In 2023, the team was approached by Laura Viscovich, the Executive Director of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction with the task to support the foundation’s board in its generational succession by identifying possible candidates within the Symposium’s global young leaders pool.

About the Process

In May 2023, after the Symposium, the team met with Laura Viscovich, the Executive Director of the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction. Laura provided the initial requirements for a potential candidate to succeed a retiring member of the foundation board. Given the foundation’s global impact, its board members reflect the necessary diversity to maximise its influence. Therefore, the team attentively listened to the foundation’s needs and focused on researching 20 profiles that could meet the requirements.

After conducting initial interviews with the candidates, the team compiled a selection of 15 profiles, which were then presented to Laura. From this selection, Laura and the board expressed interest in two profiles. The team facilitated connections between these candidates and Laura and the foundation board. Both candidates met with the board, and one in particular, Christian Benimana, a young founder and architect from Rwanda, was found to be very convincing and the best match.

Christian was nominated at the beginning of 2024 as a board member and has already attended his first board meeting. His full profile can be found here. The team congratulates with Christian on his nomination and wishes him all the best for his mandate as well as professional growth.

Interview with Laura Viscovich

Laura Viscovich, Executive Director of the Holcim Foundation for sustainable construction

What motivated you to work with the project, and what strategic priorities did you aim to bring to your board?

I was fortunate to find out about the Young Leaders on Board initiative at a time where I was actively looking to propose some younger talent for the Holcim Foundation Board renewal. An initial discussion with the project team gave me confidence that we were fully aligned around goals and values. The network that the project team has access to is also a highly valuable resource, particularly when sourcing international profiles from different disciplines.

Where do you see the value in terms of expertise and perspectives added to the board through Christian?

Christian brings the geographic and cultural perspective of the African continent to our Board, along with the disciplinary perspective of being both a practitioner and educator in the field of architecture. He expresses his opinions in a very thoughtful way, with the right combination of conviction and humility, which I believe is key to creating value as a Board member.

How was your experience working with the project team?

I really enjoyed my interactions with the team. They were careful to fully understand my needs and expectations, and we agreed on a project timeline that worked for everyone. The materials I received enabled me to easily review the longlist of potential candidates, and communication with the team was seamless. I also appreciated the follow up from the team which demonstrated their commitment to the project.