The Team
Brigitte Bürgisser
Executive Director
Brigitte Burgisser is an entrepreneur and founder of eShortRental.com, a booking platform providing furnished accommodation in the Geneva – Lausanne region since 2006. Her journey to creating eShortRental began in the late 90’s when she was an expat working in private banking for some of the leading International banks. After working in 3 continents, 6 countries and moving 10 times, she returned to Switzerland. She founded eShortRental.com, an online real estate portal with a personal touch and has helped many professionals, families and visitors find their homes in Switzerland.
Since childhood, she felt an urge that society should take more responsibility for its actions for the wellbeing of humanity. With all the knowledge and existing technology, she feels that the potential to achieve a more sensible and equal world for human and nature has yet to be reached. Brigitte is the executive director of The Shen Foundation and is responsible for the day-to-day operations.
Lyell Parry
Director
Lyell McLean Parry has been involved in personal development and the healing arts since the age of 21. His journey began with the Inner Peace Movement, which led him to travel the world, giving lectures on various aspects of personal growth, and hosting a TV show in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Alongside this path, Lyell also worked as a landscape designer, a role that deepened his connection with nature and strengthened his commitment to environmental preservation. He is currently a director of The Shen Foundation and practices as a Shiatsu therapist in Sweden.
Jamilah Bürgisser
Director
After graduating from EHL Hospitality and Business School in 2022, Jamilah jumped right into bringing the Lötschberg Center to life alongside her mother, Brigitte. She takes care of everything hospitality-related - making sure guests have a smooth and memorable stay, managing all communication with them, and overseeing the center’s Airbnb and Booking.com accounts.
Beyond that, she built and runs the center’s website, keeps the social media presence alive, and organizes events that bring people together. She also oversees the volunteer program, making sure each volunteer has a meaningful and enriching experience.
With a deep love for hospitality, Jamilah is all about creating warm, welcoming, and inspiring stays. Having witnessed how Qi Gong and 4Times4Health helped Brigitte recover from cancer, she’s passionate about sharing the Lötschberg Center’s unique energy with others on their own journey.
"Once I graduated, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do in life. At that same time, my mother had just bought this abandoned hotel lost in the middle of the Swiss Alps, so I thought to myself that it was a sign for me to stay and create a place where people could come together, recharge, and heal."
Advisors
Advisor
Dr. Rasmussen is a medical doctor and the CEO for Infinitum Humanitarian Systems (IHS). He is also a Research Professor in Environmental Security and Global Medicine at San Diego State University, and an instructor in disaster medicine within the International Disaster Academy in Bonn, Germany.
Rasmussen has extensive experience in critical humanitarian support and has worked with highly vulnerable communities on five continents. Prior to IHS he served in the US Navy for 25 years aboard nuclear submarines, amphibious ships, and aircraft carriers before being selected as the Founding CEO of InSTEDD, a humanitarian NGO established from a TED Prize awarded to Dr. Larry Brilliant, then Executive Director of Google.org.
Lady Cawdor
Patron
The Dowager Countess Cawdor has lived at Cawdor Castle since 1979. Her passions include care of the environment, organic farming and a host of other scientific interests. She engages in business activities and community development as well as art and cultural events.
A long-standing interest in consciousness studies has led her to develop close links with leading philosophers and scientists and she has consequently hosted a number of conferences that have brought world class leaders together.
The Dowager Countess Cawdor strongly supports the sustainable development vision of the Shen Foundation, both in Scotland, Sweden and worldwide
Advisor
W. Brian Arthur has been described by Fortune Magazine as “one of the US’s leading economic thinkers.” He was formerly Morrison Professor of Population Studies and Economics, and Professor of Human Biology, at Stanford University.
Arthur is one of the pioneers of the science of complexity and has had a long association with the Santa Fe Institute, (he has served on its Board of Trustees, and Science Board). He is currently Senior Advisor to the President of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
He is the recipient of the Schumpeter Prize in Economics (1990), the Lagrange Prize in Complexity Science (2008), and two honorary doctorates. Arthur grew up in N. Ireland, and has lived for several decades in California.