The Building Bridges Billboard Initiative Awards Jury brings together communications experts to identify and celebrate the most inspiring initiatives featured at Building Bridges 2026. The Building Bridges Initiative Awards takes place for the first time this year and is an interactive and more informative evolution of the billboards that feature in the Village during the three-days of the flagship conference. The jury will assess partner-led initiatives showcased under this year’s theme,”Investable Solutions to Global Challenges.“

The awards are designed to recognise projects that demonstrate innovation, tangible impact and the potential to contribute to real-world transformation. The jury is composed of members of the Building Bridges Communications Committee, representing a broad range of organisations and perspectives from across the sustainable finance ecosystem, including our Diamond Sponsors and Founding Partners. This diversity helps ensure a balanced and credible evaluation process, reflecting the spirit of Building Bridges as a neutral platform that convenes finance, business, public institutions and civil society around shared challenges and practical solutions.

Ahead of the event, jury members review all submitted Initiatives independently before participating in the final selection process. To safeguard fairness and transparency, jury members affiliated with participating organisations do not vote for their own initiative.

Each initiative is assessed against seven qualitative criteria:

  • Relevance: Alignment with the theme Investable Solutions to Global Challenges
  • Replicability: Potential to be adapted in other contexts
  • Scalability: Capacity for growth and wider impact
  • Longevity: Financial credibility and long-term viability
  • Social Impact: Consideration of societal outcomes
  • Creativity: Originality and distinctiveness
  • Resonance: Ability to inspire engagement and interest

The initiative that best meets these criteria will receive the Building Bridges Jury Award for Best Initiative, while conference participants will simultaneously determine the recipient of the Peoples Choice Award through on-site voting during Building Bridges 2026.

The winners will be announced during the closing plenary session on 8 October 2026, providing an opportunity to spotlight concrete, solution-oriented initiatives from across the Building Bridges community.

2026 Billboard Initiative Award Jury

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Andreas Hensler

Lead Media Relations Group Sustainability & Impact – UBS
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Carole Morgenthaler

Senior Communications Manager – Lombard Odier
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Chantal Bourquin

Head of Communications – Fondation Genève Place Financière
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Dan Herscovici  

Co-Managing Director – PublicisLive
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Jacqueline Etter

Function: Lead Communications & Member Relations – Swiss Sustainable Finance
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Kali Taylor

Managing Director – Sustainable Finance Geneva
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Katherine Pittore

Director of Policy and Communications – Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI)
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Joanna O’Malley

Partnerships Manager – NatureFinance

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Luisa Bernal

Senior Policy and Partnership Advisor – Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TISFD)
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Melissa Rudolf

Communication Officer – Cantonal Office for Economy and Innovation (OCEI), Geneva
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Mustafa Chaudhry

Co-Head of Communications – UNEP-FI
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Naomi Pfister

Policy Advisor Sustainable Finance – Swiss Bankers Association (SBA)
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Peter Hody

Senior Communications Manager – Asset Management Association Switzerland (AMAS)
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Valerie Kvita

Media Communications Manager – Pictet Group
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Vincent Conus

Counsellor, Global Affairs – Switzerland Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)