About us
FAIRE - Fund for Action and Innovation by Refugee Entrepreneurs - is an endowment fund created in 2018 by Nick Nopporn Suppipat, a successful entrepreneur and political refugee.
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Nick's aim was to launch a mouvement that brought together like-minded entrepreneurs and philanthropists, who, like himself, want to support refugee and migrant entrepreneurs who had to leave everything behind and start over from scratch.
To find out more, download our latest annual reports:
Our mission
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To support and empower refugees to become successful entrepreneurs in France,
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To promote a new vision and approach of refugees’ role, inclusion and contribution to French society through entrepreneurship.
Our mission is twofold:
Our values
We seek to embody and demonstrate Impact, Inclusion, Innovation and Integrity in each and every one of our actions.
Our actions
FAIRE is committed to supporting refugee entrepreneurship on a daily basis through two main types of action:
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Funding programs:
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Supporting selected refugee or migrant entrepreneurs, via 0% loans in the amount of 20 000 euros (more info here). ​
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Supporting existing charitable organisations working with refugee entrepreneurs, via donations (more info here).
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Changing the narrative:
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By contributing to the public debate about the role of refugees in society and how best to include them (find out more).
Board and Team
Nick nopporn suppipat
Founder and President
FAIRE was created by Nick Nopporn Suppipat, a successful Thai entrepreneur living in Paris.
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Following Thailand’s 2014 coup d’état by a military junta, Nick, known for his pro-democracy views, was accused of Lèse-majesté. Like many others he was forced to flee the country. He was granted political refugee status by French authorities and has since been living in Paris.
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Since moving to France he has invested in and actively backed several business ventures. Nick identifies as both a political refugee and a successful entrepreneur. As such, he wanted to launch a philanthropic project that allowed him to give back to France, by bringing together like-minded entrepreneurs and philanthropists to support refugees and migrants with entrepreneurial projects and who, like him, have been compelled to start over again.
Christopher baker
Board Member
A former international lawyer, Christopher Baker is now a strategy consultant who advises on business transactions (acquisitions, restructurings), change management and crisis management. Associate professor at Sciences Po law school and co-founder of the HEAD law school, Christopher also has a strong interest in teaching and education.
Christopher sits on the board of several companies (in finance, aeronautics and commodity chemicals).
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He holds degrees from Harvard College, the University of Chicago Law School, and New York University School of Law.
François Mollat du Jourdin
Board Member
François started his career in Africa working for Union Financière de France before joining the bank Neuflize Schlumberger Mallet (ABN Amro group), where he spent 10 years developing the international private wealth management unit. He gained in-depth expertise in asset monitoring, as well as private wealth and financial management for a range of multinational family clients.
He went on to join the management team of Merrill Lynch Private Banking France. On the strength of these experiences, which helped him hone his technical skills and relationship acumen, in 2001 he decided to set up one of the first family offices in France. A graduate from the Audencia School of Management, François is Secretary General of AFFO and Chairman of ENFO.
Kristina vayda
Executive Director
After beginning her career in Canada in the financial services industry, a series of opportunities led Kristina to the charitable and social business world. For the past 20 years, she’s been helping consulting firms, charities, and innovative social impact companies develop new programs and/or service offers. Over the last few years she has worked on a wealth of diverse projects including the development of a specialized fundraising offer geared to help smaller structures with capacity building, the merger of two French rural development charities, and the French launch of a US pro-social business that promoted volunteering among youth.
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A founding member of the Paris Professional Chapter of Net Impact, she was also co-president between 2009-2012.
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Kristina holds a B.A. in Economics and French Literature from the University of Guelph, and an Executive M.B.A. from HEC Paris.