"New members are always welcome!"

How did you two end up on the board of Chapter Genève?

Samuel: At the start of 2021, we received an e-mail from the umbrella organisation saying that they were looking for people to re-organise the group and make up a new board. Chapter Genève has been around for a very long time and I thought it was important to get involved and keep the group going.

Barbora: That was the e-mail I replied to as well. While I was still living in Zurich, I was able to benefit from the many activities organised by the Materials Alumni. I thought it was brilliant that you could network with people. So I loved the idea of an alumni group in Geneva too. I would also like to stress that there are three of us on the board. Malek el Khoury, who unfortunately isn't able to be here today, does a huge amount of organisational and administrative work for Chapter Genève. And that’s something I’m very grateful for. We didn’t know one another before, but we make a great team and I really enjoy my work on the board.

Why did you get involved in the chapter?

Samuel: I didn’t want to see the chapter disappear. When I was at university, I attended a lot of events in the department and after that time I wanted to stay in touch with other ETH graduates. When I settled down in Geneva, I joined the chapter. But I didn’t hear anything from the group. So I thought: “Well, we need to do something about that. We need to get things going again in Geneva.”

Barbora: I didn't even know there was an alumni group in Geneva. So I was very surprised and pleased at the same time to hear from them. I had only recently moved to Geneva and thought it was a good way of fitting in. It would be an opportunity to meet new people at events: people who I could share experiences with. We are all graduates of ETH. That is what links us.

What actions have you already taken to boost membership?

Barbora: We are trying to mobilise ETH alumni and alumnae in Geneva in a whole host of ways. We ask them directly if they know any other alumni or alumnae, who might be interested in becoming a member and whether they have any ideas for events. We are putting on interesting events that we hope will appeal to as many people as possible. And it’s worked to some extent. But we would like to see more people join. I do get the feeling that the tradition of such ETH alumni groups doesn’t really exist in western Switzerland, which doesn’t make things easy. So we had a chat with Thomas Blättler, the president of Chapter Baden, which organises a very successful annual event for recent graduates.

Samuel: We circulated a members’ survey asking which events people enjoyed. The board has a key role to play in a group like this but it’s also very useful to have a certain number of core members who regularly come to events. It is also important for the umbrella organisation to help raise the profile of Chapter Genève. We try to use personal contacts to attract new members. It would be good if we could write to recent graduates who live in Geneva.

What is your chapter most concerned with?

Samuel: We are trying to get people, especially younger alumni and alumnae, interested in our local group. I find discussions amongst members very exciting. I believe that the social element has a huge role to play. Networking after university life is very important and a chapter can help with that. We would very much welcome more feedback from our members.

Barbora: I would like to add that the alumni and alumnae in the Geneva area could make greater use of networks. I am personally very motivated by such conversations especially since we all come from different backgrounds and studied different subjects.

What information from other chapters or local groups would be most useful to you?

Barbora: I would be interested to learn how other chapters were formed and what kind of events they have most success with? And I would also like to hear how other groups have managed to gain new members through personal contacts.

What was your highlight event in 2022? What have you got planned for 2023?

Samuel: That would have been our visit to Hôpital de La Tour. The event was very well attended and what made it so special was the fact that our guide was the CEO M. Rodolphe Eurin, who is also an ETH alumnus. That was a very good event. We are still working on our plans for 2023 and are currently thinking about continuing with our regular evening drinks events. After all I too believe that networking and spending time together is hugely important.