5 questions for Anna – the Valley’s new COO

We’re thrilled to welcome Anna Mucha to the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley team as our new Chief Operating Officer. With deep roots in both corporate supply chains and agile entrepreneurship, Anna brings a rare blend of operational depth, systems thinking and innovation mindset to the Valley. We caught up with her to talk about circularity, bold collaboration, and what’s next for SFNV.

What motivated you to join Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley as COO?

Looking back, I started my career by building reliable and sustainable supply chains within food. I then moved on to build a company and a family. Now I’m asking myself: what does it take to build a thriving ecosystem? I’ve experienced firsthand how powerful systemic collaboration can be when tackling complex problems – much like in nature, everything is interconnected. The Valley’s mission to pioneer future-proof food systems aligns perfectly with my values. What excites me most is applying my operational expertise to transform bold visions into tangible results.

How has your experience as a founder shaped your approach to this new role?

Founding a company was like getting an intensive MBA in everything – product development, marketing, finance, and HR – all compressed into real-world experience you can’t get anywhere else. But the two most crucial skills I developed were focusing relentlessly on what you do best and making the impossible possible with limited resources.

As a founder, I also learned the importance of building your own ecosystem. Now I’m excited to apply these same principles at the Valley: that laser focus on core strengths and resourceful execution will be essential for scaling collaborations effectively across our network.

How can SFNV help scale circular models within Switzerland’s food system?

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s “Big Food Redesign” highlights four critical concepts – regenerative practices, low-impact, diversity, and upcycling – that must be designed into our food systems rather than retrofitted afterwards. The Valley is well positioned to weave these principles directly into our ecosystem and support partners to strengthen their work in these areas going forward.

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about your journey?

A lot of things in my life happened through serendipity – by being at the right time in the right place. There is a lot of power in knowing what you want in your career and actively communicating it to everyone, but the rest is walking through doors when they open. I have two personal mantras: “no hay camino, se hace camino al andar”, which basically means every way is unique and the path you took might only make sense in hindsight. The second one is: “emotion creates motion”. So I go where the energy flows, where my passion lies and I try to play to my strengths.

What does a future-ready food system look like to you?

It’s one where sustainability, health and profitability aren’t trade-offs, but mutually reinforcing. It’s local and global, tech-enabled and people-powered. And, most importantly, it’s built on a foundation of collaboration. I think Switzerland is uniquely positioned to lead by example – combining scientific excellence, entrepreneurial drive and a collaborative mindset. I’m excited to help the Valley make that vision a reality.

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