Jan Schwier

Jan Schwier is a partner and member of Bridgespan’s global leadership-team, based in New York, and co-leads the firm’s Asia and Africa work. He advises senior leaders and boards across the philanthropy, development finance, and nonprofit sectors, with a focus on organizations with significant global footprints and complex operating models.

Much of Jan’s work aims to support mission-driven global organizations to sharpen their strategies, operating models, and capabilities to achieve their next level of impact. His recent social sector research underpin this focus and includes At Common Cause: How Development Funders and Philanthropy Collaborate (Bridgespan.org, 2025), and Philanthropic Collaborations in Africa and their Unique Potential (Bridgespan.org, 2024).

Prior to joining Bridgespan, Jan was responsible for the Advisory Services portfolio of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in sub-Saharan Africa and oversaw IFC’s Fragile States program (CASA) for several years. He has continued to engage on the topic of fragility and refugees, including exploring the potential of Private Sector Engagement with Refugees and Host Communities in partnership with IFC.

Earlier in his career, Jan gained strategy advisory and organizational change experience over two decades in the private sector, where he worked with multi-country industrial conglomerates, energy utilities, and global oil and gas majors on strategy and transformation. He gained this change management and strategy experience as a partner at the Monitor Group in South Africa and as a senior leader and partner at the Boston Consulting Group in Germany, China, and Finland.

Jan holds a BA in Business and French from the American University of Paris and an MBA from Georgetown University. He is professionally fluent in English, French, and German.