Meet Nathalie Jean-Baptiste, ECOM Foundation Director

Nathalie Jean-Baptiste (pictured above left), our new Director of ECOM Foundation Switzerland, shares a personal reflection on her path from architecture and academia to international development, and what draws her to the Foundation's mission of supporting farming communities.

My Journey to ECOM Foundation Switzerland

By Nathalie Jean-Baptiste

Beginnings

When people ask me about my career, I hesitate and think for a moment about where I should start. The truth is that my journey has been shaped more than anything else by a sense of wonder and a desire to contribute to society.

Growing up in Haiti, I developed an early interest in the world beyond my immediate horizon. I cannot explain exactly where it came from. I simply wanted to understand how different societies function and explore the many ways people create opportunities and overcome challenges. At the same time, I sensed that whatever path I chose would somehow connect three interests that have stayed with me throughout my life: design, society, and service.

Studying architecture in Mexico City gave me the grit that only people living in large, dense cities develop, and completing my master’s and PhD in urban infrastructure in Germany shaped my approach to design and research.

Over the years, I have developed a deep attachment to academia and teaching. I have lectured at various universities (Bauhaus University in Weimar, Ardhi University in Tanzania, and UNAM in Mexico), and still today I regularly find myself in a classroom giving seminars on subjects that matter deeply to me: education, inequality, and infrastructure.

I have lived and worked across different continents, moving between Mexico, Germany, Australia, Tanzania, and Switzerland. My career has taken me through research, entrepreneurship, nonprofits, and philanthropy. While the contexts have varied, a common thread has remained: a deep interest in people and in building human capital to drive inclusive development.

Moving Between Different Worlds

I move between very different worlds. In one month, I may find myself in Switzerland, engaging in conversations about systems change. In another, I am working with underserved communities in Tanzania or Mexico, listening to people describe the realities they navigate every day.

If there is one lesson I have learned repeatedly, it is that solutions rarely emerge from a single institution or a single expert. They emerge through relationships. They emerge when we listen before acting, when we build trust, and when we recognize that communities possess knowledge, resilience, creativity, and agency. These experiences have taught me that expertise matters, but humility matters just as much. 

I have witnessed, too often, development efforts focused on designing solutions for people. Yet, we know that the most meaningful interventions are solutions created with people. That is why I place particular emphasis on co-creation. It takes more time, it creates headaches, but when the right stakeholders join forces, the ripple effects are felt for a long time.

My years in the Swiss philanthropic sector, supporting around 60 organizations across different continents, exposed me to different forms of leadership: from a young girl trained to repair bicycles so that other girls could attend school (ABC Impact, Kilimanjaro), to a committed headteacher whose involvement goes far beyond teaching (Rwamagana School, Uganda), to three friends changing the reality of nano-entrepreneurs (Favela, Brazil), to a woman using her years of experience in banking to support other women (Femmes d'Impact, Burundi). These encounters strengthened my conviction that lasting progress depends not only on resources but also on our shared responsibility to preserve human dignity.

Throughout my career, I have witnessed remarkable contrasts between places of abundance and places of scarcity. Yet what has often struck me most is not the difference in wealth, but the difference in how dignity is protected, valued and even restored. When the opportunity arose to join ECOM Foundation as Director, I saw a chance to contribute to a mission that aligns with my own values: supporting communities, expanding opportunities, and helping create the conditions for people to thrive.

A New Chapter at ECOM Foundation Switzerland

Agriculture sits at the heart of some of our most important global challenges and opportunities. Behind every supply chain are children, families, local economies, and livelihoods. Behind every cup of coffee, cocoa bean, or agricultural product are individuals whose work sustains economies and feeds the world. Yet many farming communities continue to face significant barriers, including poverty, climate pressures, unequal access to resources, and limited economic prospects.

What inspires me about ECOM Foundation is its commitment to farming communities. The Foundation, which operates as the philanthropic arm of the Esteve family, recognizes that investing in education, ensuring child protection, strengthening livelihoods in remote places, and providing the next generation of farmers with the tools and resources they need to build successful futures is central to its mission.

Since joining ECOM Foundation Switzerland, I have had the opportunity to visit ongoing projects in Kenya and Tanzania. I met CMS and SMS colleagues, engaged with several partners, and spent time with young people whose lives and aspirations are at the heart of our work at the Foundation. These experiences have confirmed my belief that meaningful change begins with listening. They have also reinforced my admiration for the dedication of the teams working across the ECOM Group and for the trusted relationships that have been built with communities over many years.

As I begin this new chapter, I look forward to visiting more origins and learning more about ECOM's work particularly in territories experiencing growing inequalities. I also want to build on the Foundation's legacy. At the heart of this work remains a simple belief: service matters.

In a world that often celebrates speed and competition, choosing to serve can feel almost countercultural. Yet I have come to see service not as an act of charity, but as a responsibility. It invites us to recognize our interconnectedness and our accountability to one another. It reminds us that progress is most meaningful when it creates opportunities for others as well.

As I look ahead to the future with ECOM Foundation, I feel both grateful and hopeful. Grateful for landing somewhere that already feels like family, and hopeful because I have already seen firsthand the passion, expertise, and commitment that exist across ECOM. And for me, that feels very much like coming home to the purpose that first inspired my journey all those years ago.