Women in Finance Series
The goal of Women in Finance Series is to provide expertise on what it takes to succeed in the current financial industry:
- career advice for finance professionals.
- experience of diversity in the financial industry.
- insight on specialist financial expertise.
We aim to do so monthly with addresses and discussions with senior women in finance industry.
Register here for the upcoming events.
Speakers
Romy Cuadras
Romy Cuadras joined Pictet & Cie in September 2021 in is currently Head of Alternatives & Fund Solutions. Prior to Pictet, Romy worked at Deutsche Bank, where she was globally responsible for the Alternatives, Mutual Funds & ETFs business. She began her career in 1994 at Coutts International in Miami. There, she held various positions within the operations and infrastructure teams. She moved to EFG Bank, in 1998, where she was responsible for trading and investment advising. She relocated to the Geneva office in 2004 to manage a fund of hedge funds. She joined Deutsche Bank in 2008 first as hedge fund analyst; then as EMEA head of Hedge Fund Advisory; then as EMEA head of Fund Solutions; and finally as Global Head of Fund Solutions. Romy holds a Bachelors from the University of Miami. She is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), a Certified Wealth Management Advisor (CWMA) and holds the CFA Certificate in ESG Investing. Outside of work she is often to be seen chasing after her son, spending time in the outdoors or at a Zumba class. She finds her equilibrium in books, nature, street art and travel.
Gabrielle Slavik, CFA
Gabrielle Slavik, CFA, is the founder of Cerium Partners, a private market advisory firm established in 2023. She previously held leadership roles in the private markets and alternatives space at Banque Syz S.A. and Edmond de Rothschild (Suisse) S.A.. Earlier in her career, she was a Hedge Fund Strategist at City Financial Investment Company SA and began as a Commodity Hedge Fund Market Analyst and Execution Trader at Edesia Asset Management. Gabrielle earned her CFA designation in 2016 and is a graduate of the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Canada. She has been based in Switzerland since 2011.
Simone Fessler, CFA
Simone heads Investment Operations Services at Vontobel Asset Management. With her team she manages settlement risk, counterparties and the investment infrastructure for all boutiques. Her career started in 2003 centralizing accounting roles to Dublin for IBM and Pfizer Ireland. In 2007 she moved to Zurich to join Swiss Re’s External Reporting team as Senior Group Accountant. Afterwards she acted as the first point of contact of analysts and investors as Investor Relations manager. She influenced investment recommendations and re-built trust after the global financial crisis. She then supported the Group Chief Operating Officer’s business in Zurich and Singapore. Her work focused on implementing strategic initiatives like productivity improvements and the Asia target operating model. In 2021 she joined Vontobel Asset Management as Mid-Office Workstream Lead. She supported the rollout of more than 400 portfolios to State Street Alpha, which introduced the Charles River platform and outsourced operational Mid-Office tasks to State Street. Simone did an apprenticeship before studying business in Sigmaringen and London. As a postgraduate she completed the Chartered Accountant (ACCA) and CFA programs. An active lifestyle is important to Simone. She currently prepares for her next participation at Tortour ultra cycling. At Belvoir Rowing Club she also volunteers as auditor.
Malvika Singh, Founding Partner, IMPACT
Malvika Singh is the Founding Partner of IMPACT, an international consulting and leadership development firm with offices in Switzerland and the U.S.A She has over twenty years of experience as a successful leader in a multicultural environment. She works with Boards, CEOs, senior executives, and top leadership teams in the areas of organization and leadership development, culture change initiatives, high-performance team development, conflict resolution, innovation, and one-on-one coaching. Her clients include Alcan, American Express, Carlsberg, Credit Suisse, Deloitte, DuPont, eBay, H. Moser Cie., The Gates Foundation, Holcim, Ikea, Julius Baer, McKinsey & Company, La Prairie, Nordea, Novartis, Prezi, PWC, Sandoz, SBI, Siemens, Skype, Syngenta, Swiss Re, and UBS. Her work focuses on the creation of innovation by design, and she specializes in working with individuals and organizations to create breakthrough results. Prior to setting up IMPACT, Malvika worked for over 10 years at Engelhard Corporation, a $4 billion, Fortune 500 company. She established and headed their European operations. Having worked and lived in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, she has a good understanding of what it takes to be successful in an international environment. Malvika is fluent in English, Italian and Hindi, and has some knowledge of German and Spanish. Malvika earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from The University of Pennsylvania, an M.B.A. in Finance and International Business from New York University, and Organizational Gestalt Diploma from Metanoia Institute. She is a member of Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Leadership Board (WLB), and a board member of Advance, a cross company women’s leadership initiative she co-founded. She has been affiliated with Ashridge University, Duke University, and CCL. She resides in Zurich, Switzerland.
Stephanie Richards
Stephanie is the Head of the Swiss Alternative Capital Markets (ACM) Group within Asset & Wealth Management. ACM is responsible for sourcing, creating, marketing and providing ongoing investor relations for the alternative investments offered by the firm, including private equity funds, hedge funds, real estate funds, mezzanine funds, opportunistic funds, co-investment opportunities and private placements. Stephanie is a member of the AWM Inclusion and Diversity Council. Previously, she was a vice president on the ACM team in London. Prior to that, Stephanie was a Vice President on the Private Wealth Management (PWM) team in Hong Kong, after beginning her career as a financial analyst in PWM in the Chicago office. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2007 as an analyst and was named Managing Director in 2021. Stephanie earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University in 2007 and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in 2014.
Doris Sommavilla
Doris is a Director within the Zurich Family Office Division. She has wide experience with UHNWIs and business families, both as a 3rd generation entrepreneur and as an advisor on governance and succession matters. Having inherited her own family business abruptly, without a succession plan, Doris is passionate about helping Next Gens facing similar challenges. Prior to joining the Group in 2021, Doris was a Principal at Blu Family Office in the UK and worked for Pimco in Germany. She is also a Non Exec Director of her family business in Italy where she is in charge of a Next generation project. Doris is the founder of a network of women in family business who mentor each other, conduct research and publish articles on succession & diversity, they recently won the prestigious Schulze Awardby EIX.org/ Entrepreneur & Innovation exchange for our article on women in family. Doris has a Msc in Finance at Bocconi University, is a qualified family officer at AIFO, a member of CISI and CAIA and a CFA Charterholder. She is part of the CFA mentoring program where she particularly enjoys supporting women who want to transition into a new professional role or want to become entrepreneurs. She is a member of STEP. Doris is involved in philanthropy with Skychildren.org where she supports projects that provide access to education to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Aylin Demir
Aylin Demir is the Head of Market & Customer Strategy and Managing Director at Generali Switzerland, with over 15 years of insurance market experience. She started her career in 2009 at Allianz SE, Munich, in Group Risk. In 2011, she moved to strategic consulting at Ernst & Young AG, Zurich, advising Insurance companies in Europe and the Middle East in leading transformative strategies, driving growth, and orchestrating customer-centric transformations in complex ecosystems. Having joined Generali in 2021, Aylin has been integral in driving the company's go-to-market strategy and aggressive market penetration. In her role at Generali, she is responsible for leading the marketing and customer function, where she effectively blends strategic marketing skills with a profound understanding of digital landscapes and customer behaviours. Aylin holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Economics from the University of Munich, and another in Art History from the University of Zurich. Outside her professional life, she is an avid art enthusiast, writing historical novels, and enjoys horse riding and her dog Pecorino.
Fiona Frick
Fiona Frick is a highly accomplished professional in the financial Industry Investment Specialist with over three decades of hands-on experience in the Financial Industry as a practitioner, Board Member and CEO. Fiona began her career in 1990 at Unigestion, an international asset manager, as a fundamental analyst and then investment manager in high yield and convertible bonds. She became CEO in 2011. She successfully diversified Unigestion’s activities into Private Equity and led Unigestion to become a recognized player in sustainable finance. In 2023, after 32 years at Unigestion, Fiona decided to create her own consulting company, CIRCE INVEST, around the themes of asset allocation and sustainability, as well as serving on boards of directors. Fiona currently sits on the boards of Swiss Sustainable Finance and Sustainable Finance Geneva. She was appointed as a board member of BofA Securities Europe in December 2023. Fiona has also gained wide recognition in the financial industry and academia as a respected speaker on economics, financial markets, investment allocation and the rise of sustainable finance. She has been recognized by the financial industry as one of the most influential women in European finance. Fiona holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Institut Supérieur de Gestion (I.S.G.) in Paris and a degree in Literature and Philosophy from the University of Dijon. She has also completed several executive programs at IMD, IESE and Harvard Business Schools. Women in Finance Speaker March 2024
Alida Carcano
Alida Carcano is the General Manager and minority shareholder of BG Valeur SA in Lugano, the wealth management company she founded, subsequently selling a majority stake to Generali Group. Alida started her career at Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt in the macroeconomic research department; went on to UBS Zurich were she covered a few roles in research and fund management. In 1994 she moved to Lombard Odier and shortly afterwards to Credit Suisse, where she covered several positions in Milan Switzerland London and Asia over a ten year period. She was promoted to Managing Director in 2004 and developed several investment solutions for the top clients of the private bank in the world. In 2007 she quit Credit Suisse and, after a sabbatical year dedicated to the family and her new born son, in 2009 she started Valeur Investments, a wealth management company based in Ticino, of which she sold the majority to banca Generali Group in 2019, still covering the role of general manager. Over the last few years she founded other companies in the Wealth management field, including Valori Asset Management in Luxembourg Switzerland and Italy. In 2017, together with a former Credit Suisse colleague, she founded the Family Office Lagom Family Advisors Alida has been a CFA charterholder since 1994. She was a co-founder and officer of CFA Society Switzerland as well as co-founder and first President of CFA Society Italy, and she has actively volunteered within CFA Institute for many years. For CFA Institute she was : International Presidents Council Representative 1998 – 2000, Member of the Private Clients task Force, 2003 CFA grader, 1996-2001 and 2003-2005 Member of the Candidate Curriculum Working Body, 2001-03 Member of the CFA Minimum Passing Score Committee, 2003-04 Member of the Professional Development Committee, 2004 Member of the CFA Institute Board of Governors, 2005-08 Member of the European Investment Conference Advisory Group, 2009-2017 Member of the Education Advisory Board, 2011-2016 She has a special interest in foreign languages and literature. Women in Finance Speaker January 2024
Christina Böck
Christina has over 25 years of experience in asset management and institutional investment. Currently, she heads the Strategy & Business Development team at Helvetia Asset Management. Her career began in 1994 as a Portfolio Manager in Paris, followed by leadership roles at AGF and AXA Investment Managers, before shaping the investment strategy as CIO at Profond Pension Fund. Before joining Helvetia Asset Management, Christina was a partner at INDEFI in Zurich, responsible for business development in the DACH region. She holds degrees from HEC Paris and the University of Münster. Christina is a recognized speaker and lecturer, advocating for diversity and communicating in three languages. Women in Finance Speaker December 2023
Anna Mattsson
Anna leads the Strategy & Corporate Finance Practice for Switzerland and coleads M&A strategy and portfolio for the Life Sciences Practice around the world. She is a globally recognized merger management and carve-out advisor specializing in advising boards and management teams in designing, planning, and executing complex, cross-border integrations, separations, and alliances. She also helps her clients develop M&A blueprint and build M&A capabilities. Anna has close to twenty years of M&A experience, advising clients in buying and selling across the entire M&A value chain. She has supported more than 110 M&A deals, ranging from $200 million to $50 billion. While her industry focus is on life sciences, she has worked across multiple industries, ranging from consumer and industrials to technology. Anna also has extensive consulting, corporate, and private-equity experience. She regularly lectures on M&A topics at business schools across Europe and has authored numerous studies. In addition to her work with M&A, she is also passionate about diversity and has served in multiple roles and boards to further diversity and inclusion. Women in Finance Speaker November 2023
Jacqueline Ruedin Rüsch
Jacqueline is a seasoned entrepreneur and an influential leader with over 20 years of experience. She started her career in the banking sector and founded her first company in 2011. Soon after she started investing in venture capital and became an experienced investor in seed and early stage venture investing. She recently launched a fund that targets gender balance teams. She strongly believes that more diversity and inclusion are not only good for society but also a very rewarding investment case. As a passionate public speaker she captivates audiences with her empathic style, engaging with participants on the topic. She serves on several boards as a member or as the chairperson. She believes that giving back and caring is the only way to move things forward. Women in Finance Speaker September 2023
Mirjam Staub-Bisang
Mirjam is Country Head of BlackRock Switzerland and a member of the EMEA Executive Committee as well as a Senior Advisor to BlackRock Sustainable Investing. Prior to BlackRock, Mirjam led an investment management firm focusing on sustainable investing based inZurich. Mirjam also served as a non-executive director on the boards of public and private companies and as chair the investment committees of several asset owners such as pension funds and endowments. Prior to these roles she held senior positions in asset management and private equity investing at Commerzbank and Swiss Life and worked in investment banking at Merrill Lynch in London and Zurich. Today she serves on the board of the global shoe retailer Bata as a non-executive director. Mirjam holds a PhD in Law from the University of Zurich and an MBA from INSEAD. She authored the standard work ‘Sustainable Investing for Institutional Investors: Risks, Regulations, Strategies’ and co-authored the second edition of ‘Infrastructure as an Asset Class’. In 2009 she was elected a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. Women in Finance Speaker April 2023
Esther Peiner
Esther Peiner is Managing Director, Co-Head Europe, Private Infrastructure at Partners Group. She is a member of the Private Infrastructure and Global Investment Committee. Esther is also a member of the firm's Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the sponsor of its Women's Network. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the firm's portfolio companies Climeworks, at North, Greenlink, QNTM and CapeOmega. She has 20 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Partners Group, she worked at Macquarie Group. She holds a master's degree in finance and marketing from Maastricht University, Netherlands.
Katrin Koch
Katrin Koch joined Vontobel in late 2019 and is a member of Vontobel’s Senior Leadership Team. She heads Corporate Development and oversees corporate strategy and business planning, Mergers & Acquisitions and transformational change. She is a member of the Board at Zürcher Banking Association (ZBV) and serves on the Board of Directors of TwentyFour Asset Management. Prior to joining Vontobel, she built a long-standing career at UBS Group AG, leading the Group’s CEO Chief of Staff functions as well as managing the Business Area Global Corporate Services responsible for UBS’ real estate and office infrastructure globally. She was a member of the Corporate Center’s Executive Committee, Risk Committee and Group Operating Committee. Katrin started her career in financial services with a formal apprenticeship in banking in Germany and further developed her education with Bachelor studies in Business Administration. She was awarded a scholarship for a post-graduate program at South-Bank University in London. In addition to her financial services industry knowledge her skill set comprises corporate governance, strategy, leading and implementing change, project management as well as real estate and corporate services. Katrin attended the Oxford Management & Leadership Programme at Said Business School in Oxford in 2019. She holds the European Business Certificate of Southbank University London and a Bachelors’ degree in Business Administration from Fachhochschule für Wirtschaft Pforzheim, Germany. Katrin is a mother of two teenagers and lives with her family in Horgen, Switzerland. She is a supporter and member of the Swiss Regional Board of Room to Read, an impactful global charity aiming at a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality.
Mariateresa Vacalli
Mariateresa Vacalli is member of the Board of Directors of Swiss Post and Burckhardt Compression Ltd. listed on the Zurich Stock Exchange. In 1998 she graduated from ETH Zurich with a Master Degree in Industrial and Production Engineering and completed various executive management trainings, including INSEAD Fontainebleau and IMD Lausanne. From 2019 to 2022 she was the CEO of Bank Cler and previously, from 2018, Chief Digital Officer at the parent company, the Basel Cantonal Bank. Between 2016 and 2018 she was CEO of Moneyhouse AG, the business information platform belonging to the NZZ media group. Previously, Mariateresa Vacalli held various management positions at two telecommunications companies (Sunrise and UPC) for about fourteen years.
Maria Micu
Maria Micu is heading the global finance activities of the Group Investment Management division of Zurich Insurance Group. Her international career is spanning two decades of capital markets experience in various senior finance and P&L leadership roles in Europe and US. She is an international executive with expertise in financial services industry in banking, investment management and insurance companies in Europe and US and started her career as a certified accountant and auditor.
Maya Bundt
Member of the Board of Directors Baloise Group, member of the audit committee Member of the Board of Directors Valiant, chair of the nomination and compensation committee Member of the Board of Directors APG SGA, member of the audit committee Maya Bundt is a senior leader and experienced board member with a passion for cyber, innovation, and people. After almost 20 years with the global reinsurer Swiss Re she is leaving her operational role in summer 2022 to focus on her Board portfolio. Maya has had a variety of roles within Swiss Re's IT, Strategy and Reinsurance units. Over the last years she was responsible to develop the cyber insurance strategy and successfully built the Cyber and Digital Solutions function and team; she also chaired the Swiss Re Cyber Council. Before joining Swiss Re in 2003, Maya was with The Boston Consulting Group where she spent 3 years as a strategy consultant serving a variety of industries. She holds a PhD in Environmental Science from the ETH Zurich. Maya supports a number of national and international initiatives around the digital economy and cyber risks and has published several articles on the topic. She engages with the community as a member of WEF's Global Future Council for Cybersecurity, and as partner for Governance of Digital Risks at the International Center for Corporate Governance. Twitter: @MayaBundt LinkedIn: @Maya Bundt
Seraina Macia, CFA
Seraina is a CEO and Co-Founder of Joyn Insurance. She is a board member of several organisations. Among others, she has been a member of the Board of Directors at Credit Suisse since 2015.
Lauren Oakes
Lauren is a managing director in Client Solutions and Capital Markets within Goldman Sachs Asset Management, serving as global co-head of the Liquidity Solutions Client Business. She helps to lead the EMEA Women’s Network and is a member of the Goldman Sachs Asset Management International Management Committee. Lauren serves as a trustee for the Goldman Sachs UK Pension Scheme. Previously, Lauren was head of the International Liquidity Solutions Client Business and prior to that, she was head of Asia Pacific Ex-Japan Liquidity Solutions sales for three years, based in Singapore. Earlier in her career, Lauren held various sales support roles within Liquidity Solutions. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2005 as an analyst based in Chicago and was named managing director in 2017. Prior to joining the firm, she worked at JP Morgan Chase as a credit specialist. Lauren earned a BA in Sociology from University of Colorado, Boulder in 2002 and an MBA from DePaul University in 2009.
Linnea Lieberherr
Linnea Lieberherr is Head of Junior Talent Recruiting Switzerland at UBS. She joined UBS 8 years ago and held various positions within HR, all of them related to Talent & Recruiting. Linnea started her career at PwC in Stockholm, where she also studied Human Resources at the University of Stockholm. She is originally Swedish, but also speaks English and German fluently. Before Linnea became a HR professional in Financial Services, she was a semi-professional floorball player, winning the champion titles in 3 different countries, as well as the European title and a two times World Cup titles, playing for the Swedish National Team. In Switzerland, she continued dedicate herself to the sport as a referee and nowadays playing for fun. She is currently reading the memoir of Mark Messier “No one wins alone” – and this is something she’s truly incorporating in her leadership style and life in general – the importance of great team-work. Webinar, March 2022
Dr. Dagmar Maria Kamber Borens
Dr. Dagmar Kamber Borens is Senior Vice president and Country Head Switzerland of State Street International Bank. She spent more than 17 years at UBS AG, where she held a number of senior management positions in Zurich, London and Singapore, including group chief financial officer for Asia Pacific. She was also the chief operating officer and member of the Executive Committee of the Swiss Universal Bank at Credit Suisse AG, where she was responsible for the Divisional Strategy, IT and Operations, Digitalization, Data Protection, Banking Products, and Marketing and Sponsoring. Most recently, Dagmar was the designated Chief Executive Officer and Country Head of Quintet Private Bank Switzerland AG. Dagmar is a qualified lawyer and holds a doctoral degree in law (Dr. iur.) from the University of Basel, where she also earned her law degree. Webinar, January 2022.
Christine Schmid
Head Strategy, Member of Executive Board, Additiv. Christine is passionate about future business models. Over 20 years experience in investments and markets, strategic planning and executive leadership. Regular board member, speaker and university lecturer. MSc in Economics, CFA. Webinar, December 2021.
Nicole Pauli, CFA
Nicole Pauli, CFA, has been working in the financial industry for over 20 years, both in executive and non-executive positions. As an independent, non-executive director at Valiant Holding AG she currently chairs the Audit and Risk Committee and holds two additional non-executive seats at SMEs in the financial industry. During her long tenure at Credit Suisse, she held senior management positions both in Wealth and Asset Management. Webinar, November 2021
Scilla Huang Sun
Scilla Huang Sun joined Swiss Re Asset Management, SAA & Markets as Head Equities in April 2019. Before joining Swiss Re she was managing equity portfolios for almost 20 years and received several Lipper Awards for achieving strong investment performance. She spent over 10 years with GAM Investments, previously Julius Baer Asset Management, as Head Equities and lead portfolio manager of the GAM Luxury Brands Equity Fund. Prior to GAM Scilla worked at Clariden Leu (now Credit Suisse) as Head Equities and lead portfolio manager. Earlier in her career she worked as a financial analyst and portfolio manager for Bank Julius Baer responsible for Asian equities. Scilla started her career at JP Morgan in Zurich and New York. Besides speaking five languages, Scilla holds a PhD in Banking and Finance and graduated summa cum laude with a Masters in Economics from the University of Zurich. Webinar, September 2021
Fiona Kendrick
Fiona Kendrick, former Chairman and CEO of Nestlé UK&I, is Chair of PWC Public Interest Body and is Deputy Chair of the Institute for Apprenticeships Board. Fiona is an advisor for Newton Europe and for Innovate UK, and sits on the Productivity Leadership Council for the Government. Webinar on 15 July.
Florence Schnydrig Moser
Florence has been working in the financial industry for over 20 years. Currently she holds the position of Head Private Banking at Zürcher Kantonalbank. Florence has exceptional knowledge in product management, credit cards and payment industry, investment services, private banking, market & sales management, wealth planning and structured products. Sie also has an extensive international experience, previously based in Zurich, Melbourne, Sydney, and Hongkong. It is an honor for the Women in Finance series to host passionate leader, innovator and game changer in one person - Florence Schnydrig Moser. Webinar on 17 June.
Maria Teresa Zappia
Maria Teresa Zappia, Chief Impact & Blended Finance Officer, Deputy CEO BlueOrchard Finance Ltd. Webinar on 20 May 2021.
Sinikka Demaré, CFA
Sinikka Demaré, CFA, is the Independent and Strategic Advisor (Bootstrap Europe). Sinikka Demaré served as a Venture Partner at Nextech Invest Ltd - a life science fund specialising in Oncology and sits on the board of BlueOrchard Finance and Schroder Adveq, the private equity specialist. Webinar on 15 April 2021.
Eftychia (La) Fischer, CFA
Eftychia (La) Fischer, CFA, non-executive director of Union Bancaire Privée in Geneva, of Vaudoise Assurances and Banque Cantonale Vaudoise in Lausanne, and of Sherpa Asset Management in Zurich. Webinar on 18 March 2021.
Jian Shi Cortesi, CFA
Ms. Shi Cortesi is an investment director and fund manager of Asia Equities at GAM Investment Management. Webinar on 18 February 2021.
Dr. Anja Hochberg
Dr. Anja Hochberg has been Head of Multi Asset Solutions for Swisscanto Invest by Zürcher Kantonalbank since 1 January 2020. Webinar on 21 January 2021.
Nannette Hechler-Fayd’herbe
Nannette Hechler-Fayd’herbe, Chief Investment Officer of International Wealth Management and Global Head of Economics & Research at Credit Suisse. Webinar on 3 December 2020.