Maria Iris Bertarelli spent her early years in Tunisia, where she studied arts. When she met Fabio, who she married in 1964, everything changed. She lived in Rome, where her children Ernesto and Dona were born, and then in Switzerland and in the United States.

Maria Iris was a key behind-the-scenes factor in the development of Serono, first behind Fabio and later on behind his son Ernesto. She even worked herself in the company for a short period of time in the early 1960s.

Whilst her husband was devoted to building Serono, and once the children went to university, Maria Iris dedicated her energy to good causes. Between 1984 and 1999 she was the president of ASBV (Association des services bénévoles vaudoise) and still today she has a number of charitable commitments. Now a beloved grandmother of six, she lives in Gstaad, Switzerland, although she also spends time in Italy, where her brother Claudio runs the Colle Massari winery.