Cristina Riesen is a seasoned entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in the fields of strategic communications, innovation, technology and education. A lifelong learner by design,
she is an EMScom graduate, certified strategic foresight practitioner and
design thinking professional.
In recent years, Cristina was actively involved in the tech startup world,
was General Manager EMEA at Evernote,
managed the launch of the Swiss Edtech Collider at EPFL Lausanne,
worked with the Strategic Development team at ETH Zurich
and founded Educreators Foundation,
an impact network supporting systemic change in education.
She is currently a Board Member of the European Innovation Council, a game-changing novelty of Horizon Europe and by far the most ambitious innovation initiative that Europe has taken.
With a budget of €10 billion for the period 2021-2027, it supports startups, SMEs and research teams developing high-risk, high-impact breakthrough innovations.
Cristina was named Digital Shaper by the leading Swiss economic
magazine Bilanz in 2019 and 2020.
Current Projects
Educreators Foundation
Founder and CEO
An impact network on a mission to support systemic change in education through participatory design, innovation and entrepreneurship. Informed by research and working closely with strategic partners, we create initiatives aiming to deeply help transform primary and secondary education in Switzerland and beyond.
European Innovation Council (EIC)
Board Member
Under the Horizon Europe legislation, the Board has the role to guide the implementation of the EIC as Europe’s flagship innovation programme with a budget of EUR 10 billion, supporting game-changing innovations throughout the lifecycle from early stage research to the financing and scale up of start-ups and SMEs. In particular, the Board advises on the EIC strategy, work programme and thematic portfolios in order to maximise the impact of the EIC. It may also advise on broader innovation policy matters.
DigiEduHack
Steering Board Member
DigiEduHack is an EIT initiative under the European Commission's Digital Education Action Plan, led by EIT Climate-KIC and coordinated by Aalto University. The last edition happened online and offline on November 9th and 10th, 2021. DigiEduHack is free, inclusive, sustainable, and open to anyone worldwide. Join us and co-create the future of education in the digital age!
Watch the interview at CNN Money Switzerland here.
Parents, educators and communities can accelerate positive change in education.
Interview aired in April 2018 on CNN Money Switzerland.
Transforming everyday places into learning opportunities.
Tamedia TX 2019
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