Meet the Team

Andrea Keller has worked in international career management for over two decades. She began with a major personnel placement firm in Zurich, Switzerland. She came to the United States in 1995 and joined Thunderbird, where she advanced to Director of Business Development of the Schoolʼs Career Management Center. In November 1998 she joined C.O.I. as its Chief Executive Officer.

Erin Henry joined C.O.I. the beginning of 2008 after relocating to Arizona from the Pacific Northwest. She graduated from Oregon State University and spent some 20 years in Portland, Oregon in human resources and the recruiting industry. She prides herself on building strong relationships with her customers as well as developing and leading teams of successful recruiters and account executives through the years.

Emily Davies comes from an extensive background in management and recruiting from one of the largest providers of higher education in the United States. Through her experiences, Emily has developed a knack for identifying a candidate’s potential career opportunities and key characteristics needed in successful corporate employees. Her passion is building mutually beneficial business relationships with people from all over the world. Emily has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Arizona Eller School of Management in Business Administration.

Andre Siegenthaler spent 27 years with the Hilti Group in Liechtenstein. He held various Senior Human Resources responsibilities which included Vice President Human Resources International in Liechtenstein, Vice President Human Resources Western Hemisphere and as a member of the Executive Management Group in Tulsa/USA, as well as other senior HR roles. He joined C.O.I. as the Executive Search Business Partner in May, 2009.

Ildikó Mueller-Kovacs brings an extensive background in Human Resources, Coaching, Leadership, and Organizational Development. Ildiko has worked with many leading international organizations in Europe, North America and Asia in various industries including Banking, Information Technology, Pharmaceuticals/Biotech, Automotive and Retail. Ildiko is a Qualified Administrator of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Instrument. She has over ten yearsʼ of experience in management within various blue chip organizations in Switzerland.

Claudia Pena Gonzalez joined C.O.I. in August 2019 as ESBP for Latin America. Claudia has 25 years of experience in human resources and marketing. Some of her primary focus has been within management consulting where she supported a variety of industry on topics including Strategy, Business Process Re-Engineering, Continuous Improvement and Total Quality Management (TQM). Claudia graduated from the Universidad Panamericana with a degree in Business, HR and has advanced studies in Human Capital. Claudia is residing in Mexico.

Originally from Switzerland, Emanuel studied Civil Engineering & Architecture at ETH, before completing his degree in Education at UZH. His background includes medical training & team management, followed by roles in different educational institutions, companies, & non-profit organizations in program management, event management & was a driving force in building up online radio stations and a live video broadcasting platform. Team building and helping other people achieving their goals has always been his passion and has guided him on his way. Emanuel speaks Swiss, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Alain, is the General Manager of C.O.I.ʼs Zurich office. He received his practical education in business and real estate administration over a five year period under a scholarship provided by the Swiss Authorities to its Employees while working as an Administrator in the Finance Department of the Canton of Zurich. He holds a CPA license in Switzerland and has extensive experience in accounting and audit.

Bernd Haase joined C.O.I. in July 2020 as Business Partner. Fueled by a 25-year career with several heavy equipment manufacturers, Bernd is calling the global marketplace home. Crossing many cultures in various advancing Sales, Marketing and Customer Support roles he resided with his family on multiple continents before relocating to Virginia Beach, Virginia in 2001. Bernd offers extensive leadership and organization development knowledge to every encounter. Bernd graduated with a B.Sc. – Mechanical Engineering and MBA from Fachhochschule Dortmund/Germany (University of applied Science and Art).

Dr. Karen S. Walch, associate professor and consultant at Thunderbird School of Global Management, has an academic background in international negotiation, cultural competencies, and political economy. She has several decades of experience in various business and academic contexts, including insurance, law, tourism, aquaculture, security studies, and MBA graduate education. Karen pursued a Ph.D. in international political economy and negotiation at the University of Wisconsin while working in business, political, and legal settings.

Dr Marion Welp, JD, has built an impressive career starting with a renowned Law firm in Germany before moving to inhouse counsel in the US for Ecolab and then Group General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer for the fashion brand, Esprit. She has served on the Association for Inhouse Lawyers in Germany and recognized as “Top 100 General Counsel” by Legal500. Marion’s deep cultural and emotional understanding of people and their drivers, her leadership and ability to drive organizational change has brought her to HR where she also served as CHRO and Legal Affairs Officer for Esprit. Marion is also a CLCI certified Coach.

Chris is an Organization Effectiveness Consultant, Executive Coach, Business Advisor, and the founder of Mariposa Consulting International who specializes in Organization Effectiveness & Change Management, Executive Coaching & Development, HR Excellence programs, and Business Advisory support. For over 25 years, he held senior HR leadership roles at several major technology companies. A graduate of Sheffield Hallam University with a degree in Environmental Studies, a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD, SHRM-SCP certified, and a founding member of their Leadership Board in Austria & Germany.

Dr. Christoph A. von Arb is the Founder and President of ‘International Initiatives Inc. – TRIPLEYEʼ, a Swiss based consulting firm. In 1990 he joined the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, DC as Counselor for Science and Technology and later was appointed Head of International Affairs, Office of the State Secretary for Education and Research. From 2002 to 2008, Dr. von Arb served as Consul General and Director of the first Scientific Consulate of Switzerland, Swissnex Boston in Cambridge, MA, USA. He has served on the Scientific Board of Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, as well as the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce.

Reyad Fezzani has over 21 years of experience as a global energy business executive and a passion for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology. Reyad was raised and educated in the UK, and holds a Masterʼs Degree in Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology from Imperial College, London. He has worked in Asia, Europe, North Africa, and the United States. Reyadʼs Specialties include: Renewable and Alternative Energies (including Solar, Wind, Biofuels and Biochemcials), Oil Products Refining, Marketing and Petrochemicals, Oil Supply Trading and Logistics, Oil and Gas Exploration & Production, Mergers & Acquisitions.

During Warren Turskiʼs 35-year career at General Motors, he has facilitated hundreds of workshops with measurable results. One of his core competencies is performance management development and execution for large-scale complex programs and processes. He has experience in leading global teams to drive performance improvements using metrics and highly-visible focused communications.

Danyra has an extensive HR background including talent acquisition from entry to senior leadership level roles. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Relations from “Universidad de Carabobo”, along with an Advanced Management Program post grade at IESA in Venezuela. Her experience has allowed her to develop a keen eye for identifying and attracting highly qualified talent across the board, gained at Fortune 500 organizations in the US and Latin America in various industries. She has a proven track record of expertise working in multicultural, evolving, fast pace & diverse environments. She has a passion for building long-lasting client relationships.

Mia I. Brandon graduated from the University of Virginia with a German Interdisciplinary Studies major and double minors in Bioethics and Philosophy. During that time, she was selected as a scholarship recipient to work in Berlin, Germany where she spent the summer consulting, marketing, and doing legal work on the GDPR. This led to her pursuit of a Master’s degree from Georgetown University in Human Resources Management where she focused on global HR, DEI, and consulting. In her current work, she thrives with creative thinking and design, organization, detail-orientation, and in client interactions.

Monika Rejonis began her professional career in Europe and moved to the United States in 2014, bringing extensive experience from various industries. Originally from Poland, she graduated from the University of Warsaw, holds an aPHR certification, and continues her education by pursuing an MBA. Monika thrives in multicultural work settings with challenging opportunities. Her relationships with clients are built on a solid foundation of trust and dedication. She speaks Polish, German, and English fluently.