Marie-Noëlle

Marie-Noëlle Zen-Ruffinen

  • Of Counsel
  • Attorney at Law
  • Titular Professor at the University of Geneva
  • Vice-Chair of the Swiss Board Institute, Board Member

language Languages

French, English, Italian, German

contact Contact details

marie-noelle.zen-ruffinen@desgouttes.ch T. +41 22 704 30 50
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Expertise

Education | Executive education

2024
Oxford Saïd Business School – ESG – Leading Sustainable Corporations Programme
2016
Harvard Business School, Finance for Senior Executives
2008
Swiss Advanced Certificate in Trust Management, Geneva
2007
University of Fribourg, PhD in Law (Dr. iur.), summa cum laude
2003-2004
Max-Planck Institute of Hamburg, Swiss National Science Foundation Research Scholar
2002
Admission to the Geneva Bar
2000
University of Fribourg, Master of Law (lic. iur.), summa cum laude
1999
University of Fribourg, Master of Arts (lic. phil.), Philosophy (Ethics), summa cum laude

Career

Law firms

2025
Of Counsel, Des Gouttes & Associés
2023-2025
Of Counsel, Niederer Kraft Frey, Geneva
2008-2023
Partner, then Of Counsel (from 2013), Tavernier Tschanz, Geneva
2000-2002
Trainee Lawyer, Lenz & Staehelin, Geneva

University of Geneva, School of Economics and Management

2009
Part-time Professor (Professeur titulaire)

Swiss Board Institute

2011
Co-founder (2011), Chair (2014-2021) and Vice-Chair (since 2022)
Foundation committed to advancing board effectiveness and governance excellence, organizing an Annual Board Day (the “Journée du Conseil d’administration”) and offering a Board Education program in partnership with IMD Business School (Lausanne).

Independent Board Memberships

2025
Member of the Board of Directors of Implenia (and Chair of the Nomination and Compensation Committee)
2018
Member of the Board of Directors of Banco Santander International (Vice-Chair, member of the Audit and Risk Committee and member of the Compensation Committee)
2016
Member of the Board of Directors of the Baloise Group (and member of the Strategy and Governance Committee and Vice-Chair of the Audit committee)
2020-2025
Member of the Board of Directors of Ina Invest AG (and Chair of the Nomination and Compensation Committee and member of the Investment Committee)

Other activities

2023
Member of the Board of Foundation FER Stiftung (Swiss Gaap FER)
2015-2025
Member of the Board of Governors of the Swiss Institute of Directors, St. Gallen (representative for Switzerland of the Global Network of Directors Institutes and of the Confédération européenne des associations d'administrateurs)
2020-2025
Member of the Panel of Experts of SWIPRA, Zürich
2019-2023
Member of the Jury of the Women's Board Award, Switzerland
2008-2016
Member of the Board of a Family Foundation (holding an important art collection)

Extended Profile

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