Valerie Guertler-Doyle

Founder and Owner Diversity in Business, former Head of D&I (Diversity and Inclusion) at Novartis Switzerland

Valerie Gürtler-Doyle, PhD. is a Business Executive, a catalyst, a change agent and a passionate believer in diversity as a business driver. Valerie led the Swiss Diversity & Inclusion team for Novartis to position no. 1 by connecting Diversity to Innovation and business. “Diversity is not just about gender but includes visible and invisible components, the latter including style and communication to mention but a few. For any business, understanding and even preempting customer needs is key to a sustainable and profitable business. Consequently, a diverse workforce will better reflect the customer base, the teams will dissent- this drives innovation”.

Valerie is a seasoned professional with expertise in R&D as well as commercial. She is recognized as a change agent who dislikes the status quo and has been instrumental in creating significant business value. Her expertise and the red thread throughout her career has been in connecting the non-obvious, building new teams around a clear vision and empowering them to deliver innovative business impact above and beyond expectations.

Valerie is President of the Irish Business Network in Switzerland, which connects innovative Irish and Swiss businesses. She was a Steering Committee member of the International Labour Organization Business and Disability Network and a board member of UN Women Switzerland. She was a founding and still very active member of HBA Europe, currently a member of the European Advisory Board and a past President of the Swiss Diversity Round Table. She is an active blogger in the area of D&I and a very engaged mentor. She is married with 1 daughter. Since November 2013, she is also the founder and owner of ‘Diversity in Business’.

"My role is to be a catalyst - identifying business opportunities, making unique connections, inspiring and empowering people to create value and unleash their potential. I love startups and the joy of seeing them grow - driven by people and their innovative spirits."