18th Annual Financial Services Conference 2020

David has a portfolio of senior management roles in the European public affairs industry, and has advised over 50 of the world’s largest financial institutions and trade associations on their public affairs strategy, stakeholder engagement, and reputation management activities across Europe, the UK and globally. He leads Kreab’s Financial Services Practice and is the Senior Partner of the Financial Policy Advisers Network. David has worked at the European Commission, the Financial Services Authority, McKinsey & Company, and Campbell Lutyens.

Valdis Dombrovskis is the European Commission’s executive vice-president for an economy that works for people. Between 2014 and 2019, he was vice-president responsible for the Euro and Social Dialogue, also in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union.
Previously, he served as Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia for three consecutive terms from 2009 to 2014, becoming the longest serving elected Head of government in Latvia’s history.
Before that, Dombrovskis was elected twice as a Member of the European Parliament as part of the Europeans People’s Party (EPP) Group. He was also Head of the Latvian Delegation in the EPP Group.
He served as a Member of the Saeima, the Latvian Parliament in 2004 and in 2014. He also served as Minister of Finance from 2002 to 2004. Previously, he worked as a senior economist and chief economist at the Bank of Latvia from 1998 to 2002.
Dombrovskis holds a BA in physics from the University of Latvia and in economics from Riga University of Technology. He also holds an MA degree in physics in from the University of Latvia.

Mauro is Accenture’s senior managing director for Financial Services in Europe. He is responsible for setting the group’s overall vision and strategy, for sales and revenue growth, and for guiding the development of client relationships.

He also leads the Financial Services Italy, Central Europe and Greece client service group, overseeing Accenture’s work with banks, insurers and capital markets firms in the region.

Since joining Accenture in 1990, Mauro has helped some of Europe’s largest banks execute major transformation programs spanning mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, and sales and distribution.

Before assuming his current roles, he was the global Banking industry lead for Accenture Strategy. From 2012 to 2015, he served as Accenture Strategy lead for Europe, Africa and Latin America, helping clients across all industries improve their competitive advantage in markets being transformed by digital technologies. He was previously Management Consulting lead for Italy, Greece and Emerging Markets, and Management Consulting lead for FS Europe, Africa and Latin America.

He is a board member of the Accenture Foundation in Italy, contributing to the development of programs that accelerate digital transformation in the non-profit sector. He is a passionate advocate for inclusion, diversity and mentoring initiatives.

Mauro has an MBA from the University of California Graduate School of Management. He is based in Milan.

Kevin joined Barclays Bank Ireland PLC in May 2017 as Chief Executive Officer. Kevin previously served as Chairman of Corporate Banking and Vice Chairman, Investment Banking for Barclays based in London. He is a shareholder non-executive director of the Business Growth Fund in the U.K. 

Kevin joined Barclays as a graduate and has held client and product leadership roles in corporate and investment banking as well as in strategic planning and Human Resources. He has worked in the U.S., Australia, Asia and the U.K.

Barclays Bank Ireland had responsibility for the Barclays Groups European branches and businesses, with Dublin housing Barclays European Head Office Functions.

Kevin graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Accounting and Financial Analysis from Warwick University.

Gabriele Galateri di Genola was appointed Chairman of Assicurazioni Generali on 8 April 2011. He was reappointed Chair by the Board of Directors on 7 May 2019 and he fully entered in charge on 23 May 2019, when the new article 29.1 of the Articles of association entered into force.

He holds a degree in Law and an MBA from Columbia University. He was appointed CEO of IFIL in 1986 and CEO and General Manager of IFI in 1993; subsequently, in 2002, he was appointed CEO of Fiat. From 2003 to June 2007 he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mediobanca. From 2003 to 2010 he was Vice-Chairman and a member of the Board of Directors of Generali. From 2007 to 2011 he was Chairman of Telecom Italia S.p.A., where he was a member of the Board of Directors until April 2014.

Prior to this he was Chief Executive, Americas & UK region since September 2015. In this position, he significantly deepened SWIFT’s engagement model with global transaction banks and successfully delivered business development results in high-growth markets. He was also an Executive sponsor of SWIFT’s Customer Security Programme from 2016 to 2018, helping to formulate and lead SWIFT’s response to the growing cyber challenge facing the community.

Pérez-Tasso joined SWIFT in 1995 and held a number of position including as Chief Marketing Officer, a role in which he was responsible for developing SWIFT’s current five-year strategy. The SWIFT2020 strategy he defined has led to the co-operative’s renewed focus on cross-border payments, expansion into financial crime compliance and deeper presence in the market infrastructures area, including its entry into instant payments. Earlier in his career, Pérez-Tasso held a number of technology and leadership positions in business development in regional offices in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Francine Lacqua is an award-winning London-based anchor for Bloomberg Television. She co-anchors the weekday 3-hour daily program “Bloomberg Surveillance” with Tom Keene, where she provides insight on foreign policy, global markets and the top business stories of the day. She also presents “Leaders with Lacqua,” a special series where she sits down with top CEOs, entrepreneurs and public figures.

Since joining Bloomberg in 2000, Lacqua has covered the World Economic Forum in Davos, IMF in Washington, G20 meetings, the EU Leaders Summit and OPEC. She also led Bloomberg Television’s coverage of the Italian and French elections
where she was one of the first international reporters to interview cabinet members.
While at Bloomberg, Lacqua has interviewed high-profile figures such as French President Emmanuel Macron, former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, Billionaire financier George Soros and ECB President Mario Draghi. She has also interviewed finance ministers from South Korea, Russia, France, Mexico, Italy and Greece, as well as moderating televised debates from the World Economic Forum in Davos and the European Economic Governance package.

In 2018, Lacqua received the Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy (Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia). The decoration, honoring Italians living abroad who promote national prestige and co-operation with the nation, was presented by the Italian Ambassador Raffaele Trombetta on behalf of the president of Italy.

In 2013 Lacqua won ‘International TV Personality of the Year’ at the AIB Media Awards. She was previously nominated in 2009 and 2010. In 2012, she was part of the Bloomberg team that won the OPEC award for ‘Public Interest Reporting’. She has an LLB in English law from King’s College in London and earned her undergraduate degree at the Sorbonne. She is fluent in French and Italian.

Mary L. Schapiro is the Vice Chair for Global Public Policy of Bloomberg, the global financial technology company that was founded in 1981. She has been at Bloomberg since October 2018, and also serves as a Special Advisor to the Founder and Chairman.

Ms. Schapiro, who has had a distinguished career as a financial services regulator under four U.S. presidents from both political parties, oversees Bloomberg’s
public policy and regulatory priorities globally. Her service as the 29th SEC Chair culminated decades of regulatory leadership. She was the first woman to serve as SEC Chair, and the only person to have served as chair of both the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. During her four years as SEC Chair, Ms. Schapiro presided over one of the busiest rulemaking agendas in the SEC’s history, during which the agency also executed a comprehensive restructuring program to improve protections for investors and pursued aggressive enforcement of the federal securities laws.

Ms. Schapiro also serves as an advisor to Bloomberg in multiple capacities, including as a leader for two groups chaired by Michael R. Bloomberg. The first group – the Financial Stability Board’s Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures – has developed and garnered wide spread support for a voluntary framework for corporate disclosure of climate-related risk information to help investors, lenders, underwriters and others make informed financial decisions. The second group – the Working Group on U.S. RMB Trading and Clearing – supports the internationalization of China’s currency in order to improve the competitiveness and efficiency of U.S. businesses by lowering trading costs and improving access to China’s markets. The third is the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative.

Before becoming SEC Chair and working for Bloomberg, Ms. Schapiro served as chief executive officer of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the largest nongovernmental regulator of securities firms. Earlier, she was Chair of the CFTC from 1994 to 1996, a commissioner of the SEC from 1988 to 1994, and general counsel of the Futures Industry Association. She serves on the board of both Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), and CVS Health (NYSE: CVS). She previously served on the board of GE and the London Stock Exchange. She is also a member of the governing board of the Center for Audit Quality and serves on advisory boards at the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Jane Ambachtsheer oversees the firm’s ambitious approach to sustainable investment. This is empowered by the firm’s Sustainability Centre, which undertakes innovative research and policy development, guides BNPP AM’s investment stewardship and industry engagement activities, and supports investment teams in accessing, integrating and reporting on ESG factors. On the business side, Jane is responsible for BNPP AM’s Corporate Social Responsibility (‘CSR’) approach, ensuring the firm’s day-to-day activities reflect the high standards it expects from companies. Jane is a member of BNPP AM’s Global Investment Committee and Business Management Committees, and reports to the Head of Investments, Rob Gambi.

Previously, Jane spent 18 years with global investment consultancy Mercer, where she was Partner and founder of the firm’s Responsible Investment business. Jane regularly researches, writes and speaks on topics addressing the intersection of sustainability and climate with finance and investment. She is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto and a Research Affiliate at the University Oxford Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, and holds a Master of Social Science from the University of Amsterdam and a Bachelor of Economics and English Literature with honours from York University.

Biography to follow.

Emma Navarro has been a Vice President of the European Investment Bank since June 2018. Ms. Navarro is a member of the EIB’s Management Committee, which draws up the Bank’s financial and lending policies, oversees its day-to-day business, and takes collective responsibility for the Bank’s performance. She is responsible for financing operations in Spain, Portugal, Latin America, the Caribbean States and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.She is also responsible for financing the environment, climate action, circular economy, the EIB Institute and relations with national promotional institutions and the European Association of Long-Term Investors (ELTI).

Before joining the EIB, Ms. Navarro was General Secretary of the Treasury and Financial Policy in Spain and Member of the Bank of Spain Governing Council and Board Member of the Spanish National Securities Market Commission. Prior to this, she had been President of Instituto de Crédito Oficial (ICO), Director of the Office of the Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry and Competitiveness and advisor at the International Monetary Fund. Previously, Ms. Navarro held various positions in the public sector in Spain.

In 2005, Ms. Navarro became “State Economist and Trade Expert” of the Spanish Administration. She holds a degree in Law, a master’s degree in EU law from CEU San Pablo University and a joint postgraduate degree in EU law and economics from Madrid’s Complutense University and the Sorbonne in Paris.

Mario Nava (born Milan, 1966) holds an undergraduate degree in Economics from Bocconi University (1989), an MA in Economics from the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium (1992) and a PhD in Public Finance from the London School of Economics (1996).

Mario joined the European Commission in 1994 and held various senior positions. Since October 2018, he is the Director for “horizontal policies” in the Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union Directorate General. Prior to that, from 2016 to April 2018, he was Director of the “Financial system surveillance and crisis management” Directorate and, from 2011 to 2016, Director of the “Regulation and prudential supervision of financial institutions”.

Previously, he was Head of the “Banking and Financial Conglomerates” Unit, of the Financial Markets Infrastructure Unit, a member of the Group of Policy Advisers of the EU Commission President, Prof. Romano Prodi, and a member of the Cabinet of the Competition Commissioner, Prof. Mario Monti.

Alongside his current work, he is active in research and teaching. He is currently Visiting Professor at Bocconi University (Milan) and at Solvay Business School (Brussels) and has been teaching in several universities in Europe and Latin America.

In 2018, he served as Chairman of CONSOB, Italy’s financial markets supervisor.

Biography to follow shortly.

Biography to follow shortly.

Verena Ross is the Executive Director of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). She was appointed to the role in March 2011 and joined ESMA on 1 June 2011. She is the first Executive Director of the organisation and forms part of the senior management team along with the Chair of ESMA. The Executive Director has responsibility for the day-to-day running of the organisation.

Prior to this, Verena held a number of senior posts in the UK’s Financial Services Authority (FSA), with her final position being Director of the International Division from October 2009 to May 2011. Verena was also a member of the FSA’s Executive Committee and the Executive Policy and Risk Committees.

Verena joined the FSA in 1998 to run the Executive Chairman’s office during the regulator’s start-up phase, and was briefly a seconded advisor to the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission in 2000. She subsequently held various positions in the Markets Division and was Director of the Strategy & Risk Division before becoming Director of the International Division.

Verena is a German national. Following studies in Hamburg, Taipei and London (SOAS) she began her career at the Bank of England in 1994, where she worked as an economist and then banking supervisor.

September 1st. 2015 Theo Timmermans was appointed as Secretary General of the European Financial Services Round Table (EFR), which Members are Chairmen and Chief Executive Officers of international banks or insurers with headquarters in Europe.
Before he joined EFR, Theo has fulfilled various positions at the Netherlands’ Ministry of Finance, at Rabobank and at APG. At the Ministry his main tasks concerned policy and legislation – national as well as international – first in the area of banking and subsequently in the area of the fight against money laundering and the integrity of the financial sector. On behalf of the Ministry he was also seconded at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC in the position of Alternate Executive Director of the Constituency which also represents the Netherlands. After that he worked – still on behalf of the Ministry of Finance – as Financial Counselor at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, DC and at as Customs Attaché at the Netherlands Permanent Representation at the European Union. After his career at the Ministry of Finance Theo joined Rabobank in the position of Deputy Global Head Multilateral Development Banks and Government Relations. This was followed by an appointment as Head International Public Affairs at APG, the largest financial services provider for pension funds in the Netherlands.

John Velissarios is a Global Managing Director leading our Blockchain Technology initiatives on the topic of  Central Bank Digital Currency, Asset and Cash Tokenisation and Custody. John’s 23 year career in consulting, coupled with a leave of absence with a Blockchain start-up and several years serving central banks and financial market infrastructures on the topic of central bank digital currencies has given him a global authoritative view in this fast moving space. John has a graduate degree in cryptography, authored many whitepapers and holds several patents in this field.

Biography to follow shortly.