Nora Wilhelm is a Ph.D. researcher at the University of Geneva (Geneva School of Social Sciences affiliated with the Environmental Governance and Territorial Development Institute) working on the institutional work and self-work of leaders attempting to create systems change. She holds a BA in International Affairs from the University of St. Gallen and a MSt in Social Innovation from the University of Cambridge. A changemaker since her teens, Nora Wilhelm distinguished herself as a young leader, receiving awards such as UNESCO Young Leader and Forbes 30 under 30. In 2017, she co-founded collaboratio helvetica, an initiative that catalyses systemic change towards the Agenda 2030 in Switzerland. In 2023, she created the well • change atelier to make art-based processes and tools to cultivate connection, creativity, and well-being available to more people. In 2024, she founded Parayma to support systems change leaders with insights, tools and coaching. She is a renowned systems change practitioner and sought-after international speaker and consultant.

Thesis

Research interests

Nora Wilhelm’s research focuses on the institutional work and self-work of leaders attempting to create systems change. Across different papers, she studies the state-of-the-art in systems change research, strategies to change large-scale institutions such as Social Innovation Labs, the challenges that systems change leaders meet and how they overcome them. 

Systems change, large-scale institutional change, social innovation, social extrapreneurship, heterogenous/cross-sectoral collaboration, social innovation labs, regenerative leadership, funding systems change