Programme Director

Olivia Bugden is the Head of Ignite: Switzerland and has been at Hochalpines Institute Ftan since January 2023.

Before joining Ignite: Switzerland, Olivia served as Deputy Head - Personal Growth at a private girls’ school in Melbourne, Australia and held several pastoral roles at Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong and Dulwich College Beijing.

Olivia leads the Ignite: Switzerland programme, managing its day-to-day operations from application to acceptance and the students’ transition into and out of the programme. She collaborates with parents, staff and students to create unique experiences for each individual to ensure they are given the opportunity for growth and reflection.

Olivia’s philosophy when working young people is to ensure they learn that they are capable of so much more that they think, at Ignite they step up to a challenge (whether that be social, emotional, academic or physical) and come out the other side gaining an invaluable sense of confidence and self-efficacy.

She believes in fostering independence and resilience and giving the students tools to be able to apply them in life after Ignite by making connections with what they learn in class and what they do outside in the outdoor education programme students can start to apply the theory to real life.