Dona Bertarelli

Dona Bertarelli
Born	Rome, Italy
Children	3

Dona Bertarelli (born 1968) is a Swiss businesswoman of Italian origin. She is co-president of the Bertarelli Foundation. She is also a competitive sailor; she won the 2010 Bol d’Or Mirabaud.^[1]

Childhood and education

Bertarelli was born in Rome in 1968. She is the daughter of Fabio Bertarelli. She and her brother Ernesto inherited Serono, one of the largest biotechnology companies in the world. Serono was founded in 1906 in Rome and was the building block of the family’s wealth.^[2] The family now has a diverse portfolio of activities and investments, with interests in areas such as finance, real estate, health, sports, hospitality or agriculture. According to the magazine Forbes, in 2011 the family ranked as the 81st worldwide in terms of wealth.^[3] The Bertarellis moved to Switzerland in 1973.^{[citation needed]}

Bertarelli has a BSc from Boston University’s College of Communications.^{[citation needed]}

Business

Bertarelli was active in Serono, the family business, and from 1992 to 1997 was Executive Director, Public and Professional Affairs, where she established Serono Symposia and the Serono Foundation. The company was sold to Merck KGaA at the beginning of 2007.^[4]

The five star Grand Hôtel Park in Gstaad was taken over by Bertarelli in 2003. In 2010 it was entirely refurbished.^[5]

In 2001 she purchased the Country Club Geneva, a sports and leisure club in the outskirts of the city of Geneva.^{[citation needed]}

Philanthropy

After her father died, Bertarelli and her brother, founded in 1999 the Bertarelli Foundation to promote the sharing and development of scientific, social and economic knowledge in the field of infertility. For ten years, Bertarelli was Chairman of the Foundation, whose medical education and work programme reduced by over 50% multiple pregnancies due to in-vitro fertilization. In 2007, these activities were taken over by the Lausanne-based Fondation FABER^[6] in Switzerland.

The Bertarelli Foundation has reoriented its activities to focus on several areas, namely the life sciences, education, the protection of the world’s oceans and sports.

Projects recently supported by the Bertarelli Foundation include the Centre of Neuroprostheses at the EPFL^[7] in Lausanne; a partnership with the British government to create the Chagos Marine Reserve^[8], the largest ocean reserve in the world, in the Indian Ocean; a joint neurosciences research and education programme between Harvard Medical School^[9] and the EPFL; the Swiss Sailing Grants,^[10] attributed in partnership with the Swiss Sailing Federation; and the construction of the Henna Pre-School in South Africa.

Bertarelli is the patron of Smiling Children Foundation^[11] and assisted in its creation.

Sailing

Ladycat

Bertarelli is a passionate sailor and since 2007 has raced with her team in the monotype multihull regattas on the Lake Léman with her Décision 35 catamaran, Ladycat. Bertarelli and her team won the Bol d’Or Mirabaud in 2010.^[1] Bertarelli was the first helmswoman to win this race since its inception in 1939.^[12]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Bol d'Or Mirabaud report | The Daily Sail
2. ^ Serono S.A Key Dates
3. ^ "The World's Billionaires"
4. ^ The Merck Group - Acquisition of Serono S.A
5. ^ «Wir haben investiert, was nötig war»
6. ^ Fondation F.A.B.E.R. - Fusion 2006 - 2007
7. ^ NEWS EPFL :: Bertarelli Foundation brings together Harvard Medical School and Swiss University EPFL to create joint neuroengineering program
8. ^ Billionaire saves marine reserve plans
9. ^ HMS Press Release - Bertarelli Foundation brings together Harvard Medical School and Swiss University EPFL to create joint neuroengineering program
10. ^ Sailing News - Bertarelli-Foundation awards grants
11. ^ Smiling Children
12. ^ Bol d'Or Mirabaud - History of the regatta

Persondata
Name	Bertarelli, Dona
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1968
Place of birth	Rome, Italy
Date of death
Place of death