Financing Europe's Sustainable Future

After graduating with an International Baccalaureate from the Canadian Academy International School in Kobe in 1989, Yuriko Backes obtained a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1992. She then attended the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, where she successfully completed a master’s degree in Japanese studies in 1993. Yuriko Backes obtained a second master’s degree in European political and administrative studies from the College of Europe in Bruges in 1994.

On 5 January 2022, following the resignation of Pierre Gramegna, Yuriko Backes joined the coalition government between the Democratic Party (DP), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) and the Green Party (déi gréng) as Minister of Finance.

Yuriko Backes began her professional career in 1994 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has held various positions, including at the Permanent Representation of Luxembourg to the United Nations in New York, the Permanent Representation of Luxembourg to the Western European Union in Brussels, and the Luxembourg Embassy in Japan.

As attaché at the Directorate of European Affairs and International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Luxembourg, she was sworn in as a civil servant in 2001.

The career diplomat was then assigned to the Permanent Representation of Luxembourg to the European Union in Brussels from 2001 to 2006.

She continued her diplomatic career as deputy head of mission at the Luxembourg Embassy in Japan from 2006 to 2008 and as deputy head of the Directorate for International Economic Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Luxembourg from 2008 to 2010.

From 2010 to 2016, Yuriko Backes was the diplomatic adviser and sherpa to Luxembourg Prime Ministers Jean-Claude Juncker and Xavier Bettel.

She was the representative of the European Commission in Luxembourg from 2016 to 2020.

From June 2020 until her appointment to the government, she served as marshal of the Grand-Ducal Court.

Philipp von Restorff currently is Deputy CEO at Luxembourg for Finance (LFF), the agency for the development of the Luxembourg financial centre.

Prior to his appointment at LFF, he was serving as Head of Communication of The Luxembourg Bankers’ Association (ABBL), where he also held the position of Secretary of the Board of Directors.  Philipp has been Chairman of the European Banking Federation’s Communication and CSR Steering Committee from 2014-2018. Before joining the ABBL he worked for the Luxembourg Information and Press Services of the Luxembourg Ministry of State. 

He is elected member of the Board of Directors of LuxFLAG, the Luxembourg Finance Labelling Agency, as well as of the Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative. Philipp is lecturer at the Luxembourg House of Training and financial education volunteer at “Jonk Entrepreneuren Luxembourg”, a branch of the Junior Achievement Network (JA).

Christian Gibot has been CEO of Cardif Lux Vie since December 1st, 2019.

A graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris and alumnus of Saïd Business School Oxford, he began his career in 2005 as an actuary at ACA France. In 2008, he joined Caisse des Dépôts and the Office of the Chief Executive, before being appointed as Technical Director for France with CNP Assurances in 2011. He joined BNP Paribas Cardif in 2015 as Director of Actuarial Services, before being appointed CEO of Cardif Lux Vie end 2019.

Christian Gibot was the vice-president of the Institute of Actuaries in France. He is the president of the ACA (Luxembourg Insurance and Reinsurance Association) and president of the Luxembourg Union of Insurance Companies.

Guy Hoffmann is the CEO of Banque Raiffeisen and Chairman of the Luxembourg Bankers’ Association (ABBL)

Guy Hoffmann began his career at the BGL in 1986. In 2000, he became head of the corporate department and a member of management. Between 2005 and 2007, at what is then called Fortis BGL, he is responsible, as Director of Commercial Banking Luxembourg and Greater Region.

He then joined Banque Raiffeisen as a director and then, in the same year, joined the management committee, in charge of corporate / SME clients and private banking. In July 2011, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, which he successfully managed development in the Grand Duchy and his move to a brand new building in Leudelange. In April 2018, he became president of the Association of Banks and Bankers, Luxembourg (ABBL) and succeeds Yves Maas.

Corinne Lamesch is the chairperson (since June 2019) and board member of the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI) (since June 2017). She is a regular speaker at industry events and has been actively participating in conferences and roadshows that ALFI is organising in Luxembourg and across the globe.

Corinne is Country Head, Luxembourg at Fidelity International and has over 20 years of experience in the Luxembourg fund industry. She joined Fidelity International in 2008 and acts as Conducting Officer of Fidelity International’s Luxembourg-based management company since 2015.

Prior to joining Fidelity International, Corinne worked as a lawyer for Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy from 1998 to 2008, advising on the Luxembourg and international investment fund industry.

Corinne holds two Masters in Law from Université Robert Schuman, Strasbourg and New York University School of Law. She was admitted as a lawyer to the Luxembourg Bar (1999-2008) and to the New York Bar (since 1998).