Scaling impact through data: A spotlight interview with Silvan Scheiwiller

Silvan Scheiwiller is a Coordination Officer at the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), the inter-agency mechanism that provides a system-wide platform for UN coordination. 

With a background in political science and international relations, Silvan joined the United Nations 10 years ago. Originally based in New York, he is now stationed in Geneva, where he works at the CEB Secretariat. “Even after a decade working for the UN System, I’m still amazed at the breadth of areas our work touches. It continues to motivate me every day”, he explains.  

In July 2024, Silvan decided to pursue the UN Data Analytics Professional Certificate, UNSSC’s unique programme designed to enhance the ability of UN personnel to effectively apply and use data in their day-to-day work. 

Maria Fernanda: Why was it important for you to pursue the UN Data Analytics Professional Certificate? And based on your experience, what did you hope to gain from this learning?  

Silvan: We are a very small office, but we collect a lot of data from across the entire UN system – primarily financial and budget data, but also data on human resources and topics like how different organizations address cases of sexual harassment.  

We manage a wide range of datasets, but we don’t have dedicated data analysts. I think it's good for everyone to build foundational skills in this area and UNSSC’s course on Data Analytics really offered a complete package for that.  

The programme’s structure is divided in three parts, which perfectly aligned with my needs and interests.  

The first part on data gathering and preparation served as a great refresher, as I had studied this at university but with different lenses and never with real examples. The second part on visualization and storytelling was particularly relevant to our work at CEB, as we’re looking to improve how we present data both in reports and on our website. 

Finally, the third part on predictive analytics and large language models was something I pursued out of personal curiosity.  

It was a combination or mix of professional motivation and personal interest. What I hoped to gain, really, were best practices and new insights into data visualization and storytelling that I could directly apply to the work in our office. 

Maria Fernanda: Thank you, Silvan. Can you tell us about some of the most memorable parts of your learning experience with UNSSC?  

Silvan: The entire programme was thoughtfully structured and very effective for my learning. From the self-paced online content – which you can complete whenever your schedule allows – to the live webinars with instructors and fellow participants, and, finally, the mentoring component, where a mentor supports your work on a practical project. I personally selected the on-the-job guided practice on data visualization and storytelling. My goal was to create an accessible and engaging dashboard using UN system-wide financial data to be published on the CEB website for the use of diverse audiences, including UN system organizations and Member States. It should serve as a tool for stakeholders seeking to better understand and analyse the financial performance of the UN system and its organizations. 

For me, the most memorable aspects were the optional Q&A sessions after the webinars. Those were great spaces for us to dive deeper into the course content, the webinar practice, ask questions and exchange ideas with peers. I found those interactions really helpful. 

What stood out were also the discussions with our mentor and with other participants who were working on their own on-the-job projects. It is rare to have the opportunity to exchange with peers on data challenges and get to know what others are doing, learn from their tips and receive feedback – not only from the mentor, but also from them!  

Those moments really stuck with me, and I'm still in touch with some of the participants I met during the course.   

Maria Fernanda:  An essential part of this learning offering is that you're able to use what you have learned practically. Can you share with us one or two key takeaways from the on-the-job guided practice of the course that you chose in data visualization and storytelling? 

Silvan: Yes, I intentionally selected a project that has since grown significantly – it is not yet live because we are expanding it further, with the support of my office.  What began as a course assignment is now evolving into something larger for our website. During the course I created a simple dashboard from scratch, within our team we are now looking to shift all visuals across our data to Power BI to provide visitors with an interactive experience. This includes multiple different data sources and sites and is a much larger undertaking.  

The first key takeaway is to be ambitious with your project and try to select something you can further develop and expand beyond the training period.  

Another takeaway is to be curious with tools. I had never worked with Power BI and, well, for a beginner, it required time, trial and error, and plenty of practice to become comfortable with it, but it was worth it.  

The last takeaway relates to how projects evolve. I found iterating and receiving feedback – not only from the mentor and participants, but also from my colleagues at work – extremely helpful. This collaborative approach really strengthened the project. Having people on board from the start helped convince the team to invest in the project, because everyone has ideas on how the data they own should best be presented. The knowledge gained in the course empowered me to seek targeted input and lead discussions with an evidence-based approach. 

Overall, what I appreciated the most was the opportunity to apply what I was learning directly to my daily work. I essentially built a real project while benefiting from expert guidance and peer support. I’d recommend this approach to anyone joining a data training, to pick something they can truly use in their role. That has made all the difference for me.