The Character of Foundations
Foundations are legal persons. But what kind of person are we creating?
A foundation is given more than assets, rules and governing bodies. Over time, it develops a character of its own.
That character reveals itself most clearly when there is no easy answer. When different responsibilities meet. When what is legally possible is not necessarily what is right. When the question becomes what an institution owes to itself.
Such questions need a confidential setting in which there is no pressure to reach quick agreement, and in which doubt, disagreement and difficult truths can be spoken.
What is already in the room
I join as an independent external voice when a foundation board senses that something needs to be clarified, but the real question is not yet within reach.
Together, we look at the tensions shaping the institution. I listen closely, name what has remained unspoken and help disentangle what has become intertwined.
The aim is not to reach a quick solution or agreement in the room. It is to see more clearly what is at stake and find a responsible way through it.
For foundation boards meeting in confidence.
Invite an independent voice into the room
If an independent external perspective could be helpful to your foundation board, I would be glad to hear what is occupying your attention.
Biography
Hanna Byland is a Swiss lawyer specialising in foundation law, governance and institutional responsibility. She advises founders, families and foundation boards, serves on foundation boards and investment committees, and carries executive responsibility for a Swiss entrepreneurship foundation. Her work centres on the decisions through which institutions preserve their purpose, continue to develop and carry responsibility across generations.