Dona Bertarelli

Dona Bertarelli (also known as Donata Guichard Bertarelli, Donata Bertarelli Späth, Donata Bertarelli Spaeth, born 1968)[1][2] is a Swiss businesswoman of Italian origin. She is co-president of the Bertarelli Foundation. She is also a sailor, having won the 2010 Bol d’Or Mirabaud[3] and, with her team Spindrift Racing, the Rolex Fastnet in 2013. In the same year, she and her team also broke the record for the America Discovery Route. In 2020, she became an adviser to UNCTAD.

Dona Bertarelli
in 2018
Born1968 (age 54–55)
Rome, Italy
Other namesDonata
CitizenshipSwiss
Children3
RelativesErnesto Bertarelli (brother)

Childhood and education

Bertarelli was born in Rome in 1968. She is the daughter of Fabio Bertarelli. She and her brother Ernesto inherited Serono, a biotechnology company. Serono was founded in 1906 in Rome and was the building block of the family's wealth.[4] The family now has a number 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.[5]

Bertarelli has a BSc from Boston University’s College of Communication.[6]

Business

Bertarelli was active in Serono, the family business, and from 1992 to 1997 was Executive Director, Public and Professional Affairs, where she established the Serono Symposi and the Serono Foundation. The company was sold to Merck KGaA at the beginning of 2007.[7]

The five star Grand Hôtel Park in Gstaad was taken over by Bertarelli in 2003.[8] Bertarelli appointed hotelier Grace Leo as CEO of Ledunfly Hospitality in March 2017.[9]

She became a special adviser to UNCTAD in June 2020.[10]

Philanthropy

After her father died, in 1999 Bertarelli and her brother founded 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.[11]

An article on the need for blue recovery sustainability, for which Bertarelli was co-author, was published in July 2020.[12] Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD and Berarelli encouraged countries around the world to explore and expand the "Blue economy" a month later.[13] In November 2020, Bertarelli praised the decision to protect the waters of the archipelago, which was made by the Island Council of Tristan da Cunha.[14][15][16]

In 2021, the Bertarelli Rare Cancers Fund supported USD 15 million in research projects and community building.[17][18] In Oct 2022, Bertarelli launched the Sports for Nature partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature to raise awareness for the protection of environment through the sporting community.[19]

Bertarelli is an ambassador for the Swiss transfusion charity Ma Vie Ton Sang [20] and is a supporter of the World Health Organization’s ‘Go Red for Women’ campaign.[21] She is also a godmother to the Womanity charity (formerly Smiling Children).[22]

Sailing

Bertarelli is an avid sailor and since 2007 has raced with her team, Spindrift Racing, in the monotype multihull regattas on Lake Léman with her Décision 35 catamaran, Ladycat. Bertarelli and her team won the Bol d’Or Mirabaud in 2010.[3] Bertarelli was the first helmswoman to win this race since its inception in 1939.[23][24]

Special adviser to UNCTAD Dona Bertarelli and Mukhisa Kituyi of UNCTAD

In January 2013, Bertarelli bought a Maxi Trimaran called Maxi Banque Populaire V for her Spindrift racing team.[25] In the same year, and with the boat now named Maxi Spindrift 2, she co-skippered the team to victory in the 45th Rolex Fastnet[26] and also set a new record for the America Discovery Route, beating the time set by Franck Cammas in 2007 by more than 20 hours.[27]

In August 2015, Dona Bertarelli's Spindrift 2 defended her title by taking line honors at the 46th Rolex Fastnet race.[28] Later that year, on 22 November, Dona Bertarelli, with Yann Guichard and their crew, left Ushant (a French island off the northwest corner of Brittany) on Spindrift 2, attempting to break the record for a crewed non-stop circumnavigation (the Jules Verne Trophy).[29] While they did not break the record, Bertarelli became the fastest woman to sail around the world.[30]

In November 2021, Bertarelli and Yann Guichard and their crew set off on their maxi-trimaran Sails of Change from La Trinite-sur-Mer in south-west Brittany being on stand-by to start their attempt to break the 2017 Jules Verne Trophy record of Francis Joyon. They seized the occasion to promote the 30 by 30 campaign aiming to protect 30 per cent of the planet by 2030.[31][32] However, in February 2022, Bertarelli and Yann Guichard were forced to abandon their plans for their fourth attempt due to unfavourable weather conditions over the winter.[33] This did not hinder them and their Spindrift Crew to pursue an ambitious year of record breaking attempts during 2022, and Bertarelli addressing One Ocean Summit delegates appealing again for the protection of at least 30% of our planet by 2030.[34] In October 2022, Bertarelli and Yann Guichard put their crew on standby again for their renewed record breaking attempt of the Jules Verne Trophy, the fastest non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the world.[35]

Publications
  • Mar 22, 2021 – Op-ed: The blue economy is an ocean of opportunity to advance gender equality[36]
  • Aug 26, 2022 – Op-ed: It’s High Time to Protect Our High Seas[37]
  • Oct 24, 2022 – Op-ed: To protect the Southern Ocean, leaders must act now (commentary)[38]

References
  1. "Wealth-X dossier Donata Guichard Bertarelli". Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  2. Donata Bertarelli Spath Tops Wealthiest Swiss Women List
  3. Bol d'Or Mirabaud report | The Daily Sail
  4. Serono S.A Key Dates
  5. "The World's Billionaires"
  6. "Ernesto Bertarelli, Private Equity Fund Hot Player". Financial Wealth. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  7. The Merck Group – Acquisition of Serono S.A Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "Gstaad: gold on the mountain (translation)". Bilanz. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  9. "Grace Leo appointed CEO of Dona Bertarelli's Ledunfly Hospitality". Hospitality & Catering News. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  10. UNCTAD (2 June 2020), Dona Bertarelli and Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, retrieved 2 June 2020
  11. "Gstaad: Ernesto Bertarelli King Midas(translation)". Le'Hebdo. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  12. Mukhisa Kituyi, Dona Bertarelli (21 July 2020). "Why a sustainable blue recovery is needed". United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  13. Wilson Muna Thuo Kinyua (13 August 2020). "Africa needs to explore, expand 'blue economy'". China Daily. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  14. "Tristan da Cunha island creates massive marine protection zone". The Hindu. 15 November 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  15. Danica Kirka (13 November 2020). "'Most remote island' creates massive marine protection zone". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  16. Danica Kirka (15 November 2020). "World's most remote island becomes marine protection zone". NZ Herald. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  17. Stephanie Dutchen (6 April 2021). "No Cancer Left Behind". Harvard Medical School. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  18. Marina Qu, Ammy M. Yuan. "Swiss Philanthropist Gifts $75 Million to Harvard Medical School". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  19. "IUCN and Sails of Change launch Sports for Nature partnership to help sports become nature-positive". IUCN. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  20. "Ambassadeurs | MaVieTonSang" (in French). Mavietonsang.ch. 20 February 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  21. "Three Year Partnership between Go Red for Women and Dona Bertarelli`s Ladycat Enables Campaign to Grow by 56%". Reuters. 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  22. Par Stéphane Benoit-Godet. "Comment les Bertarelli structurent leur action – Argent & finances, Les plus de la rédaction – Bilan" (in French). Bilan.ch. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  23. Bol d'Or Mirabaud – History of the regatta
  24. "How Bertarelli structure their action". Bilan. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  25. "Dona Bertarelli acquires Maxi Banque Populaire V, legendary trimaran and winner of the Trophée Jules Verne. | PONTOON". Pontoon.es. 31 January 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  26. Martín Vanzulli (15 August 2013). "Catamaran Racing, News & Design: Dona Bertarelli Spindrift 2 wins Rolex Fastnet 2013". Catsailingnews.com. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  27. Stuart Alexander (6 November 2013). "Yacht racing billionairess Dona Bertarelli sees her team smash record for the Route of Discovery – Sailing – More Sports". The Independent. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  28. Rolex Fastnet Race. "France Dominates 90th Anniversary Rolex Fastnet Race". Archived from the original on 5 November 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  29. Spindrift Racing. "DEPARTURE OF SPINDRIFT 2 IN JULES VERNE TROPHY RECORD ATTEMPT". Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  30. Boyd, James (1 March 2016). "Sailing at warp speed". Sailing Magazine. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  31. "Sails of Change crew ready to break circumnavigation record". mysailing. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  32. "'Sails of Change'- A New Jules Verne Trophy Attempt By Dona Bertarelli & Yann Guichard". Afloat. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  33. "Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard announce the end of Jules Verne standby for Sails of Change". Sail-World. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  34. "New record targets and a new Executive Director for Spindrift Racing". Sail-World. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  35. "A new record attempt by the maxi trimaran Sails of Change". Sail-World. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  36. Dona Bertarelli (22 March 2021). "The blue economy is an ocean of opportunity to advance gender equality". UNCTAD. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  37. Dona Bertarelli, Lewis Pugh (26 August 2022). "It's High Time to Protect Our High Seas". NAUTILUS. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  38. Dona Bertarelli (24 October 2022). "To protect the Southern Ocean, leaders must act now (commentary)". MONGABAY. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
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