Darija Miletić
Programs & Legal
International Vice-President
Hello oikees all around the world,
My name is Darija Miletić, I am a student of Molecular biology and physiology at the Faculty of biology in Belgrade. I consider myself a very versatile person, and because of that I have many hobbies. I’m a student member of the Serbian Neuroscience society. At the moment I’m very happy working as an intern in the Laboratory for Plant Genetics. Besides being a scientist, I’m also very passionate about art. I’m playing the piano, just started my 3rd year of high school for opera singing as well, and I work in classical music concert halls here in Belgrade. I love Cuban music and salsa dance. I really enjoy being involved in my community, that is why I am a volunteer on many events that are supporting sustainability, recycling, environmental and animal protection, and that is, of course, why I became a member of oikos community 4 years ago.LinkedIn Profile
Ikshek Misri
Partnerships & Alumni
International Vice-President
Ikshek Misri
Partnerships & Alumni
International Vice-President
Ikshek Misri is a passionate change agent and a sustainability enthusiast. He is the Co-founder and Ex-President of oikos Bangalore chapter. He holds a Master of Business Administration with specialization in Marketing from Christ University, Bangalore (India). Graduated as a Civil Engineer, he has worked on various projects. He is also a lifetime member of Indian Red Cross Society. He has been an active participant in International and National conferences and has presented papers in the same. As a sustainability enthusiast, he tends to associate himself with activities, events and conferences imparting learnings about sustainability in various domains. In oikos International, he is currently an active member of Strategy and Program Development
Working Group. He also served as a student jury member for oikos case competition 2020 and has been the part of Research Squad for Curriculum Change and oikos in Residence event.
Luisa Marie Pütz
Strategy and IT
International Vice-President
Luisa Marie Pütz
Strategy and IT
International Vice-President
Always having an enthusiasm for sustainability, an environmental project in school had a profound effect on my life. From this point on, I have been involved in some kind of sustainability-oriented initiative.
Hearing from a friend from oikos, the mission of shaping the economy to a more sustainable one by equipping future employees with sustainable thinking convinced me from the beginning.
With joining oikos Bayreuth in 2017, during my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Bayreuth, my oikos journey started and continued with the participation in the LEAP Programm 2018/2019. During this program, I further developed my leadership skills. As the third president of oikos Bayreuth from 2018 until 2019, I changed the strategic orientation and simplified the communication. As an advisory board member, I act as a mentor to current presidents of oikos Bayreuth.
Former oikos Boards
2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008,
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International Management Team
Neema Balolebwami Nelly
Chapter Membership Manager
Neema Balolebwami Nelly
Chapter Membership Manager
Nelly is a volunteer Chapter membership manager. She is passionate about sustainability and responsible business. She studied Business and research at university of Barcelona, Spain and Economy management at university of Savoie Mont Blanc, France with an exchange program at university of Trento, Italy. Impressed by oikos mission to drive sustainability in economics and management schools after attending an event in 2019 at university of Hamburg made her more dedicated. After involving students at university of Barcelona to make actions for a better future by providing seminars and training, she believes that knowledge and skills are fundamental to build a solid foundation of a responsible world alone where the planet can thrive. She likes reading, traveling, hiking and discovering new cultures.
Nicolás Aguila
Curriculum Change Manager
Nicolás Aguila
Curriculum Change Manager
Nicolás Aguila holds a bachelor’s in Economics from the Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina and a master’s degree in Economics from The New School for Social Research in the United States of America.
He has over eight years of experience working on curriculum reform and is passionate about changing Economics and Management to build an economy fit for the people and the planet. Before joining oikos,
he worked at two well-known heterodox research institutions in Argentina and one in the U.S.A, and is an active member of several pluralist economics associations.
Jonas Charrois
IT Manager
Jonas Charrois
IT Manager
My name is Jonas Charrois and I grew up in a small, countryside village in Germany.
At oikos International, I am in charge of IT infrastructure, security and daily IT operations. I’m working to give oikos members the tools they need to work effectively and securely, especially in a remote setting.
I have a strong passion for modern media and think that with the right tools, information, and the right mindset, we can give people a reason to work together and create change on a local and international level.
Furthermore, I am planning to study computer science with a focus on media starting in autumn 2020.Solving problems is something that is very fun to me, be it in a casual or professional environment – this is why you will often find me programming, even in my free time. Collaborating with people all over the world has taught me a lot and I can’t wait to see what my time at oikos will bring.
Sophie Charrois
International President 2021&2022
Sophie Charrois
International President 2021&2022
Sophie is an open-minded change agent and courageous leader with a passion for human development and community involvement. She joined oikos 2014 in Reutlingen, Germany and has been active on the international level since 2017. Taking part in the LEAP program has been a fundamental, transformational moment in her life and she has been supporting the community in working groups or as a board member ever since. After 6 years of journeying through the different roles at oikos and graduating from a master’s in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability in Karlskrona, Sweden, she currently represents the oikos community and stewards the international team as the international president.
When not saving the world, Sophie considers herself a culture and art enthusiast, sparking positive energy.
Alexandra Horvath
Program Manager
Alexandra Horvath
Program Manager
Alexandra studied Environmental Systems Science with a major in sustainability management at the University of Graz. She joined oikos Graz in 2014 and is still engaged locally whenever they need help. In 2015 Alexandra joined the very first LEAP Advanced cohort and since then stayed engaged as a peer-coach until in 2018 she started to work for oikos International as a Project Manager mainly in charge of the LEAP but also part of the FutureLab team.
Lenka Kepkova
Curriculum Strategy Manager
Lenka Kepkova
Curriculum Strategy Manager
Lenka has been part of the oikos community for more than 9 years. She was active in oikos Prague before she joined the oikos international team and served as the President in 2013 and 2014. Currently, she is based in the Geneva region and works as the oikos Curriculum Strategy Manager. She closely cooperates with oikos chapters worldwide that strive to transform economics and management education at their universities. From her perspective, a truly interdisciplinary approach needs to be taken in order to deeply transform economics and management education for sustainability. She has an educational and professional background in environmental humanities, education theory, and practice, media sociology, heterodox economic approaches as well as environmental economics. Previously she worked at the Charles University Environment Centre, in the Eco-counselling center of the Ecological Institute Veronica and in the Society for Fair Trade. Lenka is a passionate mountain hiker and dancer.
Stefan Krasić
Communications Manager
Stefan Krasić
Communications Manager
Stefan works on oikos communications and is taking the lead on streamlining all the updates from the oikos community.
Stefan is a student of International relations at the University of Belgrade and a member of oikos Belgrade chapter since 2017.
He is passionate about writing and graphic design with which he’s been involved for most of his life, first as a hobby and later professionally. Stefan gained great experience in those fields as a Corporate affairs intern at Air Serbia as well as working with marketing and social media in oikos Belgrade chapter. In his home chapter he’s been developing his skills throughout the years as a Media team member, Head of Communication on the Spring Meeting 2019 project and the chapter President. He became involved in the oikos international community as a part of an organizing team of the Spring Meeting which took place in Belgrade in March 2019 and later became a participant in the LEAP Advanced program.
On the sustainability side, Stefan takes great interest in the social side of the sustainable development which is in part due to studying social and political science. He is also passionate about spreading the ideas of sustainable development in his hometown of Belgrade which is lacking in awareness on sustainability.
Giuliana Longworth
PIR Student Engagement Coordinator
Giuliana Longworth
PIR Student Engagement Coordinator
Giuliana has previously worked for two European city networks on
European-funded projects around sustainable public procurement and
circular economy.
She graduated in International Relations and Politics from Cardiff
University and later completed her Masters ‘International Strategy of
Local Actors’ from Sciences Po Grenoble (France) & Sciences Po Rabat
(Morocco). She gained in field experience on sustainable resource
management in rural communities working for the British Department for
International Development in Nicaragua. She is passionate about
sustainable topics seen through a bottom-up approach and strongly
believes in the power of civil society and public authorities.Giuliana enjoys languages and speaks English, Italian, French and
Spanish and is currently on the challenge of learning Arabic and
Darija. She enjoys playing Sicilian cards with her sisters and dancing
to Moroccan music.
J.Christopher Proctor
Curriculum Research Manager
J.Christopher Proctor
Curriculum Research Manager
J.Christopher Proctor is the oikos Curriculum Research Manager. He studied Economics, Political Science and History at the University of Tulsa, (USA) before enrolling in the Economic Policies in the Age of Globalization Master program (EPOG) at Kingston University London and the University of Paris 13. He is also a trustee of Rethinking Economics, and is a co-editor of the book Rethinking Economics: An introduction to pluralist economics. While at oikos, he published the oikos Guide to Pluralist Economics (which was translated into Italian!), and Mapping Pluralist Research. He is currently working to promote more research activities within oikos. His academic interests include economic history, institutional economics, transition economics, and Keynesian macroeconomics.
Adriana Troxler
Leadership Development Manager & Coach
Adriana Troxler
Leadership Development Manager & Coach
Adriana is the Leadership Development Manager & Coach at oikos. She has more than 17 years of professional experience in five continents in both private and non-profit sector organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from FAAP in São Paulo, Brazil, and an International Organization MBA from University of Geneva, Switzerland. She is also a certified coach and has completed her training at Newfield Network USA in 2015. She has co-created Leadership Programme (LEAP) in oikos and co-leads the programme with Alexandra. She is passionate about empowering and developing young leaders to create sustainable solutions for the world and is herself a mother of 2 daughters.
Marcelo Veloso
Leadership and Sustainability fellow
Marcelo Veloso
Leadership and Sustainability fellow
I’m Marcelo Veloso, I hope we can collaborate soon!
Born in a rural area in Portugal, I grew up building tree houses in the woods and participating in world scouting activities.
Combining a bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a master degree in Sustainability appeared as the background needed to tackle inequalities and sustainability issues. The skills acquired served to volunteer and work on different local youth-led organizations related to education for sustainability as Geneva Red Cross, Alternatiba Léman, EDD, Step Into Action and Eduki, in Geneva.
At oikos International, I’m gathering international students and academics to foster innovation in sustainable management and leadership education. Furthermore, I’m advancing cooperation between Switzerland and Brazil in those fields, by working with Swissnex in Rio de Janeiro from March to October 2020.
Gregory Vrient
Assistant to oikos International President
Gregory Vrient
Assistant to oikos International President
I joined oikos in 2017, as a local member in Brussels, and became chapter president the next year. During my presidency (academic year of 2018-2019), I joined the LEAP Program, in which I became a coach this academic year. While I was on those two fronts, I also worked on the creation and development of a business idea in sustainable and modular construction.
I studied Management and Economics in ICHEC Brussels Management School and am finishing my Master’s there with a focus on Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Business Models, and Marketing. I also went to HANU Hanoi University, Vietnam, for a semester exchange.
John Watt
PIR Outreach and Marketing Manager
John Watt
PIR Outreach and Marketing Manager
John joined oikos in June 2020 as PIR Outreach and Marketing Manager and is engaged in the running and long-term strategy of the Positive Impact Rating. Before oikos, John worked for an international city network on a range of sustainability-focused projects, including in the IT, transportation, energy, textile and food sectors. He has co-authored EU publications such as the Buying Green! Handbook (3rd ed.) and Buying Social Guide (2nd ed.). John has a PhD in sustainable public procurement and a master’s degree in Environmental Entrepreneurship and worked on a variety of public sector sustainability projects in Scotland. He is passionate about ensuring that everyone has the knowledge and resources to be sustainable leaders. This was the focus his work for citizens and cities, and now for students and universities through the PIR.
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What are the Working Groups?
Working Groups are highly autonomous and innovative teams composed of oikos members, alumni and supporters. They develop entrepreneurial approaches to organize the day-to-day operations of oikos.
Working Groups are facilitated by the International Vice-Presidents.
Working Groups
Meet the Working Groups members below:
Marketing and Communications Working Group
The Marketing and Communications Working Group develops and carries out communications strategy of the organization. The group communicates about the work of the organization and related news. Currently, the main tasks include:
- overseeing the oikos website and social media
- developing relevant content for different communication channels
- developing the visual identity of the organization
Members
Asif Gurbanov
oikos Baku
Working Group Facilitator
Asif Gurbanov
oikos Baku
Working Group Facilitator
Janina Hoffmann
oikos Witten/Herdecke
Working Group Member
Janina Hoffmann
oikos Witten/Herdecke
Working Group Member
The objective of the Fundraising Working Group is to ensure sustainable funding for the organization and provide innovative funding model of oikos.
Members
Mike Brodersen
oikos Hamburg
Working Group Facilitator
Mike Brodersen
oikos Hamburg
Working Group Facilitator
Jakob Eberhagen
oikos Bayreuth
Working Group Member
Jakob Eberhagen
oikos Bayreuth
Working Group Member
Ritika Jain
oikos Lund Alumni
Working Group Member
Ritika Jain
oikos Lund Alumni
Working Group Member
Carolin Lemke
oikos Reutlingen
Working Group Member
Carolin Lemke
oikos Reutlingen
Working Group Member
Benoît Pitsaer
oikos Brussels
Working Group Member
Benoît Pitsaer
oikos Brussels
Working Group Member
Mariam Patsatsia
oikos Tbilisi
Working Group Member
Mariam Patsatsia
oikos Tbilisi
Working Group Member
Strategy & Program Development Working Group
The objective of the Program Development Working Group is to align oikos programs with the oikos vision, mission and strategic priorities. The working group is also responsible for setting up KPIs for programs and activities.
Members
Paula Heess
oikos Bayreuth
Working Group Facilitator
Paula Heess
oikos Bayreuth
Working Group Facilitator
Luisa Marie Pütz
oikos Bayreuth
Working Group Facilitator
Luisa Marie Pütz
oikos Bayreuth
Working Group Facilitator
Julian Grah
oikos Witten/Herdecke Alumni
Working Group Member
Julian Grah
oikos Witten/Herdecke Alumni
Working Group Member
Matthias Hauenstein
oikos Bayreuth
Working Group Member
Matthias Hauenstein
oikos Bayreuth
Working Group Member
Chapter Development Working Group
The chapters development working group objective is to ensure regular exchanges between chapters and members regarding chapter matters, project cooperation, oikos international updates and international/regional sustainability topics, with a focus on building relationships between individuals and strengthen the oikos network at all levels. There will be up to 9 facilitators (1 per region) and thematic facilitators. There is currently three regional facilitator, Ritika Jain, Levan Pangani & Valentin Dal Zotto.
Members
Arthur Mària
oikos Barcelona
Working Group Facilitator
Arthur Mària
oikos Barcelona
Working Group Facilitator
Valentin Dal Zotto
oikos St. Gallen
Working Group Member
Valentin Dal Zotto
oikos St. Gallen
Working Group Member
Ritika Jain
oikos Lund Alumni
Working Group Member
Ritika Jain
oikos Lund Alumni
Working Group Member
You can be a part the oikos by joining one of the oikos Working Groups – learn, exchange, discuss and work together in a unique oikos atmosphere and help bring change towards a sustainable world of tomorrow!
