Alumni of the WTI's various programmes are part of an ever-growing, global community of bright and dedicated minds. As a part of the WTI alumni community, you get access to upcoming events, current news, research results and job offers.
Alumni

A global community
WTI Alumni
Whether you are a graduate of the MILE, TRAIL+, Doctoral School or CAS/DAS programmes, or if you attended the Summer or Winter Academy, we'd love to hear your story and publish an interview with you in our Alumni Profiles series. Contact the WTI Communications team to see how you can share your story with current and future WTI students.
You can find our series of interviews with alumni here.
About our alumni
Many of our alumni have launched highly successful careers in a number of different sectors:
- International organisations including WTO, World Bank, UNCTAD, WIPO, UNEP, ITC, and regional development banks
- National ministries of trade, investment, finance and foreign affairs
- Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs
- European Commission
- Private sector including PwC, JP Morgan, Audi Forum Ingolstadt, Syngenta, Novartis, Japan Tobacco International
- Leading law firms with a trade and investment practice, including the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL)
- Industry associations
- Non-governmental organisations
Core elements of the WTI alumni network:
- Alumni meetings in different parts of the world
- Mentoring programme
- Information on job opportunities
- Social media and virtual platforms
Course discount for alumni
Are you a graduate of our MILE or TRAIL+ programmes? If so, you qualify for a 50% discount on the week-long courses offered in our Winter and Summer Academies.
Visit our Winter and Summer Academy page to learn more about upcoming courses, tuition fees and details on how to apply. In your application, please indicate that you are a MILE or TRAIL+ alumna/alumnus.
Mentoring programme
The mentoring programme, begun in 2015, is one of the core elements of the WTI's alumni network and links MILE students with alumni on a thematic or regional basis.
The underlying idea is to support MILE students to establish themselves professionally with the help of our alumni network. In some cases the mentor also supervises the student’s master’s thesis or gives guidance during the MILE programme. The WTI connects students with alumni by matching mentors and mentees in a personalised manner.
You will find reports on the WTI mentoring scheme in the News archive.
For more information, contact the alumni relations coordinator.
Thomas Cottier Award for Best Thesis
The Thomas Cottier Award for Best Thesis
The 500-Swiss franc award is presented annually to one MILE student for the best thesis submitted. The award winner is selected by Professor Emeritus Thomas Cottier, founder and former Managing Director of the WTI. The award was set up to honour his leadership and vision.
Winners:
Jimena Sotelo (MILE15)
Nadezhda Sporysheva (MILE 16)
Jean-Philippe Herbert (MILE 17)
Andrea De Angelis Effrem (MILE 18)
Yuliia Kucheriava (MILE 19)