Sprecher:innen Germany Forum
Sprecher:innen Germany Forum

Aapo Alenius
Portfolio Manager
Aktia Asset Management
Aapo Alenius: Aapo Alenius (M.Sc. Fin.) is a Portfolio Manager at Aktia. He is the co-manager of UI-Aktia Sustainable Corporate Bond fund and Aktia Short-Term Corporate Bond fund and the lead manager of Aktia Stable Yield fund. His focus areas are short-duration credit and sustainable debt. Aapo joined Aktia in 2021.

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.

Dr. Klaus Bader
Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright
Dr. Klaus Bader is a corporate lawyer based in Munich and head of our European energy practice. He has in-depth experience in domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions, joint ventures and corporate reorganizations with a strong focus on the energy, infrastructure and technology sector. He works predominantly for infrastructure and private equity funds and international corporates. Klaus is recommended as a notable practitioner for corporate M&A and energy in all leading legal directories. Admissions – Rechtsanwalt, Steuerberater
Rankings and recognitions
Recognized for Corporate, M&A and Tax, Best Lawyers, 2022
Energy Projects Advisory Expert of the Year in Germany, Lawyer Network Annual Awards, 2021
Frequently recommended for M&A and Energy, Juve, 2020-2021
Notable practitioner in the areas of M&A, Private Equity, Energy, IFLR100, 2020
The Legal 500 Germany, 2020, Energy: „Norton Rose Fulbright stands out from other market participants for its strong geothermal practice, the specialisation on energy storage and growing activity in Africa and other emerging markets. The mostly Munich based team is part of the firm’s international energy practice and regularly works together with the other European offices on cross-border matters. The team is led by Klaus Bader and advises both established utilities and start-ups, often in matters related to digitalisation.
Languages
– English
– German
– Italian

Dr. Heiko Bailery
Head ESG Investment & Research
LBBW Asset Management

Steve Bernat
Founding Partner
ONE

Jaclyn Bouchard
EVP, Head of ESG Solutions & Corporate Responsibility
Preqin

Christina Böck
Partner
INDEFI

Olga Braun-Cangl
Senior Investment Director
Cambridge Associates

Prof. Dr. Timo Busch
Full professor at the School of Business, Economics and Social Science
University of Hamburg

Bernhard Eikenberg
Partner, CIM Emerging Markets
Community Investment Management (CIM)
Bernhard Eikenberg serves as Partner of CIM and co- founded the firm’s Emerging Markets strategy, where he focuses on investment and operations activities and is based out of Indonesia. Prior to that, Mr. Eikenberg spent a decade in various roles at BCP, including as Fund Manager for Bamboo’s fintech equity fund, Head of Financial Inclusion, and Regional Director for LatAm. Previously, he worked for BlueOrchard, responsible for debt operations in Central America and the Caribbean. Mr. Eikenberg began his career at JPMorgan in London, where he focused on fixed income and currency derivatives. Mr. Eikenberg has served as an Adjunct Professor at the Economics Faculty of Universidad de los Andes in Bogota and currently guest lectures at The Graduate Institute in Geneva. He holds an M.A. in Public Affairs and International Development from SIPA at Columbia University), and a BSc in Economics from the LSE.

Johannes Feist
CEO
Mikro Kapital Management
Johannes Feist is a development finance expert, experienced with mergers & acquisitions and restructurings, and with commercial, governmental and not for profit business models. He has deep knowledge of the functions of DFIs, of MSME and rural financial services industries, and of investment fund regulations in Luxemburg, Germany and Mauritius. He obtained a PhD and Diploma (MSc) in International Economics (University of Munich). He started his career at the EU Commission and European Centre of International Security, then became Assistant Lecturer at University of Munich. From 1999 to 2020 he worked at KFW Development Bank covering different managerial and international roles, among them: Vice President for European Financial Institutions and Vice President for Corporate Strategy. In 2020 he founded his own company, JF Investment Advisory. He is member of Advisory Committee of DWM Displaced Communities Fund. In September 2022 he was appointed CEO of Mikro Kapital Management S.A.

Dr. Stefan Fritz
Managing Director
Stiftungszentrum der Erzdiözese München und Freising
Dr. Stefan Fritz has been Managing Director at the Foundation Centre of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising since 2016. Before moving to his current position, he worked for a domestic commercial bank as an advisor in the segments of financial planning, asset succession and foundation management. Most recently, he was head of the relevant department there. As a specialist author and lecturer at various universities, the lawyer, who holds a doctorate in foundation law, focuses on legal and economic issues relating to foundation assets. On the initiative of the Association of German Foundations, he is developing the governance tool „Stiftungscockpit“. Fritz has been a member of the advisory board of the Association since September 2022.

Catherine Frideres
Senior Manager, BlueInvest
PwC Luxembourg
Catherine Frideres is Senior Manager for Industry and Public Sector Consulting at PwC Luxembourg. She is responsible for projects in trade and economic development, investment readiness, innovation ecosystem building and green and digital transformation. As part of PwC’s Accelerator, she develops strategies that enable innovative, fast growing companies to go global faster and smarter. Catherine is an operator of the BlueInvest Platform, an EU initiative to boost investment and innovation for a green blue economy.

Manuela M. Froehlich
Head of New Business & Relationship Management | Co-Founder & Partner
ThomasLloyd GAM (Schweiz)
Fondsfrauen
Manuela M. Froehlich is Managing Director, Head of New Business & Relationship Management for ThomasLloyd Global Asset Management (Schweiz) AG.
She is also co-founder and partner of Fondsfrauen, the largest German speaking career network for women in the financial industry.
She joined ThomasLloyd in 2020 and is responsible for managing wholesale and institutional client relationships. She is also responsible for business development including sourcing new opportunities and strategic partnerships to accelerate the firm’s rapid growth as a leading impact asset manager.
Manuela is a seasoned executive in the international financial industry for more than three decades and held senior leadership roles in London, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Luxembourg, before moving to Zurich.

Steffen Fuchs
Sustainability Officer
VPV Versicherungen
After 12 years, HSBC brought me in. Here I successfully built up the new place for interest rate and foreign exchange at the Stuttgart location for corporate clients and made it profitable. this profitable.
The move to HSBC’s German headquarters in Düsseldorf was inevitable. There as COO in the Corporate Clients – Global Markets division, I improved the operational interfaces, restructured the adherence to and monitoring of compliance and regulatory and regulatory requirements as well as parts of the reporting and successfully supported the strategic realignment of the division.
At VPV, between 2014 and 2022, I was responsible for liquid assets amounting to approx. 6.5 billion euros (approx. 90% of investments). Management according to ESG criteria was I initiated, developed and implemented a management system based on ESG criteria in 2018. further developed. During this time, I was a co-founder of the cross-divisional VPV Sustainability Team.
In March 2022, I was appointed to the new position of Sustainability Officer created by the Executive Board. Sustainability Officer, created by the Executive Board, was filled by me to and organizationally coordinate and further develop the topic of sustainability in all its facets. expand.

Chris Gorell Barnes
Founding Partner
Ocean 14 Capital
Chris Gorell Barnes is a social entrepreneur focussed on solving one of the world’s greatest threats the crisis in the oceans. He is Founding partner of Ocean 14 capital a €150M leading impact fund focused on ensuring a healthy ocean for everyone through a sustainable & regenerative blue economy and co-founder of the Blue marine foundation a world leading marine charity creating marine reserves and establishing sustainable models of fishing & innovative ocean conservation all over the world.

Dr. Bernhard Graeber
Managing Director
EB-SIM
Dr. Graeber is a member of the management board of EB-SIM since 2022 and responsible for the Alternative Assets division. Since 2017, he led the renewable energy activities at the EB since 2018, at its group company EB-SIM.
He has more than 20 years of experience in the energy industry, renewable energies and infrastructure, as well as 16 years of management experience.
From 2014-2017, Dr. Graeber was Head of Infrastructure Investments at Talanx A.M. GmbH. From 2009-2013, Dr. Graeber was Head of Int. Climate Protection Projects. From 2008-2013 he was Head of Renewable Energies at EnBW AG. Prior to this, he held several specialist and management positions at EnBW Trading GmbH since 2000.
He studied mechanical engineering and physics at the University of Stuttgart and Auckland, New Zealand, and completed his doctorate in energy economics at the University of Stuttgart.

Wendelin von Gravenreuth
Senior Manager Global Forest Investments
MEAG
As Senior Manager Global Forestry Investments, Wendelin von Gravenreuth is responsible for the strategy, acquisitions and portfolio management of the forestry asset class at MEAG. He joined MEAG in 2014 and has been instrumental in growing MEAG’s forestry asset class to a portfolio with a market value of approximately EUR 2 billion. He holds an MSc. in Forestry from the Technical University of Munich. Previously, he worked for the Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF) in Brussels, Belgium, and for the European Forest Institute (EFI) in Joensuu, Finland. MEAG manages over 300 billion euros in assets. When purchasing and managing land, MEAG can draw on the 140 years of expertise and data treasure of the Munich Re Group with regard to risks arising from climate change or natural disasters.

Félix Guerot
Senior Consultant
INDEFI
Félix is mainly involved in strategy consulting projects on behalf of European and global asset managers, aiming at defining revenue growth strategies and adapting to macro trends (e.g. sustainability). He is also responsible for driving Indefi’s growth in the DACH region.
In the last years, Félix supported several European asset managers in their strategic reflections, including on how to bring alternative investments to retail markets. He is a regular keynote speaker on this topic.
Prior to joining Indefi, Félix worked as market and counterparty credit risk consultant at Cognizant Consulting in Paris.
Félix graduated from Ludwig Maximilian University in Germany and Emlyon Business School in France. He is fluent in English, French, German and Swedish.

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.

Jyri Hietala
Fund Manager
United Bankers

Thomas Klein
Managing Director
DEG Impact
Thomas Klein has more than 20 years of experience in the financial sector – both in established markets as well as in developed and emerging countries. Before co-founding DEG Impact, he was at DEG mainly responsible for private equity & mezzanine fund & co-investments in Asia and Afrika. In his function he also served as board member in portfolio companies as well as funds. Prior to DEG, he worked for CAM Private Equity and Deloitte in the area of transaction services / M&A. He holds a degree in business administration from the University of Cologne.

Arne Philipp Klug
Biodiversity Research Director
MSCI
Arne Philipp Klug, as Biodiversity Research Director for MSCI ESG Research, oversees thematic research on biodiversity and natural capital. He engages with investors and key stakeholders to help clients set and prioritize their investment objectives to biodiversity. In addition, Arne serves on the ESG Editorial Committee. Until 2021, Arne has led MSCI’S ESG research on the transportation sector. He authored several reports on ESG issues with a special focus on the automobiles and airlines industries. Prior to joining MSCI, Arne worked for more than six years as an ESG analyst and account manager at Sustainalytics in Frankfurt and Toronto. Arne holds a master’s degree in communications science, political economics and Hispanic studies from the University of Münster in Germany.

Patrick Knodel
Founder / CEO
PANDION INNOVATION for IMPACT GmbH
knodel foundation
Patrick Knodel had a classical career with degrees in business studies. He worked in various industries, from sports to gastronomy to real estate and events. Through his backpacking trips around the world after finishing his studies, he increasingly questioned his world view and the so-called „western values“, as they do not correspond to the realities in large parts of the world and ignore the causes of the problems.
In addition to consequences in his personal life, he made the decision to also work professionally for a better world. Today, he advocates for systemic change with the non-profit knodel foundation and invests through PANDION INNOVATION for IMPACT GmbH in business models whose core inseparably combine an economic return with a social and/or ecological return and privately advocates for an open and free society that respects plantar boundaries.

Dr. Steffen Knodt
Head of the Center for Sustainable Ocean Business
Fraunhofer Institute
Dr. Steffen Knodt is the Head of the Center for Sustainable Ocean Business at Fraunhofer and a co- author of the study “Sustainable Blue Economy – Transformation, Value and the Potential of Marine Ecosystems” (in collaboration with the FERI Cognitive Finance Institute). Dr. Knodt holds a PhD in engineering from RWTH Aachen and worked over his career for large corporates and startups. Within his recent positions Dr. Knodt focused his activities on corporate venturing and impact entrepreneurship, what lead to his own consultancy deepblue.earth. Dr. Knodt serves a member of the board in the German Association for Marine Technology GMT and in the board of the German Committee for the UN Ocean Decade of Science for Sustainable Development.

Gerold Koch
Head of Sustainable Investment Advice
Allianz Global Investors
Gerold leads risklab Sustainable Investment Advisory at Allianz Global Investors. His team advises investors on sustainable investments as part of the holistic discussion of their portfolio and investment strategy with a focus on quantitative assessments and solutions to complex sustainability issues, such as Net Zero and climate risk.
Prior to joining Allianz Global Investors in 2021, Gerold worked in financial markets for over 20 years and held roles in portfolio management, product strategy and development and sustainable investment advisory at DWS and Aquila Capital.
Gerold holds a Diplom-Kaufmann degree from the University of Hamburg in in Finance, Marketing and Economics of the Law and has studied at Goethe Universitaet in Frankfurt and ESG Bordeaux. He is a CFA, CFA ESG, CFA Certificate in Climate & Investing and EFFAS Certified ESG Analyst charterholder.

Silke Küstner
Project Manager Circular Economy
WWF Deutschland
Silke Küstner holds a BSc in International Business from Copenhagen Business School and acquired her Master’s degree in Environmental Management in Montreal, Canada. Prior to joining WWF Germany, Silke has worked as a consultant for renewable energies and waste management and spent several years in the field of Mobility-as-a-Service in North America. As Project Manager Circular Economy at WWF Germany, Silke is focused on transforming the building sector and currently manages the CEWI project. As part of CEWI, Silke leads the Circular Finance working group that analyzed how circular construction criteria can improve the financial performance of real estate investments.

Dr. Klaus Kunz
Head of ESG External Engagement and Performance Reporting
Bayer
Dr. Klaus Kunz holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry and a degree in economics. He joined Bayer in 2001 and has gained 18 years of experience directing business strategic topics in R&D at a global level, taking leadership roles in research, R&D project management, and regulatory and public / governmental affairs, including issues management and stakeholder engagement. Since 2018 he is leading Sustainability & Business Stewardship in Bayer Crop Science. Klaus is passionate about driving innovation and change, cross-cultural collaboration, politics and history, also holding a lectureship for chemistry at the University of Aachen. He is married with three children.

Katja Lammert
Chief Administration Officer
MEAG
Katja Lammert is Chief Administration Officer at MEAG. She is responsible for Legal, Regulatory & Compliance, Operations, Portfolio Administration, Outsourcing Controlling & IT Governance Management und ESG & Sustainable Finance. A fully qualified lawyer, Katja Lammert previously worked as a self-employed lawyer. From 2001 to 2019, she was employed at BayernInvest Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH in Munich, where she was responsible as a member of the management board and head syndicate from 2014. Prior to that, she worked as a lawyer at State Street GmbH in Munich from 2000 to 2001.

Leanne Mair
Founder & CEO
Benefactum Consulting
Leanne Mair is the CEO and Founder of Benefactum Consulting, a management consultancy company specialising in helping financial services companies take action in their commitments to gender equity.
Having worked in asset management for over 14 years for global brands such as BlueBay Asset Management and PIMCO. she understands the DNA of the industry with regard to gender equality, leadership and culture. Leanne’s expertise is much in demand and she has delivered keynotes to the likes of HSBC Asset Management, CFA Institute UK, Moonfare, Gulf Investment Bank Asset Management and Dax 40 companies in Germany, on governance, culture, sustainability and gender equity.
Leveraging her professional and personal experience, Leanne helps companies identify and navigate key challenges and create meaningful impact through changing their governance, thus improving their culture.

Karla Martínez Toral
Sustainable Blue Economy Consultant
UNEP – Finance Initiative
Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative
Karla Martínez Toral Sustainable Blue Economy Consultant Karla is a consultant working for the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative, which aims to help financial institutions align to the Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water. Before joining the team at the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), she worked in international dispute resolutions in an international law firm and, separately, conducted climate litigation research for an academic institution. She is passionate about sustainable development and ecosystem conservation efforts.
Karla has recently co-authored a policy briefing for the T20 in Indonesia regarding how governments can support financing the sustainable blue economy, as well as two academic publications on climate litigation. Karla studied Law at Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, and holds a Master’s Degree in International Development from the University of Bristol.

Paul McMahon
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
SLM Partners
Paul is co-founder and Managing Partner at SLM Partners. He is responsible for identifying and developing new investment strategies, building teams, overseeing research, sourcing capital, and managing investor relations. He sits on the Investment Committees for the SLM Australia Livestock Fund, the SLM Silva Fund and the firm’s separate managed accounts in the USA. Before co-founding SLM Partners, Paul McMahon was Vice-President at Climate Change Capital Limited, an asset manager in London, where he led a team that developed a strategy for a global farmland fund. Before that, he spent 4 years with McKinsey & Company in New York. Originally from Ireland, Paul holds a BA in History and Philosophy from University College Dublin and an MPhil in International Relations and PhD in History from Cambridge University.

Wiebke Merbeth
Partner
Monitor Deloitte
Wiebke Merbeth is a partner in the strategy consultancy Monitor Deloitte. As an expert in sustainable finance, Merbeth supports the optimal design of sustainable transformation. She has over 15 years of experience in the finance industry, with stints at asset managers at HSBC and BayernLB. Wiebke Merbeth is also a member of the German government’s Sustainable Finance Advisory Board, with the aim of developing Germany into one of the leading sustainable finance locations.

Roger Naylor
Portfolio Manager
Evli Fund Management
Over 17-years’ experience in global forestry investment and asset management. Created access to forestry investment for institutional investors, family offices and high-net-worth individuals, analysing forestry investment vehicles at a global scale. Able to leverage a global network of forestry fund managers, owners and service providers to create a pipeline of opportunities. Experienced in portfolio management to deliver asset level and fund performance. Proven investment track record having led the detailed evaluation of prospective forestry funds targeting over USD 3.7 billion of commitments, with over USD 725 million subsequently invested by clients. Investment Committee experience combining technical forestry skills, market knowledge and investment analysis.

Dagmar Nixdorf
Vorsitzende des Aufsichtsrats und Gründerin
NIXDORF Kapital
Born and raised in the German city of Paderborn. She originates from a family of entrepreneurs who are consistently committed to supporting society and environment, gained many years of experience in succession and turnaround management in Germany responding to the needs of investors. Founded NIXDORF Kapital AG to gather peers with focus on impact investing and mindful market transformation.

Nils Ossenbrink
Managing Partner
Twelve Capital
Prior to joining the firm, Nils was the Global Head – Advisory Solutions and Product Management at EFG Bank AG. From 2000 to 2013 Nils worked for Bank Sarasin & Cie AG in Basel and Zürich. Initially as Management Support of the Private Banking division, in 2002 he joined the management board of the Investment Fund division as the Head of Products and Services. From 2005 to 2013 Nils was the Global Head of Products and also the COO of the Asset Management & Products division and acted as the Chairman of the Group’s Fund companies. From 2013 to 2016 Nils was the CEO of Bank J. Safra Sarasin (Deutschland) AG primarily focusing on restructuring and managing various complex projects. Nils began his career in 1995 as a Management Consultant with ZEB in Münster, a consultancy specialising in the financial industry and was also responsible for establishing and managing ZEB’s Zürich office in 1997.

Nick Parsons
Managing Director, Head of Research
ThomasLloyd Group
Nick joined the ThomasLloyd Group in 2018. He serves as Managing Director, Head of Research. His scope of responsibility includes the macroeconomic research which underpins our ‘top down’ country selection in the ThomasLloyd Investment Process (TIP), the FX and currency research which informs our Treasury Management. Previously within the firm Nick also defined the policies which set out our approach to Responsible Investment. He now focuses on Thought Leadership in Asia’s energy transition. During a 35-year career in investment banking, Nick held various senior leadership roles in Global Markets Research. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as Head of Research, UK & Europe at National Australia Bank. He also worked as Head of Markets Research at Commerzbank and Global Head of Currency Research at Banque Paribas. Nick is a regular speaker at conferences and events and a frequent contributor to TV and financial media. He holds a degree in Economics & European Studies from the University of Sussex and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragements of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA).

Tommy Piemonte
Head of Sustainable Investment Research
Bank für Kirche und Caritas eG
Tommy Piemonte is Head of Sustainable Investment Research at Bank für Kirche und Caritas eG, a catholic church Bank based in Paderborn. He is mainly responsible for the further development, operational implementation and monitoring of the bank’s ethically-sustainable investment strategy. He is also responsible for the associated engagement activities, i.e. the active exertion of influence on companies, states or other investment objects with regard to their sustainability efforts. In this context, he is also the Bank’s representative and a founding member of the European engagement network of institutional investors Shareholders for Change. Above all, his expertise helps the Bank’s institutional clients, such as charitable foundations and church and charitable institutions, to develop and implement an individual, ethically-sustainable investment strategy.
Prior to joining the Bank für Kirche und Caritas, Tommy Piemonte was Head of the sustainability rating agency at imug in Hanover, research and sales network partner of VigeoEiris. Mr. Piemonte studied economics in Nürtingen (Germany) and Rome (Italy). The graduate economist supplemented his experience in sustainability research with many years of experience in the financial market, including as a securities specialist at Deutsche Bank. With this combination of experiences, Mr. Piemonte has written numerous publications on sustainable investment.
Contact details: Tommy.Piemonte@bkc-paderborn.de , phone ++49 (0)5251/121-1141

Tatjana Puhan
Head of Investments, Co-Head of Research, Execuitve Committee
TOBAM
As Head of Investments, Tatjana Puhan is responsible for the management of all research and product creation-related projects, ensuring the consistency and application of TOBAM’s patented investment process. In her role, Tatjana is co-Head of Research and Portfolio Management as well as managing the trading teams based in Paris and Dublin.
Tatjana joined TOBAM from Swiss Life Asset Managers where she was Head of Equity and Asset Allocation for Third Party Asset Management. In this role, she was responsible for a number of the company’s flagship strategies, most notably its investment solutions utilising systematic and proprietary quantitative approaches, as well as contributing to Swiss Life Asset Managers’ asset allocation and equity research initiatives. She has more than 15 years’ investment experience, worked at a number of leading asset management and private banking businesses while also bringing a strong academic and research background.
Tatjana holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Business Administration from the University of Hamburg, and gained her Ph.D. in Finance from the Swiss Financial Institute at the University of Zurich, with research fellow appointments at the University of Zurich, Kellogg Business School (Northwestern University) and the University of Hamburg. She is a lecturer in finance at the University of Mannheim and an associated researcher of the Hamburg Financial Research Center.

Nico Rheims
Managing Director
Ardian
Nico Rheims joined the Ardian Real Estate team in Frankfurt in 2017, where he contributed significantly to the success of Ardian’s German real estate activities, first as Senior Investment Manager and most recently as Managing Director. Prior to joining Ardian, he was an Investment Manager at QUINCAP Investment Partners, responsible for real estate and platform transactions. He began his career at Fortress Investment Group in 2010.

DI Hubert Rhomberg
Managing Director
Rhomberg Holding
DI Hubert Rhomberg is Managing Director of Rhomberg Holding GmbH and – now in the fourth generation – in charge of the internationally active Rhomberg Group.
After graduating in engineering at Vienna Technical University Hubert Rhomberg worked for the construction company Strabag for three years before, in 1998, joining his family’s company in his role as Manager of the Civil Engineering department and in charge of developing the Railway Technology division. In addition, he supplemented his practical entrepreneurial knowledge by taking a postgraduate course in Company Management at the University of St. Gallen.
Rhomberg extends his range of activities by actively promoting research projects and giving public lectures on the subjects Resource Productivity, Mobility and Sustainable Company Management. In 2015 he published his book “Bauen 4.0 – From the Ego to the Lego principle”, 2021 he was Co-editor of “Grüne Wahrheiten”.

Kai Rintala
Managing Director
Taaleri Energia
Kai is the Managing Director of Taaleri Energia Funds Management and has over 21 years of experience in the infrastructure industry. Before joining Taaleri Energia in 2016, he worked for 10 years at KPMG, both in Helsinki and in London, advising public and private sector clients on infrastructure strategy and transactions across energy, transport and social infrastructure. Kai built and led KPMG’s infrastructure business at KPMG Finland with clients ranging from utilities and infrastructure funds to state ministries and construction companies. He has executed over 2 GW of wind transactions as well as transactions in hydro power, electricity distribution and decentralised heat services.
Kai holds a PhD in Construction Economics from UCL and an MSc in Engineering and Industrial Management from Tampere University of Technology.

Dr. Vanesa Rodriguez Osuna
Food Systems Lead
UNEP Finance Initiative
Vanesa leads the engagement and technical work related to a High Ambition Group of the Good Food Finance Network, an initiative composed of public and private financial institutions, including global environmental funds, banks, asset managers, and agri- businesses. She supports members of this initiative to set common and individual targets and a roadmap for implementation to support a transition towards more sustainable food systems, covering impact areas from climate, biodiversity to social dimensions.
She is also senior technical adviser for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in the areas of green technologies, sustainable supply chains and policy instruments.
She had previously worked as senior scientist and project manager, leading the development of a science-based framework for measuring social and ecological impacts of global equities affecting water, food and health systems. This R&D project was successful applied on assets held by a large Dutch pension fund manager in a project sponsored by UBS Sustainable Equities.
Vanesa has worked in various roles as technical advisor, project director, senior researcher for the Advanced Science Research Center (New York), the Center for Development Research at the University of Bonn, the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Conservation Strategy Fund, RARE, Sequa gGmbH and GIZ GmbH. Since 2014, she is lead author of various assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

Stephen Ross
Head of Investor Relations
Taaleri Energia
Stephen is the Head of Investor Relations at Taaleri Energia and has over 25 years of experience in the investments industry and 14 years of experience in private equity fundraising and investor relations. Stephen has worked with and raised money for Buyout, Growth, Real Estate, Credit, Venture Capital and Infrastructure private equity teams and funds.
Stephen holds an MA (Hons.) in Economics, Management Studies and Mathematics & Statistics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Dr. Timm Rössel
Managing Partner
Etanomics (Viessmann Group)
Dr. Timm Rössel is Managing Partner of etanomics, a leading energy service provider that belongs to the Viessmann Group.
He has many years of international experience in consulting and planning in the fields of rational energy use and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
He completed his work as a research assistant at the Technical University of Munich in 2013 with a doctorate in the subject area of „Concepts for reducing the energy demand of production facilities at international locations“. With more than 25 national and international lectures and training courses, as well as many other lectures at top-class universities such as the TU Munich, and more than 20 publications, Dr. Rössel is a recognised specialist in his field.
Since 2018, he has been responsible for etanomics, a company that has helped customers reduce energy costs and decarbonize in nearly 1000 projects over the past decade.

Christian Salow
Managing Director
alternative investor information (altii)
Christian Salow, is managing director of altii GmbH, a digital marketing and communication portal based in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Prior to altii, Mr. Salow served institutional investors with interest, credit and alternative investments from international banks. He is a publicist, moderator and author.

Edda Schröder
Founder and Managing Director
Invest in Visions
Edda Schröder has held various positions in Asset Management over the last 25 years. At former fund management company Flemings (now JP Morgan Asset Management) she started as Country Head for Austria and was later appointed Director Business Development for Europe. From 2000 until 2006 she worked for Schroder Investment Management GmbH as Managing Director in charge for mutual fund sales in Germany and Austria. She founded then in September 2006 Invest in Visions – one of the first German impact asset management company. Invest in Visions specializes in microfinance as well as financing small and medium sized enterprises in developing and emerging markets.

Claus Schultze
Policy Officer
European Commission
Claus Schultze is Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in charge of Blue Economy Innovation and Investment. Between 2010 and 2016 he was a Policy Analyst at the Competence Centre for Smart and Sustainable Development at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional Policy. Before joining the European Commission in 2010, he was Head of the European Regions Research and Innovation Network (2008-2010), Head of Communications at the INTERREG Central Europe Programme (2002-2008), Director of Stuttgart Region European Office (2001-2002) and Policy Officer at Eurocities (1998-2001). He studied Political Science, History, International Relations and European Politics and Administration at the Universities of Tuebingen, Germany and Oxford, UK and at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

Dr. Ralf Seiz
CEO
Finreon
Dr. Ralf Seiz ist CEO und Inhaber von Finreon. Zudem ist er Lehrbeauftragter an der Universität St.Gallen (HSG) und Mitglied mehrerer Verwaltungs- und Stiftungsräte. Dr. Seiz war Assistant Professor an der Universität St.Gallen (HSG), Gründer und Geschäftsführer einer Beratungsfirma, sowie davor Business Analyst im Bereich Financial Services. Bevor er in Ökonomie promovierte (Dr. oec. HSG), schloss er sein Studium der Physik an der ETH Zürich ab (Dipl. Phys. ETH) und arbeitete unter anderem am CERN in Genf. Dr. Ralf Seiz hat eine langjährige und ausgewiesene Erfahrung im Bereich Asset Management, Pension Finance und Mathematical Finance. Die Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) zählte ihn mehrfach zu den einflussreichsten Schweizer Ökonomen. Dr. Ralf Seiz is CEO and owner of Finreon. He is also a lecturer at the University of St.Gallen (HSG) and a member of several boards of directors and foundations. Dr. Seiz was Assistant Professor at the University of St.Gallen (HSG), founder and CEO of a consulting firm, and before that Business Analyst in the Financial Services sector. Before obtaining his doctorate in economics (Dr. oec. HSG), he completed his studies in physics at the ETH Zurich (Dipl. Phys. ETH) and worked, among others, at CERN in Geneva. Dr. Ralf Seiz has many years of proven experience in asset management, pension finance and mathematical finance. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) ranked him several times among the most influential Swiss economists.

Prof. Dr. Dirk Söhnholz
Sole Owner and CEO
Soehnholz ESG
Prof. Dr. Dirk Soehnholz (1963) is the sole owner and CEO of Soehnholz ESG GmbH, a B2B provider of rules-based model portfolios with focus on pure ESG and SDG, as well as of Soehnholz Asset Management GmbH, the advisor of an Article 9 (SFDR) mutual fund. Dirk is also ESG and SDG Advisor to ALLINDEX, a direct indexing provider, honorary professor of asset management at Leipzig University, and financial blogger (www.prof-soehnholz.com). Previously Dirk worked for The Boston Consulting Group, Feri Alternative Asset, Feri Institutional Advisors, and Veritas Investment among others.

Jelena Stamenkova van Rumpt
Director Responsible Investment
Anthos Fund & Asset Management
In her role as Director of Responsible Investment (RI) Jelena drives the further implementation and development of Anthos’ RI strategy. Through a process of full integration Jelena works with all the departments to ensure they have the right tools for integrating RI in their work. In addition, she is also developing Anthos’ Climate Change approach and Human rights policy. With COFRA Holding, she piloted the Impact Management Project assessment of Anthos’ assets under management and helps clients to develop and implement their RI approach. For those involved in RI innovation, Jelena is a great source of inspiration and a sound interlocutor to discuss portfolios on a strategic level.
Before joining Anthos, Jelena led the transition work of ESG integration from the RI team to the front office at PGGM, a not-for-profit cooperative pension fund service provider based in Zeist, the Netherlands. She worked across asset classes with a special focus on private equity and external management selection and monitoring. She also wrote policies, implemented and engaged companies on the topic of Human Rights and Labour and contributed to the Dutch Pension Fund Agreement on Responsible Investment (IRBC). Before PGGM, she helped the RI team in Aegon further implement RI in their process and finished the LLM International Business Law and Globalization summa cum laude at Utrecht University. Jelena is member of the Advisory board of Net Impact in Amsterdam, offering strategic guidance and supporting the mission to help young professionals broaden their thinking, building networks and scaling their impact beyond individual actions.
Jelena comes from Skopje in North Macedonia, where she graduated from the Faculty of Law and successfully finalized the bar exam by the Macedonian Bar Association. She speaks English, Macedonian and Serbian and has a working understanding of Dutch.

Antje Stobbe
Head of Stewardship
Allianz Global Investors
Antje Stobbe is Head of Stewardship and in this capacity leading Allianz Global Investors’ engagement and proxy voting activities globally. Antje is a member of the DVFA commission Sustainability & Stewardship and the BVI working group on Corporate Governance. She also serves as Deputy Chair of the Corporate Governance Council of the Conference Board. Antje joined Allianz Global Investors in 2019 as a Senior ESG analyst and was focusing on corporate governance and proxy voting for European companies.
Previously, Antje was Head of Stakeholder Management in the Investor Relations team of Deutsche Bank leading corporate governance dialogue with the Bank’s top investors and serving as the key IR contact for Deutsche Bank’s ESG investors. Before joining the IR team in 2013, Antje was Head of Sectors, Technology & Resources at Deutsche Bank Research in Frankfurt, and a member of Deutsche Bank’s Environmental Steering Committee and Climate Change Advisory Board. Antje gained a PhD from Friedrich Schiller University Jena and graduated in economics (Georg-August University Göttingen, University of California, Los Angeles).

Andri Stocker
Regional Director DACH
Clarity AI
Andri Stocker is Clarity AI’s Regional Director in the DACH region with more than 7 years of experience in the sustainability space. Prior to joining Clarity AI he successfully led a VC-backed service & consulting business, working with various international brands on developing and implementing corporate sustainability strategies. With his prior roles at Adtelligence (WEC Technology Pioneer), Deutsche Bank and Julius Bär he combines a deep technological understanding with profound knowledge of the financial industry. Andri holds an MBA from IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.

Dusko Stjepanovic
Head of Green Banking
REEEP – Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership
Mr. Stjepanovic is Head of Green Banking at REEEP, where he is responsible for impact investing and development of green financing instruments.
He leads the operations with financial institutions in global renewable energy markets, constructing investment and financing solutions in low and middle-income countries. He is a member of the global taskforce on Mobilizing Investment for Clean Energy in Emerging Economies at the World Economic Forum, which is comprised of expert groups and the world’s leading universities. He’s also advising several European Union ministries and government members in green financing solutions as well as some of the leading asset managers in the private sector.
Mr. Stjepanovic is a recognized expert in the global investment industry with more than 15 years of investment and risk management experience in banking, insurance and consulting.

Michael Strzelecki, CFA
Managing Director, Business Development, Senior Timberland Portfolio Manager
Manulife Investment Management
Mike is responsible for business development activities in North America and Europe, with a focus on capital formation for the firm’s global timberland strategy. Mike is also involved in new timberland product development and is a member of the Timberland Strategy Team. In addition, he manages investment portfolios and large institutional client relationships. Prior to joining the firm, Mike was a partner at Global Forest Partners, where he was directly involved in portfolio management, valuation analysis, and investment research. Previously, Mike was an equity research analyst at Merrill Lynch, where he covered the forest products industry. Mike is a CFA® charterholder and is a member of the CFA Society Boston.
Education: B.S., Finance, Pennsylvania State University
Joined the company: 2017
Began career: 2005

Silke Stremlau
Executive Board
Hannoversche Kassen
Silke Stremlau has been on the board of Hannoversche Kassen, a sustainable pension fund, since 2018 being responsible for the areas of capital investment, sustainability and human resources. Previously she was the general representative at BANK IM BISTUM ESSEN eG. Between 2000 and 2015, she built up and managed the ESG division at imug rating, where she developed extensive expertise in the area of sustainable investment.
Furthermore, she is the Chairperson of the Sustainable Finance Advisory Committee of the Federal Government of Germany and she is also member of the Supervisory Board of UmweltBank AG in Nuernberg
She studied social sciences with a focus on environmental policy at the University of Oldenburg and at the Academy of German Cooperatives (ADG) she obtained a degree in banking management.

Torsten Thiele
Founder
Global Ocean Trust
Torsten Thiele is an expert in ocean governance and sustainable blue finance, with over 20 years experience with leading financial institutions. He is an Affiliate Scholar at Research Institute for Sustainability, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam and Honorary Fellow at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK, a Strategic Advisor to the IUCN Blue Natural Capital Financing Facility and Senior Advisor, Blue Finance for the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, a member of the Advisory Board of Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative and of the Scientific Committee of the Ocean-Climate Platform. He consults with a range of international bodies on ocean solutions and innovative blue finance. Torsten Thiele holds graduate degrees in economics, law, public administration and conservation leadership from the universities of Cambridge, Bonn and Harvard.

Klaas de Vos
Independent Consultant
Ocean Fox Advisory
Klaas de Vos is an independent consultant working on finance for the sustainable development of the ocean. Klaas provides a skill set and point of view at the intersection of conservation, finance and policy. He is passionate about the ocean and has worked on a variety of issues including sustainable fisheries, marine conservation and tackling plastic waste. He has worked for the public and private sector in the developed and developing world, including in Vietnam, the UK, the Netherlands, Colombia, Mexico, Mozambique and Indonesia.
In recent years, his focus has been on the application of sustainable financing to the ocean, finding ways to unlock capital for the transition to a sustainable blue economy and pinpointing what sustainability really means for finance. Klaas has authored a number of publications on the topic of finance for the sustainable blue economy, including The Ocean Finance Handbook for the Friends of Ocean Action and Turning the Tide and Diving Deep, practical guidance for financial institutions on finance for the sustainable blue economy released by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative.

Christian K. Winkler
Managing Partner & Founder
asc impact
Christian Winkler is co-founder and Managing Partner at asc impact, an independent owner-led firm primarily managing sustainable investments in agriculture and forestry. Our investment approach is that the management team will actively manage all projects and aims to ensure sustainable value creation operationally. Before joining asc, Christian worked for some 12 years in venture capital, Partner at btov Partners, and in banking at Credit Suisse. Christian holds double master’s degree in business and economics from the Universities of Maastricht, Rotterdam, and CEMS. In 2022 the asc impact forestry fund celebrated a successful first closing with a subscription volume of € 26.1 million. The fund invests under strict ESG criteria in a diversified portfolio of up to 20 sustainable forestry projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. All projects are actively managed by the asc impact management team, combining decades of agriculture and forestry experience with dedicated expertise in venture capital, start-up, and legal.

Kai Wiegler
Sector Economist Marine Biodiversity
and Sustainable Fisheries
KfW Development Bank
Kai Wiegler has an academic background as economist and geologist. He has been working for the German governmental development cooperation around the topics of sustainable fisheries, aquaculture and coastal zone management since 2005. This involved project-planning, implementation support and review missions in more than 40 development and newly industrializing countries. Kai helped in designing the „Blue Action Fund“ and is the sector economist for marine biodiversity and sustainable fisheries of KfW Development Bank for over a year now. In 2020 alone, KfW committed more than EUR 264 million on behalf of the German Federal Government to protect marine biodiversity and promote sustainable fisheries & aquaculture around the world. Out of these funds, EUR 28 million had been provided to help protect and sustainably manage 14 conservation areas spanning around 7,200 square kilometres.

Barbara Wokurka
Head of Impact Investing
FINVIA Family Office
Barbara Wokurka is heading the impact investing area at the FINVIA Family Office. Before she worked more than 13 years for Quoniam Asset Management where she was responsible for the international business development. Prior to that she was leading the asset management area of Porsche AG. She started her career at Deutsche Bank with responsibilities in the Corporate Finance area.