Advisor | Sustainability
elea Chair for Social Innovation & Dean of the EMBA, IMD Business School
Vanina Farber is an award-winning economist and political scientist specializing in social innovation, impact entrepreneurship, and sustainable finance. She is the founding director of the elea Center for Social Innovation at IMD in Switzerland, where she works at the intersection of business and purpose, helping organizations align profit with positive societal outcomes.

Vanina designs and delivers executive programs for global institutions such as CaixaBank, HSBC, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, supporting their integration of ESG and impact strategies. She is also the co-author of The elea Way, a book capturing key lessons on scaling impact sustainably.

Prior to joining IMD in 2018, she was a professor at Universidad del Pacífico in Peru. Since 2022, she has served as Dean of IMD’s Executive MBA program, where she continues to shape leaders capable of driving inclusive and purpose-driven innovation.

In June 2025, Vanina joined Linzor Capital’s ESG and Impact Committee, further strengthening the firm’s commitment to responsible investment and long-term value creation.