A new President and two new board members have strengthened the organising teams at the Ukraine Centre. Louis Voiron is a member of Our Lady of Faith and a familiar face to volunteers and Ukrainians alike at the Centre. He has been chosen as President to replace the former Scots Kirk Minister, Gillean MacLean, who retired last year. Ukrainian volunteer, Anna Khtema, and Scots Kirk member and Centre volunteer, Olivier Martin, have been appointed to the board.
In his earlier career, Louis served as a special advisor in the French Government. He also spent a lot of time abroad working for U.S. organisations in Washington, France, the UK and across Africa and the Middle East. He has now returned to Switzerland where his family has their roots.
“I feel very strongly that the Centre is about helping our Ukrainian community feel at home,’ he said. ‘We want to help them build bridges for their smooth integration in Switzerland. In my view the language and administrative support we offer are as important as the safe space we provide where they can share their experiences and break the feeling of isolation newcomers often feel.’
Centre Secretary Jeremy McTeague said: “Louis has an an exemplary knowledge of international affairs particularly in regard to Ukraine. He is an experienced volunteer at the Centre. I am delighted that he has agreed to be President.”
Anna Khtema and Olivier Martin join the seven-strong board, the majority of whom are from the three churches. Anna trained as a geologist in Ukraine and arrived in Switzerland following the Russian invasion. She helps organise activities at the Centre and is pivotal in communication between the Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian speaking members and volunteers.
Olivier Martin is currently a University Professor of Physics at EPFL where he himself studied. A Lausannois by birth, he returned to the city after several years working in Zurich. He is a member of the board of the Scots Kirk, one of our founding congregations.
