Action Margaux-Helping those with cancer return to work
We have the best volunteers in the world! Every day our 90+ volunteers show amazing compassion in working with and on behalf of cancer patients and their loved ones. Without their dedication, Cancer Support Switzerland could not exist as it does today.
Action Margaux-Helping those with cancer return to work
Antonia has worked with Cancer Support Switzerland’s clients for 10+ years. An integrative counsellor, she draws upon elements of different theoretical approaches to help clients explore and cope with their problems.
She aims to foster a warm, empathetic, safe and confidential space, honouring each individual’s uniqueness and offering a non-judgemental lens through which a person can be seen, heard and understood. Clients are empowered to embark on a journey of self-discovery and self-awareness and to work towards improved emotional wellbeing and mental health. Having lost close family members to cancer, Antonia’s lived experience of bereavement and as a caregiver supports a collaborative and authentic therapeutic relationship.
The Caregiver’s Support Group and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy courses are facilitated by Antonia. She is interested in the power of nature to nurture, heal and restore. Antonia is trained in Walk and Talk Therapy and is an ANFT-certified Forest Therapy Guide.
Antonia has an MA in Counselling and an MSc in Organizational Behaviour. She is a member of the Swiss Association for Counselling, the American Psychological Association and a registered member MBACP of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Bill joined the ranks of Geneva’s blissfully retired in June 2020.
Up until then, he was the Controller for the Vitol Group of Companies, responsible for the Group’s external reporting, internal controlling and analysis, and statutory financial reporting.
Prior to joining Vitol, Bill spent 18 years with KPMG, finishing as the managing partner of KPMG’s Geneva office. While at KPMG he audited many not-for-profits and foundations including the International Federation of the Red Cross, the Medicines for Malaria Venture, the World YWCA and many Global Fund national programs.
Bill has a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA in Accounting from the University of Minnesota. He is also a non-practicing US Certified Public Accountant.
In addition to his professional activities, he’s been Treasurer of St John XXIII Parish in Geneva and Treasurer of the Tennis Club Troinex.
Now that he has retired, he has begun to focus his time on travel, his family, and becoming more actively involved in benevolent activities.
Carine has 10+ years of experience working as a counselling psychologist and providing a wide range of culturally sensitive individual and group-based mental healthcare services and diagnostic assessments to clients who are struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, migration, refugee mental health, addiction, personality disorders, identity issues, illness, and crisis management in several clinical, hospital and university settings. She has published several papers in international journals. Carine holds a PhD in Psychology with a focus on Global Mental Health from the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Germany) and a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology from the American University in Cairo (Egypt).
In terms of her therapeutic orientation, Carine considers herself a relational integrative therapist and merges various approaches depending on the client’s needs, including person-centred therapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy. She believes in the importance of supporting individuals with an accepting attitude towards their cultural background, personal freedom of choice and respect that each and every person has their own independent way of fulfilling their needs and achieving their goals.
She is a member of the Fédération Suisse des Psychologues (FSP) and the Association Genevoise des Psychologues (AGPsy).
I have been a coach for over a decade, with several certifications under my belt. Prior to my coaching career, I was in banking and recruitment. I have faced many challenges in life, and I understand what it means to face adversity and to overcome it. I was fortunate to have the right support system, which is why I chose this career path, to help people through the difficulties of their own journey.
As a coach, I look forward to working with you. Together, we will work on finding the tools you need to move forward, in your personal, social or professional life.
Catharine works with a collaborative and integrative approach to counselling, placing a strong focus on nurturing safety and security within the therapeutic relationship. Every relationship is unique, and every journey together is unique. Catharine has a private practice in the Zurich region, with locations in Enge and Wädenswil, reaching those of different ages and in different life stages. She integrates in her work the beautifully compassionate Internal Family Systems approach, and facilitates an attachment-based parenting programme for parents of young children. As well as travelling her own journey of cancer within her family, Catharine has training in grief and bereavement and holds a master’s in counselling. She is a registered member of the Swiss Association for Counselling and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Catherine offers counselling support to individuals, families and couples in her practice in Mies and online. She has trained in integrative, psychodynamic and family & couples therapy in Canada, U.K and Zimbabwe. Also trained as a trauma specialist and trainer, she works with a range of body-based interventions. Catherine is registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy, the European Association of Psychotherapy and a clinical supervisor with the Swiss Counselling Association.
The Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV) Centres for Breast Cancer and Gynaecological Tumours
I wear a few Cancer Support Switzerland hats….along with the rest of the Walk’nTalk team, I organise the monthly Walk’nTalks in the greater Geneva area – we agree dates, choose a route, let people know where and when, and then enjoy the walk on the day!
I would say that I help out at the Gardening Group, but I’m not sure that quality-controlling the cakes and taking photos of the seasonal changes happening in the garden count as help!! I also help with the heART Space, setting up and clearing away the materials for the monthly art therapy session, taking photos all the while.
And last but not least, I have recently started getting the monthly newsletters ready to go out. I love all of my hats because they are so varied and put me in contact with a wide range of people within the Cancer Support Switzerland community.
Christina serves as first contact for those seeking support. She is a Counsellor and Trauma Therapist for Cancer Support Switzerland and also facilitates the Online Support Group. She helps support both adults and children that have been diagnosed with cancer and the challenges that diagnosis brings into their lives. She qualified as a Forensic Psychologist in the UK where she lived and worked in a variety of difficult and challenging settings both in the public and charitable sectors.
Along with her personal and family experience with cancer, Christina also has a master’s degree in Counselling, is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP), a NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) Therapist, has a PGDip in Therapeutic Play Skills from Play Therapy UK and is a registered member of the Swiss Association for Counselling (SGfB), SE©, NARM, BPS, BACP and PTI.
Craig Smallbone has worked in the Human Resources field for over 25 years – in both the voluntary and private sectors. He has been Global Head of Resourcing at Trafigura, the commodities trading company since 2008, moving to Geneva with them in 2011. Craig has been a key figure in the Trafigura Foundation working with colleagues to support local charities in the various offices they have around the globe.
Craig was the Captain of the Trafigura dragon boat team (Captain Jack Sparrow) which won the coveted fundraising challenge cup in the Paddle for Cancer Lac Joux event in 4 successive years from 2015 to 2018 with over CHF500k raised by the Trafigura team in that period. In 2017 they also had the quickest boat but it’s the fundraising cups which Craig was most proud of. Craig has been working with The Steps for Cancer Support Team to increase the number of corporate teams in the Steps Challenge and will once again be walking with his family team this year. Craig’s father in the UK is undergoing treatment for lung cancer and he has had a lot of support from a local charity. Craig is committed to ensuring that Cancer Support Switzerland are able to support more people and brings a lot
of new fundraising ideas.
Craig and his wife Ruth are parents of 2 teenage boys and live in Veyrier. Craig is a very keen runner and can often be seen running around Geneva or Morzine training for his next event.
Dani is a trained Psychosocial Counsellor and also holds the role of Peer Support coordinator at Cancer Support Switzerland. She has a Bachelors degree in Psychology and a Masters in Counselling. She takes an integrative and collaborative approach to counselling with a special interest in trauma, anxiety and taking therapy outside.
In 2019 she became involved with Cancer Support Switzerland, firstly as a volunteer and peer supporter, before becoming Peer Support Coordinator in 2022.
Dani is a member of the British Psychological society (BPS ) and British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
Dave is a qualified UK Chartered Accountant and a retired partner from PwC Switzerland. Following his graduation from the University of Bristol, UK in Psychology and 2 years working in Meribel, France, Dave joined Coopers & Lybrand in London.
After qualification, he moved to Geneva in 1989 and was promoted to audit partner in 1995. During his career at PwC, Dave has provided audit and accounting services to many of the well-known corporations, NGO’s and UN Agencies which are the backbone of the Geneva economic landscape.
Since his retirement from PwC, he has started working as a teacher, preparing mature students for Swiss Federal qualifications and provides pro bono support to a number of organisations including WWF International and Sentinelles.
Dave has both UK and Swiss nationality and uses his free time fruitlessly trying to reduce his golf handicap.
Prof. Alfredo Addeo is a consultant medical oncologist, head of the Oncology Service, and leading lung physician within the Department of Oncology at the University Hospital of Geneva (HUG), Switzerland.
His primary research interests lie in predictive and prognostic biomarkers and
patient-reported outcomes in thoracic malignancies. Throughout his career, he has authored numerous publications in several international peer-reviewed journals. Many of Prof. Addeo’s works within the field of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) focus on immunotherapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, and oncogenic biomarkers such as EGFR, HER2, and PD-L1.
In addition, Prof. Addeo has led numerous translational research projects focused on tumour development and targeted therapies. He is an active member of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the European Thoracic Oncology Platform (ETOP), and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).
Dr Gregory Wirth is a urologist specializing in cancer surgery. Trained in Geneva, Vienna and Boston, he practices at the Centre d’Urologie Générale-Beaulieu. He is a regular moderator at the annual Swiss urology conference and an auditor for prostate cancer centers at the German Cancer Society (DKG).
He grew up in an international environment in Strasbourg, France, studied in Freiburg, Germany and has been working in Geneva since 2004.
When he is done with work, he swaps his scrubs for his skiing outfit, bathing suit or hiking gear.
I am a peer supporter and help with the Prostate Cancer Support Group, looking for discussion topics for our monthly online meetings. Participants talk about decisions in diagnosis and treatment, and their impacts. I also enjoy doing presentations for Cancer Support Switzerland, representing us at local events, and helping organise our Walk’nTalk excursions, where I find new walking routes for our outings.
I’m an accredited executive coach and HR consultant with 40 years’ professional experience. I have been living in Switzerland since 1993 and have long been involved with Cancer Support Switzerland both as a volunteer and as a former board member. Cancer has affected several of my family members, as well as a close work colleague, so I understand the challenges involved. I’m ready to support you in dealing with the job and career issues that can result from a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Special thanks to Harsch: The Art of Moving Forward for their generous support in moving us to our new ESCA CancerSupport Centre!!
HealthFirst
I am Irish and I have lived in Switzerland for twenty years, am married, and have three children. I joined Cancer Support Switzerland in 2021 and can’t say enough nice things about this organisation and the wonderful people who work here.
I have become one of their peer supporters and do Drop-in duty at the Centre a couple of times a month. We meet clients on our regular Walk’nTalk sessions, which is a lovely and casual way to get together. I am involved with the Gardening Group which runs every Friday for clients and volunteers alike.
Every year, we enjoy participating in Steps for Cancer Support, a fundraising challenge that involves walking and counting steps. There are many groups within Cancer Support Switzerland and volunteers are always welcome.
The Prostate Centre, Breast Cancer Centre and Oncology department of Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG)
I have been a volunteer for over ten years. As a peer supporter, I provide support and assistance to those undergoing treatment for cancer. This work includes attendance at the Prostate Cancer Support Group, which meets once a month to enable those who are suffering with, or have suffered from, prostate cancer to exchange views and experiences and to learn from each other.
I similarly help with the Online Support Group, which enables anyone undergoing treatment to talk about the problems they are facing and to learn from others. In addition, I am a Drop-in volunteer and attend some of the Walk’nTalks.
Janet Voûte joined the Cancer Support Switzerland board in hopes of sharing her board, business and NGO management experience. She has recently stepped down from her position as a non-executive director at Bupa, a UK headquartered global health insurance and health care company. Currently she Chairs the Nestle Creating Shared Council, an expert advisory council focused on environment, social and governance issues.
From 2010 to 2016, she served as Vice President and Global Head of Public Affairs and was a member of the Nestlé-in-Society Board. Prior to joining Nestlé, Ms Voûte was Partnership Adviser at the World Health Organization focused on non-communicable diseases. From 2000 to 2008, she held the position of CEO of the World Heart Federation, helping to grow the funding and staff of the organization substantially. She began her career in strategy consulting holding the position of Vice President/Managing Partner Switzerland at Bain & Company.
In addition, she has served as President of the American International Club from 2003-2004, was a member of the American Swiss Chamber of Commerce Geneva chapter, was a member of the board of Project Hope Suisse, a board member at Bamboo Finance and an advisory board member at Al Rajhi Holdings.
Ms Voûte is an honors graduate of Smith College and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She is both Swiss and American, residing in Geneva since 1990. She is the proud mother of three daughters.
Jessica holds a Degree in Business Administration from the University of Geneva. She spent her entire professional career working in the field of Human Resources in Switzerland and the USA, predominantly for multinational companies but also the ICRC and most recently as CHRO of Geneva Airport.
Pre-retired, Jessica is currently providing HR advice to various not-for-profit organisations. She has been involved with Cancer Support Switzerland, as a volunteer, dragon boat paddler and beneficiary over the past 12 years.
Originally from the USA, she has lived in both the French and German parts of Switzerland, totalling over 40 years. Jessica is the mother of three adult boys and married to a paragliding enthusiast. She keeps her feet firmly on the ground but can be found swimming in the lake if conditions are perfect!
Korin has been a member, volunteer and peer supporter at Cancer Support Switzerland for several years. She is a frequent presenter on behalf of the association.
Her background is in education and she taught commercial subjects to young adults and trained unemployed persons for 35 years at a private, professional school in Geneva until 2013.
Korin is also a grandmother of five, with wide social contacts in Geneva and speaks English, French, Spanish and Turkish. She has travelled extensively.
The local cancer leagues in Geneva and Vaud as well as the Swiss Cancer League
Eli Lilly (Suisse) SA
I am a certified coach and an HR professional with more than 14 years of experience. I have lived firsthand with what it means to face and fight cancer, and how to live through this transition and find my way back to a professional life and successful career.
I am looking forward to meeting you as a coach and mentor; to accompany you and help you find your answers and share my HR experience whenever the time is right for you.
Château du Grand-Saconnex
(ground floor)
Chemin Auguste-Vilbert 14
1218 Le Grand-Saconnex
