“Connections create energy.  Without energy, nothing moves, grows or transforms.”

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hi! I’m a curious marketeer with a passion for food, innovation, technology and sustainability.  I’ve worked in and around food for over 20 years and been fortunate to gain experience in Marketing, Sales and IT teams within B2B and B2C organisations in the USA and EMEA.  I have led marketing teams in the food business and seen the food business from both sides of the desk – as a brand owner and packaging supplier.  Most recently I served as Chief Product Officer for Ricola, Switzerland’s most trusted brand.      

Made and raised in the USA, I moved to Switzerland in 2011, ‘caught the bug’ and haven’t left.  At times it’s been wonderful and other times the ultimate test of resilience, but I believe growth rarely comes from the comfort zone. 

What motivated you to work for the Valley?

Early in my career I worked for a dot-com startup in Silicon Valley, New York City at the height of the dot-com boom in 2001. I loved it! I learnt by being very hands-on in roles from CEO to secretary and everything in between.  It was rewarding to be able to make a direct impact and influence change.  The energy, challenge and sky high opportunities made me look forward to Monday mornings.     

Looking ahead, I am eager to bring these unique experiences together to nourish an ecosystem where all Valley partners can see benefit in raising and growing successful, sustainable businesses to last for generations.  

Switzerland is known around the world for a focus on quality, trust and respect for each other and the environment, which makes it a special place…and a strong brand unto itself.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently working on tools that will make it easier for Valley partners to connect and develop with one another and find needed resources in Switzerland.

Switzerland is unique not only for its pristine majestic vistas but also as THE most fertile soil to start a business thanks to its healthy, stable economy and political system. And we know from agriculture, it’s the soil that counts! Add the Valley, an eclectic ecosystem of like-minded individuals and businesses all focused on designing the future of sustainable food production and human nutrition.  

Gentle sun and regular watering creates real magic!  Bright, ambitious, creative talents from the worlds of scientific research, higher education, multinational corporations, accelerators and startups to think, do and solve together.  I look forward to being a catalyst for that magic needed to create change.

What is your now-not-so-secret super power?

I’ve been told I am a good listener. (After all that’s why we’re given 2 ears and 1 mouth…no?)   

Tell us something else we still don’t know about you.

I have 3 kids…and I’m a secret Lego fan.

<< Find out more about Chris’ Valley team members

“I’m fascinated by the question of how we can leverage our food systems to make them more future-proof.”

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Trained as an economist with a PhD in geography, I’ve been working on food systems for over 14 years, as a researcher, lecturer and consultant for profit and nonprofit institutions in EU and Switzerland. I’m fascinated by the question of how we can leverage our food systems to make them more future-proof. Based in Zurich since 2016, I love travelling, playing music and enjoying the great outdoors with my dog.  

What motivated you to work for the Valley?

I believe that Switzerland can be a hub for experimenting around how we can build a more sustainable food system through innovative approaches, multi-stakeholder collaboration and cutting-edge science. The Valley embraces all this by actively engaging a wide range of food businesses. I couldn’t miss the opportunity to play a role in reshaping the way we eat at a national and international level!

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m exploring how to make our food consumption more sustainable by focusing on the role of sustainable proteins – including cultured, fermentation-based and plant-based proteins.

What is your now-not-so-secret super power?

I like to think that I can effectively bridge science and action. I love to navigate complexity and my north star is always focused on bringing about a positive impact.

Tell us something else we still don’t know about you.

My passion for food has led me to study health and nutrition – this is one of my next career goals!

<< Find out more about Marta’s Valley team members

“I choose my work based on the value it can bring to the world”

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’ve been working in the events and communications industry for over 20 years. I started my career delivering campaigns and events globally for large corporations. But as time went on, I felt increasingly driven by purpose. I now choose my work based on the value it can bring to the world. I like to think that I’m positive, optimistic and a “go out there and get them” type of person. I’m always ready for a challenge!

What motivated you to work for the Valley?

I believed in Christina as a leader. I enjoy working with passion-driven people who love what they do. Her vision and drive is contagious. Then I got to know the Valley and its higher purpose and mission. I absolutely love to activate collaborations and add value for positive impact – so working at the Valley was a great match for both of us!

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m putting the Valley’s big ideas into motion. Together as a team, we’re cooking up the events plan for 2023 & 2024 including a big summit, more Valley After Hours with our partners, a workshop on future farming and cultured foods…the list goes on!

What is your now-not-so-secret super power?

It’s being the fairy dust that helps bring people together, connecting them and spotlighting their good work. When we have events, my mission is to make sure that people get value. Not only do I welcome them with all my Valley heart but I also like to make sure they feel like a valued partner. We listen to them, follow up and let them know they matter.

Tell us something else we still don’t know about you.

I’ve worked on death row with prisoners in Jamaica and was particularly close to a case where we saw two innocent people walk free after 6 years of injustice. That was my “Erin Brokovich” moment. 

I’m also a trained Ashtanga & Vinyasa flow yoga teacher and I’ve run two marathons – a half in Mumbai and a full 42km in London. I actually ran the marathons to understand the relationship between body, mind and spirit. To start with I thought I’d never be a good runner but it ended up becoming really meditative!

<< Find out more about Suki’s Valley team members

“Travelling to new countries and discovering new cultures opened my eyes to all the amazing tastes out there.”

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m the French girl of the Valley! Born in Brittany, I moved to Switzerland to study for my Bachelor degree at EHL – Hospitality Business School in Lausanne.  

As a child, I pretty much only ate canned food and was a really picky eater. But travelling to new countries and discovering new cultures opened my eyes to all the amazing tastes out there and I finally fell in love with food. Although, I must admit that a true French crêpe is still my all-time favourite.

What motivated you to work for the Valley?

Throughout my studies and internships, I saw the huge challenges relating to tackling food waste in the food service sector first hand. So after graduating, I wanted to find a green job with a positive impact, while developing my experience and taking on new responsibilities. 

I joined the team when the Valley was just being set up. The vision was enormous, but the objectives and activities to achieve it were still being shaped and defined. I really loved being able to help build this exciting new initiative and see it grow! 

18 months later and it’s the Valley’s purpose that gets me out of bed every morning. I’m not a food innovation expert yet, but it’s fascinating to learn so much about ecosystem developments and get in touch with so many amazing leaders every day. 

What are you working on at the moment?

My role is really varied. One day, I can be helping our Managing Director, Christina, work through her ever-growing things-to-do list and tackling admin tasks. The next day I might be setting up meetings and supporting Valley partners. At the moment, I’m working on re-organizing our Partner’s database to help us spot synergies and support them more effectively. 

What is your now-not-so-secret super power?

Given that I have to juggle so many different projects every day, I’ve become a very good multitasker. Christina often says that I’m a bit of a Swiss army knife!  

Tell us something else we still don’t know about you.

It’s easy to know when I’m enjoying my food as I sometimes do a little dance while I’m eating it!

<< Find out more about Maelle’s Valley team members

“The way our food systems work today is coming up to its expiry date. We urgently need to do things differently.”

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up in Denmark as part of a family with roots in agriculture and food production. This connection with where our food comes from inspired me to study Food Science & Technology and develop a career in the food industry.

After studying and working in 14 different countries, I learned that food is – and will always be – a vital part of our culture and wellbeing. But the way our food systems work today is coming up to its expiry date. We urgently need to do things differently.

So this became my new personal mission: I want to do whatever I can to boost food innovation and drive more sustainable and regenerative food systems.

What motivated you to work for the Valley?

Here in Switzerland, we’re very fortunate. We have a dynamic ecosystem made up of leading research institutes and universities, global companies, accelerators and a thriving food startup scene that is driving new food innovations. But we also have a huge responsibility to work together to mitigate climate change and consider how our science and technology can be applied across the globe, wherever it will have the most impact.

This is where the Valley comes in. We work to unite this ecosystem and unleash its full potential by helping Swiss food actors come together to collaborate, co-create and innovate to shape the future of food.

What are you working on at the moment?

There’s a huge amount going on in the Swiss food innovation ecosystem at the moment! As just one example, we’re currently bringing together the key players working on cultivated food and looking at how we can pool their respective knowledge and technologies to accelerate this agenda.

Working alongside Valley partners, we’re also developing projects exploring how the concept of precision nutrition can be applied in lower and middle income countries and the role of regenerative farming in future-proof food systems.

What is your now-not-so-secret super power?

I love bringing people from different sectors together and spotting how their unique knowledge and talents can contribute to building better food systems. I would walk on hot coals to help our Valley Partners succeed. Maybe this is also my kryptonite. Please don’t tell anyone…

Tell us something else we still don’t know about you.

I have my own urban rooftop garden in the middle of Zurich, where I like experimenting with everything from potatoes in a pot to growing mini kiwi plants.

<< Find out more about Christina’s Valley team members

“The Valley’s mission reflects everything I’m passionate about – food, health, sustainability and collaboration.”

Tell us a bit about yourself.

As a child, I spent my holidays glued to my dad’s old typewriter, writing stories about how to save the world. Later, I perhaps unsurprisingly became a policy geek. Regardless of what I was meant to be doing, I somehow always ended up bringing people together to create a joint vision for change and then got very excited about coming up with a plan to make it happen.

When life brought me to Switzerland, I dove head first into the Swiss start-up scene and developed a smorgasbord of food projects, surprising my former technophobe self by cooking up some mobile apps to promote more sustainable food choices and tackle food waste. In 2020 I finally ran out of excuses and did something I’d always wanted to do: set up my own business. And I’m very glad I did, as this led to me to start collaborating with the Valley in early 2022. When I’m not busy setting my laptop keyboard alight, you’ll generally find me making a mess in the kitchen.

What motivated you to work for the Valley?

The Valley’s mission reflects everything I’m passionate about – food, health, sustainability and collaboration. I feel very fortunate to work alongside such an inspiring and dedicated core team and collaborate with Swiss innovators whose work will have such a positive impact on the future of food. I love doing whatever I can to share their stories and help their solutions get traction. If you have news to share or a story to tell, please get in touch! 

What are you working on at the moment?

This year, I’ll be supporting the launch of the Valley’s new tools – three platforms to help ecosystem actors find the talent, investment and facilities they need to scale. At our annual communications roundtable event, we also spotted three priority areas that offer the potential to boost our joint impact as an ecosystem. I look forward to teaming up with all the Valley partner comms superstars to take this work forward!

Tell us something else we still don’t know about you.

I’ve always been a wannabe founder with eco-warrior tendencies. As a child, I created the Green Adventure Club, an exclusive network of eleven year olds who spent their weekends spreading the word about the planet in peril through articles, newsletters and bouncy castle meet-ups. The impact was questionable but we had a lot of fun.

But, as any of my first year university flatmates would tell you, I have not always been a foodie. Thankfully, my amazing Italian friends on my year abroad saved me from a life sentence on canned food and opened my eyes to a wonderful new world of freshly cooked dishes. And for that I am eternally grateful. 

<< Find out more about Laura’s Valley team members