Following the acquirement of her Matura in 1991 at the Handelsakademie in Deutschlandsberg (AT), Sonja Koch worked for the accounting department of a large shoe store chain in Graz (AT).

Due to personal reasons, she emigrated to Switzerland in 1994.

From 1996 to 2006, she worked in a HR Consulting firm in Zug (CH) as Key Account Manager and HR Consultant, where she managed the recruitment of IT specialists (contractors as well as permanent employees) for the financial services department and other branches.

In 1999, Sonja Koch obtained the ‘eidgenössisch diplomierte Personalfachfrau’ by attending a course in HR Management.

In 2006, she was appointed to the position of HR-Specialist/Senior Recruiter in a Swiss bank in Zurich, for which she managed the entire recruitment process of employees and middle management to the IT department, particularly for the international sector for IT-Infrastructure.

This included the following activities:

• preparing job descriptions, publishing job advertisments, and making recommendations for the media strategy;
• pre-selecting job applications, conducting both in-person and telephone interviews in German and English, and submitting employment offers as well as the signing of contracts;
• making enquiries regarding work permits and references;
• consulting the department managers and HR Client Relationship Managers regarding the recruitment process;
• developing and maintaining the relationship with potential candidates and employment agencies;
• managing the external communicaton of the bank;
• communicating the company policy as well as the terms and conditions of employment.

In 2008, Sonja Koch took on the challenge of establishing and developing the ISG Services in Switzerland, operating as Managing Director of ISG Personalmanagement (Switzerland) Ltd.

Languages: German, English
Interests: Family, Friends, Nature, Garden, Acrylic Painting, Golf