Rebecca Irvin

Rebecca Irvin is director of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise and the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, two international philanthropic programmes of the Rolex watch company in Geneva. She joined Rolex in 1993 to head the Rolex Awards, a unique corporate programme that supports innovative people and projects in science, exploration, the environment, cultural heritage and technology. In 2001, she set up the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, which supports rising young artists by pairing them with established masters for a year of creative collaboration in dance, film, literature, music, theatre and visual arts.

Before joining Rolex, Rebecca was deputy head of communications at the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva from 1991 to 1993. From 1982 to 1991 she enjoyed a career as a news agency and freelance radio journalist, working for United Press International, Reuters, NBC News and Swiss Radio International in Geneva, London and Lisbon.

A dual American and Swiss national, Ms. Irvin graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois in 1981 with a B.A. in political science and modern languages. She earned a Masters in international history and politics from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva in 1985. More recently, she completed studies in piano with a degree in 1999 at the Popular Music Conservatory in Geneva.

Rebecca has been senior advisor to A Rocha International since 2005, with particular emphasis on communications and fundraising. In September 2007 she joined the board of trustees of the newly formed A Rocha Switzerland.

She is married to Matthias Stiefel, the former chairman of the board of trustees of A Rocha International. Matthias and Rebecca have two grown children.