Steffen Braasch appointed interim CEO

Norbert Meder completed his term as CEO at SOS Children’s Villages International in November. The International Senate thanks him for his leadership and outstanding commitment.

Mr Braasch will lead the organisation in the continued implementation of SOS Children’s Villages’ key strategic initiatives, including those defined in our Strategy 2030. With its central message that ‘no child should grow up alone’, the strategy commits SOS Children’s Villages to partnering with donors, communities, governments and other organisations to prevent the breakdown of families and to care for children who have lost parental care.

Interim CEO

Steffen Braasch

Steffen Braasch joined SOS Children’s Villages International as CFO in January 2018, after having worked for the BOSCH Group for 18 years. At Bosch, Mr Braasch worked mainly in finance and controlling, while also holding positions in marketing and organisational development. For most of his career at Bosch, Mr Braasch lived and worked abroad. In his last two assignments, he served as vice president for finance and administration in a company acquired by Bosch in Taiwan, and as finance director of a Bosch spin off in Brazil.

Mr Braasch joined SOS in order to contribute his professional experience and skills for greater social impact. “For many years, I had the vision to do something meaningful for society, specifically for children,” Mr Braasch said. “Coming from a family that has donated to SOS Children’s Villages for decades, I am really happy to be part of this tremendously successful global organisation which is doing exactly what I had envisioned – improving the lives of children and families every day.”

Commenting on his new additional responsibilities, Mr Braasch said, “As interim CEO, I will do everything in my power to drive this wonderful organisation further, to implement our Strategy 2030, and to ensure that we keep increasing our impact for the children we serve.”

Departing CEO

Norbert Meder

President Siddhartha Kaul stated, “Norbert Meder in his seven years of leadership positions, including CEO, has guided the federation to a next level of professional management while building bridges with both internal and external stakeholders. It was a tough task, which he performed admirably well. As he embarks on a new phase in his professional and personal life, the Federation and I thank him and wish him the very best.”

Commenting on his departure, Mr Meder said, “After SOS Children’s Villages has successfully reached important milestones, I have decided to resign from my position as CEO at the beginning of November 2019. Significant strategic projects like Strategy 2030 Review, Federation 2030 and Brand Development were approved by the International Senate this month. Furthermore, all leadership positions of the General Secretariat were finally filled. In addition, as a result of impactful advocacy and partnership efforts, the United Nations is poised to adopt a resolution on children without parental care – a historic opportunity to affect a lasting system change.

“SOS Children’s Villages is an extraordinary organisation,” Mr Meder continued. “I am proud to have led it as CFO, COO and CEO over the past seven years, bringing a strong focus to our work in child safeguarding, integrity and compliance. I am very grateful for the trust and support that I have received from the organisation. Looking forward to the next stage in life, I hand over the baton to my successor. For the children and young people who desperately need our support, I wish SOS Children’s Villages and its enthusiastic co-workers continued success and impact.”