SOAR - Zurich Chapter
Switzerland became part of the SOAR family in September 2013. The first Armenian families settled in Switzerland at the end of the 19th century, fleeing persecution of Sultan Abdul Hamid in the Ottoman Empire. They settled mainly in French-speaking Switzerland. During and immediately after the Armenian Genocide of 1915, other refugees arrived. In the 1920s, Pastor Kraft Bonnard created an orphanage in Begnins where more than 200 orphans and genocide survivors found refuge. After finishing their studies, some remained permanently in Switzerland.
At the end of the Second World War, the community in Switzerland reached approximately 300 people. Since then, the number has continued to grow. The situations in the Middle East, in the former Soviet Union, and in independent Armenia have encouraged many Armenians to immigrate to the West. It is estimated that approximately 5,000 Armenians live in Switzerland today.
The majority of Swiss Armenians are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, under the jurisdiction of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin. There are four church regions: Geneva, Zurich, Neuchatel and Lugano. The Saint Hagop Church in Troinex serves mainly the West of the country, while Armenians living in the East conduct their religious services in a number of sister Swiss churches. There are also a smaller number of Armenian Catholics belonging and even a smaller number of Armenian Evangelicals.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Valentina Galechian
President
Valentina is an international relations specialist, polyglot, and Francophile currently residing in Zurich, Switzerland.
With a strong foundation in international relations and political science, Valentina completed a Bachelor of Social Sciences in International Relations at Caucasus International University in Tbilisi, Georgia. Then pursued a Master of Arts in Social Sciences with a focus on Baltic Sea Region Studies at the University of Tartu in Estonia and earned a Master’s in Social Sciences, specialising in Eastern European and Russian Studies, from Vilnius University in Lithuania. Her academic journey also included an enriching exchange program at Science Po Bordeaux in France.
Other experience includes internships and practices at the Embassy of Georgia to Canada and the Kingdom of Sweden, and at the Ministry of Education, Science, and Youth of Georgia. She also worked as a translator and been involved in NGO work, engaging with ethnic minorities and participating in both governmental and non-governmental organizational activities.
Valentina is fluent in English, Georgian, Russian, and Armenian, with a good command of French and Italian.
Dr. Nvart Najarian Magdassian
Dr. Nvart Najarian Magdassian was born in Yerevan and raised in Beirut in a ‘mixed’ Armenian family; therefore, she is fluent in both Western and Eastern Armenian.
After schooling in Beirut Dr. N Magdassian received her Primary Medical Qualification from Yerevan State Medical University and continued her specialization in Clinical Oncology in London. She received a Masters’ Degree in Cancer Research from Cancer Institute of University College London. Dr. N. Magdassian gathered her clinical experience in clinical oncology, hematology and tried her hand in transplantational medicine in Kings’ College London and Cambridge University Hospitals before settling in Zürich Switzerland, where she lives and works currently with her family.
Outside of work, Nvart enjoys theatre, books, art and music. She is a keen skier and likes hiking. She is fluent in Armenian, English, German, conversational Russian, French and Arabic.
Talin Vartevanian
Talin was born in Tehran, of Armenian heritage, and was named after Talin, a small town in Aragatsot Province, Armenia.
The youngest child of three, her family moved to London when she was 2 years old and that’s where they grew up and were educated. Talin has two older brothers, Robert, who lives in the UK and Vigen, who lives in Armenia and teaches English at the American University of Armenia.
Her first ever visit to Armenia was in 1999, and she currently returns around three times a year to spend time with her elderly parents. They have a beautiful house in Nor Geghi in Kotayk Province, where Talin’s sister-in-law makes fabulous jams and juice from their plentiful fruit trees.
Talin is extremely fortunate to have had two professional passions in her life, the first with horses and the other, eCommerce and Digital business. Horses consumed her as a teenager, and she was lucky enough to be able to follow and achieve her dreams of being a professional Show Jumper representing Great Britain. Talin trained rider and horse and judged Affiliated Dressage until her mid-thirties. She then worked for her brother Vigen at his motorbike shop in London and that’s where she discovered eCommerce (online shopping).
Being obsessed with creating great consumer experiences and using her entrepreneurial spirit, Talin grew as a Global eCommerce and Digital leader and business partner, which led her to fashion retailers in the UK and then a move to Lugano, Switzerland in 2010 to work for VF Corporation, American owner of high-profile outdoor apparel and sportswear brand. Now living in Zurich, Talin is working remotely for 5.11 Tactical, an American outdoor clothing, footwear, uniforms and tactical equipment brand.
Working for Global companies, supporting multiple regions and cultures, she has developed an ability and passion for mentoring and empowering talent and those less fortunate than herself, to achieve their personal and professional goals and dreams.
Armenia is incredibly close to her heart and if she can help her mother Country and her people in any way, she would love to play a part.