What does freedom mean to you?
I’m someone who deeply values freedom. To feel free and be able to decide freely, you need a sense of security. It’s the precondition for freedom.
“What does freedom mean to you, Eva Wildi-Cortés?”
The Fedpol director on police work, faith in the good, and working moms: part seven of the interview series on role models advancing equality.
Your working life is shaped by terrorism and crime: what fascinates you about this dark side?
What draws me in is safeguarding what’s good — protecting what makes Switzerland what it is: our rule of law, our democracy, our security. That’s what drives me.
Doesn’t that wear you down eventually?
In demanding professions, there’s a fine line between the self-protection you need and staying empathetic. A strong sense of shared purpose helps keep that balance: a collective mindset, a moral compass, and the conviction that your own work can make a difference. With too thick a skin, everything would just bounce off.
You’re one of the few women in leadership positions in security policy. Does your gender play a role?
It shouldn’t. But yes, I mostly find myself among male counterparts. That’s why it meant even more to me that Europol was led by a woman for a time, and that Sweden and the Netherlands have women at the head of police — just as the cantons of Geneva, Vaud and Solothurn do. At Fedpol, we’re deliberate about diversity: with equal qualifications, we factor in who is underrepresented.
How do you reconcile your role as head of Fedpol with being a mother?
Family and career enrich my life in valuable ways. Being able to make that choice freely is often a matter of luck. My husband and I manage it thanks to good daycare, a wonderful nanny, and support from our parents and in-laws. And yet the question “Why do you have three kids when you both work so much?” is almost always aimed at the woman. I hope that balancing family and career becomes a given for everyone.
You applied to Fedpol 24 years ago, even though you lacked the required police experience.
I almost didn’t dare. Typically female, really. But as an economist, I brought a knack for numbers and forecasting, plus plenty of curiosity. You don’t need to have it all figured out if you already carry the essentials with you. Very much in the spirit of advice from my first boss: courage has no gender, so believe in yourself. Your abilities are bigger than your doubts.
Photos: Julia Ishac; Text: annabelle