Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law

Diana Markaki-Bartholdi is the Founder and Group CEO of the Boardroom, the first private club for women executives aspiring to board service, with exclusive Clubhouses already established in Zurich, Athens, London, and Paris, and soon also in New York. What began in 2021 as a leadership case at Harvard Business School has evolved into a rapidly growing international platform with a clear mission: to increase the number of qualified women on corporate boards around the world. the Boardroom has also become an official Harvard Business School case study, reflecting the academic and global recognition of its model and mission.

A seasoned board director and international M&A lawyer, Diana brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across regulated sectors including energy, infrastructure, telecommunications, and private equity-backed businesses. She has served on PE-backed boards, as well as on the Board of Directors of 5G Ventures, a state-backed investment fund supporting 5G technology, where she also chaired the Audit Committee, and on the Board of ELLAKTOR, a publicly listed infrastructure group operating in more than 30 countries. In addition, Diana is a Partner at international investment firm Venero Capital Advisors, where she advises on impact investing and strategic growth initiatives.

Diana is also Executive-in-Residence at IMD Business School in Lausanne, where she teaches on the Women on Boards program. Over the course of her career, Diana has advised on equity offerings and cross-border M&A transactions exceeding €50 billion in value. She has lived and worked in New York, Milan, London, Athens, and Zurich, leading high-stakes negotiations and managing globally dispersed teams across 60 countries and five continents. She has also held executive roles in Europe’s largest energy infrastructure project.

In 2023, Diana was honored in Monaco with the Maria Callas Award for Social Entrepreneur and Businesswoman of the Year, in recognition of her work to advance gender equity in business leadership.

Diana holds a Law degree and an LL.M. in International and European Law from the University of Athens. She is a Harvard Business School alumna and also serves as a Guest Lecturer at Harvard Business School.