After eight successful years as the Head of the Partnerships and Fundraising Section at CERN, it is with deep gratitude and a bittersweet heart that we announce that Matteo Castoldi is stepping down from his position.
During his tenure, Matteo has overseen the creation and consolidation of fundraising from private donors at CERN through the CERN & Society Foundation. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of CERN’s first strategy for fundraising, and has spearheaded the fundraising campaigns to successfully launch projects such as the Beamline for Schools Competition, the CERN Entrepreneurship Student Programme, the High School Student Internship Programme, Sparks!, and more. In the last two years, Matteo has also supported the capital fundraising campaign of the CERN Science Gateway which has successfully almost reached its fundraising goals within this very short time span.
“It has been a privilege for me to have had the mandate to set up and run CERN’s fundraising activities for so many years. I would like to thank the former and the present CERN management for giving me this opportunity. I would also like to give my gratitude to the team of amazing colleagues at CERN, the wonderful donors, and of course all the past and present members of the Partnerships & Fundraising team, who helped me greatly in order to succeed in this endeavour.”
Matteo has been quintessential to the fact that more than 9,500 high-school students have been engaged with STEM disciplines, more than 190 graduates have been trained and partnerships with more than 80 organisations have been established since the CERN & Society Foundation was born in 2014. We wish Matteo the very best for his next professional adventure.
Filling his shoes is Pascale Goy who has so far spent her career in leadership and human resources management in various international organizations, namely the World Trade Organization and the International Trade Centre, before joining CERN. Pascale took charge of the Learning and Development Group at CERN from its creation, in 2012. She was instrumental in transforming training at CERN into six wide-ranging learning portfolios, from leadership to highly technical fields, with over 500 courses delivered every year to 6000 physicists, engineers, technicians and administrative staff. Her enthusiasm and energy contributed to developing effective and productive partnerships with all departments at CERN over the course of her tenure. Her human touch and strong belief in people’s development and growth potential will definitely stand her in good stead as she embraces this new role.
“Helping to spread the CERN spirit of scientific curiosity is a great cause I believe in. I am honoured to take up this challenge at this moment in my career. It is a remarkable new professional trajectory that inspires me to give everything I have and then some, and to make a difference. CERN is unique indeed, and I look forward to the thrilling experience of driving the Partnerships and Fundraising mission. I cannot wait to get started! I would like to give my thanks to Matteo for the very warm welcome.”
The CERN Director for International Relations Charlotte Warakaulle thanked Matteo for his achievements and welcomed Pascale to the team:
“We are grateful to Matteo for his essential role in the launch and consolidation of fundraising activities at CERN. With vision and dedication, he has built strong and lasting partnerships in support of science, and helped to enhance our impact on society. Matteo’s work provides a firm foundation on which Pascale will build, bringing with her wide-ranging expertise and great passion for inclusive partnerships, learning and education. I look forward to the next exciting chapter for CERN & Society!”
If you wish to know more about the CERN & Society Foundation, the latest Annual Report is now available here.