History

The Bertarelli name will always be associated with Serono, which became the world’s third largest biotechnology company. For three generations the family were majority shareholders and managers of the company founded as Istituto Farmacologico Serono in Rome in 1906.

Initially managed by the grandfather Pietro, the firm’s headquarters were moved to Switzerland as Ares-Serono in 1997 by Fabio, the father of Ernesto and Dona. Both brother and sister were educated in Italy, Switzerland and the United States, and were involved in the business from an early age.

In 1996 Ernesto took over as CEO from Fabio who died in 1998. Serono became Europe’s largest biotech company and was bought by Merck KGaA in 2007.

Today the family is involved in a wide range of activities in business, philanthropy and leisure, underpinned by their entrepreneurial spirit and passion for turning visions into reality through recruiting the best talent, using the best technology and applying the best management practices.

Resident in Switzerland but active globally, the family includes a new generation with the children of Ernesto and his wife Kirsty, and Dona's three kids.