INTERVIEW WITH CAROLYN LUTZ – BOARD MEMBER
You have been a board member of the W.A. de Vigier Foundation since the beginning of 2020. What attracted you to serving on this board?
I work with entrepreneurs in my day job and love entrepreneurs. They are very interesting to work with. The other thing is that this foundation rewards leadership, it’s weighted 50% when it comes to our criteria for picking winners. And that’s something that is very near and dear to my heart. I look for leaders. So those two things were a very natural fit. And I did recognize that while it was already a great board, they needed some diversity. So, I was more than happy to join.
You are the Managing Director of MontaRosa, a boutique executive search firm that helps companies find the right leadership at the highest levels. As a board member of the W.A. de Vigier Foundation you are also part of the jury that picks candidates and winners of the W.A. de Vigier Awards. What are you looking for in the CEOs of the startups that apply for the sought-after prize?
I would say it´s three things: Obviously, we are looking for leadership, because that is given in our statutes. That is a primary quality we are looking for. And part of that, in order to lead a startup, you need to have a lot of passion. That goes without saying, don’t even bother if you are not going to be passionate, because otherwise you won’t make it. And in addition to those two things, we are looking for good, original ideas that are not easily copied and that are implementable. But really the most important things are the leadership and the passion.
You have been a board member of the W.A. de Vigier Foundation since the beginning of 2020. What attracted you to serving on this board?
I work with entrepreneurs in my day job and love entrepreneurs. They are very interesting to work with. The other thing is that this foundation rewards leadership, it’s weighted 50% when it comes to our criteria for picking winners. And that’s something that is very near and dear to my heart. I look for leaders. So those two things were a very natural fit. And I did recognize that while it was already a great board, they needed some diversity. So, I was more than happy to join.
You are the Managing Director of MontaRosa, a boutique executive search firm that helps companies find the right leadership at the highest levels. As a board member of the W.A. de Vigier Foundation you are also part of the jury that picks candidates and winners of the W.A. de Vigier Awards. What are you looking for in the CEOs of the startups that apply for the sought-after prize?
I would say it´s three things: Obviously, we are looking for leadership, because that is given in our statutes. That is a primary quality we are looking for. And part of that, in order to lead a startup, you need to have a lot of passion. That goes without saying, don’t even bother if you are not going to be passionate, because otherwise you won’t make it. And in addition to those two things, we are looking for good, original ideas that are not easily copied and that are implementable. But really the most important things are the leadership and the passion.
In what way does leadership in a startup differ from leadership in an established company?
In a startup you are going to be starting with a very small team to lead. In the corporate world it can be hundreds of people, it’s hierarchical and often you have to learn to lead people remotely. Whereas in a startup you need to have a very broad set of competencies because in the beginning you will have to roll up your sleeves and are going to be doing everything yourself. You are expected to do a lot with very few resources, you have to get your own hands dirty, without the option to delegate. Some people hunger to be in such an environment that is smaller, faster, less bureaucratic and less hierarchical.
Despite recent increases in female representation, in our country, women are underrepresented on management boards and boards of directors. What needs to happen for women to choose and succeed in c-suite positions of Swiss companies? And how does the W.A. de Vigier Foundation’s jury deal with the topic of female representation?
Yes, we are absolutely aware that we need more female applicants, which will result in more female award winners. And we are discussing ways in which we could reach this goal.
From a broader perspective, we do have a situation in Switzerland where people make big enough salaries that you don’t need two people per household to work. Families can afford to have the women stay home with the kids, and there is a lot of unpaid work done by women in Swiss society. That works for a lot of people, however, it doesn’t work for women with career ambitions.
On a more personal note, as you might know, I served in the Marines for 4.5 years. This experience was very formative to me. Being in the Marines taught me a lot about life, about ambition, about setting goals and also about self-confidence. I believe Swiss women would benefit from doing military service, which is also a great networking opportunity.
Back to the W.A. de Vigier Foundation: We have two women spearheading the foundation as CEO and COO. This is a good starting point from which to keep working on more diversity, which is one of my goals as a board member.
You have heard roughly 150 startup pitches in the 3 years you have served on the de Vigier jury. In February of 2023, you’ll hear 50 more. What advice can you give the next cohort of applicants when it comes to presenting their companies?
Applicants should be very clear about the problem that exists and how their product or invention will solve that problem. Also, and this is becoming more and more important, they need to find a sustainability angle. We will ask about that and they better be prepared with an answer. I’m looking forward to meeting the next cohort of young entrepreneurs and hope to see an increasing number of women amongst them, too.
– Thank you, Carolyn!
ABOUT CAROLYN LUTZ
Carolyn Lutz joined the board of the W.A. de Vigier Foundation in 2020. She is also the Managing Director of Montarosa, a boutique executive search firm that helps companies find the right leadership at the highest levels across many industries and geographies. She is also highly focused on bringing diverse talent to the boardrooms of Switzerland and other European countries.
Carolyn is truly multicultural, having grown up and lived in six countries on three continents. She is fluent in (Swiss-) German, French and English, and is working on her Italian. Previously Carolyn was Managing Partner at a global executive search firm, Heidrick & Struggles, where she opened and ran the Geneva office.
Carolyn earned an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Vassar, then decided to gain leadership experience in the military. For four and a half years, she served in the United States Marine Corps, earning the rank of Captain. She left the Marines to join the Lauder Institute as a Fellow, resulting with an MBA from Wharton and an MA International Studies from UPenn. On graduation, Carolyn moved to Geneva to pursue a career in Marketing with Procter & Gamble. This was later followed by a move to Zurich as Head of International for a Swiss super-premium skincare and cosmetics company.
Carolyn is a long-standing member of the Geneva board of the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce.