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    - IMD Business School - IMD Business School - IMD Business School
    Hanne de Mora Board Excellence Award

    Celebrating exceptional academic performance

    Hanne de Mora Board Excellence Award

    Celebrating exceptional academic performance

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    Overview
    Criteria & Process
    Jury
    Overview
    Criteria & Process
    Jury

    The Hanne de Mora Board Excellence Award is presented each year to an exceptional woman candidate of the IMD Board Director Diploma who not only excels academically, but also demonstrates the potential to contribute to elevating board performance and governance.

    Honoring the legacy of Hanne de Mora

    “Hanne was an extraordinary human being and an outstanding leader. She was passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders, particularly women, and strengthening board performance.”

    Nomination and evaluation process
    01.
    Eligibility

    All women graduates of the IMD Board Director Diploma are invited to be considered for this award each year.

     

    02.
    Pre-selection

    The IMD Board Programs team carefully curates a longlist of candidates for consideration.

    03.
    Nomination

    The Program Director and Selection Committee create a shortlist of 3–5 candidates for consideration by the jury.

    04.
    Evaluation

    A comprehensive jury pack is prepared for each of the shortlisted candidates. The candidates are invited to share their reflections on their board journey and aspirations.

    05.
    Voting

    The jury evaluates the submissions, guided by a rubric aligned with the five award criteria, and votes for their preferred candidate.

    06.
    Award

    The Hanne de Mora Board Excellence Award is conferred at the Board Director Diploma graduation ceremony.

    Award criteria

    Nominees for the Hanne de Mora Board Excellence Award are assessed across five core dimensions:

    • Academic excellence 
      The candidate demonstrates consistently strong performances across diploma assessments, simulations and reflections. 
    • Strategic insight  
      The candidate demonstrates a strong grasp of board-level strategic thinking and value creation. 
    • Commitment to governance principles 
      The candidate embodies the principles of effective, responsible, and ethical governance. 
    • Leadership and influence 
      The candidate contributes to advancing discussion and thinking, as well as constructive group dynamics. 
    • Impact potential 
      The candidate has the potential to shape the future of boardrooms through insight, integrity, and initiative.
    The jury

    The jury is composed of the IMD Board Diploma Program Director, the Chair of the IMD Board Community Board, and an external board leader. From the second year onward, a past award recipient will also join the panel.

    - IMD Business School
    Christiane Kuehne

    Chair

    Christiane Kuehne has been a board member and Chair of the Sustainability and Ethics Committee at Stora Enso Oyj since 2017. She is also a non-executive director of James Finlays Ltd. From 2012 to 2016, she served on the board and audit committee of L’Oréal SA. Prior to her board nominations, Kuehne had a long career with Nestlé in operative and strategic roles in Switzerland and abroad. Her last role was Head of the Strategic Business Unit Food, with strategic responsibility for Nestlé’s global food business.

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    - IMD Business School
    Didier Cossin

    Chaired Professor of Governance and Finance, and Founder and Director of IMD Global Board Center

    Didier Cossin is Chaired Professor of Governance and Finance, and Founder and Director of the IMD Global Board Center. He works with owners, boards, and senior leaders to help them improve organizational performance through best-in-class governance and decision-making. He also holds the UBS Chair in Banking and Finance. Cossin is the originator …

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    - IMD Business School
    Geraldine Matchett

    Non-Executive Board Member at Nestlé, ABB and SwissRe

    Geraldine Matchett is a non-executive board member at Nestlé, ABB and SwissRe. She is former Co-CEO of dsm-firmenich (formerly Royal DSM), where she was also CFO and member of the Managing Board since joining in 2014. Before DSM, she worked for the SGS Group from 2004 and was appointed Group CFO in 2010. In this role, she was voted CFO of the year in Switzerland in 2014. Prior to SGS, Matchett worked for Deloitte in Switzerland and KPMG in the UK.

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    - IMD Business School

    The award is a tribute to Hanne’s dedication to promoting excellence on boards and to her unfailing commitment to encouraging and mentoring women who stepped up to the challenge of board service. 

    Didier Cossin Professor of Governance and Finance, and the Founder and Director of the IMD Global Board Center