Speakers D&I Week 2025

Aurelia Adamo

As HR Business Partner with proven expertise in the area of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Aurelia Adamo has been responsible for the development and strategic anchoring of DE&I at Canon for over five years. Her work focuses on the integration of diversity and inclusion approaches into corporate structures and processes. A particular focus is on the interface with corporate health strategies – with the aim of sustainably implementing evidence-based measures for an inclusive and health-promoting working environment.

Eugenia Bajet Mestre

A research Assistant and PhD candidate working with Prof. Dr. Jamie Gloor at the Institute of Responsible Innovation (IRI-HSG), Eugenia is pursuing a PhD in organizational studies and cultural theory. Her research focuses on (social) sustainability, inclusion, and leadership, with her thesis examining the role of men’s allyship in organizations.

Prof. Dr. Rolf Becker

Prof. Dr Rolf Becker is Professor of Sociology of Education and Director of the Department of Sociology of Education at the University of Bern (since 2004). He studied sociology, social psychology and political science at the University of Mannheim (1981–1987; Diplom degree). He completed his doctorate between 1988 and 1990 at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin and the Free University of Berlin, and obtained his habilitation in 1999/2000 at the Technical University of Dresden.

Prof. Dr. Stephan Alexander Böhm

Stephan Böhm is Professor of Diversity Management and Leadership and Director of the Institute for International Management and Diversity Management at the University of St. Gallen (IIDM-HSG). His research focuses on leadership, human resources and diversity management. He is particularly interested in occupational inclusion and the health effects of digitalization and flexibilization of work. Stephan Böhm has published numerous articles in leading scientific journals and has won a number of important research awards. He works as a consultant and keynote speaker for organizations in all sectors, advising them on topics such as the development of agile, inclusive and healthy leadership.

Andrea Borzatta

Andrea Borzatta studied Business Administration at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), specializing in Media and Information Management. After holding various positions in major Swiss and international companies in the fields of communications and corporate social responsibility, she joined Kuoni as a media spokesperson, where she was responsible for communications in Switzerland—until the pregnancy with her first child changed everything.

The birth of her son marked a turning point. Following a traumatic delivery, she experienced postpartum depression, a condition that took a long time to heal. The widespread taboo surrounding the topic and the lack of support available at the time motivated her to become actively involved with Postpartum Depression Switzerland.

In recent years, the organization has been professionalized and expanded nationwide. Today, this non-profit offers a wide range of free support services for affected individuals across all language regions of Switzerland. Its work also includes extensive training for healthcare professionals, resources for employers, and comprehensive media and public outreach efforts.

Andrea Borzatta is passionately committed to making mental health support around childbirth a matter of course—accessible, accepted, and free of stigma.

Christoph Breier

Christoph Breier is a Senior Project Manager at the Competence Center for Diversity, Disability and Inclusion (CCDI) at the Institute for International Management and Diversity Management at the University of St.Gallen (IIDM-HSG), and a Ph.D. candidate. His research focuses on the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace, particularly inclusive career development, as well as quantitative and qualitative research methods. Previously, he held research positions at the Center for Disability and Integration (CDI-HSG) and at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). In various applied research projects—among others in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Bureau for the Equality of People with Disabilities—he developed evidence-based approaches to promoting diversity and inclusion in organisations. Christoph Breier was also responsible for managing the University of St.Gallen’s DE&I action plan within the framework of the Swiss federal programme “Equality of Opportunity – Advancing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at All Levels of Higher Education.”

Dr. Anna Brzykcy

Tarek Carls

Sandra Cesna

Sandra Cesna is a psychotherapist, author and fertility advocate. She is the mother of two children born from open egg do-nation. As a pioneer and advocate, she has been instrumental in raising awareness and acceptance of this method. Diversity and inclusion were important to her long before she knew she and her family would live in the field. In her practice Mental Heroes, Sandra Cesna specializes in the desire to have children. She is president of the Swiss Egg Donation Association and author of the children’s book “We wanted you”. She is a board member of Fertiforum, a committee of the Swiss Society for Re-productive Medicine.

Dr. Nilima Chowdhury

Dr. Nilima Chowdhury is a lecturer in psychology at the University of St. Gallen and the University of Lausanne. In her research, she explores the socio-cultural dimension of how we think, feel and behave with a focus on psychological health and well-being. As a trainer/ speaker for Leaders for Equality she supports organizations in developing a gender-inclusive culture. Her new podcast In-Sayn looks at the links between psyche and society and she is currently developing the Game of Sayn, a mix between workshop and immersive theatre, that thinks together individual and cultural change and draws on her long-standing artistic practice.

Caroline Creven Fourrier,  Ph.D

Caroline Creven Fourrier, Ph.D, is an influential voice in the growing field of inclusion & belonging (I&B) and a keynote speaker. 

Caroline holds a Ph.D, two master’s degrees, and a wide variety of professional certifications. A French native speaker, she’s fluent in English and German and serves in a number of advisory and board positions. She began her career in Procurement and led her team to win a best-in-class award. 

She’s led teams in global and international roles for leading businesses for 15+ years and is passionate about embedding I&B into organizations as a foundation of good business and a rewarding culture. Her current role is Group Chief Inclusion & Belonging Officer at Roche.

Andrea Fimian

Andrea Fimian is a dedicated Inclusive Sourcing Leader based in Zurich. She is the owner and founder of fips consulting, a Supply Chain consulting firm with core competencies in Supplier Diversity /Inclusive and Responsible Sourcing. Andrea spent over a decade in supply chain at IBM where she also led and developed the Supplier Diversity & Inclusion 1st Tier program for EMEA and the Global 2nd Tier program for several years.

Prof. Dr. Susanne Fischer

Susanne Fischer is Assistant Professor of Planetary Health at the School of Medicine of the University of St. Gallen. Her work focuses on the effects of climate change on mental health. Before joining HSG, she studied and worked at the University of Marburg, King’s College London, the University of Zurich, and Imperial College London. Susanne is a federally licenced Clinical Psychologist and practising clinician and supervisor.

Christina Fischer

After completing a degree in International Business at the University of Innsbruck and a Master’s in Marketing and Research at Sciences Po Paris, Christina Fischer held various data-driven roles—ranging from market research to web analytics—across multiple industries.

She is also an active member of Periparto Switzerland, where she is responsible for the topic of Workplace & Employment. In this capacity, she recently designed, conducted, and analyzed the study “Mental Health Around Childbirth in the Workplace”—a key project for the organization, which at the time was still known as Postpartum Depression Switzerland.

Jérémie Fleury

Stefan Gal

Stefan Gal holds a Master’s degree in Business Analyst specialising in Process Management from the ZHAW and has currently been working at Swisscom (Switzerland) Ltd for thirteen years as a Process Manager in the business customer area and, since 2019, in a dual role as DE&I Manager. Since 2024, he has also been a member of the Board of Directors and Senior Consultant for DE&I at AGON Partners Diversity AG. True to the motto ‘You have to like people’, he lives DE&I with a lot of passion, lifeblood and practical experience and is actively committed to equality and inclusion in his various roles.

Prof. Dr. Jamie Gloor

With 2 decades of experience across 4 continents, Prof. Dr. Jamie L. Gloor (IRI-HSG) is an award-winning speaker and scholar, recently honored with the Latsis Prize for the top scholar under age 40 at HSG and a TEDxZurich talk. Her work on the nexus between leadership, diversity&inclusion, technology (AI), humor, and sustainability is featured in top academic (e.g., Journal of Applied Psychology) and popular outlets (e.g., Harvard Business Review and Forbes). Currently funded by a 1.2-million CHF grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, she and her team craft sought-after courses, research, workshops, and keynotes spanning psychology and management on the topics of DEI, leadership, humor, and (social) sustainability.

Nicola V. Glumann

Nicola V. Glumann, M.Sc., is a research associate at the Competence Center for Diversity, Disability and Inclusion (CCDI) at the Institute for International Management and Diversity Management of the University of St.Gallen (IIDM-HSG). Her research focuses on diversity, inclusion, and new forms of work, with a particular emphasis on the workplace inclusion of people with disabilities. As part of various collaborative projects – including with the Swiss Federal Office for the Equality of People with Disabilities – she has developed evidence-based intervention strategies to promote workplace inclusion.

Dr. Christina B. Henkel

I am a Chairwoman & CEO of Skyadvisory, an international management consulting Boutique. I am advising boards and executive teams to find the right answers for most pressing strategic challenges and to drive results.

I have served my clients in leadership positions at Kearney, The Boston Consulting Group, Monitor Group and Roland Berger Strategy Consultants across the globe. The start of my leadership journey was an officer training with the reconnaissance troops of the german army. Leading teams of highly talented management consultants was the next step.

Learning structural dynamics from Harvard’s David Kantor was life changing in my development as a leader. Finally I understood my own leadership model and could start to make it more productive.

I draw on my personal transition which is a «fantastic journey into my unknown self» and on my own leadership experience. This combination is a rich source for the topics which are dear to my heart: strategy development of organisations and personal development and transformation, transition stories, leadership model building and diversity & inclusion.

Dr. Ines Hartmann

Monika Hessemer

Monika Hessemer is a specialist in Diversity, Equality and Inclusion. She is a psychologist with a Master of Science in Psychology, specialising in cognitive and clinical psychology. She initially worked in the clinical field, but then shifted her focus to counselling in the context of diversity, equality and inclusion at universities. For her, creating an inclusive society is an ongoing process in which diversity is seen as an enrichment. Her work aims to shift the perspective, away from an orientation towards deficit to an orientation toward strength.

Dr. Anna-Katrin Heydenreich

Anna-Katrin Heydenreich works in the Diversity & Inclusion team and as a lecturer in climate psychology at the University of St. Gallen. She is a socio-economist by training with focus on sustainability and psychology. Her doctorate on stakeholder engagement processes led her to appointments on collaboration and participation processes in Jerusalem and Switzerland. As a Diversity & Inclusion Specialist, she focuses on the social dimension of sustainability and is in charge of, among other things, inclusive language, issues related to the protection of personal integrity and awareness-raising measures to promote a respectful campus culture.

Dr. iur. Antje Kanngiesser

Antje Kanngiesser is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Alpiq Group. She is a recognised expert in the energy sector. For over 20 years, she has held various management positions along the entire value chain in industry and consulting to drive forward an innovative and sustainable energy supply. She is also strongly committed to diversity and inclusion from a business and leadership perspective. She holds a doctorate in law, an EMBA from IMD and a finance degree from INSEAD.

Dr. Nora Keller

Nora Keller, PhD, is a senior researcher at the Competence Centre for Diversity, Disability & Inclusion. She is responsible for qualitative research design and analysis. Nora Keller received a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University, where she also completed her Master’s degree. In her dissertation, she used insights from business scholarship to understand organizational development and strategic innovation in non-state organizations during civil wars.

Dr. Mahshid Khademi

Mahshid Khademi is a senior researcher at the Competence Center for Diversity, Disability & Inclusion, at the Institute for International Management and Diversity Management at the University of St. Gallen. Her work focuses on inclusion, leadership, and mental health in the workplace, exploring actionable strategies for leaders and employees to foster an inclusive work environment. In addition, she leads various corporate projects on diversity and inclusion topics.

Previously, she studied management and industrial engineering. She completed her Ph.D. at HEC Lausanne in Management and Economics in 2020 and was appointed as a post-doc research fellow at ETH Zürich in 2021.

Dr. Florian Krause

Florian Krause is senior research fellow and lecturer at the Institute for Business Ethics at the University of St.Gallen and at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Work and Employment Studies at Leibniz Universität Hanover. With philosophical and economic perspectives, he is particularly concerned with ethical challenges of digital transformation processes, sustainability, and questions of diversity and identity.

Sebastian Kubik

Sebastian Kubik is Head of Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion at the Bühler Group. With over 20 years of experience in international HR, talent management and organizational development, he is deeply committed to creating inclusive work environments where everyone feels heard, respected, and valued. His approach is people-centered and relationship-driven, shaped by the belief that our differences are our greatest strength. At Bühler, he is leading cultural transformation with the goal of building a truly inclusive workplace—one where diversity is embraced, and all individuals can reach their full potential.

Bridget McEliece

Bridget “Birdie” McEliece is a first degree black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the first female professor at the world-famous Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City, a milestone in a sport where women are still underrepresented. A decorated competitor with medals at IBJJF Worlds, Pans, ADCC Trials, and multiple Open championships, she draws on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s core principles of strategy, adaptability, and resilience to help leaders navigate uncertainty, build inclusive cultures, and break barriers. Through her teaching, Bridget empowers people from all backgrounds to face challenges with clarity, courage, and mutual respect.

Emma S. Müller

Emma S. Müller, B.Sc., is a project manager at the Competence Center for Diversity, Disability & Inclusion (CCDI) at the Institute for International Management and Diversity Management at the University of St.Gallen (IIDM-HSG). She works on research and corporate projects focusing on inclusive leadership, career development, accessible work design, and inclusion in digital and hybrid work environments, contributing to their content-related and methodological implementation. She is also involved in the development of scientifically grounded, practice-oriented training formats and tools to promote inclusion in organizations. At the intersection of research and practice, she is engaged in empirical studies and the development of evidence-based measures in the field of diversity and inclusion.

Alkistis Petropaki

Christian Pierce

Christian Pierce is Senior Researcher at the CCDI. At the same time, he is doing his PhD in organisational studies and cultural theory at the University of St. Gallen. His research focuses on anti-racism in multinational companies from a human rights perspective. He graduated from the United States Military Academy with a degree in Economics and holds an M.Sc. in Business from the COPPEAD Graduate School of Business at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil with a qualitative thesis on cultural diversity. He has consulted to several organisations in the US, Latin America and Europe on D&I, specialising in ethnic equality.

Dr. Louisa Riess 

Dr. Louisa Riess is a senior researcher at the Competence Center for Diversity, Disability and Inclusion  at the University of St. Gallen. Her work revolves around the question “Inclusion – but how?”. In particular, she is investigating which success factors are necessary to enable the inclusion of people with disabilities in companies and what managers and employees can specifically do to create an inclusive work environment.

Michel Rudin

Michel Rudin is a communicative, versatile person with experience as a managing director, public affairs manager, lecturer and politician. Michel Rudin studied and graduated in history, philosophy, business administration and law. Michel Rudin likes to get things done, make progress and achieve goals, but also in hectic at times – Michel Rudin is not easily flustered.

Prof. Dr. Gudrun Sander

Gudrun Sander is a professor of business administration with a special focus on diversity management, director of the Institute for International Management and Diversity Management (IIDM-HSG) as well as director of the Competence Center for Diversity, Disability and Inclusion CCDI. Her research focus is on fairness and equity, DE&I as a leadership task and a matter of strategy and culture. She is an academic expert in various international and national committees and a sought-after speaker.

Dr. Gabriele Schambach

Dr Gabriele Schambach is co-leader of the project “Leadership for Equality” at the University of St. Gallen. She works as a consultant, trainer and speaker at Genderworks. For more than twenty years she has been working on gender and diversity for more equal opportunities in companies. As a trained industrial clerk and political scientist with a doctorate, she combines her knowledge of systemic organisational development and transactional analysis with scientific findings and corporate practice.

Martin Schmid

Martin Schmid holds a degree in economics and works as a Senior Portfolio Manager at KfW Development Bank. Over many years, he has been responsible for development projects financed by KfW on behalf of the German Federal Government, with a particular focus on African and Latin American countries. On behalf of the KfW Executive Board and the management of the Development Bank division, he developed a project—together with Human Resources and the leadership of his department—aimed at promoting the inclusion of employees with disabilities. A key objective of the project was to significantly increase the proportion of employees with severe disabilities. Within three years, the project succeeded in raising this rate in the Development Bank division, which comprises around 1,000 employees, by more than 70%. Martin Schmid also holds coaching qualifications aligned with ICF (International Coaching Federation) standards and is active beyond his work at KfW as a consultant and speaker on inclusion in the primary labor market.

Martin Speer

Martin Speer is an entrepreneur, author, and political activist. After completing a commercial apprenticeship in the industrial sector, he studied economics in the United States and Germany, earning a B.A. from the Berlin School of Economics and Law. Together with Vincent-Immanuel Herr, he forms the duo “Herr & Speer.” Through high-impact campaigns, books, and articles, they advocate for gender equality, democracy, and progressive social change. Their most well-known works include “Wenn die letzte Frau den Raum verlässt” (When the Last Woman Leaves the Room), “Europe For Future”, and “Das Buch, das jeder Mann lesen sollte” (The Book Every Man Should Read). Martin Speer regularly speaks at conferences and advises organisations and institutions across sectors.

Dr. Damiano Urbinello

Damiano Urbinello leads Market Access and External Affairs at Merck (Switzerland) AG. In this role, he deals with various health policy issues at the intersection of science and politics. He represents the company in several working groups. Previously, he held various positions in the pharmaceutical industry in the areas of Policy & Communications, worked at the Federal Office of Public Health in crisis management and health policy, and spent several years in research at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute at the University of Basel. Damiano Urbinello studied biology in Basel and earned his doctorate in epidemiology at the Universities of Basel and Ghent.

Elisabeth Vey

Elisabeth is an associate director at Novartis working on the development of new pharmaceuticals, in the groundbreaking field of radioligand therapy. Elisabeth received her PhD from the University of Manchester, UK, on materials science in pharmaceuticals. She pursued her career in the pharmaceuticals industry in different companies using her expertise and strategic vision to make a meaningful impact in healthcare innovation.

Passionate about science and fostering inclusive and supportive environments, Elisabeth has held several roles in the pharmaceutical industry to showcase her skills and also share her personal journey around women health. She is actively involved an Employee Resource Group (ERG) in Novartis, trying to elevate the conversation around women’s health within the organization.

Sereina Wüst

In her role as HR Business Partner, Sereina Wüst supports internal care management in providing individualised support for employees. For her, effective care management means recognising stress at an early stage, responding appropriately to the situation and taking into account the different realities of employees’ lives. As part of the corporate health strategy, it makes a significant contribution to a sustainable and inclusive corporate culture.