Irenka Krone-Germann, Dr. oec. (University of Geneva), is the author of the book Part-Time Employment in Switzerland, Relevance, Impact and Challenges (Peter Lang, 2011), a book on part-time employment in Switzerland.

I.Krone-Germann founded the PTO (Part Time Optimisation) association with A. de Chambrier in 2013 and has been the managing director of the PTO association since 2016.

She is also co-founder and co-manager with Razvan Oprea of the match making platform We Jobshare Gmbh, which helps people find a job or topshare partner.

From 2023 to 2026, I. Krone was co-CEO of cinfo, the Swiss competence center for international cooperation, with her topsharing colleague Urs Stauffer. Since 2026 I. Krone is CEO of cinfo.

I. Krone has more than 16 years of experience in job and top sharing.

From 2018 to 2022, I. Krone co-head of networks, knowledge management and communication at cinfo Biel with her colleague Nina Prochazka. She was responsible for the further development of studies and trends on IC (International Cooperation), the moderation of networks, the design of conferences and workshops as well as communication.

In 2016, I. Krone co-edited with Prof. Alain Max Guénette, HEG-Arc, the anthology job sharing, published by L’Harmattan Paris. 34 authors from five countries participated.

In 2019, I.Krone has built the platform fri-access.ch with her daughter Anika Krone in Fribourg in collaboration with Pro Infirmis and Fribourg Tourism. It is a web platform that allows people with reduced mobility to access public places more easily.

2007-2018: Program Officer in the field of international cooperation in trade promotion for developing and transition countries at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO in Bern. There she was Focal Point Sustainable Tourism. During 9 years, she managed cooperation projects in job sharing with her colleague A. de Chambrier in ten countries, from Central Asia to Eastern European countries and the African continent.

2000-2007: Activity in the field of promotion of Switzerland as a business location (Location: Switzerland), as responsible for the publications of Location: Switzerland and moderator of seminars for foreign investors in Japan, India and Great Britain.

2000: Postgraduate University Diploma in “Business Administration” at UC Berkeley Ext., USA.

1995-1999: Swiss delegate and negotiator at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and at the OECD.

1988-1995: University studies in Fribourg and Geneva. Freelance journalist for Swiss daily newspapers. She is also the author of the novel “Sans Racine”, published by Fouqué in 2006.

I. Krone is married and mother of three adult children. She is socially engaged and has been an active member of Zonta (international service club and NGO, www.zonta.org) since 2004. She is currently Co-President of the Zonta Club of Fribourg, Switzerland in job sharing with her colleague Sylvie Bise.

For more detail on the profile of I. Krone, please download the podcast BBC News World Services, How to share a job, March 2026.

Anne Aymone de Chambrier has a double degree in economics and classical music. She is involved in numerous activities in these two fundamentally different fields – science and culture. She has mastered this balancing act first by working part-time and then by job-sharing.

Anne de Chambrier founded the PTO association with I. Krone in 2013 and has been an Expert Coaching in the PTO (Part Time Optimisation) association since 2016.

Since 2007, A. de Chambrier has been working as a program officer in the field of international cooperation and trade promotion in favor of developing and transition countries at SECO in Bern (9 years job sharing with her colleague I. Krone). She manages cooperation projects in various countries, from Central Asia to the African continent.

2000-2007: Within SECO, she has worked in the Economic Policy Directorate on issues such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), relaxation of government regulations and E-Gov. She has regularly represented Switzerland at the OECD (Paris).

1997-2000: A. de Chambrier worked at SGI (Silicon Graphics Manufacturing), an American hardware company, in marketing and business management.

She holds a Master’s degree in Economics and has studied at the Universities of Neuchâtel and Sussex (UK). She holds a viola teaching diploma from the Basel Music Academy.

Cultural activities: since 2013, she has organized a season of classical music at Cormondrèche Castle. Previously, she was a member of various professional ensembles, notably the Neuchâtel Symphony Orchestra until 2009, and taught violin for several years. She regularly plays in a chamber music formation (violist).

The mother of two children, she has decided to work in job sharing for family reasons.