Madrid 2019

Following the legislative elections of 14 October 2018, Pierre Gramegna was re-appointed Minister of Finance in the coalition government formed by the Democratic Party (DP), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) and the Green Party (déi gréng). Pierre Gramegna first joined the government as Minister of Finance in 2013.

As Minister of Finance, Pierre Gramegna has initiated major reforms to balance the budget and to align Luxembourg’s tax rules with international transparency standards. Thanks to these efforts, Luxembourg’s AAA rating has been consistently confirmed by all major rating agencies and, in 2015, the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes upgraded Luxembourg to “largely compliant”. Pierre Gramegna is also a promoter of the diversification of Luxembourg’s financial centre, in particular with regard to FinTech and sustainable finance. He is the initiator and president of the LHoFT Foundation, which runs the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology. He has also further developed bilateral relations with China in the financial sector.

Pierre Gramegna puts particular emphasis on Luxembourg’s role in multilateral development banks. In 2014, Luxembourg became a member of the African Development Bank and, in 2015, Luxembourg was the first non-Asian country to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Currently, he is the chairman of the board of Governors of the AIIB. In May 2016, Pierre Gramegna was elected chair of the Board of Governors of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for a one-year mandate. He currently serves on the Board of Governors of the European Investment Bank and on that of the European Stability Mechanism. He is also Luxembourg’s governor to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Pierre Gramegna studied law and economics at the Université Panthéon-Assas (Paris II), where he was awarded a master’s degree in civil law in 1981 and a degree in economic sciences in 1982. He completed his post-university education with a DEA (postgraduate diploma of advanced studies) in European Union law.

As a career diplomat, Pierre Gramegna joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1983. From 1996 to 2002, Pierre Gramegna was Luxembourg’s ambassador to Japan and South Korea. From 2003 to 2013, Pierre Gramegna held the position of Director General of the Chamber of Commerce.

Nicolas Mackel is CEO of Luxembourg for Finance, the Agency for the Development of the Financial Centre, since July 2013.

Nicolas is a career diplomat. He has graduated with a law degree from the University of Aix-en-Provence, and holds two post-graduate diplomas in European law from the Sorbonne University, respectively the College of Europe in Bruges where he then also served as a teaching assistant in the Law Department. He worked as a legal clerk at the European Court of Justice before joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1999. His assignments focused on the successive EU Treaty negotiations (Amsterdam, Nice, Constitution, Lisbon).

Nicolas was consecutively posted at Luxembourg’s Permanent Representation to the EU (2002-07), as Deputy Chief of Mission at Luxembourg’s Embassy in Washington DC (2007-11) and as Consul General in Shanghai (2011-13) where he was in charge of promoting Luxembourg’s economic interests throughout China as the Executive Director of the Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office.

Born in 1960, Michèle Pranchère-Tomassini entered the diplomatic career in 1985 after studies at Ecole Normale Supérieure and Université Paris IV-Sorbonne in Paris. Since her first posting as Permanent Representative to the Office of the United Nations Organizations and WTO in Geneva (1998), she was Ambassador to Japan with co-accreditation to Republic of Korea, represented Luxembourg at the Political and Security Committee of the EU in Brussels where she also had to chair the painful closing of the WEU ( retrospectively a first to Brexit).

After 5 years as Ambassador in Prague with co-accreditations to Ukraine and Estonia, Michèle Pranchère-Tomassini is the Ambassador of Luxembourg in Madrid with co-accreditation to Andorra. She is married to the French philosopher Jean-Yves Pranchère, mother of a daughter and two sons. Diplomacy is her passion, she enjoys reading, running and playing the piano.

Víctor Allende is Executive Director of Private and Premier Banking at CaixaBank, in Spain, a role he has held since 2015. He began his career in 1999 in the UHNW and Financial Institutions sales division at AB Asesores in Madrid. In 2004, Victor was appointed as Head of the department of UHNW clients in Iberia at Morgan Stanley; after which he became the Head of Business Development (2006).

In 2008 Victor was appointed as the head of Business Development in the Private and Personal Banking division of CaixaBank and thereafter became the Director of Private and Personal Banking in the Regional Area of Catalonia, a role he held until 2014.

Víctor is member of the Board of Directors of VidaCaixa since 2016, of CaixaBank Asset Management since 2015, of Digital Business of CaixaBank since 2016, and also of BPI Suisse since 2018.

In the current year, Víctor had also taken the responsability for directing CaixaBank Asset Management.

Víctor has a degree in Economics from the University of Navarra (Spain 1997), as well as an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona.

Mariano Belinky is Global CEO of Santander Asset Management, since February 2018. He joined SAM from Santander InnoVentures, the bank’s $200 million fintech venture capital investment fund, which he co-founded and successfully led since 2015.

Before joining Santander InnoVentures, Mariano was a junior partner at management consulting firm McKinsey and Company, where he advised global banks and asset managers across Europe and the Americas. He previously spent 3 years as part of the research technology team at Bridgewater Associates, the world largest institutional money manager, and before as a trader in cash equities and equity derivatives in his native Buenos Aires.

Mariano holds a bachelor‘s degree in Computer Science and Philosophy from New York University and conducted doctoral studies in Artificial Intelligence at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya In Spain.

Antonio Corpas is CEO of OneLife, a Luxembourg life assurance company specialised in financial planning solutions for wealthy clients across Europe.

He joined OneLife in 2008 as Head of Tax & Legal and Group General Counsel, bringing with him long experience as a Qualified Lawyer. Before becoming CEO in 2018, Antonio was instrumental in building the company’s expertise in the areas of Wealth Structuring, Investment Fund Services and Non-Traditional Assets and has significantly contributed to the repositioning of OneLife.

Prior to joining OneLife, Antonio held senior Legal Counsel positions at Allianz and AGF in Paris.

Antonio was admitted to the Paris Bar in 1997 and graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris. He holds a professional post-graduate Degree in Business Law and a Master of International Business Law.

Pascal Denis, Head of Advisory at KPMG Luxembourg is Ingénieur de Gestion (Business & Engineer graduate), HEC Business School, Liège – Belgium. He is experienced in shaping complex transformation programs at Financial Services clients, involving process, technology and people change, IT platforms and shared services. He is also advising CIOs in IT strategy and Performance Management.

Pascal joined KPMG in July 2014.

His previous experience of 20 years at Accenture, including various management positions like Country Managing Director for Luxembourg, EALA Lead for Wealth & Asset Management services.

His sectors of experience are Wealth Management, Asset Servicing, Retail Banking and Insurance.

Jean Elia has 24 years of experience in Insurance, out of which 12 as CEO of leading life insurance companies in several countries.

He started his career with a UK insurer, before joining Société Générale Group as COO for Sogecap Lebanon. He was appointed CEO of their Bancassurance subsidiary in Egypt in 2006, and CEO of the Moroccan subsidiary in 2009.

Since 2013, Jean is CEO of SOGELIFE in Luxembourg, a leading life insurance company in the Grand Duchy, providing life insurance and wealth planning solutions to high net worth clients across Europe.

Jean Elia holds an International MBA from Paris Dauphine University.

Specialised in strategy and leadership, he has advised several insurance companies and conducted structural changes and Bancassurance model implementations in the Middle East and Europe.

Pierre is Head of Private Assets within Banque de Luxembourg’s Investment Fund practice. Over the last 12 years he held various positions within Banque de Luxembourg advising professional clients and high net worth individuals on the feasibility of fund projects and coordinating the legal and operational implementation as well as the launch of their fund. He has expertise in private assets (private equity, real estate, sophisticated debt, infrastructure, microfinance…), UCITS funds as well as in funds as wealth structuring tools.

Pierre holds a master’s degree in economics from the Aix-Marseille University and is a member of various industry working groups.

Marc Hengen has been the Managing Director of ACA since March 2013. After 18 years of experience in the Luxembourgish insurance sector, he joined the Executive Committee of ACA in 2010. He is also a member of both the Executive Committee of UEL (Union des Entreprises Luxembourgeoises) and the Executive Committee of IE (Insurance Europe), as well as Secretary General of AGERE (Association des gestionnaires d’entreprises de réassurances).

Marc Hengen has a Master’s Degree in Law from the Robert Schuman University of Strasbourg.

Tonika Hirdman is the Director General of Fondation de Luxembourg, a public utility organisation created by the Luxembourg government.

Previously she was the CEO of ABN AMRO Bank (Luxembourg). Before coming to Luxembourg, she was the Managing Director of Banco, a subsidiary of ABN AMRO in Sweden. At the same time, she was responsible for the sustainable investment strategy at ABN AMRO Asset Management.

Tonika Hirdman is a member of the Board of AP7, the Swedish public pension fund. In the past she has also been a member of the Boards of Transparency International Sweden, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Investment Funds Association and of ABN AMRO Life.

Tonika Hirdman began her professional career at the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority in 1990. In 1994 she became a diplomat at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs where she worked for six years. Tonika Hirdman holds a Master of Science degree from Uppsala University.

Alessia Lorenti joined Edmond de Rothschild in 2018. She has nearly 20 years of experience in investment funds and institutional management.

She started her career in 1998 at Crédit Agricole Indosuez in Paris. She then went on to work for Caceis Bank Luxembourg, where she held a number of different positions over 15 years, including head of the sales & relationship management team responsible for institutional fund management clients based in the US and the UK.

Alessia joined BIL in 2015, where she was in charge of business development for non-banking financial institutions (management companies, private equity funds, real estate and debt, insurers and regulated fintech).

Alessia is also active in several organizations on the financial market, as a member of ALFI working groups and the BCCL financial services group (British Chamber of Commerce for Luxembourg).

Antonio is CEO of the Spanish Branch of Indosuez WM Europe. He is also Member of the European Executive Committee.

He spent most of his career working in the banking and financial sectors in Spain. He first held several senior positions for March Group, where he was Head of Capital Markets for Banco de Progreso and afterwards Head of New Issues and Corporate Finance for Banco Urquijo. He then filled the position of MD for Iberagentes, where he also became Chairman of the Gestion Premier Fund SA.

Following this experience, he was in charge of developing the financial activities for Bestinver Group, a subsidiary of Acciona, in the position of Managing Director.

From 2002 onwards, Antonio joined Deutsche Bank becoming MD, where he was in charge of developing the Wealth Management activities of the company in Spain and Portugal, and member of the DB Spanish EXCO.

Antonio graduated with honors from the Pontificia Comillas ICADE University in Madrid, where he obtained two Bachelors of Arts in Law and Economics & Business Administration. Member of the European Financial Planning Association and the Spanish Institute of Financial Analysts

Yves Maas, born on 29 January 1963 in Esch/Alzette (Luxembourg), holds a language degree from Universität des Saarlandes.

In 1989, he embarked on his professional career at Cedelbank (Clearstream) Luxembourg where he stayed until 1999 holding various senior positions including Director for Product Development and Member of the Executive Management Board.

In 1999, Yves Maas joined Credit Suisse Private Banking as Head of Securities & Treasury, IT & Operations and Member of the Executive Board. In 2001, he became Member of the Management Committee Technology & Operations and Head of Private Banking Operations Switzerland.

From 2004 to 2012, Yves Maas held the position of Head of International Operations of the Private Banking Division of Credit Suisse. In this capacity, he managed 23 private banking locations and was in charge of operations teams outside Switzerland across the regions (EMEA, US, APAC).

In April 2012, Yves Maas returned to Luxembourg to become CEO and Member of the Board of Credit Suisse Luxembourg S.A. and Country Head Credit Suisse Luxembourg.

Since March 2017, Yves Maas holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Credit Suisse Luxembourg.

Yves Maas has been Chairman of the Luxembourg Bankers’ Association (ABBL) from 25 April 2014 to 20 April 2018. He has been elected Vice-Chairman on 20 April 2018. Yves Maas is now the CEO of the Luxembourg Bankers’ Association since November 2019.

Flavia Micilotta is Director at the Luxembourg Green Exchange, the leading exchange for listing sustainable bonds and funds.

A member of EFRAG’s EU reporting Lab and of the EIOPA Occupational Pension Stakeholder Group, Flavia has supported the work of the European Commission to devise a sustainable finance framework as member of the High-Level Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (HLEG).

With 18 years of experience in sustainability, Flavia was previously Executive Director of Eurosif, the pan-European sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) membership organisation whose mission is to promote sustainability through European financial markets. As a sustainability consultant and qualified environmental auditor at EY and Deloitte, she assisted companies embed sustainability in their business models and go beyond the remits of social and environmental compliance. Focused on issues ranging from climate change and adaptation, to supply chain management and responsible investments, Flavia worked with several European banks and asset managers to help them streamline their Responsible Investment approach.

A founding member of the UN Global Compact in Belgium, Flavia has developed much of her career working with companies to improve their transparency and accountability through material and forward-looking sustainability reporting.

Adepa Global Services is an independent global leading provider of Investment Fund and Corporate Services, Private Equity & Real Estate administration, UCITS V Management Company and Asset Management addressed to institutional and professional investors around the globe. Founded in 1980 and currently headquartered in Luxembourg, Adepa provides clients with support oriented to give tailor-made solutions for ideas in a global financial world in Italy, Spain and Chile.

Carlos Morales is CEO of the group Adepa Global Services. He joined Adepa in 1997 and developed Adepa’s operations from scratch in Luxembourg in 2006 to a renowned market player outside the country’s borders. His experience has been built after having undertaken responsibilities in administration, investment management and marketing activities. Today Carlos is overseeing and shaping the group’s development strategy, developing key business relationships and key client accounts.

Tobias is a counsel in the Luxembourg investment management practice of Loyens & Loeff. He has more than 18 years of experience in structuring and setting-up investment funds, with particular focus on UCITS and other retail products. In addition, Tobias regularly advises such funds and their management companies on regulatory topics.

Before joining Loyens & Loeff, Tobias spent almost ten years heading the legal teams at two Luxembourg management companies. He was thus involved in the implementation of UCITS III, IV and V and assisted one of the companies to manage German UCITS. Tobias is an active member of several working groups at the Luxembourg investment fund association (ALFI). He is admitted to the bar of Koblenz (Germany) and to the Luxembourg bar.

Alex Panican is a serial entrepreneur with more than 15 years of experience in Business Strategy, Digital Transformation and Innovation. He’s the Deputy CEO of the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (The LHoFT), where he’s supporting the innovation partnerships between the fintechs and the financial actors.

Alex is also a professor in Business Strategy and Digital Marketing. He holds an MBA in Strategy from the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada. The LHoFT aims to drive digitalisation and innovation in the Luxembourg financial industry and build a collaborative ecosystem of innovators across all sectors of the domestic and international community, including fintech, traditional financial services firms, government, regulators, universities, and investors.

Fermin Rezola has more than 20 years in the international financial sector, and extensive experience in organisations such as Merrill Lynch and BNP Paribas, as well as in the Santander Group where he held senior executive positions as General Secretary and Chairmanship Department in Chile (Santander Group Representative), UK (Investor Relations Director), and at a global level in Madrid coordinating, as Area Director for the Group, the Business Development of Universities – the pillar of CSR at the Santander Group.

In 2014, he founded Capital Dividends, a company offering independent professional services to family groups and institutions with an international vocation. He is also Senior Advisor of the Development Department at the University of Navarra and member of the Board at the NGO International Cooperation.

Fermin Rezola has a Law degree from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a PDD from the Instituto de Empresa. In 2000, he obtained the Series 7 NYSE/NASD License (USA).

Manuel San Salvador is a Founder and Managing Partner of Antwort Capital S.A., an open feeder funds’ platform for Private Equity and Real Estate funds based in Luxembourg. Board member of different private equity funds, he has a broad experience in the asset management and private banking fields having led as CEO some of the top private banking operations in Spain such as Merrill Lynch Private Banking, Lazard Wealth Management or Banco Urquijo. He has performed leading positions in different international banks in the UK, Switzerland and Luxembourg lately as CEO of Andbank Luxembourg.

Manuel holds a B.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration with main focus on finance from CUNEF in Madrid and an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona.

Ugo Sansone has been General Manager of Allfunds Bank International since September 2015. He has a deep knowledge of the Fund Industry and has been working in this sector for the past twenty years. Currently, Ugo leads the bank activities in Benelux & France, while supporting the international growth of the platform across the world.

Ugo was the former Eurizon Capital’s Head of Sales and Client Management and he is a highly respected and well-known industry figure in Luxembourg where he has been an active stakeholder across the Investment Fund sector. Prior to Allfunds, Ugo spent his entire career at Intesa Sanpaolo Group, leading the international commercial activities of Eurizon Capital for over ten years. Prior to joining Eurizon he held several roles at Sanpaolo Group both in UK and in Luxembourg.

Mr Sansone graduated in Economics at Universita’ Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milan, and teaches International Distribution of UCITS’s Funds in a Master in International Finance, Audit and Control in Luxembourg.

Fanny Sergent is an asset management partner based in PwC Luxembourg’s office. With 20 years of experience, Fanny is a COO within the PwC Luxembourg Asset & Wealth Management team, as well as business development lead for Latin America.

Camille Thommes is the Director General of ALFI, the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry. He joined the association back in 2007.

Before joining ALFI, Camille Thommes was in in charge of the Investment Fund Department at the State and Savings Bank, Luxembourg (BCEE) from 2001-2006, after holding various senior positions in the Securities & Custody department since 1993. He started his professional career in 1986 at BGL (now BGL-BNP Paribas) where he held positions in the Securities and Custody Divisions.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Luxembourg Supervisory Authority (CSSF) and a member of the Consultative Committee for Prudential Regulation. Camille is also a member of the High-Level Committee of the Financial Centre set up by the Ministry of Finance and a Board member of the Luxembourg Financial Industry Federation (PROFIL S.A.). Furthermore, he represents ALFI at the Board of Directors of the European Fund and Asset Management association (EFAMA) and is a Board member of IIFA (International Investment Funds Association). In addition, he is a member of the Advisory Board of the Department of Finance of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance (University of Luxembourg).

Camille holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg (France), completed the Accelerated Development Program at the London Business School and accomplished traineeships in London and New York.

A Luxembourg native, Camille is fluent in English, French, German and Luxembourgish.

Jurgen Vanhoenacker joined Lombard International Assurance 19 years ago and has held several senior roles, including the role of Client Services Executive Director, before his appointment as Executive Sales Director in 2010. Prior to joining Lombard International Assurance, Mr Vanhoenacker worked 3 years for PwC Management Consultants Luxembourg and 3 years for Banque Indosuez (now Credit Agricole).

He holds a Masters in Economics, a Masters in Business Administration and a PhD in Applied Economics (University of Leuven, Belgium). Mr Vanhoenacker has made a major contribution to Lombard International Assurance’s development over the years and has vast knowledge of its business, markets and distribution channels.