Integrity as a value
From a professional and educational background Sonja Stirnimann is a Certified public accountant, holds an International Executive MBA in Financial Services & Insurance, Certified Fraud Examiner as well as Business Mediator and holds a certificate in Financial Mathematics and Statistics as well as in Cyber Security.
Her roles and responsibilities in and with well-known global companies over the past >30 years contribute to her broad international experience in her specialised focus areas.
She specialises in corporate governance, corporate integrity, strategy, finance, and has extensive experience in crisis management.
Non-compliance, economic crime and cybercrime as modus operandi are a key part of her expertise. Integrity, capacity to act and security are her top priorities for her engagements and clients. As a proven expert in corporate governance, she advises companies and works both preventively and in crisis situations to protect the capacity to act and reputation of the institutions concerned.
Sonja also teaches at various universities, technical colleges, professional associations and in-house academies of national and global companies.
Integrity as a value
Insights.
From a professional and educational background Sonja Stirnimann is a Certified public accountant, holds an International Executive MBA in Financial Services & Insurance, Certified Fraud Examiner as well as Business Mediator and holds a certificate in Financial Mathematics and Statistics as well as in Cyber Security.
Her roles and responsibilities in and with well-known global companies over the past >30 years contribute to her broad international experience in her specialised focus areas.
She specialises in corporate governance, corporate integrity, strategy, finance, and has extensive experience in crisis management.
Non-compliance, economic crime and cybercrime as modus operandi are a key part of her expertise. Integrity, capacity to act and security are her top priorities for her engagements and clients. As a proven expert in corporate governance, she advises companies and works both preventively and in crisis situations to protect the capacity to act and reputation of the institutions concerned.
Sonja also teaches at various universities, technical colleges, professional associations and in-house academies of national and global companies.
Knowhow & Experience
Experienced leader.
Good to know.
When it comes to Sonja Stirnimann, ‘battle-hardened’ is definitely not an empty phrase.
In addition to her many years of professional experience since the 1990s, her time as a competitive athlete and her adventures as an ocean sailor and Atlantic crosser with relevant crisis experiences at sea and on land have left their mark and further sharpened her senses.
Work Experience.
With more than three decades of professional experience in and for national and global acting companies she has managed various challenges and stepped through all kinds of hierarchy levels.
She exactly knows what it means the adapt to new situations. Implementing the “beginners mind” keeps her open to change and adaption.
She has in addition a proven track record of crisis management in different situations.
Education at a glance.
- Swiss Certfiied Public Accountant / Licensed Audit Expert
- Board Director Diploma IMD
- Int. eMBA Financial Services & Insurance HSG/HEC
- Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
- Sustainability & ESG Designation and Certifcation (GCB.D)
- Certification in Cybersecurity, MIT Sloane
- Business Mediator (SCCM)
- Certification in Financial Mathematics & Statistics
- Co-active Executive Coach (CTI)
01.
Integrity & STrategy
Integrity as a value and foundation of all actions.
Broad operational and strategic expertise through all levels of hierarchies allows me
to think and act strategically for the sake of the vision.
02.
Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC)
Good corporate governance as the basis for successful entrepreneurship.
The ability to identify strategic and operational opportunities early on, coupled with entrepreneurial risk awareness, enables adaptive risk management even in volatile times.
Effective human risk management (HRM) is one of the most important success factors of our time and therefore also a competitive advantage. The human factor.
03.
Finance, Audit, Crisis Management
Learned from the scratch. An understanding of overall contexts, dependencies and facts, including figures, combined with the ability to communicate and negotiate in a manner appropriate to the audience in each situation, is an extremely valuable skill.
In good times and crises.
More About Her
extra stuff.
For all those readers who would like to know more about her – not business related but impacting who she is and what her values are.
Sports
The mindset of a former athlete is still one of her core strengths.
Visualisation, discipline, training, practice, compete, win or lose. Start again. Work hard. Go the extra mile. Never give up. Blood, sweat, tears.
Sailing.
It was her dream since early childhood to cross the atlantic on the seaway. So did she in 2008.
Strategy, Leadership and Crisis management at their best! Whenever possible she is on or at the water.
Books.
“I have to admit that I am a book addict. Reading is one of the luxury habits I practice every day. No matter how tired I am. Books allow access to the world, different perspectives and broaden the mindset.”
Music.
With the beginners mind she re-started playing the saxophone after a very long – business driven – break and decided not to push that dream any longer to her pension plans. Yes, there is still huge room for improvement…
Profile
I thrive in environments where people take personal responsibility and decisions need to be made. I fulfil this role in various positions, with a clear understanding of the responsibilities of each.
My operational and strategic perspective is shaped by decades of practical experience at board and executive management level.
This also applies to situations where formal structures are in place, but the ability to act comes under pressure due to a wide variety of factors – both during stable periods and in acute crises.
I am interested in the question of how responsibility is actually exercised when time pressure, incomplete information and human behaviour shape the decision-making process.
Classification rather than explanation.
In practice, governance rarely fails due to a lack of rules. More often than not, it loses its effectiveness because decisions are delayed, tensions go unspoken, or clarity is avoided in favour of maintaining the status quo.
My work involves making sense of these dynamics.
I do not set out to explain how organisations should function, but rather observe and analyse how decisions are actually made – and what impact this has on integrity, responsibility and the ability to act.
Role understanding
Contexts of experience
Erfahrungs-
kontexte
Board Member.
I take on responsibility as an independent board member and audit committee member in listed and privately held companies.
The focus is on governance, financial integrity, risk assessment and the quality of decision-making and control processes at board level.
This work shapes my perspective on decision-making processes and on the question of how effective formal structures actually are in practice.
Governance, Risk & Integrity.
As an expert, I deal with governance, risk and integrity issues in situations where formal structures are in place but their effectiveness is challenged by human behaviour, time pressure or uncertainty.
My focus is on analysing behavioural patterns, responsibility and decision-making quality in complex situations – particularly where known risks exist yet incidents still occur.
Executive Sparring.
In addition, I offer ad hoc, one-to-one sparring sessions for decision-makers.
This work is deliberately selective and is aimed at individuals who need to maintain clarity, direction and the ability to act under pressure.
Sparring is not a form of coaching or consultancy, but rather a space for contextualisation, reflection and precise decision-making in situations where responsibility is a key consideration.
Approach.
My approach is characterised by discretion, openness and respect. I work in an observant, analytical, transparent and independent manner.
My aim is to provide guidance so that responsibility can be exercised in an informed and conscious manner.
Mission statements do not reflect integrity, accountability and consistency in action; these qualities are demonstrated in situations where decisions become challenging and implementation is required.
