Team

Mr. Fischer has a long history of supporting the public interest through philanthropic and other not-for-profit endeavors.

He is a member of the advisory board of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a public interest research centre with a focus on protecting privacy, freedom of expression, and democratic values in the information age.

He also serves as a board member of the East West Institute, an NGO active in preventing and resolving global conflicts through non-governmental diplomatic channels.

Mr Fischer has also worked extensively to support the environment. His own personal conservation work has included acquiring and preserving rainforests and land in both Costa Rica and the Patagonia region of Chile.

He has supported the worldwide conservation efforts of the Jane Goodall Institute, and has served as a board member and vice-chairman.

He organised and co-founded Oceans 5, an international funder’s collaborative with a focus on marine life, particularly constraining overfishing and establishing marine reserves.

Mr Fischer also founded Planet Heritage Foundation, a non-profit with a focus on global ecological issues. One of Planet Heritage Foundation’s key initiatives is the Electrification Coalition — an alliance of business leaders committed to promoting electric vehicles on a mass scale.

Mr. Fischer’s career began as a computer entrepreneur when he founded his first high-tech start-up company in 1973. He ultimately went on to become majority owner of RSA Data Security, which founded VeriSign. He served as co-owner, with Mr. Stanley Druckenmiller, of Duquesne Capital Management from 1981 until Mr. Druckenmiller’s retirement in 2010.

Bendl brings with him a wide range of experience. He worked as Attaché for Industrial Affairs at the Permanent Representation of Austria to the European Union in Brussels. Acting on behalf of the Federation of Austrian Industry, he has brought forward Austria’s position into international working groups at the OECD and into European Union negotiating committees.

He has headed marketing and PR departments, has founded his own company and was Assistant Researcher at the Institute for Economics in Salzburg. Bendl carried the responsibility for a complex worldwide software business for Siemens, where he negotiated contracts with global clients and international project partners.

Bendl holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Salzburg, and he has completed the Export Academy at the University of Innsbruck and executive training at Babson College (USA).