Katharina Lichtner

Managing Director at Family Larsson-Rosenquist-Foundation

Panellist

Katharina combines decades of deep, complimentary expertise in science, business building, investing and leadership to guide the foundation in its daily operations and toward achieving its long-term strategic goals.

Katharina joined FLRF in 2015. Under her leadership, the foundation has developed from a newly established philanthropy with a big vision to an internationally recognized funder and innovator in the field of breastfeeding and breastmilk. In less than 10 years, FLRF endowed five independent research centers, funded over 20 discrete research and tool development projects, and launched the LactaHub knowledge platform – an open access source of evidence-based information and resources for policymakers and practitioners. This work exposed a know-do gap between policy and implementation. With sustainable impact in maternal and child health firmly in focus, Katharina is now leading FLRF in the development of an innovative operationalization method to close this critical gap, particularly in low resource settings.

Katharina launched her career with McKinsey & Company, then co-founded Capital Dynamics in 1999, co-leading the private asset manager operationally and strategically for nearly 15 years. What began as a team of three grew to 160 professionals in 14 offices worldwide, managing over USD 18 billion in assets for institutional investors (as of 2013). Next, she took Digital Overlay®, a ground-breaking virtual replacement technology for in-stadium perimeter advertising boards, from a technology invention to market entry in three years, with startup AIM Sport Vision.

Katharina is lead editor and co-author of several books. She has written numerous articles on private equity, clean energy and business creation and is frequently invited to speak at global investing, health and development conferences. She currently serves on the steering committees of the Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Consortium and Stronger Foundations for Nutrition and the boards of directors of Landfair Capital and PSP Swiss Property.

Katharina trained in biochemistry and molecular biology and holds a PhD in immunology from the Basel Institute for Immunology.