Rudolf Schmitt
Rudolf Schmitt was one of the first B360 experts travelling to Southern Africa, a long-standing Member of the B360 Board and a close friend of B360.
Profile
Name: Rudolf Schmitt
Country: Switzerland
Current Occupation: Retired (Prof HES-SO Valais)
Southbound Expert 2010-2026 in different fields of Food Sciences
Member of the B360 Board 2013-2026
How did you learn about B360?
It started with an unexpected phone call in 2009: Sabina Balmer, someone I barely knew at the time, asking if we could meet. We sat down at Lausanne railway station, and she told me about a new initiative she had just founded: B360 education partnerships.
When she asked whether I could imagine taking on an active role as an expert, I didn't hesitate for a second – I said yes on the spot. A few months later, in February 2010, I set off on my first assignment in Southern Africa.
What impact did B360 have on your (professional) life?
My work with African students changed the way I teach. I learned to break down complex issues and bring them to life with simple, concrete examples.
But what struck me most wasn't the professional aspect, it was the students themselves. Their respect, their politeness, the way they carried themselves. I found it deeply refreshing, almost exemplary. I genuinely looked forward to my assignments as the students turned work into a pleasure.
You were involved in many B360 activities (expert assignments, internships, Board member,…). What was the most memorable event in all your experiences?
If I had to pick one thing, it wouldn't be a single event: What impressed me most was the sheer energy and enthusiasm with which Sabina Balmer has developed and driven B360 forward year after year. That, to me, is the most memorable thing I've witnessed in all my time with B360.
Who is a person you met through B360 that left a lasting impression on you – and why?
I could name a few students here, but I’ll single out Ndaindila Haindongo as a representative example. When she finished her degree, she was a slender young woman – petite, cheerful, almost girlish – the last person you'd expect to find running quality control in a slaughterhouse in the Kalahari, surrounded by 70 butchermen. Yet that's exactly the job she took on. Her task was to build a food safety and quality system rigorous enough to earn an export license, and she pulled it off within a few months.
When I visited her on site, I was genuinely impressed. She just looked at me and said: “I only achieved this goal because I didn’t even smile once.” I’ve never forgotten that line.
Her path since then bears that out. An internship at FAO headquarters in Rome turned into a full-time job when Covid made it impossible to travel home. Back in Namibia, she built a strong track record at the World Food Program – until this year, when looming Trump-administration budget cuts threatened jobs across the UN system, prompting her to move into Namibia's education sector instead.
Ndaindila’s story is a story of courage and intelligence shaping a career, and I love following where her path leads next.
What kind of impact do you hope B360 will have in the next 10 years? How are you planning to continue to support B360 in future with your wealth of experience?
My hope is that B360 will indeed succeed in establishing a vibrant and lasting relationship between the local economy and the university. That, to me, is the most important thing for students to find a good job after having invested all their hopes and energy in their chosen degree program.
