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Dr. Thierry Pelet is an expert in molecular virology. After gaining his PhD in this field in 1996 at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva, he did post-doctoral studies at the Clinical Research Institute in Montreal before working as a senior scientist in several virology laboratories.

In 2005, Thierry founded Viroblock SA, a Geneva startup company that developed an innovative broad-spectrum antiviral technology now being used for a new antiviral protective mask. After serving as Viroblock’s Chief Executive Officer until 2010, Thierry became its Chief Scientific Officer until 2016.

Since 2017, he has been Project Leader for HelloMask. An ambitious collaboration between two of Switzerland’s leading technological institutions (EPFL and Empa), HelloMask is a brand new type of surgical mask that is both transparent and medically safe.

Thierry’s expertise in mask technology is much in demand. In 2020, he joined  the Scientific Board of HeiQ, a Swiss innovation textile company, to guide and facilitate the worldwide launch of Viroblock technology. He is also member of the ReMask group of the Covid-19 Swiss Task Force.

Klaus Schönenberger’s whole career has been invested in developing new medical devices. After gaining a PhD from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and post-doctoral research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the USA, he joined the medical devices industry.

By December 2018, the programme’s remit had significantly developed to now become the EssentialTech Centre with a mission to harness science and technology to drive sustainable development, support humanitarian action and foster peace – with Klaus as its Director.

After studying History at university, Diane opted for career in dance while simultaneously training in the Feldenkrais Method of movement and learning about Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Transactional Analysis.

A road accident brought her back to history, particularly to the little life stories that make up the history of the world. Her experiences led her to become a storyteller for children hospitalized with blood diseases or cancer and for patients in hospices. Ever versatile and focused on children, Diane also trained as a resource person for positive discipline in schools.

She is currently training in alternative and energy medicine for animals and their guardians.