Sonja is a passionate change agent, facilitator, social entrepreneur and Ashoka Fellow with a longstanding career both in the non-profit and for-profit sectors, including start-ups, SMEs and multinationals. Her strategic advice, operational insights and proven methods have supported many new ventures to turn their ideas into viable and impactful organizations. She is also the Co-Founder of WeRobotics, a social impact organization that brings together local experts, communities and activists to offer a practical alternative to systems dominated by foreign-led and top-down interventions. Together with her colleagues at WeRobotics she pursues the mission of shifting power with local experts and organizations to redefine what it means to be an expert.
WeRobotics is co-creating an inclusive and sustainable network of local leaders, the Flying Labs Network, to build a lived, applicable and scalable model that other organizations can adopt to accelerate locally-led efforts in response to pressing challenges. The model supports locally-led organizations with professional development, knowledge exchange and leadership opportunities, creating a self-sustaining movement for systems change.
Sonja holds Master degrees in Marketing and SME Management and is trained in Design Thinking, Project Management and Principled Negotiation. And to always keep life sweet and soulful, earlier studies also include Sound Engineering and chocolate making. She is a seasoned speaker, including speaking engagements at WSIS, WEF and UNWDF, and has been voted one of Switzerland’s 100 Digital Shapers in 2018, 2019 and 2021, before being elected to their Hall of Fame in 2022.
