Rebecca Irvin
Rebecca Irvin
Director
The Rolex Awards for Enterprise
The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative
Rebecca Irvin joined Rolex SA in Geneva in 1993 to head the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, a unique corporate program that supports innovative people and projects in science, exploration, the environment, cultural heritage and technology. Supported by a staff of 15 at the Secretariat in Geneva, Ms. Irvin looks after all aspects of these international awards, including choosing and organizing the Selection Committee, overseeing the team researching the applicants and directing the worldwide publicity – publications, website, advertising, events and media relations – that benefits the Laureates and their ground-breaking work.
In 2001, with the support of Rolex Chief Executive Patrick Heiniger, she set up the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, a unique philanthropic program in the arts. Ms Irvin and her team also organize and recruit the distinguished artists and advisors who participate in the Rolex Arts Initiative.
Before joining Rolex, Ms Irvin 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, alongside her full-time work at Rolex. She is married and has two grown children.