At its meeting on 31 August, the Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) appointed Ms Valerie Robert and Mr Aymo Brunetti as its newest members.
They will take up their functions on 12 October. This brings the membership of the ICRC Assembly to 20.
Valérie Robert is an experienced leader and coach in the Human Resources sector. She is recognized for her ability to shape a corporation's business culture, particularly in times of transformation, and develop its pool of talent by fostering diversity, inclusion and leadership skills.
Aymo Brunetti is a seasoned economist, author of several academic textbooks, expert in economic and financial policies. Currently a professor, he has held key strategic functions within the Swiss government. He was an influential policy adviser on Swiss financial policy and headed official expert groups working on Swiss financial market strategy.
Valérie Robert is the director of Human Resources (HR) at Nespresso. She manages and develops talent, and shapes and implements the organization's management, strategy and culture.
In 2023, she earned a doctorate in business administration, focusing her research on lasting coaching culture.
After earning her degree from EDHEC Business School in 1986, Valérie Robert started her career at Procter & Gamble. She rose through the organization, holding different functions in France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, and in particular several positions as Director of HR.
In 2009, Valérie Robert joined Firmenich as Vice President HR. In 2013, she became part of the senior leadership team of Archroma as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), responsible for building and leading the new HR function.
In 2020, Valérie Robert became the CHRO for Nestle Skin Health. She led the redesigning and implementation of a new organizational and business model.
Valérie Robert has an extensive experience in coaching leadership teams and their members. From 2017 to 2020, she sat on the board of directors of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Aymo Brunetti is professor and head of the Department of Economics at the University of Bern.
He was awarded a doctorate in economics from the University of Basel in 1992 and continued his academic career at the universities of Harvard, Basel and Saarland. During the same period, he undertook consultancy work for international organizations, such as the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
In 1999, Aymo Brunetti joined the Swiss Department of Economic Affairs. In the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), he headed the Economic Analysis Division. In 2003 he was appointed as head of the Economic Policy Directorate and a member of SECO's board of directors.
In 2012, Aymo Brunetti joined the University of Bern as professor and director of the newly founded Centre for Regional Economic Development; and held key roles as an expert and policy adviser for the Swiss government, leading various official expert groups working on Swiss financial market strategy. He was also president of the advisory board for the future of the Swiss financial centre.
The Assembly, composed of between 15 and 25 members of Swiss nationality, is the supreme governing body of the ICRC. It oversees all the ICRC's activities, decides the institutional strategy, adopts major policy documents and approves the organization's objectives and budgets.
