About Dropstone
Who we are
Dropstone is an independent advisory firm based in Geneva, specialised in water-related issues, geosciences and complex situation management.
Founded in 2013 by Patrick Kilchenmann, geologist and hydrogeologist by training, the firm has developed a dual expertise: a strong technical grounding in applied Earth sciences in the Swiss context, and a confirmed operational capacity in some of the world’s most challenging humanitarian and development environments.
What unites us across these two worlds: the conviction that the best decisions arise from the combination of analytical rigour, field understanding and independence of judgement.
What sets us apart
Dropstone is not a large generalist firm. We are a human-scale organisation with a network of senior consultants recognised in their fields. This allows us to:
- Rapidly mobilise highly specialised profiles without structural overhead
- Maintain a high level of personal expert involvement on each mandate
- Guarantee full independence from suppliers, donors and operators
Our approach
Whether it is a hydrogeological study for a Swiss canton, a programme evaluation in the DRC, or mediation support in the Sahel, we follow the same logic:
- Understand the real context — institutional, technical, political
- Work rigorously and critically with available data
- Produce deliverables directly usable by decision-makers
Key figures
- More than 30 years of field experience from the founder
- Active in more than 28 countries since 2013
- Mandates for donors such as SDC, AFD, Global Affairs Canada, the UN, ICRC, HD Centre, Carter Center
- Continuous presence and support to cantonal authorities and construction sector in French-speaking Switzerland since inception
