Arielle, Social Impact Partnership Specialist at On, Switzerland

I manage the activities and partnership portfolio of Right To Run — On’s social impact programme  — across the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. 

In my role, I am responsible for devising and implementing Right To Run’s EMEA strategy and activities. Externally, I scout, work with and directly manage long-term partners of Right To Run within the region. Internally, I identify opportunities and lead the integration of Right To Run’s activities across diverse business functions at On, as well as increase employees’ participation and engagement in social impact, in order to collectively drive the company’s mission to ignite the human spirit through movement. 

My previous professional experiences and career at international organisations, where I worked on a range of social and environmental issues, certainly prepared me well for this job both in terms of subject knowledge and skills. 

During my time at the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, not only were I able to work on decisive policy-shaping projects and moments at the international level, but I also had the opportunity to work with a large number of corporations from different industries on their social and environmental action through membership-based public-private partnerships, which are so valuable to me as I made the switch from the public sector to the private sector. My role at the International Olympic Committee at the beginning of my career also allowed me to get a first, unique glimpse of the sports industry, which sparked my initial interest in sports for development. 

I strongly believe that this professional journey of mine was partially made possible by my time and education at Sciences Po. During the recruitment process for my current role, I also spoke to a number of Sciences Po alumni working in this particular field in a professional network I am part of, which was founded by a fellow alumna. It was very helpful as I prepared for the interviews and case study. I am grateful for the way Sciences Po helped me connect different dots in my journey, in terms of interests, knowledge, career development and network. 

To me, the most fascinating part of my job is the possibility to turn my vision for Right To Run or On’s social impact work in the EMEA region into a reality. 

The notion of corporate social responsibility has been around for a very long time, but few corporations manage to act on social issues in a truly impactful way. At On, impact, or social impact in particular, is intrinsically tied to our mission. With Right To Run being a programme with a U.S. origin, I see a lot of exciting opportunities for its growth and development in the EMEA region, which I now oversee. In addition, under On’s entrepreneurial corporate culture, I feel inspired and encouraged by the possibility to implement many creative ideas as I connect with colleagues in all sorts of business functions to better integrate Right To Run and drive On’s social impact work forward. 

But apart from all these, I am also simply fascinated by the genuine enthusiasm internally at On to make a difference. In my previous roles, it was a lot about me, my team or our organisation pushing for changes, or helping corporates in their journey to tackle social and environmental issues. In my current role, while I spearhead our social impact work in the region, I certainly receive a lot of voluntary on-the-ground support and experience the eagerness of colleagues across the business to be involved in social impact, which is an amazing thing that one doesn’t get to have everywhere. 

Academically, PSIA has undoubtedly equipped me well with deep subject knowledge on a wide range of human rights issues — many of which I still work on today. Professionally, particularly at the starting stage of my career, I feel that my education background at PSIA, and the particular programme I was pursuing, helped open doors to kick start my career at international organisations to a certain extent. 

While studying at PSIA, I was also involved in a number of student initiatives outside of class, which truly broadened my vision, trained my skills and brought my interests in certain topics, e.g. migration, to the next level. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have worked for the Division of International Protection at UNHCR right after graduation if it weren’t for my active engagement in migration and refugee issues at Sciences Po and in Paris. In the partnership portfolio I currently manage, the European migrant crisis remains a dominant topic, which I am so glad to keep working on thanks to my time at PSIA. 

Always be curious and open-minded to exploring topics and issues outside of your current interests. Make very good use of the resources and opportunities available at Sciences Po to consciously shape your personal and professional life. And remember to enjoy the ride — two years can seem like a relatively long time, but you’ll realise it’s too short when it’s over!