Speaker | Austria Forum
Mag. (FH) Dieter Aigner
Member of the Management Board and CSIO
Raiffeisen Kapitalanlage-Gesellschaft
Dieter Aigner (born 1971) has been Member of the Management Board of Raiffeisen Capital Management (Raiffeisen Kapitalanlage GmbH) in Vienna since 2008 and as such is responsible for the areas of sustainability, fund management, regulation, tax & compliance. He is also Deputy Chairman of the Board of VÖIG, the Association of Austrian Investment Fund Companies, and a member of the Sustainability Council of Raiffeisen Bank International AG. Dieter Aigner has worked for the Raiffeisen Banking Group Austria in various positions since 1993 – since 1998 at Raiffeisen Capital Management, where he has held various leadership and management positions over the past 20 years.
Raiffeisen Capital Management’s strategic positioning on the subject of sustainability is progressing rapidly. Sustainable investment is being more strongly integrated into all investment processes, with the medium-term goal of managing the entire range of funds based on ESG criteria. The company’s integral sustainability strategy extends far beyond simple negative criteria and is based on the three levels of ESG integration “avoid”, “support” and “influence”. Ideally, interaction of all three elements forms the basis for the responsible management of SRI funds. Naturally, financial evaluation and a security’s potential are also taken into account in the investment decision.
Kai Anderson
Partner and Transformation Lead International
Mercer
One of Germany’s most coveted People Management experts. His area of expertise covers Transformation, Future of Work and Sustainability topics. He supports executives as they realign and transform their organizations and HR practices.
In 1999, he and a college friend founded Promerit AG as a new type of consulting firm for transformation and talent management that was acquired by Mercer in 2018.
Until today, he develops cutting-edge management practices (such as transformation management or people sustainability) in cooperation with clients as well as academic and scientific partners.
Kai has been awarded several times as one of the ‚Leading Heads of HR in Germany’. He is a popular speaker at industry events and a highly regarded instructor for transformation and HR seminars.
DI Gerald Beck, MRICS
Managing Director
UBM Development Österreich
Gerald Beck is Managing Director of UBM Development Österreich GmbH, the Austrian subsidiary of UBM Development AG, since April 2017. In his current position, he is in charge of the business units Acquisition, Development, Technology and Human Resources.
Beck completed his first professional years at Ilbau as a project developer. From 1997 to 2003, he held several management positions on the operational and development side of major national and international projects and divisions within the company. Until his move to UBM Development in 2017, Gerald Beck served as managing director of Raiffeisen evolution starting from 2003.
Gerald Beck, born in Vienna in 1966, graduated at the Vienna University of Technology in civil engineering specializing in construction management in 1991. In 2020, he has been awarded with the Caesar, a real estate award in the category „Property Developer“. Furthermore Gerald Beck is Vice President of ÖGNI (Austrian Sustainable Building Council) as well as on the board of VÖPE (Association of Austrian Project Developers). He is married and father of 3 children.
Julia Bewerunge
Manager Carbon & Finance
ClimatePartner
Julia Bewerunge is Manager Carbon & Finance at ClimatePartner in Munich where she establishes new approaches to sustainable financial products. She is an experienced sustainable investment project lead with a focus on climate, diversity and inclusion. Julia Bewerunge joint from ISS ESG where she led five markets as ESG Specialist, Associate Vice President. Within that role, she led the ISS research on the EU Taxonomy for the German Ministry of Environment, which was conducted in partnership with adelphi. Prior to working at ClimatePartner and ISS, Julia Bewerunge started her career as a journalist and researcher and continued as a consultant and member of the executive office at KPMG Germany, where she specialized in ESG, impact investments and diversity in Asset Management.
Anton Bonnländer
Founder & Partner
RE’PUBLIC Sustainable Finance Consulting
Anton Bonnländer has been supporting banks and companies in strategic, sales and product-specific issues for many years. He specializes in the areas of sustainability / ESG and impact investing. In this context, he advises institutional investors on sustainable investment solutions and develops hybrid training concepts and workshop formats for banks, financial distributors and academies.
He is a partner and founding member of R’EPUBLIC SUSTAINABLE FINANCE CONSULTING and GENOVISION. Both companies aim to promote and support the sustainable transformation of the economy and society in Germany towards a better social and ecological future.
Gaston Brandes
Head of Institutional Portfolio Manager EMEA
Franklin Real Asset Advisors
Mr. Brandes holds an MBA and a BSc. in Small Business/Entrepreneurship from Florida Atlantic University.
Susanne Bregy
Head of Impact Investing
Phineo
Having worked for many years for traditional private equity and hedge funds in Munich and London, Susanne Bregy set up Rhodanus Capital in 2012 to focus on sustainable and impact investing. She worked with impact PE/VC funds and with traditional and impact investors in order bring impact investing into the mainstream.
In 2021, she took over the position of Head of Impact Investing at PHINEO gAG. With regard to impact investing, PHINEO specializes in impact investing measurement for investors and asset manager and in impact investing advisory.
Susanne Bregy grew up in Switzerland, studied Philosophy and Business Administration in Munich, worked and lived in London and New York and is currently based in Frankfurt.
Mag. Armand Colard
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
ESG Plus
Armand Colard originally studied Ecology and Environmental Economics in Vienna and has been working in the field of Sustainable Finance for the past 16 years. Prior to founding ESG Plus, a Vienna based social business specialized on ESG-, SDG- and impact measurement tools for the financial sector, Mr. Colard headed the Sustainable Finance team at WWF Austria from 2005 to 2015. In 2019 ESG Plus launched a platform for private investors called CLEANVEST, where everyone can align their invested money (funds and ETFs) with personal values according to 10 criteria such as climate change, biodiversity loss, child labour, weapons, gender equality etc. In Q4-2021 ESG Plus will introduce the SaaS-tool CLEANVEST-Pro to the public, which will grant small asset managers, family offices, financial advisors and bank resp. wealth management consultants access to individualized ESG-reports for more than 4.000 funds and ETFs.
Mag.a Cornelia Dankl
CSR, Communication and
Corporate Health Management
BONUS Gruppe
Cornelia Dankl, born in 1971 in Vorarlberg, has been working for the BONUS Group since 2004. She started as head of marketing. Apprenticeships, CSR and sustainability were soon added to her responsibilities. Since 2019, she has been a staff member of the Executive Board and is currently responsible for CSR, communication, safety, occupational health management and youth.
Before that, she was a marketing and sales manager in the textile industry and a marketing and human resources manager in retail. She is one of the women who shape and drive CSR and sustainability in Austria.
With the b2b platform CSR Circle, which she initiated, the most diverse fields of action are addressed across all sectors. As chairwoman of the HR Circle association, she also organises many interesting HR events.
In addition to her professional activities, she is also involved in the team of ZUKI – Future for Children, a social association that cares for street children in India.
Coralie De Maesschalck
Head of CSR & ESG
Kartesia
Angelika Delen
Head of Investment Consulting, SRI & Impact Solutions
Mercer Austria
Angelika Delen is responsible for investment consulting, sustainability & impact solutions for Mercer in Austria. In this role, she works with institutional clients, participates in regular panel/roundtable discussions and is also part of various working groups on Green finance & Impact (international and national).
She is also hosting the working Group for Global Compact Network Austria for sustainable finance, and launching the Impact Award with Institutional Money. She is also a committee member of Austrian Standards “TC 22/sustainable finance” and CEN/ISO.
Angelika Delen has 14 years of asset management experience and joined Mercer in September 2018. Ms. Delen holds a Master’s degree in International Business Administration from the University of Vienna.
Mag.a Barbara Desl
Chief Financial Officer
Greiner Packaging International GmbH
After my studies of Business Economics at the Karl-Franzens-University Graz I started my career at EPCOS (now belonging to TDK) in Deutschlandsberg as Controller / Product Cost Accountant. After 3 years I’ve changed to OMV Exploration & Production working again as Controller with main focus on financial & investment reporting.
My next step led me back to Upper Austria to DSM Fine Chemicals at the Chemistry Park in Linz where I spent very instructive years. I have been responsible for one division as business controller, part of the management team and being able to be part of a carve-out project.
End of 2010 I started to be part of the Greiner Packaging team as Global Director Corporate Controlling. This was my first time being responsible for an international company with lots of sites. For 6 years now I am the CFO of Greiner Packaging International being responsible for Finance & Controlling, Global Procurement & Logistics, Global People & Culture, Global IT and Global Legal, Compliance & Tax.
Stefan Donnerer, CEFA
Portfoliomanager
Security KAG
Stefan Donnerer is part of the Fixed Income portfolio management team at Security Kapitalanlage AG, an Austrian investment management company with a strong focus on sustainability. In his position he is jointly responsible for appx. EUR 4bn of fixed income related assets, of which more than a third is allocated to sustainable investments. He earned his bachelor’s as well as his master’s degree, both in Banking and Insurance Industry, from FH Joanneum. Stefan has more than 5 years of experience in the banking sector, has an IT background and is holder of the EFFAS/CEFA diploma.
Jessica Espinoza
2X Challenge Chair
Vice President
DEG / KfW
Jessica Espinoza is Vice President Investments, Private Equity & Venture Capital at DEG (KfW Group) and the Chair of the 2X Challenge, a global initiative that has mobilized over $5 billion of gender lens investments since its launch at the G7 Summit in 2018. Jessica is a PhD candidate at University of Siegen, researching the transformative potential of gender lens investing. She has extensive experience sourcing, structuring and executing debt, mezzanine and equity deals in emerging markets. She serves on the board of Mega, a Mexican financial institution with an ambitious gender lens strategy. As a mentor for Endeavor, she supports high impact companies as they scale up. Prior to joining DEG, Jessica was a Member of the Management Board at ProCredit Bank Nicaragua and managed the Africa Regional Office of MicroFinance Transparency.
Mag. Reinhard Friesenbichler
Founder and Managing Director
rfu – Mag. Reinhard Friesenbichler Unternehmensberatung
Studied Business Administration at Graz University after being trained as a mechanical engineer. He completed his business studies by handing in his final paper with the topic of “Ethical Investment”. His first professional activities included work as an engineer, business journalist and Managing Director of a financial services provider.
Since 1997, he has had his own company rfu Business Consulting, Vienna, specialized in sustainable investment. Various teaching assignments and functions in Supervisory Boards, activities as an examiner and auditor as well as numerous publications.
Dr. Kai Goretzky
Partner
Dentons Europe
Dr. Kai Goretzky is a partner in Dentons’ Frankfurt office and part of the European Insurance Hub. He has focused on European insurance supervisory law, the IDD and insurance contract law, as well as the specific compliance issues of the insurance industry. He advises international insurers and intermediaries on entering the German insurance market as well as small and medium-sized insurers under Solvency II. Another focus of his practice is the digitization of the insurance industry. In addition, he advises banks and funds on the investment requirements of insurers and has experience in insurance-related M&A transactions.
Ulrich Grabenwarter
Deputy Director – Equity Investments
European Investment Fund
Uli Grabenwarter, is Deputy Director – Equity Investments at European Investment Fund (EIF). In this capacity he oversees EIF’s activities in Venture Capital, Impact Investing, and Technology Transfer, with EIF being Europe’s biggest Fund-of-Funds Investment platform in these markets. Previously he was responsible for EIF’s strategic development in the equity space and in this context has led the build-up of the Social Impact Accelerator, the first pan- European social impact investing fund-of-funds. From 2010 to 2012 he conducted a 20 months research project on impact investing in collaboration with IESE University of Navarra in Barcelona and the Family Office Circle Foundation based in Switzerland, analysing best- market-practices for impact investing in the private equity and venture capital space. He is a visiting Professor for Private Equity and Venture Capital at IESE University and is an angel investor in life sciences companies. Since 2018 he is a Trustees of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment ( www.GSGII.org ) and serves on the Board of several asset management companies and family office structures. He regularly publishes articles and white papers on venture capital and impact investing. Uli is also member of several expert groups on impact investing and impact metrics across Europe. Uli holds a Master’s degree in Business and Finance of the University of Graz.
Sandrine Henton
Chief Executive and Investment Director
Educate Global
Sandrine Henton has 15 years of experience in strategy consulting and investments, formerly with HSBC Bank. She is a member of the Emerging Market Private Equity Association and Convergence Blended Finance platform. Sandrine holds an MSc in International Business from Maastricht University, and graduated from the Impact Investing Programme at Said Business School.
Günther Herndlhofer, MSc, MBA
Head of Investments
VBV Vorsorgekasse
Günther Herndlhofer has been the Head of Investments and authorised signatory of VBV –Vorsorgekasse AG since 2011. With an investment volume of currently more than euro 4.5 billion, VBV – Vorsorgekasse AG is the leading pension fund in Austria, whereby responsible investing is an essential component of the investment philosophy. ESG factors have been an integral part of every investment decision since the company was founded in 2002. Mr. Herndlhofer holds an MBA (Financial Management) and an MSc (Executive Management) and has many years of professional experience in portfolio management and occupational pensions. He has been considered an internationally recognised expert in the field of sustainable investment for years.
MMag. (FH) Marita Hofer
Authorized Signatory and Member of the CSR-Team
Allianz Vorsorgekasse and Pensionskasse
Marita Hofer has been working for Austrian pension funds and severance payment funds since 1997, always focusing on new trends and improvements. She joined Allianz Vorsorgekasse as Head of ‘Legal’ in 2016 and is also responsible for the ‘Key Account Management’ team. Founding the dedicated CSR-team and being part of many CSR-projects since, she influences sustainable activities of both companies, Allianz Vorsorgekasse and Allianz Pensionskasse. Marita Hofer is committed to more transparency in sustainable finance and to (re-) educating young generations to a sustainable lifestyle.
Trevor Holder
Portfolio manager, Fixed Income team
Newton Investment Management
Trevor is a portfolio manager in the fixed income team where he manages the emerging market government bond and currency portions of the global dynamic and global bond portfolios. He is also co-manager of the sustainable global dynamic and global bond strategies. Trevor joined Newton in 2006, and is a member of the bond/FX strategy and thematic investment groups.
Mag. Franz Paul Horn, M.Sc.
Sustainable Investments Officer
Security KAG
Franz Paul Horn is member of the sustainability team at Security Kapitalanlage AG, the investment management subsidiary of the GRAWE Group in Austria. He earned his bachelor’s in Biology as well as his masters’s degree in Ecology, both at the University of Vienna. Further he completed a BA in Mediamanagement (FH St. Pölten) and an MA in Communication Studies (University of Vienna). After working as a biologist and in nature conservation he is now strengthening the lead of Security KAG in matters of sustainability.
Mag. Thomas Kaiser, CFA
Asset Manager
IQAM Invest
IQAM Invest is a fund manufacturer with 30-plus years of market experience and more than 7 billion euros in assets under management. For over ten years IQAM Invest has been offering a great variety of factor-based portfolio strategies and specifically developed models for special funds. All our strategies are based on disciplined, quantitative concepts. Factor investing helps make investment decisions that are free of emotion. Institutional investors can rely on IQAM Invest’s 60-strong team at its offices in Frankfurt am Main, Salzburg and Vienna to take a targeted and individual approach to handling their unique mandates. We use the latest scientific insights and put them into practice in our asset and risk management strategies. This way, our customers benefit directly from our knowhow. Thomas Kaiser, CFA, works in Asset Management at IQAM Invest. He is a CFA® Charterholder and graduated from the Vienna University of Economics and Business in 2010, where he specialised in monetary policy and finance. Thomas Kaiser started his career at IQAM Invest overseeing institutional tenders and developing tailor-made investment portfolios that are managed using a quantitative approach. He has been an asset manager at IQAM Invest since 2013 and is currently, the executive in charge of asset allocation and hedging strategies as well as of alternatives. He manages mutual funds and institutional mandates.
Navindu Katugampola, CFA
Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainability
Morgan Stanley Investment Management
Navindu Katugampola is the Global Head of Sustainability for Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) and the Global Head of Sustainable Investing for MSIM Fixed Income and Liquidity teams. He also co-chairs MSIM’s Sustainability Council. He joined the firm in 2004 and has 17 years of industry experience. Navindu was previously the Head of Green & Sustainability Bond Origination for Morgan Stanley’s Global Capital Markets group. In this role he helped issuers raise over $80Bn in Green, Social & Sustainability Bonds and served on both the Executive Committee and the Advisory Council of the ICMA Green and Social Bond Principles. Navindu was also previously the Head of Sovereign, Supranational and Agency Debt Origination for Morgan Stanley. In addition to his MSIM role, Navindu works with Morgan Stanley EMEA Firm Management on cross-divisional Sustainable Finance initiatives, product innovation and policy & regulatory engagement. Navindu received a B.A. in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, graduating with 1st class honours. He has completed all 3 levels of the CFA® exams.
Andreas Knörzer
Vice-Chairman
Vontobel Asset Management
Andreas Knörzer is Vice-Chairman at Vontobel Asset Management, member of the ESG Investment Governance Committee and Senior ESG Expert and Project Manager. Previously, he was Co-Head of Sustainable & Thematic and Head of Sustainable Investing Boutique and was Head of Asset Management and Deputy CEO at Vescore AG (founded in July 2015 within Raiffeisen Switzerland). From 2013 to 2015, he was Head of Asset Management and member of the Executive Board at Notenstein Privatbank AG, also part of Raiffeisen.
At Bank J. Safra Sarasin in Basel, he held various positions in financial analysis and asset management from 1989 to 2013, most recently as Head of Asset Management. During this time, as a pioneer in sustainable asset management, he built up the sustainable product offering and played a key role in positioning the bank as a market leader in this area.
Andreas Knörzer holds a federal diploma in business administration and a federal diploma in banking. His education was followed by several further training courses (Executive Program, Swiss Finance Institute, Senior Executive Program, Columbia University New York).
He is a member of the strategy committee of EnergieSchweiz, a program of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, co-leader of the Wealth & Asset Management working group at the industry association Swiss Sustainable Finance and acts as a sustainability expert in various working groups of other associations and authorities. He is also Chairman of the Board of Sustainable Real Estate AG, Zurich, and politically active at local and cantonal level.
Alfred Kober, CFA
Head of Equities
Security KAG
Alfred Kober is head of Equities and in his function responsible for developing and implementing investment strategies at Security Kapitalanlage AG, a member of the GRAWE Group. Prior to joining Security KAG, he held fund- and portfolio management positions at various national and international asset-management firms. His buy-side expertise extends over more than 25 years in total. Alfred is a CFA charterholder and an EFFAS certified ESG Analyst. He holds a BA degree in Business Studies with Economics and an Executive MBA from the Vienna University of Economics and Business.
Prof. Dr. Katharina Kohlmaier, CIS ImmoZert
Head of Real Estate Investment Management
Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft (BIG)
As a trained lawyer, Prof. Dr. Katharina Kohlmaier has been active in the real estate industry as well as in teaching for many years. In July 2021, she became head of the Real Estate Investment Management division of the BIG Group. Previously, she was Head of the Universities Division at Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft. In addition, she is a Visiting Professor at Danube University Krems and gives lectures and seminars on real estate law topics at various organisers such as ÖVI Österreichischer Verband der Immobilienwirtschaft. The CIS ImmoZert certification as an expert for real estate valuation rounds off her professional expertise.
Dr. Heidrun Kopp
Founder and Managing Director
Institut für nachhaltiges Finanzwesen
Heidrun Kopp is the Founder and Managing Director of the Institute of the Vienna based „ Sustainable Finance Institute (Inafina)“. Inafina (www.inafina.org) was established to connect society (private individuals and beyond) to financial institutions with an visible active ecological & social engagement and a clear vision towards sustainable finance. Part of the Insitute’s mission is to foster capacity building for sustainable finance activities via green financial literacy.
In 2016 Kopp published a textbook at the Springer Verlag to discuss the role and relevance of sustainability rating agencies titled „Nachhaltiges Finanzwesen: Rating statt Raten!“. The first „Sustainable Finance Summit Vienna 2020“ was organized as a forum for stakeholders interested in Sustainable Finance. Ms. Kopp also created and hosts the Podcast „Green Money Talks“.
She has long-time experience in Banking with focus on Central- and Eastern Europe. Apart from her academic education in Vienna she holds two master degrees successfully finished in Vienna, London and USA.
Dr. Adam Lessing, LL.M.
Member of the Board and Head of Central and Eastern Europe
LGT Bank Austria
Adam Lessing is the Head of Central & Eastern Europe and Member of the Board of LGT Bank Austria. His responsibilities encompass the activities of LGT in Eastern (Russia, Ukraine, Kasachstan) and Central Europe (Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania).
LGT Bank Austria is the Austrian entity of LGT, the world’s largest private banking and asset management group, wholly owned and managed by a family of entrepreneurs. LGT manages over 240 Bn. CHF of client assets in its global network. LGT’s clients include its owner, the Princely Family of Liechtenstein, for whom LGT acts as family office.
Prior to joining LGT Adam Lessing has held leading positions with international financial services companies. From 2010 to 2019 he was the Head of Central & Eastern Europe for Fidelity International, the global asset manager. Until 2009 he was the Head of Business Development Europe for the British asset manager AVIVA Investors in London and held responsibility for more than 400 bn USD of managed assets with a Europe-wide network of distribution offices. Earlier, Adam Lessing held leading positions with AXA Investment Managers, Goldman Sachs Asset Management and other financial institutions.
Adam Lessing is the Author of various publications on legal and asset management topics. In March 2020 his latest book "Sustainable Investing against Climate Change“ was published by Braumüller, Vienna.
Adam Lessing holds a doctorate in law (Dr.iur.) from the University of Vienna and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a court certified expert for banking and securities matters.
Mag. Henriette Lininger
Head of Issuers and Market Data Sales
Wiener Börse
Henriette Lininger has headed the Issuers and Market Data Sales department at the Vienna Stock Exchange since 2005. She is responsible for supporting listed companies and introduces interested companies to the stock exchange. Among other things, she was responsible for the introduction of the new SME segment „direct market plus“. The market data hub was expanded to 10 exchanges under her leadership. She previously worked as an investor relations manager for several publicly traded companies and holds a master’s degree in business administration.
Martina Macpherson
Head of ESG Strategy and ExCo Member
ODDO BHF Asset Management & Private Equity
Martina Macpherson is Head of ESG Strategy and an ExCo Member for ODDO BHF Asset Management & Private Equity. She is also President of the Network of Sustainable Financial Markets, a NextGen think tank in Sustainable Finance.
Martina has held several global leadership roles in ESG strategy, product development and innovation including Senior Vice President, ESG and Engagement Strategy at Moody’s, Global Head of ESG Index Products and Research at S&P DJI, Managing Director of Sustainable Investments Partners Ltd. and Vice President of ESG Solutions at MSCI. Prior to this, she worked in (ESG) product, research and engagement roles at Insight Investment, F&C AM and at Deutsche Bank AG.
She is involved in various academic research projects in the field, and a visiting fellow in sustainable finance at University of Zurich and Henley Business School. She has an MBA certificate in finance and business from LSBF / UK, and a MA in Law and Human Sciences from University of Frankfurt in Germany. She is a fellow member of the Institute for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (ICRS) UK, a honorary doctoral fellow of the Institute for Certified Risk Management Professionals (ICRMP) UK, and an alumnus of the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes).
Martina has been a member of multiple sustainable finance associations and policy working groups at an EU and an international level. Currently, Martina is a co-chair of ICMA’s AMIC EU Regulatory / SFDR Working Group, a member of the European Law Institute’s Sustainable Finance Advisory Committee and a founding member of the PRI/WBA and Finance for Tomorrow Just Transition Working Groups. In addition, she sits on the the Enterprise Data Management Council’s Working Group on ESG Data, Innovation, Technology and Metrics.
She is a public speaker in sustainable investing and has co-authored a range of ESG and Fintech books, including “The AI Book” (Wiley, 2020), “Handbook on Species Extinction Accounting and Biodiversity” (Routledge, to be published in 09/2021), and “ESG in Portfolio Construction” (RiskBooks, to be published in 02/2022).‘
Hannes Manndorff
Managing Director – Equity
Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank
Hannes Manndorff heads the department of Equity at the Development Bank of Austria (OeEB), the Development Finance Institution of Austria. He forms part of the senior management team of OeEB and is responsible for developing and overseeing a portfolio of private equity fund investments and direct investments. Before joining OeEB in 2017, Hannes worked for 17 years for Accion, a global financial inclusion impact investor, where he held various positions, including as Chief Regional Officer for East Asia and the Pacific, based in Singapore, Head of Global Business Development, CEO of a Microfinance Institution in India and European Representative. Before joining Accion, Hannes worked for the Austrian Development Cooperation, based in Vienna and in Mozambique. Hannes holds a PhD in Development Economics of the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration and speaks five languages.
Wiebke Merbeth
Head of Public Affairs & Sustainability
BayernInvest
Wiebke Merbeth is Head of Public Affairs & Sustainability at BayernInvest Kapitalverwaltungs-
gesellschaft mbH. She is an expert in the implementation of sustainability approaches at investment and corporate level and is supporting BayernInvest’s alignment to become a 100% ESG manager. This involves communication with external and internal stakeholders as well as exchanges with umbrella organisations. Wiebke Merbeth is also a member of the German government’s Sustainable Finance Advisory Board.
Jörg Mugrauer
Managing Partner
Quadriga Capital
Jörg Mugrauer is a Managing Partner at Quadriga Capital. Quadriga Capital is a leading midcap private equity advisory firm targeting DACH mid-market companies in the Healthcare, Tech-Enabled Services and Smart Industries sectors. Funds advised by the company have completed more than 150 transactions during the last 20 years. The achievement of a measurable ESG and societal impact approach is an important part of Quadriga Capital’s investment policy. Jörg has been part of the team since 2006 and involved in numerous transformation and expansion processes, also heading the sector Smart Industries. Furthermore, he heads Quadriga Capital’s ESG & Impact team overseeing the Funds’ impact investment strategy and supporting their investee companies in creating top quartile ESG ratings and a positive impact for society and environment. Prior to joining, he worked for several years at AlpInvest Partners. Jörg studied at the University of Washington and holds a Master of Finance and Economics degree from the University of Vienna.
Lukas Neubauer, CFA
Director Institutional Sales
Natixis Investment Managers
Lukas Neubauer is Director Institutional Clients at Natixis Investment Managers, a multi-affiliate asset manager with 20+ high-conviction investment boutiques offering diverse capabilities in sustainability and impact investing. In his role, he supports insurance and institutional investors in their implementation of investment strategies to combine financial performance and environmental and social impact. Prior to joining Natixis IM in 2018, Lukas spent six years at PIMCO, working with institutional clients in the DACH region on operational, regulatory and investment strategy-related matters, as well as on their ESG implementation. Previously, he was a research analyst at VAMERICA, a Chinese real-estate investment firm in New York, and a program manager at the San Francisco Center for Economic Development. Lukas holds an Executive MBA from the European School of Management and Technology, Berlin and a Bachelor’s degree from Hochschule Furtwangen University. He is a CFA Charterholder and has nine years of investment experience.
Mag. Jessica Neumann
Investment and Technology Promotion Expert
UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office Germany
Jessica works as an Investment and Technology Promotion Expert at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). She is a well-balanced international project management professional and effective networker with a passion for sustainable finance to advance social entrepreneurship globally. In her current role she supports entrepreneurs from developing countries to find suitable business partners, attract responsible foreign investment and identify sustainable technologies from Germany and Europe. Working also as a Gender Focal Point at the Investment and Technology Promotion Division of UNIDO, she commits herself to address gender inequalities in industry and to assist women in harnessing their potential as business leaders and agents of change. It may well have been her own inability to raise investment for a social women-owned startup that sparked her passion for Gender Lens Investing.
Dr. Andreas Nilsson
Managing Director and Head of Impact
Golding Capital Partners
Dr. Andreas Nilsson is Managing Director and Head of Impact at Golding Capital Partners and responsible for impact investments. He joined the Golding team in May 2021. Prior joining Golding, Mr Nilsson was Managing Partner of Sonanz, an Impact-focused fund-of-funds which he founded in 2015. Before that, he worked as a private equity investor at EQT and UBS. Mr Nilsson holds a PhD in Finance from the Stockholm School of Economics and spent two years as a Visiting Fellow at Harvard Business School. The topic of his doctoral dissertation was “The Financing of Nonprofits and Social Enterprises”. Mr Nilsson earned his MSc from the Stockholm School of Economics.
Dr. Reinhard Paulesich
Economist
Institute for Multilevel Governance and Development,
Vienna University of Economics and Business
Reinhard Paulesich: is a retired economist at the WUW MLGD affiliated to the Socioeconomic
Department. He began as a research fellow for development policies at the Vienna Institute
of Development Policies at the beginning of the 80ies of the last century. At the beginning
of the 90ies he shifted both research focus and University from development to ecological
economics. He got several national awards for research on participative and co-operative
management in multi national firms.
As environmental regulation density increased environmental management and integrated
quality and occupational health & safety issues came into focus. Subsequently his concept
for qualifying EMAS certifiers on Austrian national level for their social and communicative
expertise was defined as a national standard. With the Millennium shift he focussed his research
and lecturing to ethical ecological analyses of firms and regions, first capital market
then credit market oriented. The intention is to increase risk opportunity awareness of firms
and regions regarding their sustainability policies by introducing a sustainability rating. This
rating is for the use of strategy development as well as for sustainability engaged investors
and business supporting institutions.
September, 2011, he started as a partner of a consortium of 6 universities a Trans European
Executive Programme in Corporate Social Responsibility – TEMPO HEI (www.csr-tempo.eu)
for four years. Recently he teaches economic policy at the University of Applied Sciences
Burgenland.
Maxime Perrin
Head of Sustainable Investment
Lombard Odier Asset Managers
Maxime is Head of Sustainable Investment and was previously Client Portfolio Manager and Equity Analyst for LO Funds – Convertible Bonds. Maxime joined LOIM in November 2007. Prior to that, he worked at Deutsche Bank, where he was responsible for CROCI (Cash Return on Capital Invested) equity analysis in the capital goods, transportation, materials and automotive sectors from January 2005 and had contributed to the development of CROCI indices and funds since 2002. CROCI is now used as a benchmark in quantitative equity analysis, and is distributed by numerous banks worldwide. From 1999 to 2002, Maxime worked as an economist at Swissca Securities. He began his career in 1997 as an analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston. Maxime received an MBA from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania in 1996 and also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the French École Supérieure de Commerce et Management (ESCEM).
Mag. Johannes Puhr, CIIA, CEFA
Managing Director and Board Member
fair-finance Vorsorgekasse
Dr. Klaus Reisinger
Partner
iC consulenten Ziviltechniker
Klaus Reisinger is a passionate climate protector, which is why he also studied technical chemistry / process engineering and already devoted his dissertation to renewable energies.
From 2003 to 2015 he was managing director of ALLPLAN GmbH and during this time also founded the company ClimatePartner Austria, where he is still active at times. In 2018 he found his professional home as a partner of iC consulenten Ziviltechniker GesmbH. Klaus Reisinger is there responsible for building technology and is highly intrinsic motivated about planning climate-neutral properties.
Moreover, Klaus Reisinger is a visiting professor at Burgenland University since 2008 and teaches the topic „climate protection“ there and in autumn 2018 he was appointed to the board of IG Lebenszyklus Bau, where he is responsible for climate neutral real estate buildings.
Albert Reiter, CFA
Chief Executive Officer
investRFP.com und investESG.eu
Dr. Gunter Schall
Head of the Private Sector and Development Unit
Austrian Development Agency
Leo Schiefermüller
Managing Director
RP Global Holding Italy
Leo Schiefermüller is Owner of the Austrian based company TerraProjects and the Managing Director of RP Global Holding Italy Srl., which are both renewable energy project development companies. He is also Co-Founder and Director of the Tanzanian based enterprise JUMEME – Rural Power Supply Ltd., which is developing and operating solar-hybrid mini-grid projects in Tanzania, and he has set-up the energy service company Westa.Solar, which is a Joint Venture of RP Global and Oolu Solar, located in Nigeria.
He is an Environmental Engineer and holds a master‘s degree in Business Administration from the Executive Academy in Vienna. Leo Schiefermüller’s background lies in the large-scale grid connected energy industry and he has been active in the African Renewable Energy Market over the last 15 years.
Mag. Günther Schiendl, CEFA
Member of the Executive Board
VBV-Pensionskasse and VBV Betriebliche Altersvorsorge
Mag. Günther Schiendl, CEFA, is member of the executive board of VBV betriebliche Altersvorsorge AG, and chief investment officer and member of the executive board of VBV Pensionskasse AG.
He graduated from the University Innsbruck/Austria with a master degree in Economics and Business Administration, focusing on Finance and Investments. Post-graduate he added a CEFA (Certified European Financial Analyst) qualification.
At VBV the leading Austrian multi-employer pension fund with 8+ bn€ AUM and more than 350.000 pension plan members, he oversees the investment business and the development and implementation of the sustainable finance strategy.
Prior positions were head of investments at APK Pensionskasse, head of product development at the Austrian Derivatives Exchange ÖTOB, and head of domestic equity research at Bank Austria.
He is Member of the EDHEC-Risk Advisory Board of EDHEC Business School, Nice and was Lecturer in Finance at the Vienna Business University and at the Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA) program in Vienna.
Mara Schneider
Senior Associate, SRI
Quoniam Asset Management
Mara Schneider joined Quoniam in November 2019 and SRI manager in the investment area. Before joining Quoniam Mara was an associate in the Sustainability Services department at KPMG in Düsseldorf. She has also worked in the sustainability teams of Deutsche Börse AG in Frankfurt, BASF SE in Ludwigshafen and Dachser SE in Copenhagen. Mara holds a Bachelor in General Management and Master in Management from EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht, Oestrich-Winkel.
Franziska Schulz
Specialist Investmentfunds
GLS Investment Management
Franziska Schulz is a specialist for investment funds as a part of the product management team at GLS Investments. Franziska and her team manage four investment funds based upon strict social and ecological criteria. She is responsible for distribution processes and actions. Franziska also deals with the question of how gender equality can be integrated in product development. Early on in her professional career Franziska focused on sustainability and sustainable banking. Ten years ago, she started an apprenticeship at GLS Bank and studied sustainable development focused on business afterwards. The spin-off of GLS Investments as a 100 percent subsidiary of GLS Bank was her last major project. She engages in working groups for gender equality within GLS Bank and the financial sector.
Prof. Dr. Dirk Söhnholz
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Soehnholz ESG
Prof. Dr. Dirk Soehnholz (1963) is the founder and CEO of Soehnholz ESG GmbH, book author, honorary professor of asset management at Leipzig University and a blogger on Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) and Robo-Advisor topics (www.prof-soehnholz.com). Previously he worked for The Boston Consulting Group, Feri Alternative Asset, Feri Institutional Advisors and Veritas Investment.
Related Websites:
www.soehnholzesg.com
www.prof-soehnholz.com
Dr. Katharina Sommerrock
Head of Investor Relations
Lightrock
Dr. Katharina Sommerrock is Head of Investor Relations at Lightrock, a global private equity platform investing for financial, social and environmental returns since 2007. Before her role at Lightrock, Katharina held several positions at LGT Group, the international private banking and asset management group, contributing to the areas of sustainable investing, impact investing and venture philanthropy: she joined LGT Venture Philanthropy as Head of Client Relations in 2013. Subsequently, she also coordinated internal and external communication, advisory, trainings and representation on LGT Group’s activities in sustainability, sustainable investing, social impact, corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. Before joining LGT, she was a project leader at the international strategy consulting firm Bain & Company, where she focused on financial services and private equity. In 2009, she received a PhD for her award-winning dissertation on “Social entrepreneurship business models”. She holds a Master in International Business Administration from the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in Germany.
Jussi Tanninen
Head of Alternatives
Mandatum Asset Management
Mr. Tanninen is the Head of External Alternatives and leads the team of portfolio managers doing the manager selection in private debt, real estate and private equity. He is a member of Mandatum Asset Management’s Leveraged Loan strategies’ investment committee. Previous responsibilities include being the CFO in private equity owned company where he was responsible for negotiation of the financing package for the LBO and add-on acquisitions (including a bank and two second lien loan providers). He has also been the main portfolio manager in Real Estate Private Equity fund where he was responsible also for the financing package for the Fund’s portfolio. Additionally, he has worked in M&A and in other roles in asset management industry with combined tenure of 19 years. Education: Master of Science (Economics and Business Administration) at Helsinki School of Economics.
Thomas Tiroch
Managing Director
AVCO Austrian Private Equity and Venture Capital Organisation
As managing director of various companies at home and abroad, Thomas Tiroch focused primarily of the areas of organisation, strategy and finance. For more than 10 years, he has actively supported entrepreneurship and the capital market with active company investments ranging from start-ups to listed companies. Since 2021, he has been managing director of AVCO (Austrian Private Equity and Venture Capital Organisation), the umbrella organisation of Austrian venture capitalists and corporate finance service providers. Prior to that, he was a member of the AVCO board from 2016 to 2021.
Volker Weber
Chairman of the Board
Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen (FNG)
Since 2019, Volker Weber has been a member of the board of NIXDORF Kapital AG as Chief Sustainability Officer. Activities as managing director and board member at various financial service providers and investment companies. Voluntary work as chairman of the board of the FNG – Forum Sustainable Money Investments e. V.. Volker Weber is responsible for the sustainability strategy in the company and the products. He has a degree in business administration and is the author of numerous studies and specialist publications in the field of sustainable investments.
Natalie Glas
Head of Green Finance Team
Environment Agency Austria
Ms Natalie Glas is head of the Green Finance Team at the Environment Agency Austria. She holds a MSc degree from the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences Vienna and a certificate in risk management. Her main fields of expertise and research range from green finance, climate risk management, environmental impact assessment and risk communication. At national level, she acts as a policy advisor for the Federal government. At the international level, she supported the TEG (Technical Expert Group on sustainable finance) with the development of technical screening criteria for the EU climate taxonomy. Since 2020, she represents the EPA Network in the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance and is member of its Technical Working Group tasked with the development of the EU taxonomy for water, pollution prevention and control, circular economy and biodiversity.
Thomas Kaissl
Business Development and Partnerships
Impact Hub Vienna
Thomas Kaissl joined the Impact Hub in Vienna in 2019 as Business Development Manager with a focus on climate and environmental projects. The Impact Hub in Vienna is part of the global Impact Hub network with more than 100 locations and is considered a pioneer for social engagement via innovative, entrepreneurial solutions.
Its work includes the development of project collaborations and partnerships in the field of sustainability with both public bodies and companies. The projects aim to contribute to the UN Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the goal of climate neutrality.
Previously, Thomas worked for more than 15 years at WWF in Austria as Head of Corporate Cooperation and before that at Ernst & Young in the area of Climate Change and Sustainability. He graduated in International Business Administration as well as Biology at the University of Vienna and completed a postgraduate MSc program on renewable energy at the Vienna University of Technology.
Felix Knidlberger, CFA
Senior Investment Officer
European Investment Bank
Passionate about development, Felix has dedicated his career to Emerging Market investments with over 15 years of hands-on experience in Africa, LatAM and MENA regions. Since 2016, he has been working for the European Investment Bank targeting impact/growth funds, climate action related and technology funds in developing countries. He is also member of several fund advisory boards. Previously he worked 10 years for the International Finance Corporation out of Washington DC and Mexico DF, investing equity and debt into banks, insurance and microfinance institutions with a double bottom line/ESG emphasis. He enjoys Alpine hiking, debating economic development and leading the occasional meditation.
Andrew Parry
Head of Sustainable Investing
Newton Investment Management
Andrew oversees the sustainable investment business at Newton, as well as communicating the firm’s approach to purposeful ownership to its global client base. He joined Newton in 2019, prior to which he was head of sustainable investing at Hermes Investment Management where he gained a deep knowledge of responsible investment, sustainability and impact investing. Andrew has over 30 years of investment experience operating at a senior level previously working at Northern Trust, Julius Baer Investment Management, Lazard Brothers Asset Management and Baring Asset Management. He is also a member of the investment committee of the Trafalgar House Pension Trust and has had a variety of external advisory roles, including mentoring of individuals.
Andrew has an MA in Mathematics from the University of St Andrews. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys walking his dogs.