Robert joined CEIBS in May 2019 as CEO of CEIBS Zurich.

He holds a B.A. in English Literature, Religion and Philosophy from the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia,  and an MBA in Finance and International Busines  from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and a PhD in International Economics from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Robert’s professional experience spans over 35 years in education, banking, and consulting.  He is a regular speaker and moderator.

Robert took his first trip to China in 1988 and has been a friend and follower of China ever since.  Originally from the US, he has lived and worked in Europe since 1988. Robert has dual citizenship in the US and Switzerland. He has worked in the US, the UK, Germany, Nato-Europe, Switzerland and Vietnam. He has travelled to 70 countries for work and pleasure.

Robert loves spending time with his large family. Having four daughters and currently 5 grandchildren keeps him busy. When he is not spending time with his family, he is in the mountains hiking or skiing. He is an avid golf player

Fred-Thomas Altaner joined the team at Zurich Institute of Business Education as Head of Finance on January 1, 2018.

Fred studied at the Zurich Institute’s predecessor organizations and holds an Executive MBA degree from the Lorange Institute of Business Zurich as well as a Master of Science in Finance degree from GSBA. His professional experience includes various roles in finance in both the banking and manufacturing industries. A dual German and Canadian national, Fred spent over 14 years managing accounting and controlling with a large multi-national manufacturing corporation, of which he lived in Toronto, Canada for ten years.

Besides his penchant for numbers, Fred enjoys photography and riding his ATV.

Marianne joined CEIBS in August 2019 and has since been responsible for business development as well as marketing & sales activities in Europe. 

Marianne holds two master’s degrees from one of Europe’s top business schools, a master’s in Management, Organization Studies and Cultural Theory as well as a master’s in law (MLaw (HSG)). She also completed the StanfordME310 Design Thinking Program.

She has a decade of work experience in marketing, sales, advertising, and legal operations. She has demonstrated expertise in managing business operations, strategies, portfolio management, business development, and transformation. She’s a resourceful multitasker distinguished for managing all facets of ATL, BTL, and digital advertising from generating concepts to implementing global campaigns. Marianne is also highly experienced in developing, leading, and deploying marketing and content creation teams across various countries for high-profile clients and projects. She exhibits remarkable efficiency and versatility in communicating with various departments and stakeholders from different industries ensuring maximum efficiency in communication irrespective of cultural backgrounds and geographical differences. She has a plethora of experience working with renowned brands, A-list celebrities, and C-level executives across a wide array of industries in planning and executing their marketing strategies. She frequently works on executive and C-level career planning consultancy providing career development services to graduate level clients.

Marianne speaks Mandarin, English, German, Swiss German, and French. Her first visit to China was in 2009 and she has since then lived several years in the Asia Pacific region (including China and Pakistan), where she worked (at Peking University, AnW Zhongshan Consulting Co, Shenzhen, and AnW Global) and executed projects for the financial, educational and entertainment sector leading consulting projects for clients such as Players IQ, Jacob’s Creek, Adidas, Ian James Rush, Manchester United Football Club, and The Pakistan Stock Exchange. The experience allowed her to witness the innovation that is driving China's solid economic growth till today and act as a bridge builder between the East and the West, leveraging her profound first-hand market and cultural experience.

Dr. Dominique V. Turpin is the European President and Professor of Marketing at CEIBS. He joined CEIBS in September 2022. Prof. Turpin is a marketing expert and Japan specialist. He was IMD's Dentsu Chaired Professor of Marketing and the Dean of External Relations until 2022 and served as IMD President, Dean and Nestlé Professor from 2010 to 2016. Before joining IMD in 1986, he spent several years in Tokyo as a representative of a French firm in Japan. He earned a doctorate in economics from Sophia University in Tokyo, after receiving a master's degree in marketing from French business school ESSCA.

For his outstanding accomplishments in executive education, Prof. Turpin was awarded life-long membership of the International Academy of Management. Prof. Turpin is a board member of EFMD. He is also on the International Advisory Board of prestigious institutions such as the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), Waseda Business School (Japan) and others. He has been a member of CEIBS Academic Council since the very beginning.
 
Prof. Turpin has extensive teaching, consulting, and research experience in the fields of marketing and international strategy in Europe, Latin America, and Asia, particularly in the areas of brand management, customer orientation, and communications strategy. 

He remains active in the writing of case studies, and is working on two books-one with Goutam Challagalla on digital transformation in marketing, and another containing the many quotations from business leaders that he has gathered over his long career.

Prof. Turpin taught on IMD's flagship Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP) program and was previously Director of the school's MBA program and its Program for Executive Development Diploma (PED). He has also directed customized programs for companies such as KAO, Mondelez, Groupe SEB, Panasonic and Japan Tobacco International, and he has worked as a consultant and management educator with a large number of international companies including Coca Cola, CPW, Danone, DSM, Jardine Matheson, Nestlé, Novo Nordisk, Philips and Uponor.
 
Prof. Turpin is the author of more than 100 books, articles and case studies. He has had articles published in the Financial Times, European Business Forum, and MIT Sloan Management Review, and has been a regular contributor to the Nihon Sangyo Shimbun, one of the leading business dailies in Japan. He is an editorial advisor for the Singapore Management Review.
 
Prof. Turpin’s case studies have won several awards. His cases on Toyota and Kineer were recognized in the 2022 John Molson MBA International Case Writing Competition awards, and his case Sam100: Will construction robotics disrupt the US bricklaying industry? won an EFMD Case Writing Competition Award in 2020. He was also included on The Case Centre's list of the top 40 best-selling case authors both in 2015/16 and 2018/19. Prof. Turpin is Chairman of DAA Capital Partners, a Geneva-based private equity firm investing in impactful trends, and serves on the boards of several listed and unlisted companies and educational institutions

Vivian Song joined CEIBS Zurich as a Program Manager on 1st September 2017.

She holds a master’s degree in business administration with a major in Business Development and Promotion from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Switzerland.

Prior to this, she has had an experienced program manager and business development specialist for the past 13 years in various international education institutions and in luxury goods sectors across China and Switzerland, including a Swiss hotel school China office representative, a Singapore A-Level program manager, chief representative for some American universities, and product manager for a luxury brand in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Originally from North China, Vivian has lived in Switzerland since 2013. In her free time, you can find her skiing in the Alps in winter and swimming in the lakes in summer, otherwise she is hiking with her family, friends and her two lovely cats in the forest. She is a passionate traveller as she loves to meet new people and learn other cultures while travelling.

Kristina Schroeder joined CEIBS Zurich in January 2020 as a program manager. She holds a master’s degree in Chinese Studies and Cross-cultural communication, soon undertaking the defense of her dissertation in this field.

Before she worked as a sinologist specializing in the literary fiction of late imperial China. She taught Ming and Qing history and classical literature at the University of Zurich. After living in China for four years, she has surpassed the language barrier, and considers China her second home. In her free time, she is a passionate dancer, moving to the beat of African drums.

Yo-Lu joined CEIBS in April 2020. He is responsible for Program Management in Europe, creating overseas modules and partnerships to develop and grow the CEIBS community. He is also in charge of several major projects contributing to the school's strategies.

He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and spent half a year living and studying in Canada. Previous to CEIBS, his work spans companies at various growth stages, whether it be Taiwanese or multinational organizations. His career path ranges from customer relationship management to account management and client consultancy.

His background is culturally and traditionally connected to China over the last 20 years of living in Asia. However, one of his ambition and work vision is to bridge businesses worldwide to Asia. He was also a professional swimmer with experience teaching at elementary schools and kept swimming as his habit. You can often spot him at Hallenbad City in downtown Zurich.

Kevin joined CEIBS in May 2019 as Program manager.

He holds a B.A. in International Business/Trade/Commerce from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies.

Kevin’s professional expertise is in marketing, business development, customer service and luxury retail management. Before moving to Switzerland, Kevin worked in a few well-known multinational companies in China, including Mitsubishi Corporation, Freudenberg Nonwovens & ExxonMobil China.

Esther joined CEIBS in August 2019 as Financial Accountant & Assistant to the Head of Finance.

She obtained her Commercial Diploma at the Kaufmännische Berufsschule in Zurich, and pursued a Training Programme at the School for Accounting Specialist in Munich, Germany.

Extensive experience as financial accountant in Switzerland and Germany, involved in all areas of accounting, payrolling and personnel administration in various industries,

including the reinsurance sector, a large bookselling/publishing company, a company for membrane technology, in the cement trade sector, a hotel with an upscale restaurant, a contemporary theatre in Zurich.

Esther had several month-long travel experiences in many countries of Southeast Asia including Hong Kong.

She enjoys discovering and exploring nature, photography, reading, drawing & painting, walking, biking, kayaking, rowing and skiing… and especially spending time with her cat.