Historic election at the Swiss Association of Engineers and Architects
Susanne Zenker has been elected as the first female president of the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA). This marks a historic moment in the nearly two-hundred-year history of the association. Zenker, a trained architect from EPFL and currently a manager at SBB Immobilien, will assume her new role on July 1, 2024. She will particularly focus on networking knowledge and sustainable design of living spaces.
Susanne Zenker has been elected as the new President of the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects(SIA) by the Assembly of Delegates. According to a press release, this is the first time in the approximately 190-year history of the professional association that a woman has been elected to the top position. The Swedish-born architect, who trained at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne(EPFL), brings many years of experience in the construction sector and in the design of sustainable living spaces to the post, the press release explains. Susanne Zenker is currently Head of Development and a member of the Executive Board of SBB Real Estate. She is also a trustee of the Swiss Building Culture Foundation.
“With its members, the SIA brings together an enormous amount of knowledge and commitment under one roof,” Zenker is quoted as saying in her speech in the press release. “The sustainable design of living space is a challenging and diverse task. In the SIA, we therefore need to network our knowledge even more in order to remain effective. This is what I would like to do as President”. Susanne Zenker will take office on 1 July 2024 and will leave SBB Real Estate at the end of June.
“The election of a woman to head the association is a historic moment. In Susanne Zenker, the SIA is gaining an experienced bridge builder. I am convinced that she will be able to align the diverse interests in the association towards common goals,” explains Alain Ouveley, one of the interim Co-Presidents.
The delegates also elected Sarah Kristin Schalles to the Board.