Meet the founders
NICI - General Manager
The Wild.
Wild is imprinted upon Nici’s being. Some (very close) friends call her 'Mowgli', given her 'wild' upbringing with a multitude of animals. Her 'pack' included seven rescue dogs, tortoises, hamsters, guinea pigs and other animals. Much of her childhood was spent discovering wildlife while hiking around hills and forests of Hungary and Switzerland. As she grew older the 'wildness' evolved into animal super powers similar to that of a lion. She is able to pull her triptrap-seated daughter to the table with her right foot without moving any other muscle!
The Kind.
The youngest of three, Nici had to learn quickly to be resilient. Growing up on hand-me-downs is a great early lesson in humbleness. The value of sharing and caring was always high on her family’s agenda. A new level was reached when her sister chose to share the sunglasses given to her by their grandmother. The gift was proudly snapped in the middle and Nici was handed her half with a smile. With parents who loved and cared for animals and children she quickly understood the importance of kindness and compassion. Ever since childhood Nici has only lived in a household with animals. Furthermore, she has become very active in children’s protection projects and animal rescue over the years.
At Wild.Kind.
With Wild.Kind. Nici is realising her vision of giving children a fun space to play, interact and develop. As General Manager she ensures the smooth running of daily operations and ongoing strategic development of the playschool. She runs a tight ship - of course in full accordance with her values of compassion, teamwork and always with a dollop of Hungarian humour to keep things light.
Growing up.
Nici was born in Basel to Hungarian parents and spent most of her childhood growing up between the two countries. Basel is where her heart is and she knows it like the back of her hand having lived in virtually every postcode across the city and Riehen.
She studied Psychology and Criminal Law at the University of Basel and started her career working with a forensic psychologist, focusing on the protection of minors. Later she furthered her vocation in executive administration roles at several international firms, family offices and financial institutions in Zürich and Geneva before returning to Basel to join the University’s Faculty of Law. Languages and communication are Nici’s comfort zone, demonstrated in her multi-lingual skills. Fluent in German, Hungarian, English and French, her love of Latin also makes her quite a valuable asset for crossword-solving!
DANIEL - Chief Financial Officer
The Wild.
From an early age Daniel spent hours exploring the forest and turning over stones in the garden to discover creepy crawlies. A proud member of the Wildlife Trust since the age of six, he also founded the ‘bat club’ with local children whilst holidaying on one of many European campsites he visited with his family. As he grew older, he took to mixing his fascination for nature with adrenaline-infused activities such as snowboarding, mountain biking and kite surfing.
The Kind.
As the eldest of four children Daniel was always encouraged to care for his younger siblings and lead by example. Whilst employed at Goldman Sachs he championed the firm’s ‘Community Teamworks’ program in Switzerland and was part of the company’s European charitable donations committee. He is passionate about the welfare of children and animals, and takes every opportunity to contribute to that cause.
At Wild.Kind.
With his background in finance, technology, entrepreneurship and human resources, Daniel supports Wild.Kind.’s sustainable development by overseeing the finance and infrastructure side of the business.
Growing up.
Daniel is still growing up and enjoys every minute of it. Born to parents of British, Persian and Swedish origins, he spent his childhood and school years in Switzerland and England. He worked for several international banks before moving into executive search roles, then founding an executive search firm in 2009. Daniel speaks English and German fluently, reasonable French and enough Spanish to get him through Latin America on a couple of long backpacking trips.