Our Governance

General manager

Susanne Brandl is General Manager of the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation since April 2009.
Previously, she was working in the Foundation as senior project manager, promoting its set up, driving its development programmes portfolio, directing communication activities as well as managing international congress participation and NNHF events.

Susanne joined Novo Nordisk in April 2003 as senior project manager, Strategic Planning and Business Development, Novo Nordisk Region Europe, and was promoted to senior health care advisor, Biopharm Europe, Novo Nordisk Health Care AG, in October 2004. In these positions she gained solid experience by driving strategy, pricing as well as sales and marketing effectiveness projects. Prior to her joining Novo Nordisk, she worked for the Munich Re Group in Munich, Germany, since March 1998 as consultant, Alternative Risk Solutions, after having participated in a 2-year international post-graduate programme.

Born in 1970, Susanne is a German national. She is a German lawyer, was appointed attorney in 1998 by the State of Bavaria Court of Appeals of Munich, Germany, took the French law degree, Licence Droit, and trained further in European pharmaceutical law and international marketing.

I am impressed about the high engagement of local community partners when it comes to develop and execute development initiatives with life-changing impact to the benefit of people with haemophilia and allied bleeding disorders.
I believe that joining forces through strong collaboration of parties on a local as well as international community level is the key success factor in accelerating access to care.

Senior project manager

Alexandre Bento Costa Alencar is Senior Project Manager for the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation since September 2009.
His focus is on driving the NNHF programmes portfolio and strategy planning.

Prior to joining the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation he was working for Lipomed AG in Basel as Area Manager responsible for sales, marketing and pharmaco-vigilance for Litak in Spain, Portugal, Iran and Greece. He brings a solid medical, international industry and project management experience.

Alexandre is a Brazilian/Portuguese citizen and graduated as physician in Brazil where he specialised in internal medicine. To gain international experience in the Healthcare Sector, he moved to Canada in 2000 where he worked in a non-profit charitable organisation that runs a rehabilitation and re-integration program for brain injured people. In 2001 he moved to Switzerland to work as Project Manager in the IT industry focusing on medical and clinical trial electronic data capture, registry software and e-commerce services.

Here in the Foundation I saw the real proof that every effort counts to make a difference. We coach and connect people. This task is easier once you go to the field and meet them. Then you remember the faces and gain the motivation needed to accomplish even the most difficult tasks.

Project manager

Susanne Brunner is Project Manager for the development programmes portfolio of the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation since March 2009.
She joined the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation as assistant in January 2008 and supported, in addition to her administrative responsibilities, the Foundation’s projects and communication activities as well as controlling since then.
She gained valuable international experiences during a five-month traineeship at the Swiss Embassy in Santiago, Chile before joining "Hilti Arts & Culture GmbH" in Munich as Project Coordinator for 1.5 years working from Liechtenstein.

Born in 1980, Susanne Brunner is a Swiss national. In 2005 she made her Master of Arts in International Relations at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.

"In a hospital I met an 8 year old boy who came for consultation.
He told me that he had spent 15 hours in the bus together with his mother to come here. There is a hospital where he lives but no one takes care of him there: it is in such moments that I feel the need of our projects and why all efforts are more than worth it".

Project coordinator

Denise Ineichen is Project Coordinator of the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation since November 2010.
She joined NNHF as part-time intern in 2008 and has therefore already sound experience with NNHF programmes and communications activities.

She graduated from her Spanish Linguistics and Literature, Business Administration and International Affairs studies at the University of Zurich in 2010.
During her studies, Denise worked as a Spanish teacher in the Migros Klubschule. She also spent three months in Argentina doing research for her Master thesis.

Born in 1984, Denise is Swiss-Peruvian, grew up in India, Denmark and Argentina and lives in Switzerland since 1999.

"I enjoy working towards a common goal by supporting our project partners to develop their ideas to make them become actions and see the changes and improvements they achieve on-site. It makes me feel proud to be part of NNHF."

Communications Manager



Nuriye Ulucan has been Communications Manager of the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation since April 2009.
She comes from the Healthcare Sector of Siemens where she was working as Global Communications Manager – handling communication activities for the Women’s Health and later for the Urology segments.
Covering external and internal communications she has experience in planning and producing a wide range of media: internet & intranet, print, multimedia projects, film, trade shows & events as well as media relations. In addition, she was part of several project teams and is used to working in collaboration with international and cross departmental teams.
Born in 1976 in Turkey, Nuriye is a German national. She holds a Diplom Betriebswirt (German diploma) in International Business Administration with the major of International Marketing and Management from the University of Applied Sciences in Worms and a French university diploma with the major International Commerce and International Negotiations from the University Montpellier II.

Team assistant

Natasha joined the Novo Nordisk Haemophilia Foundation in March 2011.
As well as providing administrative support to the team, Natasha works closely with the Communications Manager to further the positioning of NNHF through internal and external communications channels.

Natasha’s previous roles have been in the UK non-profit sector, first as a Corporate Account Manager at a national charity for people with learning disabilities, followed by a Project Manager role at the City of London Corporation, where she supported businesses to develop Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.

Natasha holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Policy and Sociology from the University of Sheffield. She is a British national and moved to Switzerland in September 2010.

  "What struck me most on joining NNHF was the culture of collaboration - amongst the team, amongst partners and amongst our wider global network.  It is only through working together that we can achieve our vision, and it's fantastic to support the team in putting this into action"