Tribute to Professor Judith Schrempf-Stirling

I am deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague, Judith.

I had the privilege of witnessing her dedication, her kindness, and the quiet strength she brought to her work every day. Her professionalism and humanity left a meaningful imprint on me and on everyone who interacted with her.

I extend my heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and all who are grieving this loss.

May she rest in peace, and may her memory continue to inspire us.

It has been a privilege to work with and learn from you, Judith. May your soul rest in peace. All the community that you have been dedicating your life to will work on what you have set in our field, and you’ll forever continue living through us.

What a loss.

A true fighter inside and outside the classroom!

Judith was a remarkable scholar, teacher, and friend, known for her intellectual rigor, generosity, and deep commitment to responsible management, corporate social responsibility, human rights, and impact-driven governance.

Through our years of researching and teaching impact missions together, I had the privilege of experiencing firsthand her rare ability to connect academic excellence with real-world relevance. Judith was deeply committed to helping organizations translate purpose into concrete strategies, governance practices, and measurable impact—always with clarity, integrity, and high intellectual standards.

Throughout her illness, she showed extraordinary courage, dignity, and strength, and at times even a sense of humour that brought lightness, remaining true to the values she lived by as a person and as an academic.

At the Geneva School of Economics and Management – UNIGE, Judith made a lasting impact on students, colleagues, and the wider academic community.

She will be remembered not only for her scholarly contributions, but also for the kindness, humanity, and moral clarity she brought to those around her—qualities that reached far beyond our institution.

Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go to her family, her loved ones, and all who had the privilege of knowing and working with her.

Rest in peace, Judith. You will be deeply missed.
Jonathan

I first met Judith in 2016, when she applied for a faculty position at the University of Geneva. She then joined us as a Professor of Responsible Management. In 2021, she agreed to join my Dean’s team as Vice Dean for Executive Education, a role she held until the end of my term last summer.

During these years, we worked closely together. Despite the many challenges she faced, it was thanks to her extraordinary dedication that we were able to successfully transform our executive education and EMBA programs. Throughout this time, she was not only an outstanding colleague who deeply cared about our students, colleagues, and institution, but she also became a friend.

When I exchanged with Judith for the last time, she texted me that she is enjoying every single day. That is indeed what we all should do.

My thoughts are with her husband, daughter, and son.

Rest in peace, Judith. You will be missed.

I was deeply saddened to learn of this news. I still remember Professor Schrempf-Stirling’s speech during my years of study. She was a brave and inspiring person who shared her journey with great dignity. My sincere condolences to her family and loved ones. May she now rest in peace, free from pain.

When my husband Guido Palazzo and I heard about Judith's death, the world stood still for a momement. We knew Judith for many years. During her PhD years, Guido worked closely with her as his assistant. She was hardworking, optimistic, strong and fun. When faced with challenges, she simply rolled up her sleeves and got to work. She approached her illness with the same calm strength, and determination she brought to everything else in her life. I am in awe at how bravely she shared her battle against cancer. As a mother, I cannot imagine what it meant for her to know she would leave her young children behind. That alone speaks to a courage that deserves the deepest respect.

I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Prof. Judith Schrempf-Stirling. As our first teacher in the second year, she energetically and positively helped instill ethics, responsibility and transparency in our development as responsible leaders.

Please convey my sincere condolences to her family and colleagues during this very difficult time.

With deepest sympathy,
Pierre

I was deeply saddened to learn of Professor Judith Schrempf-Stirling’s passing. The news came as a surprise and has left me with a heavy heart.

I had the privilege of being taught by her in my second year of the Executive MBA program. With her we studied business ethics and the question of why good people sometimes take unethical decisions. She left a deep and lasting positive impression on me. Professor Schrempf-Stirling was the first female teacher in our program, and she brought a welcome sense of balance, strength, and empowerment into the classroom.

Her teaching was inspirational, thoughtful, and filled with a genuine passion for what our 17 minds in the classroom had to say. She had a playful energy that made the four days we spent together very engaging. For a while she had us in our seats listening attentively, then on our feet debating fiercely, and even exploring ethical business examples through the lens of Tony Chocolonely chocolate samples she offered us.

It is particularly heartbreaking to remember that during our class in late August 2024, she asked our permission to take an important call from the hospital. To know how she faced her medical treatment with courage and optimism, is admirable and heartbreaking. In the midst of her battle, she still found the strength to send us messages and videos, encouraged us in our progress and thanked us for keeping her in our thoughts.

We have lost a remarkable talent and an extraordinary source of inspiration. My thoughts are with her family, her colleagues, and her friends during this difficult time.

Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Judith Schrempf-Stirling.
She was a true fighter, an inspiring and deeply kind person who faced everything with remarkable strength and humanity.
Rest in peace, Judith.
My heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and all who loved her.

I'm truely saddend by the passing of Judith Schrempf Stirling, the first female dean of GSEM.
May her institutional, educational and personal legacy stay in our hearts and minds, as individuals and as participants in our eMBA community.
With my sincere condoleances to her family and loved ones.

When I had first arrived at UNIL from Canada to do my PhD, I had not known anyone beforehand and there had not been too many non-European students in the program at that time. I had felt quite out of place and lost. Judith, as the then president of the PhDNet Doctoral Students’ Association, would always make sure to come by my office to chat and say Hi, and to see how I was doing, making my integration feel much more welcome. That was who she was, always quietly noticing and caring about the feelings and unspoken needs of others. The last time we met in person was in Boston in 2023 at the Westin lobby, more than a decade after we first met at UNIL. I still remember us giggling together afterwards as we could not find each other easily, even with WhatsApp to aid us. We’re getting too old for this, we joked. My dear Judith, you will be missed.

I was deeply saddened to learn of Professor Judith Schrempf-Stirling’s passing. The news came as a surprise and has left me with a heavy heart.

I had the privilege of being taught by her in my second year of the Executive MBA program. With her we studied business ethics and the question of why good people sometimes take unethical decisions. She left a deep and lasting positive impression on me. Professor Schrempf-Stirling was the first female teacher in our program, and she brought a welcome sense of balance, strength, and empowerment into the classroom.

Her teaching was inspirational, thoughtful, and filled with a genuine passion for what our 17 minds in the classroom had to say. She had a playful energy that made the four days we spent together very engaging. For a while she had us in our seats listening attentively, then on our feet debating fiercely, and even exploring ethical business examples through the lens of Tony Chocolonely chocolate samples she offered us.

It is particularly heartbreaking to remember that during our class in late August 2024, she asked our permission to take an important call from the hospital. To know how she faced her medical treatment with courage and optimism, is admirable and heartbreaking. In the midst of her battle, she still found the strength to send us messages and videos, encouraged us in our progress and thanked us for keeping her in our thoughts.

We have lost a remarkable talent and an extraordinary source of inspiration. My thoughts are with her family, her colleagues, and her friends during this difficult time.

Dear Judith. Our paths have crossed only a few times; however, I was stunned by how strongly you have navigated stormy waters.
My sincerest condolences to the family.
Goodbye Judith. Sit tibi terra levis.
Emanuele

I am deeply saddended by the passing of Professor Schrempf-Stirling.

She was my Marketing professor back when I did my Bachelor at GSEM. She had a way to make her classes interesting and encourage student participation like very few professors can. Many years later, I still catch myself looking back fondly on debates and discussions we had in her classes. Her passion for her work and her convictions to make the world a better place were both obvious and contagious.

Without her, the world lost a touch of its color. I hope the people she inspired will keep her in their memories and look up to her. I know I will.

The academic community in Switzerland lost a remarkable female professor and I am deeply saddened by the passing of Judith. I met Judith in the H.I.T. program, which networks female professors in Switzerland. I was deeply impressed by her authenticity and leadership. She will be deeply missed and I express my sincere condolences to the the family and friends. Still Grüsse, Heike Mayer

I got to know and appreciate Judith through the H.I.T. program and will always remember her fondly. My thoughts are with her loved ones and I express my sincere condolences, Regula Hänggli

It’s been about 18 years since I first met Judith, back when she was still pursuing her PhD and working with Hewlett-Packard in CSR. I fondly remember our time together, both in the office and in nature - her positivity, curiosity, and warm spirit were truly inspiring. Judith, you will be deeply missed.

Les engagements humains et intellectuels de Judith Schrempf-Stirling ne seront pas vains. Elle aura été l'une des pionnières à la GSEM à s'engager pour une éducation durable. Merci, Judith et toutes mes pensées à ses étudiants et à ses proches.

I met Judith only twice when I was interviewing for a job. She effortlessly made me feel at ease and was very kind to me, essentially a stranger, without a reason. I will always remember her generosity in kindness. Rest in peace Judith.

We received the news of Judith passing with immense sadness. Judith was not only a valued MBA Director colleague, but also a very pleasant, knowledgeable and committed lecturer in our EPFL EMBA program. She always showed great passion and dedication to her lecturing and was valued by both participants and program staff. Our thoughts are with her family and all who were close to her. Her presence and the experiences we shared will be remembered forever.

With deep sadness we learned about the passing of our former colleague Judith Schrempf. We remember very well when Judith joined our CSR team at HP Boeblingen in Germany more than 20 years ago as a highly committed and talented intern. With her strong can do attitude and great passion for CSR she gained first practical experiences and greatly contributed to strengthen our CSR footprint on a European level. We loved working with Judith and are so proud to see how she pursued her great passion for CSR over the years and became a professor of Responsible Management and well respected international academic leader. Judith will always be in our hearts. Our thoughts are with her beloved ones. Our sincere condolences.

Carpe diem
Gabi, Jeannette, Daniela, Suzana, Anja, Carmen, Tanja, Anette on behalf of the former HP Corporate Marketing and CSR Team in EMEA

Judith left a positive mark on every institution she worked with and every colleague and student she interacted with. I still have fond memories of working with Judith at the University of Richmond, where she conducted herself with grace and brought a valuable Ethics perspective to our curriculum and our Business School. May God watch over Judith's loving husband Tim and her two beautiful children.

The Department of Strategy and the Doctoral School of HEC Lausanne join with deep sadness in mourning the passing of Judith Schrempf-Stirling, a former doctoral student at HEC Lausanne, whose academic commitment and human qualities left a lasting mark on our community.
We extend our sincere condolences to her family, loved ones, and all members of the academic community affected by this loss.