Team | Gift

OUR TEAM
GIVE IT FORWARD TRUST

ROMAN PELKA

Roman co-founded GIFT in 2020, bringing over 20 years of experience in alternative investment strategies. He began his career at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, later working in private equity at HG Capital and as Managing Director at Carlyle. In 2009, he founded Montfort Capital, followed by Montfort Funds in 2014. Roman holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Vienna and an MBA from INSEAD. Austro-Swiss by background, he is fluent in English, German, French, and Spanish.

SOPHIE PELKA

Sophie co-founded GIFT in 2020, driven by her belief in the power of professionalised philanthropy to create lasting change, especially for women and girls. In 2022, she joined the Executive Committee of Giving Women, a global network advancing women’s empowerment. She began her career in London’s financial sector, specializing in leveraged finance, before moving into private equity. She holds a degree in Business Administration from the Université de Louvain-La-Neuve, completed a program at Georgetown University, and is fluent in French, English, and German. Sophie is a mother of four who combines her philanthropic work with her passion for sports and adventure.

CHRISTIAAN DE LINT

Christiaan co-founded GIFT in 2020 and is also the founder of Headway Capital. He previously worked in alternative investments at Coller Capital and in Citigroup’s Alternative Investment Strategies group, after starting his career in Citibank’s corporate banking department in London and New York. He holds a degree in Economics, Business, and Law, as well as an MBA from the University of St. Gallen. Christiaan is Swiss-Dutch and fluent in English, French, and German.

GIFT acknowledges the following donors for their invaluable trust and contributions:

We are deeply grateful for your partnership in our mission. Together, we are transforming lives.

HOSTED BY
SWISS PHILANTHROPY FOUNDATION

Give It Forward Trust is hosted by Swiss Philanthropy Foundation (SPF), an independent non-profit umbrella foundation created in 2006.
SPF offers philanthropists a simple, professional, and cost-effective structure to achieve their charitable goals.
Through this partnership, GIFT benefits from SPF’s strong governance and compliance standards, ensuring transparency and accountability in every donation. This structure enables us to focus fully on our mission while giving donors additional advantages.

Donations made to GIFT via SPF qualify for tax deductibility in Switzerland, the UK, the US and other major European jurisdictions, further enhancing the impact of giving.

CHF 584 MILLION

hosted since its creation

in 2006

126
philanthropic funds hosted since its creation

CHF 372 MILLION
donated since inception in 2006

CHF 60 MILLION

in donations distributed in 2025

1'237
beneficiary organisations

OUR TEAM GIVE IT FORWARD TRUST

GIFT acknowledges the following donors for their invaluable trust and contributions:

HOSTED BY SWISS PHILANTHROPY FOUNDATION

Join Us to Transform Women & Children's Lives

OUR TEAM
GIVE IT FORWARD TRUST

HOSTED BY
SWISS PHILANTHROPY FOUNDATION