Silke Waterstraat - Member of the Board of Directors

Q: Where is Silke based?

Silke is based in Wallbach, Switzerland .

Q: What languages does Silke speak?

Silke speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Advanced), Japanese (Intermediate) .

Q: How many years of experience does Silke have?

Silke has at least 22 years of experience. During this time, Silke has worked in at least 20 different roles and for 14 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 1 month . Note that Silke may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Silke's latest experience?

Silke's most recent position is Member of the Board of Directors at Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance Compensation Office of the Canton of Solothurn .

Q: What companies has Silke worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Silke has worked for Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance Compensation Office of the Canton of Solothurn , International Organization for Migration (United Nations) , Raiffeisenbank Möhlin , Certon GmbH , and Cryco Think Tank .

Q: Which industries is Silke most experienced in?

Silke is most experienced in industries like Banking and Finance , Education , and Insurance . Silke also has some experience in Energy , Professional Services , and Government and Administration .

Q: Which business areas is Silke most experienced in?

Silke is most experienced in business areas like Finance , Accounting , and Sustainability Management . Silke also has some experience in Project Management , Investments and M&A , and Audit .

Q: Which industries has Silke worked in recently?

Silke has recently worked in industries like Education , Insurance , and Banking and Finance .

Q: Which business areas has Silke worked in recently?

Silke has recently worked in business areas like Finance , Accounting , and Sustainability Management .

Recommended expert

Wallbach, Switzerland

Experience

Jan 2024 - Present

2 years 3 months

Member of the Board of Directors

Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance Compensation Office of the Canton of Solothurn

Public independent organization of the first pillar of the Swiss pension system with CHF 1.5 billion distributed pension insurance benefits and CHF 0.5 billion in pension insurance contributions
Responsible for audit, risk management, finance/budgeting, investments and human resources

Apr 2023 - Mar 2024

1 year

Chairperson, Audit and Oversight Advisory Committee

International Organization for Migration (United Nations)

Represented the AOAC on the Standard Committee on Programmes and Finance (SCPF) and Annual Meeting of the Chairpersons of the Audit Committees of the UN System
Setting the board’s agenda and ensuring appropriate governance
Maintaining a culture of open discussions and exchange with the organization and external stakeholders (e.g., external auditor, ambassadors of member states)

Dec 2022 - Jun 2024

1 year 7 months

External Member, Investment Committee

International Organization for Migration (United Nations)

Elaborating investment proposals to the Treasury Risk Committee

May 2022 - Jun 2024

2 years 2 months

External Member, Treasury Risk Committee

International Organization for Migration (United Nations)

Further development of the investment policy and performance and risk benchmarks
Segregation of duties in the treasury section
Establishment of the current treasury committee structure

Mar 2021 - Present

5 years 1 month

Member of the Board of Directors

Raiffeisenbank Möhlin

Regional cooperative bank with balance sheet of CHF 1.2 billion and four branches
Representing risk management, treasury and market expertise on the board
Initiation and management of the business development project corporate/transaction banking
Member of the Nomination Committee for the recruitment of the new CEO (2023-03-01 – 2023-12-31)

Nov 2020 - Present

5 years 5 months

Member, Audit and Oversight Advisory Committee

International Organization for Migration (United Nations)

Overseeing internal audit, risk management, investigations and evaluations and finance
Interacting regularly with HR, Ethics and the Ombudsman
Elaboration and sounding of a committee workplan for the AOAC

Jan 2020 - Present

6 years 3 months

CEO / Owner

Certon GmbH

Consulting firm in the areas of finance, treasury, accounting and corporate governance
ETH Zurich (from 2025-02-01): Lecturer for Introduction to Finance and Advanced Finance, including financial statement analysis, budgeting, investment decisions, treasury and risk management
Biogas Zurich AG (from 2024-09-01): External secretary to the board providing management and financial reporting, budgeting and governance support during M&A phase
Zurich Insurance Group (2021-01-01 – 2023-12-31): IFRS 9 implementation; member of the leadership team within the Investment Accounting and Administration department. Responsible for external audit, ECL methodology and business model assignments
Kalaidos University (2020-01-01 – 2022-12-31): Lecturer in bank controlling

Jan 2020 - Dec 2023

4 years

Düsseldorf, Germany

Member of the Scientific Board

Cryco Think Tank

Think tank for future research in connection with financial and economic issues

Jan 2019 - Dec 2020

2 years

Board of Directors / Committee Member

Swiss Bankers Association

Represented Swiss Bankers Association at Economiesuisse, Swiss Conference of the Commercial Training Professions (SKKAB) and SAQ Standards Committee
Discussing banking regulation at the highest political levels

Jan 2018 - Present

8 years 3 months

Lecturer, Institute for Finance

University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland

Teaching management accounting/controlling, treasury, digital finance (SAP FICO, Python), corporate governance, sustainable finance and banking at bachelor, master and executive levels
Won public tender for firm-wide, multi-year sustainable finance education for Basel Cantonal Bank
Established an international double degree program on bank treasury risk management
Won public tender from the Swiss Federal Office on Spatial Development ARE for practice-oriented research on sustainable finance embedding in civil society

Jan 2018 - Dec 2019

2 years

Basel, Switzerland

Chairperson of the Audit Committee & Member of the Board of Directors

familea

Responsible for financial management, audit including interaction with the external auditor, controlling/budgeting and review of the financial statements
Standardization of management reporting
Revision of the cost allocation method
Improvement of the internal control system

Jan 2017 - Jul 2020

3 years 7 months

Basel, Switzerland

Member of the Extended Executive Board, Head CEO and Board Office

Swiss Bankers Association

Led the CEO office for the day-to-day management of the secretariat (60 FTE)
Influenced regulatory and legislative initiatives in banking and asset management (Basel III, sustainable finance)
Strategic advisory and agenda setting at board level
Monitoring of corporate governance guidelines
Strategic priority setting
Leadership of projects (culture change, restructuring)
Management of external stakeholders (regulatory bodies, associations)
Membership fee strategy and budgeting

Jan 2016 - Dec 2017

2 years

Basel, Switzerland

Senior Group Governmental Affairs Advisor

UBS

Project leader for advocacy work in conduct, treasury (Liquidity & Funding, Basel III), operational risk, remuneration and corporate governance
Team leadership

Jan 2015 - Dec 2016

2 years

Basel, Switzerland

Head of Commercial Viability (Business CFO)

UBS Asset Management

Set up and implemented a commercial viability/KPI framework within product management across all asset classes pension products
Steered economic profitability of the Asset Management division
Responsible for financial reporting of funds and strategies (invested assets USD 1.1 trillion)

Jan 2011 - Dec 2015

5 years

Basel, Switzerland

Chief of Staff / Chief Administration Officer, Group Treasury & Secretary to the Group ALCO

UBS

Set agenda and authored proposals in treasury/ALM areas (FX risk management, liquidity reserve management, interest rate risk strategies, Repo, XVA, etc.) for the Group ALCO
Communicated decisions and coordinated follow-up with GEB, BoD RC and BoD
Oversaw regulatory relationships worldwide for Treasury, internal control, HR, IT planning (budget CHF 350 m), vendor and cost management
Interface to external auditors

Jan 2010 - Dec 2011

2 years

Basel, Switzerland

Director, Treasury Reporting

UBS

Provided external quarterly and annual reporting and management reporting to the Group ALCO and BoD RC
Held controlling responsibilities including Treasury budgeting, P&L tracking and internal cost allocation

Jan 2008 - Dec 2010

3 years

Basel, Switzerland

Director, FX Risk Management - Group Finance

Ciba (now part of BASF)

Led short- and long-term hedging activities for Northern and Eastern Europe and advised Asia (excluding Japan) on local hedging strategies
Member of Hedge Report Meeting with Group CFO and Group Treasurer to develop hedging strategies for FX, IR and commodity risks
Supported pension fund management

Jan 2007 - Dec 2008

2 years

Basel, Switzerland

Financial Analyst, Investment Research

Basel Cantonal Bank

Analyzed energy and communication sectors globally
Managed a CHF 1.5 billion multi-asset portfolio including pension assets
Monitored, purchased and sold stocks for discretionary mandates
Maintained the bank-wide bond recommendation list
Provided buy-side analysis and recommendations for private banking clients
Set up the sustainable mandates product line

Jan 2006 - Dec 2007

2 years

Basel, Switzerland

Portfolio Manager

Basel Cantonal Bank

Executed investment decisions made by the research team
Managed sector weightings in equities and bonds

Jan 2005 - Dec 2006

2 years

Zürich, Switzerland

Assistant Investment Management

HSZ Group

Performed cash management of funds, share register and deal settlement
Calculated NAV and performance fees for investment funds
Supported investment reporting including pension funds

Jan 2004 - Dec 2005

2 years

Herisau, Switzerland

Junior Investment Professional

Säntis Investment

Cold called private and institutional investors for a start-up private equity fund
Researched potential investment targets, including start-up biotech companies
Developed sales brochures, website content and events

Industry Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Banking and Finance, Education, Insurance, Energy, Professional Services, and Government and Administration.

Banking and Finance

Education

Insurance

Energy

Professional Services

Government and Administration

Business Area Experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Finance, Accounting, Sustainability Management, Project Management, Investments and M&A, and Audit.

Finance

Accounting

Sustainability Management

Project Management

Investments and M&A

Audit

Summary

Silke is a senior finance executive with 20+ years experience in finance, audit, risk management and treasury / asset and liability management.

She has built a demonstrable track record in external and internal reporting and budgeting as well as investment management and corporate governance.

She is experienced in the financial sector, NGOs, the chemical industry and academia.

Skills

Ms Office
Bloomberg/eikon Refinitiv
Spss
Sap S/4 Hana
Hyperion (Basic)
Triple A
Python (Basic)

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

French

Advanced

Japanese

Intermediate

Education

Oct 2010 - Jun 2015

University of St Gallen

Ph.D. · Business Administration (Accounting, Controlling, Auditing) · St. Gallen, Switzerland

Oct 1999 - Jun 2004

RWTH Aachen University

Master’s · Industrial and Organisational Psychology · Aachen, Germany

Oct 1999 - Jun 1999

Tokyo International University / University of St Gallen / University of Konstanz

Japan Studies Program · Japan

...and 2 more

Certifications & licenses

Certificate Of Advanced Studies Board Of Directors

University Of Applied Sciences Lucerne

Python For Everybody

University Of Michigan

Sustainable Business Strategy Program

Harvard University

Certificate Of Higher Education

University Of Basel

Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA)

AZEK / CFPI

Federal Diploma In Financial Analysis And Asset Management

AZEK / CFPI

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 21

Experience in Banking and Finance 21 y

Avg length 3 y

Longest experience 8 y 2 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 2 (Switzerland, Germany)

Primary country Switzerland

Expertise

Recent roles Member of the Board of Directors, Chairperson, Audit and Oversight Advisory Committee, External Member, Investment Committee

Main industries Banking and Finance, Education, Insurance

Main business areas Finance, Accounting, Sustainability Management

Qualifications

Highest degree Doctorate

Certifications earned 6

Profile

Created

March 2024

Last Update

January 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Silke based?

Silke is based in Wallbach, Switzerland.

What languages does Silke speak?

Silke speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced), French (Advanced), Japanese (Intermediate).

How many years of experience does Silke have?

Silke has at least 22 years of experience. During this time, Silke has worked in at least 20 different roles and for 14 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 1 month. Note that Silke may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Silke be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Silke would be well-suited for roles such as: Member of the Board of Directors, Chairperson, Audit and Oversight Advisory Committee, External Member, Investment Committee.

What is Silke's latest experience?

Silke's most recent position is Member of the Board of Directors at Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance Compensation Office of the Canton of Solothurn.

What companies has Silke worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Silke has worked for Old-Age and Survivors' Insurance Compensation Office of the Canton of Solothurn, International Organization for Migration (United Nations), Raiffeisenbank Möhlin, Certon GmbH, and Cryco Think Tank.

Which industries is Silke most experienced in?

Silke is most experienced in industries like Banking and Finance, Education, and Insurance. Silke also has some experience in Energy, Professional Services, and Government and Administration.

Which business areas is Silke most experienced in?

Silke is most experienced in business areas like Finance, Accounting, and Sustainability Management. Silke also has some experience in Project Management, Investments and M&A, and Audit.

Which industries has Silke worked in recently?

Silke has recently worked in industries like Education, Insurance, and Banking and Finance.

Which business areas has Silke worked in recently?

Silke has recently worked in business areas like Finance, Accounting, and Sustainability Management.

What is Silke's education?

Silke holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (Accounting, Controlling, Auditing) from University of St Gallen and a Master in Industrial and Organisational Psychology from RWTH Aachen University.

Does Silke have any certificates?

Silke has 6 certificates. Among them, these include: Certificate Of Advanced Studies Board Of Directors, Python For Everybody, and Sustainable Business Strategy Program.

What is the availability of Silke?

Silke is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Silke?

Silke's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.