Truffle Speaker 2026

Prof. Design Management epeaswitzerland gmbh 

Daniel Aeschbacher is Swiss. He studied architecture and holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from San José State University, California (SJSU), a Master’s degree in Environmental Technology and Management, and completed postgraduate studies in University Pedagogy at the Lucerne University of Teacher Education, as well as Social

Sasha Cisar is a sustainability and sustainable finance expert with a track record spanning asset management, banking, and academia. He is currently serves as Specialist for Sustainable Investments at the Nest Collective Foundation, an asset owner and pioneer in sustainable investing in Switzerland.

Previously, Sasha led sustainability research and active ownership at radicant bank, Switzerland’s first digital sustainability bank, and held senior roles as Sustainability Analyst and Sustainability Manager at Bank J. Safra Sarasin. Earlier, he conducted research at ETH Zürich on sustainable construction, building on his background as a trained architect.

Beyond his professional roles, Sasha aims to advance sustainability across the financial sector. He frequently lectures on sustainable finance and contributes to industry initiatives such as Swiss Sustainable Finance and he is board member at the Green Fintech Network.

Together with peers, Sasha co-founded the Investor Impact Initiative that aims to strengthen the role of finance in achieving real-world sustainability outcomes, by advancing how investors can generate impact in public markets through capital allocation, stewardship, and field building.

Colinne S. Bartel is the owner of Truffle Time, a subsidiary of AC Innovation GmbH. AC Innovation serves as a marketing and business development catalyst for entrepreneurs. As chief project manager, Ms. Bartel was responsible for capital expenditures and acquisition integration for an Advent International portfolio company that executed one of the fastest growing telecommunications buy & build projects in Europe. After finalizing her MBA and a research trip in East Africa in 2002, Colinne joined McKinsey & Company. Ms. Bartel holds a B.A. in Political Science from University of California, Los Angeles, an M.A. in International Relations from the Claremont Graduate School and a dual MBA in Strategy and Finance from The Peter F. Drucker School of Management and the EDHEC Business School. Her passions are sports, the arts and cultural exchange.

Nicholas Hänny is Co-Founder and CEO of NIKIN, a Swiss apparel brand built around the belief that sustainability must become the new normal. With the promise “1 product = 1 tree planted”, NIKIN has planted over 2 million trees since 2016. Nicholas leads NIKIN’s journey toward circularity, including Cradle to Cradle certified products, and works on scaling responsible production in Europe while inspiring a growing community to take action for nature.

Professor Anna Klis is an Associate Professor in the Economics Department at Northern Illinois University. She is also a Faculty Associate of our interdisciplinary Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy and an Affiliate of the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability. She completed her PhD in 2015 at the University of Texas at Austin with specialties of game theory and microeconomic theory, and an emphasis on environmental topics. Dr. Klis has particular interest in environmental externalities, including emissions, hidden resource management, and overfishing and overharvesting of natural resources, among others. Her research has a special focus on international agreements, how the structure of an agreement can affect membership and effectiveness, and the theoretical implications of such models. She has published in journals such as Ecological Economics, Journal of Environmental Management, and the B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics, and she currently serves as Managing Editor of the Agricultural and Resource Economics Review.

Danae Motta is a Sustainability Investing & Engagement Specialist at Robeco. With a background in Climate Sciences from the University of Bern, she first joined the company as a sustainability researcher, and now leads corporate engagement for Robeco’s thematic strategies, focusing on human rights, responsible sourcing, circular economy, and biodiversity across global apparel and textile value chains. With over 10 years of industry and sustainability experience, Danae works closely with portfolio managers and analysts to integrate material ESG risks and opportunities into investment decision-making and to develop proprietary engagement frameworks that drive measurable outcomes.