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in tHe sPotliGHt
Work With International Flavor
The ideal industry
for a SAIS graduate
might run the
gamut from business
and politics to sustainable
development, health and food
security. Janet Voûte B’76,
’77 is involved in all of these
fields. As the global head of
public affairs for Nestlé, Voûte
is responsible for managing
relationships with United
Nations agencies, NGOs
and other key stakeholders.
She is the first to admit that
it is a dream job, not least
because of the international
character of her work. “I’m
inspired by diversity, different
perspectives and different
cultures,” Voûte said. “There’s
no question that my years at
80 saisPHeRe
SAIS made me a convinced
internationalist.”
Voûte, who lives in Vevey,
Switzerland, started working
on food and health issues
during her time as a strategic
consultant. She began her
career at the Boston Consulting
Group and later worked
at Bain & Company in Paris,
Munich, Zurich and Geneva.
“Many of my clients happened
to be from the food and pharmaceutical
industries, so it
was serendipity,” she said.
“What reinforced my interest
was being a mother of
three children. Naturally you
become interested in food
and health.”
Before joining Nestlé,
Voûte was an adviser at the
World Health Organization.
From 2000–08, she served as
CEO of the World Heart Federation,
a global NGO dedicated
to the prevention and control
of heart disease with a focus
on low- and middle-income
countries. The experience
of tackling food and health
issues both in and outside the
business world has solidified
Voûte’s belief in the publicprivate
partnerships she is in
charge of forging at Nestlé.
“I believe you have to take
the best of each [the public
and private sectors] to solve
social problems,” said Voûte,
who also serves as co-chair
of the International Food and
Beverage Alliance. “Business
has the implementation
capacity to address health,
food security and other
issues, but it needs to be
guided by work with organizations
like the U.N. or NGOs.”
A Homegrown Social Statement
David earling B’90, ’91 traces his appreciation for farm-fresh produce to the
two years he spent in Bologna, the first as an undergraduate at Dickinson
College. His relatives in italy turned him on to the joys of freshly grown
food.
For a long time, his interest was simply a hobby while he put in long hours at
Goldman sachs in new York. He made sauces from tomatoes he grew at home
and tried to re-create Bolognese dishes. But eventually earling and his wife, maria
nicolo, decided to leave manhattan for rural new Jersey, where he grew up. in
2005, they started Gravity Hill Farm.
the farm, which produces 40 varieties of vegetables, 30 kinds of
tomatoes, flowers, fresh eggs and berries, is both a statement for
social change and a lifestyle choice. “it’s important to us that our
two kids have something real in their lives other than nintendo
and other nonsense,” earling said. “they work on the
farm and actually take care of the animals.”
He and nicolo were also unhappy with the “u.s. foodindustrial
complex” and wanted to know what they were
eating, where it came from and what farming on an enormous
scale does to the environment. “we wanted to make
a small contribution toward fighting those bigger forces,” he
said.
through the farm, earling and his wife have partnered
with local food pantries and have gone beyond just donating
produce to holding cooking classes. “we give away a lot of produce
but also try to educate recipients about how to prepare it,”
he said.
earling, who is now a managing director at global advisory
firm solebury Capital llC, also serves on the board of the
northeast Organic Farmers association.