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Members

PLANAT-Members

PLANAT consists of 18 honorary members who are appointed by the Federal Council for a period of four years. Experts from research, professional organisations, insurance companies and other sectors of the economy are represented, as well as from federal offices and cantonal enforcement authorities responsible for natural hazards. 

PLANAT endeavours to recruit members with a broad range of specialist expertise, from all language regions and with a balanced age and gender distribution. Members can serve a maximum of three terms in PLANAT. 

The vested interests of the individual members are listed on the Federal Council portal.

The PLANAT members

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Dörte Aller

Dipl. Meteorologin

Owner of Aller Risk Management GmbH / Head of Climate Adaptation and Natural Hazards, Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA)

President PLANAT
Committee

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Bernard Belk

MSc. Agrarwissenschaften ETHZ

Deputy Director, Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG

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Stefan Brem

Dr. phil. UZH

Head of Further Development, Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP), Head of Civil Protection Further Development

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Esther Casanova

Dipl. Kulturingenieurin ETHZ
NDS Raumplanung ETHZ

Member of the Executive Board and Project Manager, Stauffer & Studach

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Christine Eriksen

Ph.D. Human Geography

Principal Investigator, FiRES Project (SNSF Consolidator Grant), Department of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Political Science, ETH Zurich

Committee

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Heike Fischer

Dipl.-Ing. FH Mainz

Technical Lead for Monitoring Engineering Structures, Natural Hazards, and Railway Access, Swiss Federal Railways SBB

Committee
Information/Communication working group

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Nathalie Gigon

Dr. sc. Geographie

Responsible department for senior citizens, City of Fribourg

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Christoph Hegg

Dr. phil. nat.

Deputy Director, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL)

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Edi Held

Dr. sc. nat. ETHZ

Managing Director Natural perils pool, Swiss Insurance Association SIA

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Michel Jaeger

MSc Umwelt-Ing. ETHZ

Environmental and mobility planner, Città di Lugano

Committee 

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Alain Marti

Deputy Director, Association of Cantonal Building Insurers (VKG), Intercantonal Reinsurance Association (IRV), and Association of Cantonal Fire Insurers (VKF)

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Heidi Mittelbach

Dr. Sc. ETHZ

Project Manager for Climate Adaptation and Heat Reduction, Environmental and Health Protection Zurich (UGZ), Construction and Urban Planning Division

Information/Communication working group

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Marie Claude Noth-Ecoeur

Head of the Cantonal Office for Civil and Military Security, Canton of Valais

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Franziska Schmid

Dr. phil. nat. Geografie

Partner and Consultant KEK - CDC

Committee
International working group

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Wanda Wicki

MSc. Geografie

Head of section (topsharing) Risk management, Hazard Prevention Division, Federal Office for the Environment FOEN

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Claudio Wiesmann

Dipl. Forstingenieur ETHZ

Project Manager, Natural Hazards, Deputy Head of Department, Transport and Infrastructure, Canton of Lucerne

Information/Communication working group

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Markus Wyss

Dipl. Bauing. ETHZ

Chief Engineer, Civil Engineering Office of the Canton of Bern, Chief Engineer District I, Department of Construction and Transportation, Canton of Bern

International working group

 

Committee

The committee is responsible for personnel decisions, the long-term planning of PLANAT projects and bears financial responsibility for smaller projects. The President and Vice-President are also elected by the Federal Council for a four-year term of office.

  • Dörte Aller, Chairwomen and President
  • Christine Eriksen
  • Heike Fischer
  • Michel Jaeger
  • Franziska Schmid

Working groups

PLANAT works in various working and project groups: 

Information/Communication working group

further develops risk communication, organises the platform meetings and prepares the activity reports.

 

  • Heike Fischer, Chairwoman
  • Heidi Mittelbach
  • Claudio Wiesmann 
  • Susanna Niederer (Office support)

International working group

cultivates PLANAT's international relations and maintains contacts with natural hazard platforms in Europe and worldwide.

 

  • Franziska Schmid, Chairwoman
  • Markus Wyss
  • Helen Gosteli (Office support)

Security level project group

anchors PLANAT's recommendations among experts on the level of safety to which Switzerland aspires and develops them further.

 

Last change: 09.12.2025