Our Purpose

Marisa Schiestl-Swarovski is a fifth-generation member of the Swarovski family. She studied international business in Vienna and New York and graduated from Durham University in the UK with a Bachelor of Business. Her professional career began as an events and marketing manager in Austria, organizing e.g. a large cultural event for the city of Vienna. Marisa completed her education with a master’s degree from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna with a focus on exhibition and cultural communication management. During her master’s degree, Marisa realized several projects for cultural institutions across Austria.

In 2010, Marisa founded the Swarovski Family Council, which aims to foster bonds between the widespread members of the Swarovski family, to improve the understanding of the family business among shareholders, and to prepare successive generations for their role as owners. After several years in Spain and Switzerland, Marisa now lives again with her family in Vienna, Austria and acts as Chairwoman of the shareholders of the Swarovski group.

Markus Langes-Swarovski has held senior executive positions as well as various board seats within the Swarovski Group for many years. After starting his career at the company from the ground up – from Trainee to Executive Board Member, Company Spokesperson and Chairman of the Board – he shaped key developments and implemented significant innovations over more than two decades. These include the expansion of the Swarovski Crystal Worlds, the establishment of new production sites as well as the Crystal Factory of the Future and Swarovski Manufaktur in Wattens. Today, Markus Langes-Swarovski serves on the Board of the Swarovski Family Holding.

Constantly driven to broaden his perspective and contributing his wealth of entrepreneurial experience, he is also involved in a wide range of companies, start-ups, philanthropic initiatives and institutions. Wattens holds a special place in his heart: through initiatives such as Destination Wattens, the Kristallmäuse childcare center, and the Erfinderkinder talent development program, he actively supports the sustainable development of the region and its local business ecosystem.

Markus Langes-Swarovski was born in 1974 and studied at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Bavarian Academy of Advertising and Marketing. He is based in Wattens, Austria, is happily married and father of four children.

Maximilian Haim-Swarovski is a fifth-generation member of the Swarovski family. He completed his undergraduate studies in Nonprofit, Social and Healthcare Management at the Management Centre Innsbruck, and in 2016, he graduated from Bayes Business School with a Master of Science in Global Supply Chain Management. To gain a better understanding of sustainability, he completed the Postgraduate Certificate in Sustainable Business from the University of Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership.

His first work experience was in Asia, which helped him improve his interaction with people from different cultures. He joined the family business in 2020. His current role as Sustainability Manager gives him the opportunity to lead different projects, from sustainable packaging to long-term initiatives to reduce transport emissions. Since 2014, Maximilian has also been a founding member and deputy treasurer of the non-profit organisation Tugende Together, which supports children and young people in Uganda in their Education.

Heinz Fassmann is President of the Austrian Academy of Science. He has served as the Austrian Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research between January 2020 to December 2021, and from December 2017 to June 2019.

Fassmann concluded his studies in Geography and Economic and Social History at the University of Vienna with a PhD in social history and a habilitation in Human Geography and Spatial Planning. In 1992, he became the director of the Institute of City and Regional Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

After being appointed Professor of Applied Geography (Geo‐Informatics) at the Technical University Munich in 1996 and a Professor for Applied Geography, Spatial Research and Regional Planning at the University of Vienna in 2000, he was nominated the Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences, Geography and Astronomy of the University of Vienna in 2006.

In 2011, he became the Vice‐Rector for Human Resources and International Relations, and in 2015, the Vice‐Rector for Research and International Affairs of the University of Vienna. Fassmann was the Chair of the Expert Council for Integration at the Austrian Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, a founding member of the Expert Council of German Foundations for Integration and Migration in Berlin and a member of the Commission on Migration of the Austrian Ministry of the Interior.

He is a permanent member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Academia Europaea, and his achievements have been recognized with a number of awards.

Ryan Gawn is Head of the Positioning and Outreach Division for the European Central Bank’s Digital Euro Directorate, as well as Co-Founder of Stratagem International, an international public affairs consultancy. Formerly Director of The LEGO Foundation, he designed and led a $70m philanthropic initiative, and as Head of International Communications for ActionAid International, he provided senior leadership to a global team working across the federation’s 46 markets. 

He has previously led international campaigns, served as a UK diplomat, and advised leading nonprofits and businesses. He is an advisor to the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the education charity Big Change, and a former Council Member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House). Educated in Scotland, Sweden, the United States, and Argentina, he is a Rotary World Peace Fellow (MA International Relations) and a Salzburg Fellow.

Laura Amaya is a Partner and the Director of Dalberg’s London office, one of the world’s leading impact consultancy firms. She has worked extensively with companies, investors and philanthropies to deploy the power of business towards socio-economic development. Laura has shaped sustainability strategies for global corporations, designed co-funding and fundraising models for multi-stakeholder initiatives, and advised philanthropic foundations on grant-making strategy and organisational design. She previously was an Associate Director at FSG, where she co-led the firm’s Gender and Latin America practices.

Prior to working in international development, Laura was a practising architect and an architecture journalist. She holds degrees from Cornell University and London Business School. Laura is Colombian, has lived in six countries, and has worked across Latin America, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, the United States, and Europe. She is based in London.

Jakhya Rahman-Corey is Director of the Swarovski Foundation, where she is responsible for building on Swarovski’s philanthropic heritage by identifying strategic opportunities aligned to the Swarovski Foundation’s mission to promote sustainable livelihoods through education to reduce inequality by supporting charitable initiatives and organisations working in three areas: equity, creativity, and water.

Jakhya is a Trustee at AzuKo, who is helping to end housing poverty through humanitarian architecture. Jakhya holds a BA in Economics and a Business Sustainability Management certificate from the University of Cambridge. Over the past thirteen years, Jakhya has lived and worked for international charities in Australia, Cambodia, Costa Rica, India and the United Kingdom. Her experience ranges from conducting fieldwork and implementing sanitation and structural improvements in rural areas to promoting social programmes for women and young people and addressing social and environmental injustices globally.

Sabira Rouf is the interim Director of the Swarovski Foundation. She is responsible for activating Swarovski's strategic philanthropic programmes that span Creativity, Equity and Water.

 Over the last 15 years, Sabira has built and led corporate foundations and community investment strategies. She has built and scaled high-impact initiatives across financial services, tech-communications, retail, and insurance, embedding strong governance and partnerships with measurable outcomes. Sabira specialises in aligning business strategy with social purpose to deliver lasting impact for organisations and communities.

Charlotte Allen is Head of Advocacy and Engagement for the Swarovski Foundation, which works globally to promote sustainable livelihoods through education to reduce inequality. She is responsible for leading global advocacy, engagement, and communication efforts in line with charity governance and the Sustainable Development Goals, with the aim of amplifying the Foundation’s impact beyond grants. Charlotte holds an FdA degree in Fashion Marketing and Promotion from the University of the Arts London.

With over fifteen years of experience in global communication, PR, and marketing, Charlotte has worked for many international conscious brands, with a more recent focus on the philanthropy sector. Her global experience ranges from strategic communication and marketing, advocacy and engagement, public relations, brand identity, partnership and event management, stakeholder engagement, social and digital media, content creation and media monitoring.

Anaïs is the Head of Equity at the Swarovski Foundation. In this role, she is responsible for managing partnerships under the focus area of Equity, which supports projects empowering marginalised groups. This includes the Action Fund initiative, which supports organisations providing immediate relief to communities affected by urgent crises.

Anaïs is an experienced partnership manager with over a decade of experience in the charity sector. She holds a master’s degree in Languages, Literature and Culture from the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon as well as a teaching degree. She is passionate about addressing social injustice and has lived in France and in the United States before moving to the United Kingdom to work as a fundraiser in the fields of culture, education and international development. She then transitioned to grant-making, first managing scientific research grant programmes looking to address sustainability challenges in sub-Saharan Africa and the United Kingdom, before joining the Swarovski Foundation in 2022.

Charlotte Davidsen is the Advocacy and Engagement Senior Manager at the Swarovski Foundation, where she leads strategic storytelling, partnerships, and engagement initiatives to advance the Swarovski Foundation’s impact.

Having lived and worked internationally, she brings over a decade of experience across international development, impact investing, and philanthropy, with deep expertise in project management, advocacy, and multi-stakeholder collaboration spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States. Based in London, Charlotte holds an MSc in international business from Copenhagen Business School and a BA in international development from Boston College.

Simon Kolb is the Development Manager at the Swarovski Foundation, where he works across strategy, operations, partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and impact to support the effectiveness and continuous development of the Foundation’s global portfolio and processes. 

Since joining in 2018, he has contributed to the design and delivery of international programs advancing creativity, education, and sustainable development.

Simon began his work with the Swarovski Foundation as part of the Swarovski Foundation’s signature initiative Waterschool, contributing to its strategic development, operational delivery, and long-term impact before moving into his current, cross portfolio role. His work is informed by a strong international perspective, shaped by academic and professional experience in China, the United States, and the United Kingdom, as well as field engagements in India, Australia, and Brazil.

Prior to working in philanthropy, Simon gained experience in global marketing, sponsorship, event management, and public relations across cultural, design, and sports initiatives. He holds a Master’s degree in Sports, Cultural and Event Management from the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein (Austria) and a BSc (Hons) in Sports Science and Physiology from the University of Leeds (UK).

Maika has worked in the fashion and creative industry for over a decade and now leads the creativity efforts at the Swarovski Foundation with the aim to advance creative talent.

As Head of Creativity, she also leads the Swarovski Foundation's signature programme, Creatives For Our Future, which identifies and empowers the next generation of creative talent to drive progress towards sustainable development.

Maika believes in the power of creativity to lead innovative solutions to our global sustainability challenges and ultimately promote sustainable livelihoods through education to reduce inequality.

As Head of Water at the Swarovski Foundation, Clemens works with implementing partners to improve water sustainability globally. He builds and drives the strategic direction of the water pillar to create a more sustainable and equitable future for all.

Clemens holds a master’s degree in Sport, Culture and Event management and has been working in the field of Sustainability and Philanthropy for over thirteen years. Clemens is focused on creating long lasting impact while building strong partnerships based on respectful, trustworthy, and flourishing mutuality.