Guest Profile
Sandro Giuliani
Executive Director
Impact Fund & Impact Forum
Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator
About Sandro Giuliani
Sandro Giuliani has a background in business administration from his MBA studies at the University of Zurich and also holds a Master of Advanced Studies in development and cooperation from the ETH Zurich.
From 1999 to 2009, Sandro Giuliani worked for Pestalozzi Children Foundation, most recently as head of its international programs and member of the Board of Directors.
Sandro Giuliani joined the Board of the Roger Federer Foundation in 2019. He is currently the Executive Director for the Impact Forum and Fund at the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA).
Sandro is also a member of the Board of the Compagnia di San Paolo, the Jacobs University Bremen and the German Children & Youth Foundation (DKJS) and Member of the Managing Board of Swiss Foundations.
Episode Overview
Executive Director of the Impact Fund and Forum at GESDA (Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator), Sandro Giuliani, discusses future scientific breakthroughs and international development.
Sandro notes that the world is experiencing breakthrough scientific discoveries at unprecedented pace. He asks: if we can anticipate these emerging technologies, can we then unlock their potential to improve our world for the benefit of society?
GESDA was started by the Swiss government, who provided approximately 50% of the initial funding; this was matched by philanthropy. The organisation is now an independent foundation.
GESDA aims to bring in key multilateral stakeholders, mixing science and diplomacy, to anticipate what future technologies could look like. Information technology, quantum computing, bio-inspired computing, artificial intelligence, human augmentation, eco-regeneration – what will be the impact of these technologies for the future of humanity and our planet?
GESDA has reached out to the best researchers on these topics and has created an academic forum; essentially, they’re identifying some of the world’s best researchers who are in their labs developing the future right now, today.
Key questions at GESDA: 1) Who are we, what does it mean to be human; 2) How are we going to live together, what technologies can reduce inequality; 3) How can we ensure the wellbeing of humanity and a sustainable planet?
Sandro explains how he will be looking at creating an impact fund focused on enabling the development and testing of these technologies and solutions. He will be developing key alliances with the right partners in philanthropy, the corporate world and beyond.
Sandro’s key takeaway: Ask the question about anticipation and embrace it. What is science able to do in 5 to 10 years and how are we now anticipating solutions. Anticipatory thinking can be quite transformative. He invites everyone to ask what can an anticipatory approach bring to the work one is doing.
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