Alliance guest editors for upcoming issues: Jo Swinson (left), Marlene Engelhorn (middle) and Crystal Simeoni (right)

Alliance magazine is delighted to announce the addition of three guest editors for its upcoming issues; Austrian-German philanthropist Marlene Engelhorn, Jo Swinson, director for Partners for a New Economy, and Crystal Simeoni, a Pan-African feminist activist and Director of Nawi – the Afrifem Macroeconomics Collective (The Nawi Collective).  

Engelhorn, who shot to prominence on the global stage since her decision in January to redistribute a €25 million inheritance through a democratically run citizens council, will guest edit our September 2024 issue on tax and philanthropy.  

 ‘It’s quite a challenging honour to be Alliance‘s guest editor,’ says Engelhorn. 

 ‘For more than three years, I have been doing tax justice advocacy work in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Without a team of likeminded people, most of them also wealthy, this work would not have been possible at this scale. And international reach through media targeting particular audiences such as Alliance magazine does, proves quite beneficial to driving our efforts,’ she adds.  

Our upcoming tax and philanthropy special feature will include voices engaged in the tax justice movement, tax and cross-border philanthropy and tax discourse from a global south viewpoint. 

 The philanthropist has called for taxes to be raised on herself and on the world’s wealthiest one per cent. 

 In January this year, fifty randomly selected members of the Austrian public were invited to ultimately decide how to spend the €25 million Engelhorn inherited from her grandmother. 

 Jo Swinson and Crystal Simeoni will co-guest edit our December 2024 issue. 

 Swinson has spent the last four years as director for Partners for a New Economy, an international philanthropic fund based in the UK, Denmark and Switzerland. The fund workers with philanthropic grant makers and organisations tackling roots causes of multiple crisis such as global inequality and ecological crises.  

  ‘Our focus is transforming the economic system to serve people and the rest of nature. This mission is ambitious yet absolutely possible. Philanthropy can catalyse changes towards a regenerative, fair economy, from shifting academia to reimagining economic governance, building movements to rethinking ideas of value. I hope readers will be inspired by the stories we share,’ says Swinson. 

 ‘I am honored to collaborate with Jo Swinson as co-guest editor for the New Economy edition of Alliance magazine,’ adds Crystal Simeoni, Director of the Nawi Afrifem Collective. 

 Her work primarily focuses on ‘reimagining macroeconomic policies through a Pan-African feminist lens.’  

She previously served as head of advocacy and lead for economic justice at FEMNET, one of Africa’s largest women’s rights networks spanning more than 45 African countries. 

 ‘This partnership provides a unique platform to amplify transformative economic ideas and highlight the vital role philanthropy can play in fostering a regenerative and equitable economy. 

Jo and I are excited to explore new perspectives and inspire readers to engage deeply with the pressing issues of our time. We hope this edition will ignite meaningful conversations and drive impactful change in how we approach and address global economic challenges,’ adds Simeoni. 

Shafi Musaddique is the news editor at Alliance magazine.