Swiss Red Cross president steps down after damning report

SRC President Barbara Schmid-Federer was heavily criticised for sacking a director last year. © Keystone / Anthony Anex

The President of the Swiss Red Cross (SRC), Barbara Schmid-Federer, has resigned for “health reasons” following heavy criticism of her leadership style.

“The past few months have been intense and stressful for me. The attacks on the reputation of the SRC and on myself have pushed me to the limit of my resilience,” Schmid-Federer said in a statement on Friday.

Schmid-Federer’s leadership style was taken apart by an independent report into the dismissal of SRC Director Markus Mader in December.

This led to the resignations of four members of the Red Cross Council that oversees the SRC.

The report, made public last week, said Schmid-Federer of displaying “little suitability and will to lead and a lack of courage to face challenging or uncomfortable situations”.

Although Schmid-Federer rejected the report’s findings, she has now decided to step down.

According to media reports, the leadership spat has resulted in a drop in donations to the SRC, with some major donors suspending their support until the problems were resolved.