Stratedge
    About StratEdge

    AI is a leadership mandate, not a technology purchase.

    StratEdge was founded on that conviction to accompany leadership teams turning AI from tools into business impact - with the governance, operating model, workforce readiness and strategic clarity required to scale responsibly.

    Why StratEdge exists

    A conviction shaped by experience.

    I founded StratEdge on a conviction shaped by my career: digital technology is a force multiplier for growth and innovation.

    AI, cloud, and data only create value when anchored in strategy, led from the top, and embedded into how an organisation operates.

    My perspective is grounded in experience. At Amazon Web Services, I saw how enterprises successfully adopt AI and cloud — through executive mandate, clear governance, and disciplined execution.

    Lately, I also see where it breaks down. Governance that stops at compliance fails. In the AI era, it must reflect how AI is actually used — by people across the organisation, shaping decisions, redesigning workflows, and building where off-the-shelf solutions fall short.

    StratEdge exists to bring that discipline to the leaders building what comes next — accompanying them and their teams as they turn technology from experimentation into structural advantage.

    Barbara CrestiFounder, StratEdge
    OUR APPROACH

    Built for adoption, control and measurable impact.

    Human-led by design.

    Our approach is human-led. AI adoption succeeds when it augments people, works with the culture, and is governed by decisions humans can defend. This is where our engagements begin — and what they preserve throughout.

    Capability alongside literacy.

    We build AI capability alongside digital literacy — because AI adoption does not happen in isolation from broader workforce technology fluency.

    Control is non-negotiable.

    StratEdge is founder-owned. We do not resell technology or answer to a parent company. Our advice is shaped by the client’s needs, requirements and objectives.

    Adoption is where value appears.

    Implementation is only the starting point. AI delivers impact when it is embedded into workflows, decision processes, governance and performance management.

    Control is now a strategic requirement.

    AI raises questions about data, infrastructure, vendors, regulation, accountability and trust. We help organisations make AI decisions that are commercially sound, operationally realistic and aligned with the European and Swiss regulatory environment — including the EU AI Act, Swiss FADP, DORA, sector-specific regulation and digital sovereignty.

    Independent by conviction.

    StratEdge is founder-owned. We do not resell technology, take vendor commissions or answer to a parent company. Our advice is shaped by the client's context, responsibilities and objectives.

    FOUNDER-LED BY DESIGN

    Our team.

    We bring strategy grounded in execution at global scale - across regulated sectors - and stay directly involved from first conversation through to implementation and measurable impact.

    Barbara Cresti — Founder, StratEdge

    Barbara Cresti

    Founder

    Barbara has more than twenty years of experience driving growth and digital transformation across international organisations. Her career spans executive roles at multinationals - including Amazon Web Services and Orange - mid-sized enterprises, and start-ups, with a focus on market expansion and business transformation.

    She has deep experience in regulated sectors: financial services, energy, healthcare, telecoms, manufacturing, and consumer goods. Applied AI execution shaped by deep industry context.

    At StratEdge, Barbara advises Boards and executives on turning responsible AI adoption into a lever for growth, innovation, and competitiveness. An IMD Business School alumna, she applies a pragmatic, results-driven approach to leveraging technology to accelerate business strategy.

    Caroline Perriard — Co-Founder, StratEdge

    Caroline Perriard

    Co-Founder

    Caroline combines more than twenty years of leadership in strategy, governance, legal, and regulatory affairs with deep expertise in data and AI.

    She has served on Boards and executive teams in corporates, SMEs, and start-ups, with a track record of steering organisations through digital and regulatory transformation.

    Certified in AI Governance, Data Protection, and GDPR, Caroline brings a unique blend of legal precision and business pragmatism. She is a Board member of the Swiss Institute of Intellectual Property Council and previously served as President of the Swiss Women Lawyers Association.

    Her perspective bridges compliance and innovation — ensuring that new technologies are adopted responsibly while creating competitive advantage.

    Caroline Zirakzadeh — Senior Partner, StratEdge

    Caroline Zirakzadeh

    Senior Partner

    Caroline brings more than two decades of C-level leadership to her work at the intersection of business education and artificial intelligence.

    As a professor at IFM Business School and ESM Genève, she teaches AI Strategy alongside Leadership and Management, and serves as a full module instructor for the Brevet Fédéral AI Business Specialist certification. Her teaching and research also extend to the use of AI in education and in HR practices.

    Before moving into education, she was President and CEO of Swatch Group USA, leading its 17 divisions and 1,000 employees. She draws on that background today as an advisor to start-ups and scale-ups and as a member of several boards of directors.

    Frédéric Thomas — Senior Partner, StratEdge

    Frédéric Thomas

    Senior Partner

    Frédéric brings 30 years of experience at the intersection of cybersecurity, embedded systems, and connected products. His career spans engineering, architecture, presales, and executive leadership, with a consistent thread: building secure systems that protect high-value assets at scale.

    As SVP and CTO at Kudelski IoT, he led an 80-person organization delivering secure enclaves, connected platforms, and IoT credential infrastructure for semiconductor, automotive, and industrial customers. At Nagravision, he spent twenty years as VP of Technology and lead presales architect, serving over a hundred operators worldwide on transactions reaching nine figures.

    At StratEdge, Frédéric brings decades of experience in data management, system architecture, and secure deployments. A hands-on builder, EPFL graduate, CISM certified, and named inventor on twelve patents.

    Jean-Luc Jolliet — Board Advisor, StratEdge

    Jean-Luc Jolliet

    Board Advisor

    A graduate of EHL and IMD, Jean-Luc's career is anchored in leadership, strategy, business development, and the promotion of human capital.

    For over thirty years, his focus has been counselling and learning on career governance, career transition, and executive search — while holding operational C-level and Board membership positions across multiple industries.

    As an entrepreneur, he founded Jolliet Advice — The Art of Career Governance® and co-founded Human Unlimited®. He brings a proactive, pragmatic, and socially astute perspective to StratEdge's Board.

    Our network

    Senior advice. Specialist depth. One accountable relationship.

    StratEdge gives leaders direct access to founder-led advisory, supported by trusted specialists when the work requires deeper technical, sectoral or regulatory expertise.

    You work with the founders. We bring in the right depth, at the right moment, under one accountable engagement.

    Meet our network
    Next steps

    Work with us.

    Every engagement starts with a confidential conversation. We define the priority, the pace and the right level of support: from focused mandates to long-term advisory relationships.