Dr. Christina H. Henkel
Dr. Christina H. Henkel is Chairwoman & CEO of Skyadvisory, an international management consulting firm. She advises boards and executive teams to find the right answers for most pressing strategic challenges and to drive results. She has served her clients in leadership positions at Kearney, The Boston Consulting Group, Monitor Group and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants across the globe.
She is a boardmember, investor and speaker and publishes regularly on strategy and leadership topics and has been teaching at the University of St. Gallen since her graduation both for master level students and also at the executive school.
The start of her leadership journey was her officer training with the reconnaissance troops of the german army. Learning structural dynamics from Harvard’s David Kantor was life changing in her development as a leader. Christina is passionate about leadership and personal development – as a mentor, teacher and coach she is enthusiastic to see people grow. She draws on her personal transition which she describes as a «fantastic journey into my unknown self» and on her own leadership experience. This combination is a rich source for the topics which are dear to her heart : personal development and transformation, transition stories, leadership model building and diversity & inclusion.
Anna Cajot
Anna is leading the N-Conference, the world's foremost forum for negotiations at the Schranner Negotiation Institute. In her position, she leads a team of skilled professionals who facilitate high-ranking executives in enhancing their negotiation and leadership capabilities in difficult negotiations and connects them to the world's best negotiation experts. As part of the N-Conference, Anna launched the "She's the Negotiator" initiative to empower female leaders to claim their seats at the negotiation table and lead the process with confidence, power, and a play-to-win mentality.
Marcel Dévény
Marcel Dévény, with over 25 years of negotiation experience at companies like P&G, MARS and LEGO, empowers individuals in critical negotiations through a holistic approach that hones hard skills while conquering mental barriers like fear and low confidence. He partnered with IMD MBA Class of 2022 on salary negotiation, achieving impressive results: a 39% reduction in fear, a 54% boost in confidence, and a 78% increase in skills. Marcel's influence extends to prestigious institutions, including Harvard and Columbia Business School, where he educates graduate students.
Dilek Gürsoy
Dilek Gürsoy is the daughter of two Turkish immigrants. She studied medicine and went on to become a heart surgeon. In 2021, she became the first woman to transplant an artificial heart. Currently, she is a chief doctor at Clinic Bel Etage and runs her own private practice. She is one of the leading experts on the field of artificial hearts and circulatory support systems.
Khalil Radi
Born in Switzerland with Moroccan and Spanish roots, Khalil Radi is a global citizen and determined visionary. With seven years of banking experience and a BSc in International Management, he combines his experience with a passion to create positive change for people and the environment. In 2018, he initiated Buy Food with Plastic out of a deep belief that it is our responsibility to give back to the world.
Anna Gracia Herbst
Four years ago, Anna Gracia Herbst quit her job in marketing at the age of 23 to contribute to a better world. To do so, she founded the start-up Buy Food with Plastic, a company that enables needy people in Nicaragua, Ghana and India to pay for hot meals through collected plastic bottles. The plastic bottles are then processed into new products to close the loop. Buy Food with Plastic has now been active on four continents for two years. Since its founding in 2018, it has raised more than CHF 800,000 in donations, rescued more than 50,000 plastic bottles from the environment, and built a team of 16 people.
Dr. Denise Jagmetti
Denise Jagmetti is an attorney-at-law at the insolvency, restructuring and litigation team of Wenger Plattner, one of the leading Swiss corporate law firms. Furthermore, since 2017 she acts as substitute judge at the bankruptcy and debt restructuring court Zurich. She lives with her husband and two young children in Zurich.
Diana Markaki
Founder and CEO at the Boardroom, the first private club for women executives who aspire to be board members. She is currently expanding across Europe, with the clear mission to improve corporate governance by increasing the number of qualified women on corporate boards. She is an international lawyer by trade. As a Global Director in large multinationals she has been working across cultures and with multi-functional teams. As a board member and executive she is often the only woman in the room.
Stephanie Schoss
Stephanie Schoss is Director at the HSG Executive School of Management, Technology & Law at the University of St. Gallen and heads the Competence Center for Top Team Research at the HSG Institute of International Management. She completed her studies in Business Administration at the Universities of St. Gallen, Harvard, and the Singapore Management University. Her research focuses on team dynamics, leadership, and the impact of conflicts, empathy, and “we-consciousness” in traditional and virtual teams. Prior to her academic career, she gained experience as an entrepreneur in various industries, including her role as a private and commercial pilot. She continues to lead her business psychology company and is a founding partner of C Talks, a Peer-Community for high-level European Top Managers.
Nora Wilhelm
The Swiss Forbes 30 Under 30 listmaker, Nora Wilhelm is a systemic innovator and entrepreneur recognised internationally as a speaker and consultant. With a background in youth activism and leadership roles in the European Youth Parliament (EYP), she co-founded “collaboratio helvetica” with the aim of driving social change at home in Switzerland. She has been recognised for her contributions not only by Forbes, but also by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UNESCO as well as the Swiss government.
Vanessa Gentile
Vanessa Gentile is half Brasilien and half Italian and mother of 2 sons. She grew up in the canton Thurgau until 21 and then she moved to Zurich to pursue her career in the Tech Industry. Vanessa speaks 6 languages fluently and is Head of Marketing at Salesforce in Switzerland, based in Zurich. With a deep understanding of market dynamics and consumer behavior, Vanessa excels in developing and executing innovative marketing initiatives that generate brand awareness, drive customer engagement, and deliver measurable results.
Bettina Schaller Bossert
Bettina Schaller Bossert joined the Adecco Group and the Private Employment Services Industry in March 2010. Bettina Schaller heads the Group Public Affairs activities of the Adecco Group. She is President of the World Employment Confederation (WEC), the voice of private employment services. She is also Vice-Chair of the Business@OECD Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee, Co-Chair of the B20 Future of Work, Skills and Mobility Task Force, a Member of the B20 International Advocacy Caucus as well as a Steering Group Member on the World Economic Forum (WEF) “Center for New Economy and Society” and a Steering Group Member of the Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN).
Tünde Lukács
Tünde has 15 years of experience in the Swiss and international professional services and energy industry, specializing in digital transformation, strategy and stakeholder management. Tünde's passion is building high-performing and cross-border teams by aligning different cultural backgrounds, needs and perspectives, and by driving collaboration, lifelong learning and open innovation in her teams. She lives at the Lake of Zurich with her husband and son and she is a passionate ultra trail runner.
Madina Katter
Originally from Kazakhstan and now based in Berlin, Madina Katter is a social entrepreneur and Forbes Under 30 listmaker. With a Bachelor of Laws in International Law and Legal Studies from KIMEP University, she worked for several companies including EY before she founded Bulletproof Ukraine in 2022. Bulletproof Ukraine is a non-profit organization that locally manufactures bulletproof vests for Ukrainian civilians and soldiers. In August 2023, she also co-founded a stealth startup in Kyiv, with the startup's specific details undisclosed as of now.
Yaël Meier
“I am convinced: companies need to talk to young people instead of about them,” says Yaël Meier. The 23-year-old entrepreneur founded Gen Z agency Zeam and was named Forbes Under 30 listmaker in 2021. Based in Zurich, Meier’s company Zeam advises clients like Vodafone, Porsche, and Ikea around the needs and wishes of the young generation. This summer, Meier launched the video-based job platform Jobshot as a co-founder.
Sophie Chung
Sophie Chung is CEO and founder of Qunomedical, a digital health company specializing in patient relationship management. After completing her medical studies at the Medical University of Vienna, she started as a healthcare consultant at consulting giant McKinsey in 2008, where she recognised the potential of digitalisation in healthcare. Today, at Qunomedical, Chung leads the development of Qunosuite, a patient relationship software that improves communication, attracts patients and streamlines healthcare processes. She also served as Director of Healthcare Strategy at medtech company Zocdoc, where she helped improve patient experience.
Jenny Mathias
Jenny Mathias has been Chief Talent Officer at EY Switzerland since July 2023. Born in the US, Mathias has over 15 years of experience in audit and transferred internally to EY Switzerland in 2013. Since joining EY as an intern, she has been able to work on many mandates and collaborate with companies from various industries and of different sizes. In 2020, she was appointed partner at EY. Further, Mathias is a passionate football player and mother of two young children.