ERT is a forum for CEOs and Chairs of leading companies of European parentage in the industrial and technological sector, who share the values of freedom, tolerance, equality and openness.
ERT Membership is individual, not corporate, and is by invitation only. Our Members are united by a vision for a strong, open and competitive Europe, as a driver for inclusive growth and sustainable prosperity.
We are committed to playing our part in strengthening Europe’s place in the world.
Chair
Jean-François van Boxmeer
Vodafone GroupUnited Kingdom
Jean-François van Boxmeer became Chair of Vodafone Group Plc on 3 November 2020 having been appointed as a non-executive member of the Board at the conclusion of the 2020 AGM.
Jean-François was the Chief Executive of Heineken N.V. for 15 years, having been with the company for 36 years. Jean-François held a number of senior roles in Africa and Europe before joining Heineken’s Executive Board in 2001 with worldwide responsibility for supply chain and technical services, as well as regional responsibility for the operating businesses in North-West Europe, Central and Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa.
He is a member of the Shareholders Committee of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA in Germany since 2013 and is non-executive Director at Heineken Holding N.V. since 2020.
In 2005, he became a Member of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) and served as its Vice-Chair from 2016 to mid-2020.
Jean-François joined the Board of Mondelez International Inc. (formerly Kraft Foods Inc.) as an Independent Director in 2010 and has served as its Lead Director from 2020 until 2022.
He has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of De Nationale Opera & Ballet in Amsterdam.
Jean-François studied at the Facultés Universitaires Notre Dame de la Paix S.J. in Namur (Belgium) and obtained a Masters in Economics in 1984.
Vice-Chair
Ilham Kadri
SyensqoBelgium
Dr. Kadri is a world citizen with a rich professional experience across a variety of industries in four continents and with leading industrial multinationals, including Shell, UCB, Huntsman, Dow Chemical and Sealed Air. Prior to Solvay, Ilham Kadri was CEO and President of Diversey in the United States, having led the company’s return to profitability and result. Dr. Kadri is CEO of Syensqo, a global specialty materials leader which originated from the demerger of Solvay, a 160 year old chemical company, in December 2023.
Before the spin-off, Dr. Kadri drove the transformation of Solvay after she was appointed as CEO in 2019. During her tenure, the Group outperformed its objectives and delivered double-digit EBITDA growth as well as 18 consecutive quarters of positive free cash flow, while reducing debt and reinforcing its balance sheet. The economic objectives of the Group’s G.R.O.W. strategy were met two years ahead of schedule. Under her leadership, Solvay launched a holistic One Planet sustainability roadmap, which outperformed the CO2 reduction objectives set by the Paris Agreement. Dr. Kadri strove to promote superior people engagement, namely through the establishment of the company Purpose and the ‘One Dignity’ program to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Dr. Kadri acquired extensive leadership experience with leading global companies across a variety of industries on four continents, including Shell, UCB, Dow and Sealed Air. Prior to joining Solvay, as CEO and President of Diversey in the United States of America, she led the company’s return to profitability and subsequent spin off and divestiture to Bain Capital.
Dr. Kadri is an independent Board member at A.O. Smith and L’Oréal. She is active in non-profit organizations, as Chair of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), member of the steering committee of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT), member of the Leadership Council of the Industry Transition Accelerator (ITA) as well as a permanent member of the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council (WEF). She is a philanthropist who created two charity funds THE HYGIEIA Network in the USA to combat illiteracy and the Solvay Solidarity Fund to support families and communities impacted by external catastrophes.
Nancy McKinstry
Wolters KluwerThe Netherlands
Nancy McKinstry (United States, 1959) is Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Executive Board of Wolters Kluwer since September 1, 2003, and Member of the Executive Board since June 1, 2001.
Before assuming her present position in 2003, Ms McKinstry gained more than a decade of experience at Wolters Kluwer and its operating companies in North America. She previously served as CEO of Wolters Kluwer’s operations in North America. She also was President and CEO of Legal Information Services, currently part of Wolters Kluwer’s Governance, Risk & Compliance division. Earlier, Ms McKinstry held product management positions with CCH INCORPORATED, part of Wolters Kluwer’s Tax & Accounting division since 1995.
Early in her career, she held management positions with Booz & Company (formerly Booz Allen Hamilton), an international management-consulting firm, where she focused on assignments in the media and technology industries.
Ms McKinstry is a member of the Board of Directors of professional services company Accenture, healthcare company Abbott and of executive search company Russell Reynolds Associates. She is also a member of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) and of the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School.
Ms McKinstry has repeatedly been included in leading lists of business media as one of the most powerful women in business. She is among Fortune International Most Powerful Women in Business list and she is included in the HBR Best-Performing CEOs in the World for 2019.
Ms McKinstry earned her MBA in Finance and Marketing from Columbia University, New York, where she graduated Beta Gamma Sigma and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa. In May 2005, she was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Rhode Island in recognition of her contributions to business.
Members
Jean-Paul Agon
L'OréalFrance
Born in France in 1956, Jean-Paul Agon joined L’Oréal in 1978 after graduating from HEC international business school.
After a brief stint in 1980 as a product manager for the Consumer Products Division in France, he began his international career in 1981 at 24 years old, becoming Managing Director of the Consumer Products subsidiary of L’Oréal in Greece.
In 1985, Jean-Paul Agon was recalled to France to become the General Manager of L’Oréal Paris in France. He launched the Studio Line range and relaunched the Plénitude and Elsève brands.
In 1989, then-CEO Lindsay Owen-Jones entrusted him with leading Biotherm, a brand of the Luxury Products Division, where he undertook a strategic repositioning.
In 1994, Jean-Paul Agon took over the management of L’Oréal in Germany, then the largest European market after France. He ran the subsidiary for three years.
In 1997, Lindsay Owen-Jones asked Jean-Paul Agon to set-up and lead the L’Oréal Asia Zone, lending fresh impetus to these still emerging markets.
In September 2001, Jean-Paul Agon was appointed President of L’Oréal’s North American subsidiaries, the first market worldwide that represented about a quarter of the Group’s sales.
The Board of Directors appointed him as Chief Executive Officer in 2006, then as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2011. Jean-Paul Agon has been holding the office of Chairman of the Board of Directors without assuming the office of Chief Executive Officer since 1 May 2021.
In 2009, he received the Ethical Resource Center’s Pace Leadership in Ethics Award for L’Oréal’s achievements in the area of business ethics, diversity, financial transparency and sustainable development, and in 2015 he was named Visionary of the Year by Women’s Wear Daily.
Jean-Paul Agon is a Director of Air Liquide, a Member of the European Round Table for Industry, and a Member of the Board of Directors of the Consumer Goods Forum. He is also an Officer of the French Legion of Honour.
Zoltán Áldott
MOLHungary
Zoltán Áldott has been Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MOL and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Slovnaft since 25 June 2018.
Between 1990 and 1991, Zoltán Áldott was an associate at Creditum Financial Consulting Ltd. Between 1992 and 1995, he held various positions at Eurocorp Financial Consulting Ltd. From 1995 to 1997, he was the Manager of MOL’s Privatisation Department and from 1997 until 1999, he was Director of Capital Markets. In 1999, Zoltán Áldott served as Director of Strategy & Business Development. From November 2000, he acted as Chief Strategy Officer and as Group Chief Strategy Officer from June 2001.
He was Executive Vice President of MOL’s Exploration & Production Division between September 2004 and June 2011. Zoltán Áldott acted as President of INA Management Board between 1 April 2010 and 31 May 2018, and between 2001 and May 2018 he was a member of the MOL Executive Board.
José María Álvarez-Pallete
TelefónicaSpain
Mr Álvarez-Pallete is Chairman & CEO of Telefónica S.A since April 2016 and member of the Board of Directors since July 2006.
He is executing a deep transformation of Telefónica, one of the world’s leading telecommunications service providers, into a technology company. As a firm advocate of a human-centric digitalization, he is leading the debate on the safe and ethical use of both data and Artificial Intelligence. Mr Álvarez-Pallete has called for a new digital bill of rights to ensure nobody is left behind in the fourth industrial revolution.
He joined the Telefónica Group in 1999 as a General Manager of Finance for Telefónica Internacional. Later that same year he became CFO of Telefónica S.A. In 2002 he was appointed Chairman and CEO of Telefónica Internacional. Between 2006 and 2011 he was Managing Director of Telefónica Latin America. He was appointed Chairman and CEO of Telefónica Europe in 2011, and was appointed COO of Telefónica, S.A. in 2012.
He began his professional career with Auditors Arthur Young in 1987, before joining Benito & Monjardín / Kidder, Peabody & Co. in 1988. He joined Cemex in 1995. In 1998 he was promoted to General Manager for Administration and Finance responsible for the Cemex Group´s interests in Indonesia.
He has a degree in Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid. He also studied Economics at the Free University of Brussels, in Belgium, and holds an International Management Programme from IPADE.
Among many other distinctions, in 2016 he was named Spain’s ‘Best CEO’ by Forbes magazine and, in 2019, he received the Asociación Española de Directivos’ ‘Manager of the Year’ award in the Large Corporations category and was chosen “Business Leader of the Year” by the Spain-US Chamber of Commerce.
Nils S. Andersen
ASMLThe Netherlands
Nils Andersen is Chair of ASML and Scan Global Logistics. Former chairmanships include Unilever, AkzoNobel, Worldwide Flight Services, Faerch Group and William Demant Holding.
From 2007 to 2016, Nils Andersen held the position of Group CEO of A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S. Prior to this, he served as President and Group CEO of Carlsberg A/S from 2001 to 2007. He has extensive experience in fast-moving consumer goods, oil and gas, and transport and logistics.
Nils Andersen holds a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Aarhus, Denmark. He also completed an Advanced Management Programme at Wharton Business School and various Executive Management Programmes at Harvard, IMD and Stanford.
Nils Andersen was a member of the European Round Table for Industry from 2001 to 2016 and again since 2018. He served as the group’s vice-chair from 2012 to 2016 and is currently chair of the ERT Committee on Competition Policy.
Cláudia Azevedo
SonaePortugal
Chief Executive Officer of Sonae since April 2019.
Has been working at Sonae Group since 1994, where she has held several positions in companies from different activity sectors.
Began her professional path in the Visa Universe project, having been in charge of Optimus’ Marketing and Privates Management in 1998.
Between 2001 and 2018, she took the lead of Sonae Investment Management, a company dedicated to managing investment in information technology applied to retail and communication.
In 2013 she was appointed CEO of Sonae Capital, a PSI 20-listed company, responsible for managing a diversified company portfolio in the sectors of energy, real estate, tourism, fitness and industry.
Currently a member of the Executive Boards of Efanor, Sonae, MC, Worten, NOS, Sonaecom and Sonae Capital, among others.
Has a degree in Management, at Universidade Cat61ica Portuguesa, an MBA at INSEAD and has attended several management courses at the universities of Harvard and Stanford.
Leonhard Birnbaum
E.ONGermany
Dr. Leonhard Birnbaum was born in Ludwigshafen, Germany, on February 19, 1967. He studied chemical engineering in Karlsruhe. After a subsequent period of academic work at the Karlsruhe Research Centre, he obtained a doctorate from the University of Cottbus.
Leonhard Birnbaum began his professional career as a management consultant at McKinsey in Düsseldorf. After holding various positions – including at McKinsey’s office in Houston, USA – he was Senior Partner for the energy and industrial sector. In 2008, he joined RWE AG and was appointed to the Board of Management the same year. He served as Chief Strategy Officer and as RWE Group’s Chief Commercial Officer until 2013.
In 2013, Leonhard Birnbaum was appointed as member of the Board of Management of E.ON SE and took on a variety of responsibilities within the Board. From 2018 until 2021 he was responsible for the innogy integration project. From 2019 to 2020, he was also Chairman of the Board of Management of innogy SE.
In 2021, Leonhard Birnbaum was appointed to his current role as CEO of E.ON SE. In this position, he is responsible for the E.ON Group’s Communications & Political Affairs, Corporate Audit, Culture & Performance, Group and Executive HR, HSE & Sustainability, Legal, Compliance & Security, Strategy & Innovation and Nuclear Coordination.
Leonhard Birnbaum is Vice-President of the Presidium of BDEW, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries, Vice-President of Eurelectric, the European Electricity Association, and Vice Chair of the World Energy Council.
Leonhard Birnbaum is married and has two daughters.
Estelle Brachlianoff
VeoliaFrance
Estelle Brachlianoff is Chief Executive Officer of Veolia since July 1st, 2022.
She began her career at the Val-d’Oise infrastructure department of the Paris metropolitan area in 1998 as head of the major infrastructure department. In 2002, she became advisor to the Prefect of the Ile-de-France region, where she was in charge of transportation and development.
She joined Veolia in 2005 as special advisor to the CEO for waste activities, before becoming CEO of FM activities in 2008 and of the greater Paris region for waste in 2010.
In 2012, she was appointed CEO of Veolia Environmental Services in the UK and zone director for the UK and Ireland zone from 2013 to 2018. She joined Veolia’s executive committee in 2013.
Estelle Brachlianoff was appointed Group Chief Operating Officer and deputy CEO in September 2018. In this position, she conducted the successful integration of Suez employees and activities, following its acquisition in 2022.
After an 18 year career in the Group, she was appointed CEO and has, since then, led the global champion of ecological transformation on a path of acceleration and consolidation of its offer of ecological solutions.
She is a member of the Supervisory Board of Hermès International and a member of its Audit and Risk Committee and its Compensation, Appointment, Governance and CSR Committee.
Estelle Brachlianoff graduated from École Polytechnique and from the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées engineering school. She is Knight of the Legion of Honor.
Dolf van den Brink
HEINEKENThe Netherlands
Dolf van den Brink is Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Heineken N.V..
He started his HEINEKEN career in 1998 in the Netherlands as a commercial management trainee and between 1999 and 2005, he worked in various marketing and commerce roles at Vrumona and Global Commerce. From 2005 until 2009, Dolf was Commercial Director at Bralima, our Operating Company in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In 2009 he became Managing Director of HEINEKEN USA. He served in this role for six years and was appointed Managing Director of HEINEKEN Mexico (Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma). In the fall of 2018 Dolf moved to Singapore, to head the Asia Pacific Division of HEINEKEN.
Dolf attended the Advanced Management Program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and has a MA in Philosophy and MSc in Business Administration, both from the University of Groningen in The Netherlands.
He serves as a Board Member to China Resources Beer Holdings and Board Member at United Breweries Ltd, India.
Dolf is married with Sylvia and has 2 daughters.
Roberto Cingolani
LeonardoItaly
Roberto Cingolani was appointed Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Leonardo S.p.a. on 9 May 2023. He initially joined the company in 2019, when he was appointed the Chief Technology & Innovation Officer of Leonardo, where he coordinated: (i) the corporate Research & Development, (ii) the Innovation strategies, (iii) the Digitalization of the company and the ICT, and (iv) of the global Sustainability strategy. At Leonardo, he launched the new R&D facilities denominated Leonardo’s Labs (around 200 R&D researchers) and the new High Performance Computing Facility (the Supercomputer davinci-1, 5 Petaflop machine) for the digital transformation of Leonardo.
Born in Milan on 23 December 1961, he has had an distinguished career in academia before joining Leonardo. In 1978, 1979 and 1980, he was National winner and European finalist of the 10th,11th and 12th European Philips Contest for Young Scientists and Inventors. In 1980, he was awarded by the Certificate of Distinction at the European final of the 12th Contest held in Amsterdam. In 1985, he graduated from the University of Bari with a degree in Physics. In 1989, He was awarded a PhD (“Diploma di Perfezionamento”) in Physics at Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa (Thesis on Frequency and density dependent optical transitions in quantum heterostructures).
Academic Career: From 1988 to 1991, he was staff member at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart, Germany. Since 1991, he has been a Professor of Physics at the University of Salento, where he was appointed Full Professor of Experimental Physics in 2000. In 1996, he was a Visiting Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA (ref. Prof Hadis Morcoc). In addition, in 1997 he was a Visiting Professor at Tokyo University, Japan (Ref. Prof. Yasuhiko Arakawa).
In 2001, he founded the National Nanotechnology Laboratory (NNL) of the National Institute for Physics of Matter (INFM) in Lecce (Italy) that became one of the largest interdisciplinary
nanotechnology centres in Europe, developing joint R&D programmes with several European companies (over 200 staff members from 15 countries).
In 2006, he was appointed Scientific Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT). IIT is a public/private Foundation constituted jointly in 2004 by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of University and Research to develop applied research and technology transfer programmes of strategic interest for the national industry. To this aim, from 2006 and 2018, he developed the interdisciplinary research strategy of IIT merging robotics, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and nanotechnology. In this period, IIT reached a staff of approximately 1,900 people from 60 countries and built lab facilities exceeding 60000 sqm in the Genova headquarters and in 10 satellite laboratories in Italy and abroad. A patent portfolio of more than 800 national and international patents and over 30 start-up companies were built by IIT after the completion of the start phase (2011-2018). In the same period, IIT established about 30 joint industrial R&D facilities with several national and international companies such as Nikon, Sony, Danieli Automation, Camozzi Group, INAIL, Moog and many others.
Roberto Cingolani’s scientific activity has covered different fields over the years:
• Material science, quantum technologies (1985-1995)
• Nanofabrication technologies for electronic and optical quantum (1990-2000)
• Molecular nanotechnologies for plastic photonics, LED technologies, organic-LED and plastic electronic devices (1998-2003)
• Biosensors, bio-electronic devices (2003-2008)
• Nanochemistry, new composite materials, biodegradable materials, multifunctional materials (since 2009)
• Robotics, artificial intelligence, human machine interactions (since 2006)
He is also the author and co-author of more than 1,100 papers in international journals and holds over 100 patents in the fields of Materials Science, Semiconductor Technologies,
Nanotechnologies, Chemistry of Materials, Sensor Technologies, Optoelectronics and Photonics, Robotics (Bibliometric indexes quoted by Google scholar about 40,500 citations, Hirsch index H=100 in June 2023).
Ministerial role: In February 2021, he was appointed Minister for the Ecological Transition in Mario Draghi’s Government. He was responsible for the Environment, Climate and Energy policy of the Government and of the related Mission 2 within the National Plan of Recovery and Resiliency. As Minister of the Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani chaired the G20 summit on Environment Climate and Energy (Napoli-July 2021) and the Youth for Climate World Convention (Milan-September 2021), and he Co-chaired the COP-26 (Glasgow-November 2021). In 2022, he was in charge of the National Energy Emergency Plan during the Russian Ukraine war, and of the national drought emergency plan.
Awards:
• In 2006, the “Guido Dorso” prize by the Senate of the Republic for Science
• In 2010, the “Grande Ippocrate” prize by Novartis and the federation of scientific journalists for Research
• In 2015, the “Premio Roma for the Development of the Country (section Science and Technology)
• In 2018, the “Tech for Good” – Thinker Award prize by IBM
He was bestowed with three titles of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic:
• “Alfiere del Lavoro “in 1981 (President Pertini)
• “Commendatore della Repubblica” in 2006 (President Napolitano)
• “Grand Ufficiale al merito della Repubblica Italiana” in 2021 (President Mattarella)
Other activities: Roberto Cingolani has also been a member of the Boards of Pontifical Academy of Life, Ferrari SpA, IllyCaffè SpA and Industrie De Nora SpA.
In 2023, he was appointed Senior Board Director of the NATO Innovation Fund (a $1 Billion fund for innovation and technologies in the field of defence and security, sponsored by the NATO countries). He is married and has three children.
Jean-Pierre Clamadieu
ENGIEFrance
Jean-Pierre Clamadieu was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Engie in May 2018.
He was CEO and Board Member of Solvay between 2012 and 2019. He joined Solvay in September 2011 as member of the Executive Committee, after the acquisition of Rhodia by Solvay. Previously, he was Rhodia’s Chief Executive Officer since 2003 and Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2008.
Before joining the chemical industry, Jean-Pierre Clamadieu graduated from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris and had a nine-year career at the French Civil Service, including as advisor to the Minister of Labour.
Jean-Pierre Clamadieu is Chairman of the Board of Opéra de Paris, and a member of the board of directors of Axa and Airbus. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) between 2016 and 2020, President of the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) between 2014 and 2016, and a member of the board of directors of the International Chemical Industry Council (ICCA). Jean-Pierre Clamadieu was Chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission of MEDEF between 2007 and 2014.
Vincent Clerc
A.P. Møller-MærskDenmark
Executive Board member Vincent Clerc has been with Maersk since 1998 and was appointed CEO of A.P. Moller – Maersk in January 2023.
Prior to his role as CEO of A.P. Moller – Maersk, he has held several leadership positions in the USA and Denmark. Most recently, he has held the position of CEO of Ocean & Logistics (2019 – 2022), leading the enterprise-wide transformation to become the integrator of container logistics, and Chief Commercial Officer (2015 – 2019).
Vincent Clerc has an MBA from Columbia Business School and London Business School and a Bachelor in Political Science from Lausanne, Switzerland.
Rodolfo De Benedetti
CIRItaly
Rodolfo De Benedetti (Turin, 1961) has been Chairman of CIR since his appointment in April 2013.
The CIR group, of which he is a controlling shareholder together with his brothers Marco and Edoardo, operates in healthcare (KOS) and auto components (Sogefi) sectors. Within the group he is also a member of the Board of Directors of Sogefi.
Previously he was Chief Executive Officer of CIR from 1993 and of COFIDE from 1995. He joined COFIDE in 1988 as Director of International Affairs and was subsequently appointed General Manager. In 1990 he also became General Manager of CIR.
Before that, he worked from September 1985 to December 1986 for Lombard Odier, one of the main private banking groups in Switzerland based in Geneva, as Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer. From January 1987 to January 1988 he worked for Shearson Lehman Brothers (New York) as an Associate in its Merchant Banking Group.
Currently he is a shareholder and director of Decalia Asset Management S.A., an international investment management company established in 2014.
He is a board member of Aon Italia, a risk management, insurance and re-insurance brokering company, and of October, a non-banking financing platform for small and medium-sized businesses.
He is a member of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT), a forum made up of more than 50 of the most important European companies from various sectors and is also chairman of the European Advisory Board of Harvard Business School.
Rodolfo De Benedetti graduated from Geneva in 1982 in Political Economics and in 1985 in Law.
He’s married to Emmanuelle de Villepin and is father to Neige, Alix and Mita.
Michel Demaré
AstraZenecaSweden
Michel Demaré is Member of the Board of AstraZeneca since September 2019 and Chair since April 2023.
He is also Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee and member of the Remuneration Committee.
Michel was previously Vice-Chairman of UBS Group AG (2010 to 2019), Chairman of Syngenta and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (2013 to 2017) and Chairman of SwissHoldings (2013 to 2015). Between 2005 and 2013, Michel was CFO of ABB Ltd and also acting interim CEO during 2008. He joined ABB from Baxter International Inc., where he was CFO Europe from 2002 to 2005. Prior to that, he spent 18 years at The Dow Chemical Company, in several international finance functions, including the CFO of Dow’s Global Polyolefins and Elastomers division between 1997 and 2002. He began his career as a banking officer at Continental Illinois’ Belgian subsidiary. Michel graduated with an MBA from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium, and holds a degree in applied economics from the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium.
Michel is a Non-Executive Director of Vodafone Group Plc and Louis Dreyfus Int’l Holdings BV, Chairman of IMD Business School and Chairman of Nomoko AG.
Claudio Descalzi
EniItaly
Born in Milan, Claudio Descalzi has been Eni’s CEO since May 2014. He is a member of the General Council, the Advisory Board of Confindustria, Director of Fondazione Teatro alla Scala and a member of the National Petroleum Council.
Claudio Descalzi joined Eni in 1981 as Oil & Gas field petroleum engineer and then became project manager for the development of North Sea, Libya, Nigeria and Congo. In 1990 he was appointed Head of Reservoir and operating activities for Italy.
In 1994, he was appointed Managing Director of Eni’s subsidiary in Congo and in 1998 he became Vice President & Managing Director of Naoc, a subsidiary of Eni in Nigeria. From 2000 to 2001 he was Executive Vice President for Africa, Middle East and China. From 2002 to 2005 he was Executive Vice President for Italy, Africa and Middle East, also covering the role of member of the board of several Eni subsidiaries in the area.
In 2005, he was appointed Deputy COO of the Exploration & Production Division. From 2006 to 2014 he was President of Assomineraria and from 2008 to 2014 he was COO in the Exploration & Production Division. From 2010 to 2014 he was Chairman of Eni UK.
In 2012, Claudio Descalzi was the first European in the field of Oil & Gas to receive the prestigious Charles F. Rand Memorial Gold Medal award from the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the American Institute of Mining Engineers. He is a Visiting Fellow at The University of Oxford. In December 2015 he became a member of the Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations.
In December 2016 he was awarded an Honorary Degree in Environmental and Territorial Engineering by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Rome, Tor Vergata.
In July 2018 he has joined the mothers2mothers UK Board of Trustees.
Claudio Descalzi graduated in physics in 1979 from the University of Milan.
Stefan Doboczky
Heubach GroupAustria
Dr. Stefan Doboczky joined Heubach Group as CEO as per Jan 10th 2022.
The Heubach group is a Specialty chemical company headquarter in Vienna (Austria). The company was created beginning of 2022 by a merger of two leaders in the colorants space, the Heubach Group and Clariant Colorants, a division of the stock listed company Clariant (CH). The company is now the number two in the area of Pigments and Colorant Solutions.
The company has globally 19 production hubs, the major ones are in Germany, India, Brazil, Mexico and Japan. The company employs about 3500 people, about half of them in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
Stefan Doboczky will continue also in his non-executive role as Member of the Supervisory Board of OMV, and Head of the Sustainability Committee.
Stefan was a Member of ERT as CEO of Lenzing from 2019 until 2021.
Mr. Doboczky holds a PhD in Natural Science from the Technical University of Vienna (A), as well as an MBA from IMD in Lausanne (CH).
Henrik Ehrnrooth
UPM-KymmeneFinland
Henrik Ehrnrooth is the Chair of UPM-Kymmene since 2023.
UPM-Kymmene’s purpose is to create a future beyond fossils, offering renewable and recyclable materials, and low-emission energy. UPM delivers renewable and responsible solutions and innovations across six global business areas: UPM Fibres, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Specialty Papers, UPM Communication Papers and UPM Plywood.
Henrik was President and CEO of KONE for 10 years from 2014 until the end of 2023. He was Chief Financial Officer of KONE from 2009 until he was appointed President and CEO in 2014. Prior to joining KONE, he had a career with several leadership positions in banking, most recently as Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. He worked at Goldman Sachs from 1998 to 2009, and at UBS from 1994 to 1998.
Henrik serves on the board of the Mannerheim Foundation and is a member of the European Roundtable for Industry. He has been a member of the UPM-Kymmene board since 2015.
During his free time he enjoys skiing, sailing and hiking in nature. Henrik is married with two children.
Börje Ekholm
EricssonSweden
Börje Ekholm is President and CEO of the Ericsson Group.
Börje Ekholm assumed this role on January 16, 2017. He knows the company and the industry well after being a board member of Ericsson for nearly ten years, first elected in 2006.
Most recently Börje Ekholm was CEO of Patricia Industries, a division within Investor AB from 2015 until early 2017. Prior to assuming this position, he was President and CEO of Investor AB between 2005 and 2015.
Börje Ekholm’s other previous positions include Head of New Investments and President of Investor Growth Capital Inc, and various positions at Novare Kapital AB and McKinsey & Co Inc.
Börje Ekholm holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, and a Master of Business Administration, from INSEAD, France. He also holds an honorary Doctorate at The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
He is a Board Member of Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Alibaba Inc. and Trimble Inc.
Aiman Ezzat
CapgeminiFrance
Aiman Ezzat is CEO of the Capgemini Group since May 20, 2020. Since assuming the role, Aiman has directed the integration of Altran and reinforced Capgemini’s position as a leading responsible organization, notably committing to becoming a net zero business by 2040. With more than 25 years’ experience at Capgemini, he has developed a deep knowledge of the Group’s main businesses and has worked in many countries, notably the UK and the US, where he lived for more than 15 years. During his tenure as COO (from 2018 to 2020) and prior to this as CFO, from 2012 to 2018, Aiman reinforced both the Group’s position as a global leader as well as its financial resilience.
Aiman has a dual background in chemical engineering and management. He holds a MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA. Aiman is also on the Air Liquide Board of Directors and is a member of the Business Council.
Guillaume Faury
AirbusFrance
Guillaume Faury was appointed Airbus Chief Executive Officer in April 2019 and leads the Company’s Executive Committee.
Prior to being CEO, Guillaume was President of Airbus’ Commercial Aircraft business and Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Helicopters (2013-2018). His achievements included restructuring manufacturing systems and introducing new technologies.
Before his recent Airbus tenure, Guillaume enjoyed a four-year spell in the car industry with Peugeot (2009-2013), rising to become the Executive Vice-President for Research and Development and a member of the company’s management board.
Guillaume began his career in 1992 as a flight-test engineer for the Eurocopter Tiger helicopter in the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) – A French government agency responsible for the development and purchase of defence systems for the armed forces.
He then had his first stint at Airbus (1998-2008). He held various leadership positions in the helicopter business; then operating under the name Eurocopter. He became Executive-Vice President for Programmes and a member of the Executive Committee, before appointment as the Executive Director for Research and Development.
Guillaume’s love of flying and aviation dates back to his childhood. He is a qualified light-aircraft pilot and helicopter flight-test engineer with 1,300 hours of flying experience.
Guillaume graduated from the École Polytechnique in Paris, and subsequently from the École nationale supérieure de l’aéronautique et de l’espace in Toulouse.
Laurent Freixe
NestléSwitzerland
Laurent Freixe became Nestlé’s Chief Executive Officer in September 2024. Together with the company’s 270 000 associates in 188 countries, he strives to enhance quality of life through the power of food with Nestlé’s 2,000+ brands.
Laurent joined Nestlé France in 1986, taking increasing responsibility in Marketing and Sales.
In 1999 he became the Head of the Nutrition Division of Nestlé France; and was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Hungary in 2003, and then CEO of the Nestlé Iberian Region in 2007.
In November 2008, Laurent joined the Nestlé S.A. Executive Board as Executive Vice President with the responsibility for Zone Europe and was appointed in 2014 Chief Executive Officer of Zone Americas, the largest region for Nestlé.
Following Nestlé’s new geographic structure in January 2022, Laurent was appointed Executive Vice President and CEO Zone Latin America. With his extensive experience in running two Zones, Europe and Americas, and vast knowledge of Nestlé’s core categories, Laurent also supported the CEO on Zone coordination.
Throughout his time at the company, he has been fundamental in driving innovation and leading performance across Nestlé’s value chain to help enable healthier lives and contribute to the communities in which the Group operates.
Laurent has played a leading role in promoting youth employment and employability across the company. Starting in Europe, he launched the Nestlé Needs YOUth initiative in 2013. It provides a wide range of employment opportunities for young people under 30, strengthening their capabilities and professional skills, and has the ambition to help 10 million young people around the world have access to economic opportunities by 2030.
Laurent is also International Youth Ambassador for the International Youth Organization for Ibero-America, Chairman of the Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN), Member of the Supervisory Board of Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), and Member of the Consumer Goods Forum. He is also a member of the executive committee of World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Born in Paris and educated at Ecole de Hautes Etudes Commerciales du Nord in Lille, he also participated in the IMD Program for Executive Development in Switzerland.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with concentrations in Strategic Management and Corporate Finance from the Wharton School in Pennsylvania, United States. Aditya and his wife Megha have three children.
Ignacio S. Galán
IberdrolaSpain
Born in Salamanca (Spain) in 1950, he graduated as an Industrial Engineer from ICAI of Universidad Pontificia de Comillas.
He is Executive Chairman of Iberdrola. He is also Chairman of ScottishPower, AVANGRID and Neoenergia, the country subholding companies of the Group in the UK, the US and Brazil, respectively. Since he joined Iberdrola in 2001, his vision for international expansion and the need for electrification through renewable energies, networks and energy storage has transformed the company into one of the largest in the sector, with presence in dozens of countries.
He holds honorary doctorates from the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde in the UK, and the University of Salamanca in Spain. Ignacio Galán is currently a Chairman of the Social Council of the University of Salamanca, as well as Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, and a Patron of the Comillas-ICAI University Foundation. He is also on the Presidential CEO Advisory Board of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Ignacio Galán is member of the World Economic Forum, the Renewable Hydrogen Coalition, the European Round Table for Industry (ERT), the JP Morgan International Council and of the UNICEF Generation Unlimited Global Leadership Council.
Among other recognitions, in 2023 Mr. Galán has received the Business Leadership in Energy Transition award, from the Periódico de la Energía, and has named Best CEO in the European utilities sector for the twelfth time, by the Institutional Investor Research. He has also received the Medal of Honour from the World Jurists Association at the United Nations and the ESG Leadership Award given by The Foreign Policy Association. In 2019 he was selected as one of the best five world CEOs on the Harvard Business Review ranking, and he was recognized by Bloomberg as one of the 30 leaders in the fight against climate change.
Ignacio Galán was also named Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014.
Óscar García Maceiras
InditexSpain
Born in A Coruña, 1975.
Chief Executive Officer since 2021.
Óscar García Maceiras obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Law from Universidade de A Coruña and PhD in Law from Universidad CEU San Pablo.
He is a State Attorney, a position he held in his city of birth between 2001 and 2005.
In 2005 he joined Banco Pastor, first as the Chief Legal Officer and later as its General and Board Secretary.
In 2012 he was named Deputy Secretary of the Board and Head of Corporate Legal Department at Banco Popular.
That same year, Mr. García was appointed Managing Director of Corporate Development and Legal Affairs at SAREB, Spain’s management company for assets arising from bank restructuring, as well as its General Counsel and Board Secretary.
In 2016 he joined Banco Santander as Group General Counsel and Deputy Secretary of the Board of Directors.
In 2021 he joined Inditex as General Counsel and Secretary of the Board of Directors, a role he carried out until his appointment as the Group’s CEO.
He is also Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Fashion Pact and a member of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) and of The Advisory Board of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management.
Belén Garijo
Merck GroupGermany
Belén Garijo is the Chair of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck. She joined Merck in 2011 as Chief Operating Officer of the Biopharma business, becoming President and CEO of Healthcare in 2015. Before taking her current office in May 2021, Belén Garijo served as Vice-Chair of the Executive Board and Deputy CEO.
Under her leadership of the Healthcare business, Merck became a key global player in oncology, immunology, and immuno-oncology. This success followed her repositioning of the portfolio, the reorganization of R&D and the realignment of the commercial model. In addition, Belén Garijo forged two major global alliances that further contributed to the value of the Healthcare portfolio. She also focused on the globalization of the business to expand Merck`s position within the U.S., Japan, and other high-growth markets.
Before joining Merck, Belén Garijo served as the Senior Vice President of Global Operations Europe at Sanofi-Aventis and Global Integration Leader of Genzyme after its acquisition by Sanofi. She previously held several local and global executive positions, both in R&D and commercial, at various companies at the forefront of the healthcare sector.
Belén Garijo is a medical doctor specializing in clinical pharmacology. She started her career as a practicing physician at La Paz hospital in Madrid, Spain, before moving into the pharmaceutical industry.
Belén Garijo was born on July 31, 1960 in Almansa, Spain. She is married and has two daughters.
Christel Heydemann
OrangeFrance
Christel Heydemann is Chief Executive Officer at the Orange Group since 4 April 2022.
She graduated from Ecole Polytechnique (France) and from the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (France).
She began her career in 1997 at the Boston Consulting Group. In 1999 she joined Alcatel where she held various executive positions, notably during the merger of Alcatel and Lucent. In 2005 she moved to the sales division of Alcatel-Lucent where she was in charge of SFR and Orange key accounts.
In 2008 she was appointed Sales Director France and Member of the Executive Committee of Alcatel-Lucent France. In 2009 she negotiated a strategic alliance with HP in the United States and was then promoted in 2011 to the position of Executive Vice President Human Resources and Transformation.
She joined Schneider Electric in 2014 as Strategic Alliances Senior Vice President with the mission of accelerating, launching and promoting IoT solutions through the development of strong partner network, before being appointed in 2016 Corporate Strategy & Alliances Senior Vice President.
Timotheus Höttges
Deutsche TelekomGermany
Timotheus Höttges, born 1962, has been Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Telekom AG since January 2014.
From 2009 until his appointment as CEO, he was a member of the Group Board of Management, responsible for finance and controlling.
From 2006 to 2009 he was a member of the Board of Management responsible for the T-Home unit, in charge of fixed-network and broadband business, as well as integrated sales and service in Germany. Under his leadership, T-Home became the market leader in terms of new DSL customers and developed its Internet TV service, Entertain, into a mass-market product while at the same time stabilising its profitability.
After successfully implementing various cost-cutting programs at T-Home and in the European mobile communications subsidiaries, Timotheus Höttges became responsible for the group-wide Save for Service efficiency enhancement program.
From 2005 until being appointed to the Group Board of Management, Timotheus Höttges headed European operations as member of the Board of Management, T-Mobile International. From 2000 to 2004, he was Managing Director, Finance and Controlling, before becoming Chairman of the Managing Board of T-Mobile Deutschland.
Timotheus Höttges studied business administration at Cologne University, and then spent three years with a business consultancy, latterly as a project manager.
At the end of 1992, he moved to the VIAG Group in Munich, becoming divisional manager in 1997 and then a member of the extended management board responsible for controlling, corporate planning, and mergers and acquisitions.
As project manager, he played a central role in the merger of VIAG AG and VEBA AG to form E.ON AG, which became effective on 27th September 2000.
Roy Jakobs
Royal PhilipsThe Netherlands
Roy Jakobs is the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Philips. As CEO, he is also Chairman of the Board of Management and the Executive Committee.
With his extensive global executive leadership experience, Roy drives Philips’ strategy to help deliver people-centered, high-quality care. He is committed to helping doctors and nurses provide better, more sustainable and more convenient care in hospitals, clinics and the home, and empowering people to take care of their health and well-being.
His track record over the last 25 years reflects his passion to help address wider societal challenges. He has driven (digital) transformations in energy, scientific information publishing, and health technology in multinational companies. In doing so, he has built high-performing teams, leveraged digital innovation and M&A in business-to-business, business-to-consumer and business-to government segments to create value for multiple stakeholders, including patients, customers and society.
In 2018, Roy joined the Executive Committee as Chief Business Leader of the Personal Health businesses and returned these businesses to growth. Early in 2020, he was put in charge of the turnaround of Connected Care, as Chief Business Leader, where he was at the forefront of managing the COVID crisis response, serving millions of patients and customers with (virtual) monitoring and respiratory care solutions. In 2021, he took responsibility to address the June 2021 Respironics recall notification/field safety notice on behalf of Philips, while continuing to change the delivery of healthcare across care settings, leveraging (digital) technology to improve outcomes at lower cost. He also initiated and led the successful acquisitions of BioTelemetry, Capsule Technologies and Cardiologs, which have significantly enhanced the company’s patient monitoring and diagnostics solutions offering across hospital and ambulatory settings.
Since joining Philips in 2010, other positions he has held include Business Leader of Domestic Appliances, based in Shanghai, Market Leader for Philips Middle East & Turkey and Chief Marketing Officer for Philips Lighting. Prior to his career at Philips, he held various management positions at Royal Dutch Shell in their retail businesses and at Reed Elsevier, where he transformed the business from print to digital as Managing Director.
Roy was born in the Netherlands in 1974. He is married with three children and holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the Radboud University Nijmegen and the Università degli Studi di Bologna, Italy. He also holds a Master’s in Marketing from TIAS School for Business and Society and completed the New Board Program from Nyenrode Business Universiteit, both in the Netherlands. He speaks Dutch, English, German, Italian and Portuguese.
Jan Jenisch
HolcimSwitzerland
Jan Jenisch has been Chief Executive Officer of Holcim since 2017 and the Chairman of the Board of Directors since May 2023, after serving as a member of the Board since 2021. He is serving as both the Chairman of the Board and as Chief Executive Officer during a transition period to safeguard Holcim’s current transformation and the fast-paced execution of its Strategy 2025. This double mandate will end when Miljan Gutovic succeeds him as CEO on 1 May 2024. Also, the Board has tasked Jan with leading the planned US listing of Holcim’s North America business.
Since joining as CEO in 2017, Jan has successfully transformed Holcim into the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions. He reduced the company’s CO2 per net sales by more than 40% since 2020, while making it a leader in advanced roofing and insulation systems. Jenisch has led Holcim to a new level of financial performance, achieving a superior earnings profile with industry-leading margins, and strengthening the balance sheet by halving its net debt leverage ratio. In May 2021, he was elected to the Board of Directors, and as Chairman in 2023. Jan launched the industry’s first global ranges of low-carbon and circular building solutions from ECOPact and ECOPlanet to ECOCycle®.
Before joining Holcim, Jan was CEO of Sika AG in 2012. Under his leadership, Sika set new performance standards for sales and profitability, becoming a member of the Swiss Market Index.
Jan studied in the US and Switzerland, obtaining his MBA from the University of Fribourg in 1993. In 2021, he received a Dr. h.c. for his accomplishments as CEO of two SMI companies. Jan is a German national and was born in 1966.
Other activities and functions:
• Non-Executive Director of the privately held Glas Troesch Holding AG, Bützberg, Switzerland
• Member of the Executive Committee of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
• Board member of the Swiss-Japanese Chamber of Commerce (SJCC)
Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen
Novo NordiskDenmark
Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen has been with Novo Nordisk since 1991 and was appointed president and chief executive officer of Novo Nordisk in January 2017.
Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen has, over the years, held several leadership positions, including postings in the Netherlands, the US and Japan. He was appointed senior vice president for IT & Corporate Development in 2004. In 2013, he was appointed executive vice president and chief information officer, assuming IT, Quality & Corporate Development responsibility. In 2014, he also took on Corporate People & Organisation and Business Assurance responsibilities and became chief of staff.
Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen is President of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) and is a member of the Board of Directors at Danmarks Nationalbank (the Danish central bank).
Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen has an MSc in Finance and Business Administration from Aarhus School of Business, Aarhus University, Denmark.
Ola Källenius
Mercedes-Benz Group AGGermany
Ola Källenius has been a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG since January 1, 2015, and Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG since end of the Annual Meeting of Daimler AG on May 22, 2019. He is also Chairman of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG.
In his prior position, he has been Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, responsible for Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development (since January 1, 2017) and for Marketing & Sales (from January 1, 2015 to January 1, 2017). Before his assignment in Marketing & Sales, he was the CEO of the performance and sports car division Mercedes-AMG GmbH for three years after having led Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., the Mercedes-Benz production plant in Alabama in 2009. From 2005 – 2009, Ola Källenius was the Managing Director of Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd. in Brixworth, UK – Daimler’s Formula 1 powertrain operation. He assumed this position after his role as Executive Director of Operations for McLaren Automotive Ltd. and after holding several Management positions within the Procurement and Controlling organization of Mercedes-Benz Cars.
Ola Källenius was born on June 11, 1969, in Västervik/Sweden. After obtaining Abitur (university entrance examination) at Grammar School of Danderyd (Sweden), he did his military service in the Swedish army in 1988/89. From 1989 until 1993 he studied at the Stockholm School of Economics (Master in Finance and Accounting) and the CEMS Programm (Master of International Management) at the University of St. Gallen. He joined the then Daimler-Benz AG as Trainee within the International Management Associate Program in 1993.
Eivind Kallevik
Norsk HydroNorway
Eivind Kallevik is President and CEO of Norsk Hydro ASA.
Eivind assumed his present role on 13 May 2024. He has worked in Hydro since 1998 and has held several senior positions in the corporate center and in different business areas in Norway and internationally:
• Head of Aluminium Metal since 2019
• CFO and Executive Vice President from 2013 to 2019
• CFO for the business areas Bauxite and Alumina and Aluminium Products
• Head of Corporate Financial Reporting, Performance and Tax
From 1993 until 1998 Eivind served as Assistant VP and Relationship Manager in Christiania Bank & Kreditkasse in Oslo.
Eivind holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco in the US.
His current directorships are:
• Board Member Norsk Industri
• Member of Representatives NHO
• Member of ERT (European Round Table)
• Member of ICMM (International Council for Mining and Metal)
Markus Kamieth
BASFGermany
Dr. Markus Kamieth is CEO of BASF SE, the world’s largest chemical company based in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
Markus Kamieth was born in Dinslaken, Germany, in 1970. He studied chemistry at the University of Essen, where he obtained his doctorate in organic chemistry. He joined BASF in 1999, initially conducting research in the field of specialty chemicals. This was followed by several positions in Germany and abroad, including as Senior Vice President of the Performance Chemicals North America unit. In 2012, he assumed global responsibility for the Coatings division.
Markus Kamieth has been a member of BASF’s Board of Executive Directors since 2017. As of 2020, he was based in Hong Kong, where he managed the company’s Asia activities. In April 2024, Markus Kamieth became Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors (CEO) of BASF SE.
If Markus Kamieth is asked why he is fascinated by the chemical industry, he responds:
“Chemistry has fascinated me since my high school days. As a scientist, I have a natural curiosity and a drive to explore new horizons. Throughout my career, I have consistently strived to make changes for the better. The chemical industry will play a key role in driving positive change and, at BASF, we have an exceptionally strong team that can deliver the solutions our customers need. We are essential to enabling our customers’ transformation to a lower CO2 and more circular world. This mission gives me a great sense of pride and purpose.”
Christian Klein
SAPGermany
Christian Klein is Chief Executive Officer and chairman of the Executive Board of SAP SE. In his role, Klein holds the overall responsibility for the corporate strategic direction, management, and performance of SAP.
Klein joined the SAP Executive Board in 2018 as the head of the Intelligent Enterprise Group, combining global responsibility for the development and delivery of SAP’s core applications with the cross-board area mandate for SAP’s global business operations.
Klein started his career at SAP in 1999 as a student. After holding various positions across the company, including Chief Financial Officer of SAP SuccessFactors and SAP’s Chief Controlling Officer, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of SAP in 2016, a role in which he continued until 2021. On October 11, 2019, he was named Co-CEO of SAP SE together with Jennifer Morgan, before being appointed the sole CEO on April 20, 2020.
Klein holds a diploma in International Business Administration from the University of Cooperative Education in Mannheim, Germany.
Other board memberships
Supervisory Board, adidas AG, Herzogenaurach, Germany (publicly listed)
Thomas Leysen
dsm-firmenichThe Netherlands
Thomas Leysen, born 1960, is a Belgian entrepreneur. He obtained a Master’s degree in Law from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
From 2000 until 2008 he was CEO of Umicore, which was transformed under his leadership from a metals producer to a materials technology group with a focus on clean technologies and leading global positions in rechargeable battery materials, automative catalysts and precious metals recycling.
In 2008, he became Umicore’s Chairman of the Board.
Since 2021 he is Chairman of dsm-firmenich (a Swiss-Dutch listed Health, Nutrition and Beauty Group).
Thomas Leysen is also Chairman of Mediahuis, (a publisher of leading newsbrands in Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Ireland).
From 2011 till 2020 he was Chairman of KBC Group, a banking and insurance group with activities mainly in Belgium, Central Europe and Ireland. From 2016 till 2021 he was Chairman of the King Baudouin Foundation. Until 2022 he was also Chairman of the Belgian Corporate Governance Commission.
Between 2008 and 2011, he was Chairman of the Federation of Entreprises in Belgium (VBO-FEB). Thomas Leysen has long been committed to the promotion of sustainable development, and as such was the founding Chairman (2015-2018) of The Shift, a coalition of enterprises and non-governmental organisations in Belgium. He was also a member of the Global Advisory Board of Toyota until 2018.
He is married with four children.
Miguel Ángel López Borrego
thyssenkruppGermany
After graduating from high school, Miguel Ángel López Borrego (*1965) studied business administration at the Mannheim University of Cooperative Education from 1984 to 1987. From 1998 to 2000, López also completed a global MBA program at the universities of Toronto (Canada), Erftstadt (Germany), Linz (Austria) and Shanghai (China).
The Spaniard began his professional career in 1987 as a controller at VDO AG. He was subsequently CFO of VDO Instrumentos in Spain and of the worldwide VDO Instrument Division from 1991. Within the Siemens Group, López was CFO of various business units of Siemens AG from 2001 – including the Industry Automation Division from 2008, the Digital Factory Division from 2014 and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy from 2017. In the years from 2018 to 2022, he was President & CEO of Siemens in Spain. During this period, he also performed the role of Non-executive Chairman of the Board of Directors at Siemens Gamesa. From 2022 to May 2023, he held the position of Chairman of the Board of NORMA, an automotive and industrial supplier. Since June 2023 he has been CEO of thyssenkrupp AG.
Helge Lund
bpUnited Kingdom
Helge Lund is Chairman of the Board of BP Plc and Novo Nordisk AS, and serves as Operating advisor to Clayton Dubilier & Rice.
Helge Lund served as chief executive of BG Group plc, UK, from 2015 to 2016 when the company was acquired by Shell. Prior to that Mr Lund served as President and CEO of Equinor ASA (formerly known as Statoil ASA) from 2004 to 2014. From 2002 to 2004 Mr Lund served as President & CEO of Aker Kvaerner ASA, an industrial conglomerate with operations in oil and gas, engineering and construction, pulp and paper and shipbuilding. Prior to this Mr Lund has also held executive positions in Aker RGI ASA, an industrial holding company, and Hafslund Nycomed, an industrial group with business activities in pharmaceuticals and energy. He has worked as consultant for McKinsey & Company and has served as a political advisor for the parliamentary group of the Conservative party in Norway.
Mr Lund is a member of the boards of P/F Tjaldur, Faroe Islands, and Belron SA, Luxembourg. Furthermore, Mr Lund is a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group.
Helge Lund served as a member of the Board of Directors in Nokia (2011-14) and Schlumberger (2016-18).
Mr Lund has an MA in Economics from the Norwegian School of Economics & Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from INSEAD business school in France.
A Norwegian national, Helge Lund is married with two children.
Pekka Lundmark
NokiaFinland
Pekka Lundmark became the President and CEO of Nokia on 1 August 2020.
Immediately prior to taking up his role at Nokia, he was President and CEO of Fortum Corporation. Over his five years leading Fortum, the company reshaped the energy system across much of Northern and Eastern Europe and beyond, improving resource efficiency and pursuing the future of energy generation. Pekka has publicly and repeatedly advocated for cleaner, more sustainable energy and circular economies driven by the adoption of smart technologies quickly and at scale.
Prior to this, Pekka held the position of President and CEO at Konecranes for a decade. During this time, the company became an early adopter of Fourth Industrial Revolution-associated technology such as predictive maintenance, helping drastically to increase revenue, EBITDA and market capitalization.
Previously, Pekka held the position of CEO in tech-focused venture capital and consumer goods firms. Before that he held senior roles at Nokia. He has also served as board member in technology and consumer good companies, and technology industry associations.
Pekka lives in Helsinki, Finland, after a career that has taken him to the U.S., Singapore, and Denmark. He earned a master’s degree in information systems from Helsinki University of Technology. Today he chairs the Confederation of Finnish Industries and holds advisory or oversight roles at the Climate Leadership Council, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and the Finnish Athletics Federation, among other groups.
Martin Lundstedt
AB VolvoSweden
Born 1967. Master of Science in Industrial Management and Technology. President of AB Volvo and Chief Executive Officer of the Volvo Group.
Martin Lundstedt began his business career in 1992 when he joined Scania as a trainee. He has since then held various managerial positions within Engine Production and Engine Development. In 2001 he became Managing Director of Scania Production in Angers, France. In 2005 he was appointed Head of Product Marketing and member of the Executive Team. He was appointed Senior Vice President and Head of Trucks in 2006 and in 2007 he became Head of Franchise and Factory Sales. Martin Lundstedt was the President and CEO of Scania AB from 2012 to 2015.
Martin Lundstedt joined Volvo on 22 October 2015 as President of AB Volvo and Chief Executive Officer of the Volvo Group and became a member of the Group Executive Team from the same date.
Martin Lundstedt is Chairman of Permobil AB. In 2022 Chairman of ACEA Commercial Vehicle and Board member of Autoliv AB. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. Further he was the former Co-chairman of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport.
Martin Lundstedt was awarded the Pontus Schultz prize for a more human economy in 2015.
The KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm awarded Martin Lundstedt the Gold medal for industrial cooperation in 2016.
The newspaper Affärsvärlden, appointed Martin Lundstedt “Leader of the year 2018.”
Florent Menegaux
MichelinFrance
After graduating with a degree in finance, management and economics, Florent Menegaux joined PwC in 1986 as a consultant. He was soon appointed manager, specializing in interest rate risk control and management for banks.
In 1991, Exel Logistics France, a logistics and transport company, offered him the position of Finance Director. Six months later, he was promoted General Manager. From 1995 to 1996, Florent Menegaux was General Manager of the General Cargo Transport division for the Norbert Dentressangle Group.
In 1997, Florent Menegaux joined Michelin as Commercial Director for truck tires in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. In 2000, Michelin appointed him Sales Director for Truck Tires Original Equipment and Replacement markets for North America. In 2003, he became head of Truck Tires for South America.
In 2005, he was appointed head of the Africa-Middle East Zone.
In 2006, Florent Menegaux became responsible for the Group’s Passenger Car and Light Truck Tire Replacement Business Unit for Europe, before being appointed EVP for the Passenger Car and Light Truck worldwide activities, becoming a member of the Group Executive Committee, in 2008. He also oversees Michelin’s Motorsports activities and Materials business.
In December 2014, he was appointed COO, then Senior EVP of the Michelin Group in 2017. Since January 2018, he also supervises the Group’s Business Directions, and the Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Customer Experience Operational Directions.
On May 18, 2018, he was named General Managing Partner of the Group.
On May 17, 2019, Florent Menegaux became Chief Executive Officer of Michelin.
Aditya Mittal
ArcelorMittalUnited Kingdom
Aditya Mittal became Chief Executive Officer of ArcelorMittal in February 2021. After initiating and leading the merger with Arcelor in 2006, Aditya has held various roles in the business, including operating different divisions around the world. His last role was President and CFO of ArcelorMittal.
He sees climate change as ArcelorMittal’s top strategic issue and wants the company to lead the decarbonisation of the steel industry.
In 2008, Aditya was named ‘European Business Leader of the Future’ by CNBC Europe and was ranked fourth in Fortune magazine’s ‘40 under 40’ list in 2011. He is an active philanthropist with a particular interest in child health. Together with his wife Megha, he is a significant supporter of the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London, having funded the Mittal Children’s Medical Centre, and in India, the couple work closely with UNICEF, having funded the first ever country-wide survey into child nutrition, the results of which are being used by the Government of India to inform relevant policy.
Aditya serves on the boards of ArcelorMittal, Aperam, and Iconiq Capital and is Chairman of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India and Chairman of HMEL. He is also a trustee at Brookings Institution, a member of the WSJ CEO Council, an alumni of the World Economic Forum Young Global Leader’s Programme and a member of Harvard University’s Global Advisory Council.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with concentrations in Strategic Management and Corporate Finance from the Wharton School in Pennsylvania, United States. Aditya and his wife Megha have three children.
Dimitri Papalexopoulos
TITAN CementGreece
Dimitri Papalexopoulos is Chairman of TITAN Cement Group, an international cement and building materials producer active since 1902. TITAN aspires to combine an entrepreneurial spirit and operating excellence, with respect for people, society and the environment.
TITAN directly employs 5,500 people, operates production facilities in 10 countries on four continents and is commercially active in many more. The Group seeks an active role in the commons, both on a local and a global scale. Among other collaborations, TITAN is an active member of the WBCSD, was the first company in Greece and among the first 500 global signatories of the United Nations Global Compact.
A firm believer in the European project, Dimitri has been a Member of the European Round Table for Industry since 2009. He served as Vice-Chairman of the ERT since May 2018 and was a Member of its Steering Committee since May 2017, while he continues to be Chair of the Energy Transition & Climate Change Committee. At the same time, he sits on the Boards of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) and Endeavor Greece.
Prior to joining TITAN in 1989, he was a consultant for McKinsey & Company in New York and Munich.
Dimitri holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) and an MBA from Harvard Business School, and speaks Greek, English, French and German.
He is married and has three children.
Rafael del Pino
FerrovialSpain
Rafael del Pino Calvo-Sotelo (Madrid, 1958) has been Chairman of Ferrovial since 2000, having held the position of CEO from 1992 to 2000. He has also been a board member of Zurich Insurance Group, Banesto and Uralita.
He is a Civil Engineer graduate from the Polytechnic University of Madrid and has an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Currently, he is patron of the Rafael del Pino Foundation, the Princess of Girona Foundation, the Caminos Foundation (CICCP) and the Spain-US Council Foundation. He is also a member of the Honor Committee of the South Summit, the Hong Kong – Europe Business Council, the European Round Table for Industry and the World Economic Forum.
He maintains an active role in academia, the MIT Energy Initiative’s External Advisory Board, the MIT Sloan School of Management European Advisory Board, the International Advisory Board of IESE and the Harvard Business School European Advisory Board. In addition, he is a permanent academic at the Royal Academy of Engineering.
He has received numerous awards and recognitions, such as the Global Leader of Tomorrow of the World Economic Forum, the Medal of Honor of the College of Civil Engineers, the Sorolla Medal of the Hispanic Society of America, the Capital Award for the Business Trajectory and the Business Leader Award of the Year of La Información. He has also received the Award for the Business Trajectory of La Razón and the Conde de Campomanes Prize for the Business Work from the Nobility Body of the Principality of Asturias. In addition, Rafael del Pino was named Honorary Ambassador of the ‘Spain brand’ by the Leading Brands of Spain Forum in recognition of his business management. In 2019 he received the ASTER Professional Career Award.
Benoît Potier
Air LiquideFrance
Benoît Potier joined Air Liquide in 1981 as a Research and Development engineer after graduating from CentraleSupélec in Paris.
After serving as a Project Manager in the Engineering and Construction Division, he was made Vice-President of Energy Development in the large Industries business line. In 1993, Benoît Potier became Director of Strategy & Organization and, in 1994, was put in charge of the Chemicals, Metal & Steel, Oil and Energy markets.
He subsequently became an Executive Vice-President of Air Liquide in 1995 with additional responsibilities over the Engineering & Construction Division and the Large Industries operations in Europe.
Benoît Potier was appointed Senior Executive Vice-President in 1997, to the Board of Directors in 2000 and became Chairman of the Management Board in November 2001. In 2006, he was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of L’Air Liquide S.A.
On June 1st, 2022, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of L’Air Liquide S.A.
He has been a Member of the European Round Table for Industry since 2010. In 2014, he was elected Chair of the organisation for a term of 4 years.
Functions within the Air Liquide Group
• Chairman L’Air Liquide S.A., Air Liquide International Corporation (ALIC)
• Director: The Hydrogen Company
Positions or activities outside the Air Liquide Group
• Member of the Supervisory Board: Siemens AG* (member of the Nominating
• Committee)
• Co-chair: Conseil National de l’Hydrogène
• Member of the European Round Table for Industry (ERT), of the H2 Council,
• Member of Paris-Saclay university Strategic Orientation Committee
• Asia Business Council,
• Singapore International Advisory Panel on Energy
Patrick Pouyanné
TotalEnergiesFrance
A Graduate of Ecole Polytechnique and Chief Engineer of the French Corps des Mines, Patrick Pouyanné held various positions in the French Industry Ministry and in ministerial offices from 1989 to 1996, including Environment and Industry Technical Advisor to the Prime minister from 1993 to 1995 and Chief of Staff to the information technology and space minister from 1995 to 1996.
Patrick Pouyanné joined the company TotalEnergies (ex Total) in January 1997, with positions in Angola and Qatar in 1999.
In August 2002, he was named Senior Vice President, Finance, Economics and Information Systems in Exploration & Production, then Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development and R&D in Exploration & Production in 2006.
In January 2012, he was appointed President, Refining & Chemicals and member of the Executive Committee.
On October 22nd, 2014, Total’s Board of Directors appointed Patrick Pouyanné as Chief Executive Officer of Total, and he became simultaneously President of the Executive Committee.
On May 29th, 2015, Patrick Pouyanné was appointed at the Board of Directors of Total and on December 16th, 2015, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.
On May 28th, 2021, Total became TotalEnergies.
Patrick Pouyanné is member of the Board of Cap Gemini, Association Française des Entreprises Privées (AFEP), Institut du Monde Arabe, Ecole Polytechnique and Institut Polytechnique of Paris. Patrick Pouyanné is also President of the Alliance for Education, French association against dropping out of school.
He is a Knight of the Legion of Honor.
Gianfelice Rocca
Techint Group of CompaniesItaly
Gianfelice Rocca is Chairman of the Techint Group, a multinational corporation whose activities span across steel industry, energy and power sectors, industrial and process plants, infrastructure and services. The Group generated total revenues of USD 23.5 billion with about 57,100 employees worldwide. Mr Rocca is member of the Board of Directors of Tenaris and Ternium, the main public companies of the Techint Group.
He is President and Founder of the Humanitas Research Hospital and of Humanitas University.
Currently, he is a member of the Board of the Bocconi University. In June 2020, he was appointed Special Advisor Life Sciences Confindustria.
Moreover, in Italy, he sits on the Board of Directors of Brembo SpA, Buzzi Unicem SpA. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of “Politecnico di Milano” and since July 2017, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Fondazione Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci.
From May 2004 to May 2012, he was Vice President for Education of Confindustria (Italian employers organization) and from June 2012 to June 2016, he was a member of the EIT Governing Board (European Institute of Innovation and Technology). From June 2013 to June 2017, he was President of Assolombarda, the largest territorial association of entrepreneurs in Italy and part of Confindustria.
At international level, he is Vice President of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Executive Committee, a member of the Harvard Business School Advisory Board and of the Trilateral Commission.
Moreover, he is a member of ERT (European Round Table for Industry) and of BIDMC Cancer Center International Board of Advisors.
He is President of the “Fondazione Fratelli Agostino and Enrico Rocca”, an association that supports several social and educational projects all over the world.
In June 2007, he was appointed Cavaliere del Lavoro of the Italian Republic and in March 2009, he was presented with a honoris causa degree in management engineering by Milan Politecnico.
In 2010, he received from the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, the 2009 Leonardo Award for his contribution to enhancing Italy’s international standing in steelmaking, energy and infrastructure.
In 2018, he was appointed “Commendatore” by the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, for his commitment and the contribution he has given to the country in the economic field.
Gianfelice Rocca graduated cum laude in Physics at University of Milan and got a PMD at Harvard Business School.
Mr Rocca lives in Milan, is married and has two children.
Güler Sabanci
Hacı Ömer Sabanci HoldingTurkey
Güler Sabanci was born in Istanbul. After finishing high school education at the TED Ankara College, Sabanci graduated from the Bogaziçi University, Department of Business Administration.
She has held various executive roles in the Group and currently serves as Chairman of Sabanci Holding. She is also the Founding President of the Sabanci University, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sabanci Foundation and Chairman of the Sakip Sabanci Museum.
Güler Sabanci has been the first female member in many organisations like the European Round Table for Industry. She also sits on the External Advisory Board of the MIT Energy Initiative and the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School. Sabanci is also a member of The Trilateral Commission.
Bart Sap
UmicoreBelgium
Bart Sap was appointed Chief Executive Officer in May 2024, having served before as Executive Vice-President of Umicore’s Catalysis Business Group since 2021. Prior to this role he led Cobalt & Specialty Materials, the business unit where he began his career at Umicore in 2004 as controller and from thereon, held management functions in Korea and Belgium covering finance, the battery materials supply chain as well as business development and operations.
Bart Sap holds a master’s degree in Commercial Science from VLEKHO Business School in Brussels, Belgium, with majors in Accountancy and Taxation.
May 2024 – CEO Umicore Group
March 2021 – May 2024 Umicore, Executive Vice President Catalysis, Business Group
Jan. 2020 – May 2024 Umicore, Senior Vice President Cobalt & Specialty Materials (CSM) Business Unit
Sept. 2018 – Dec. 2019 Umicore, Senior Vice-President, CSM Battery, Materials Supply Chain
Feb. 2016 – Aug. 2018 Umicore, Vice President Strategic Projects & Supply (at former Energy & Surface Technologies Business Group)
Jan. 2013 – Feb. 2016 Umicore, CSM Global Business Director
Jan. 2011 – Dec. 2012 Umicore, CSM Business Line Manager Supply and Refining + Business Development
March 2007 – Jan. 2011 Umicore, CSM Finance and Business, Administration Manager / General manager, Supply & Refining
Oct. 2004 – Feb. 2007 Umicore, CSM, Financial Controller
2002 – 2004 Grant Thornton, Audit Senior
2000 – 2002 Andersen/Deloitte, Audit Assistant
Wael Sawan
ShellUnited Kingdom
Wael Sawan is Chief Executive Officer of Shell plc since January 2023.
Wael was previously Director, Integrated Gas, Renewables and Energy Solutions. He has been a member of the Executive Committee (EC) since 2019, when he was appointed Upstream Director.
Wael joined Shell in 1997 and has worked in each of Shell’s core business units: Upstream, Integrated Gas and Downstream. In his time with Shell, he has served in critical roles including Vice President for Commercial, New Business and LNG in Qatar, Managing Director and Chairman of the Qatar Shell companies and Executive Vice President of Shell’s Deep Water business.
Wael was born in Lebanon and grew up in the United Arab Emirates and Canada. He holds a master’s degree in engineering from McGill University in Montreal and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in the UK, is married to Nicole and they have three sons.
Hein Schumacher
UnileverUnited Kingdom
Hein is a global business leader with an excellent track record in the consumer goods industry.
He was CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina, an €11bn business operating in over 40 countries – and with products sold in over 100 – from January 2018 to May 2023. During that time, Hein delivered significant portfolio and organisation change as part of transforming it into a more focused, growth-driven and sustainable business. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Hein was Royal FrieslandCampinas’s Chief Financial Officer for three years.
Prior to joining Royal FrieslandCampina, Hein worked for H.J. Heinz for over a decade. In 2008 he was appointed Chief Strategy Officer, before moving to Heinz China in 2011 as its President and CEO. In 2013, he was appointed Executive Vice President of Kraft Heinz’s Asia Pacific Zone and led a successful turnaround of the business, which spanned China, Indonesia, India, Japan and Oceania.
Earlier in his career, Hein worked in finance as Corporate Controller, Asia and Central America for Royal Ahold NV. He began his career as a Finance Manager in Unilever, working in Germany and the Netherlands.
Hein served as a Non-Executive Director of Unilever from October 2022 until his appointment as CEO. From January 2021 to October 2022, he was a member of the Supervisory Board of C&A AG.
Hein holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Amsterdam. He is married, with three children.
Severin Schwan
RocheSwitzerland
Severin Schwan was born in 1967 and grew up in Tyrol, Austria. After obtaining a degree in economics and a doctorate in law at the University of Innsbruck, Severin began his career in 1993 as a finance trainee at Roche headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
Following various management postings to Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, he moved to Singapore as regional head of the Roche Diagnostics business for Asia-Pacific in 2004. In 2006 Severin became CEO of Roche Diagnostics, the Roche Group’s global diagnostics business.
In 2008 Severin was appointed CEO of the Roche Group and became a member of the Roche Board in 2013. After serving as CEO for 15 years, he has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting in March 2023. Severin holds Austrian, German and Swiss citizenships.
Kurt Sievers
NXP SemiconductorsThe Netherlands
Kurt Sievers has served as president and chief executive officer of NXP since May 2020. As a member of NXP’s executive management team since 2009, Kurt has been instrumental in leading the definition and implementation of NXP’s strategy for “secure connections for a smarter world.”
Prior to being elected CEO, Kurt served as president of NXP and oversaw all of the company’s business lines. In 2019, Kurt led the successful acquisition of Marvell’s WiFi Connectivity Business Unit, enabling NXP to deliver complete, scalable processing and connectivity solutions to customers across NXP’s focus end markets.
In 2015, he played a key role in the merger of NXP and Freescale Semiconductor, which created one of the world’s leading semiconductor companies and a leader in automotive semiconductors and secure edge processing.
Kurt joined NXP in 1995, progressing through a series of sales and marketing, product definition and development, strategy and general management leadership positions across a broad number of market segments.
Board Appointments
• Executive Director, NXP Semiconductors N.V.
• Member, Board of Directors of Capgemini S.E.
• President, European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA)
• Member, Board of the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA)
• President, AENEAS, the Industrial Association for European Nano Electronics Activities
• Member, Board of the German National Electrical and Electronics Industry Association (ZVEI)
• Member, Board of the German Asia-Pacific Business Association (OAV)
Kurt earned a Master of Science degree in physics and computer science from Augsburg University, Germany.
Kurt is passionate about mountain sports, travelling deserts, digital photography and Land Rovers. He enjoys spending time with his family, Mediterranean food and wine.
Tony Smurfit
Smurfit WestrockIreland
Tony Smurfit is the Group Chief Executive Officer and President of Smurfit Westrock plc, one of the leading providers of paper-based packaging solutions in the world.
He was Chief Operations Officer from November 2002 to September 2015 and he has held a number of other management positions having worked in various parts of the organisation both in the United States and Europe since he joined the company in 1986. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1989.
Today Smurfit Westrock operates in 35 countries globally and employs 46,000 people. The company is currently listed on the Dublin and London Stock Exchanges and has a market capitalisation of approximately €10.5 billion.
He was born in Wigan, England in 1963 and following his early schooling in Ireland, he attended the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania where he graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Management Science.
He is a former Director of Aer Rianta (the Irish Airport Authority which is owned by the Irish Government), the Irish National Stud (an Irish Government owned operation), C&C plc and Ibec (Irish Business Employers Confederation). He currently sits on the Board of CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries) and is a Member of ERT (European Round Table for Industry).
He was appointed Honorary Consul of Mexico to Ireland in 2003 and was honoured by the French Government in 2004 when he was nominated Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour. He was subsequently nominated Commander of the French Legion of Honour in 2017. He holds an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration and is a member of the Turf Club of Ireland.
He is married to Sharon and they have 4 children.
Jim H. Snabe
SiemensGermany
Jim Hagemann Snabe is Chairman at Siemens AG (D). He serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and is Adjunct Professor at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). He is former co-CEO of SAP AG, former Chairman at A.P. Møller-Mærsk (DK), and former Vice Chairman at Allianz SE (D). Jim Hagemann Snabe holds a Master’s degree in Operational Research from the University of Aarhus, Denmark.
Through his 25-year career within the IT industry, Jim Hagemann Snabe has continuously built on his experience and knowledge, starting as Trainee in SAP AG in 1990. Throughout his career, he has held multiple leadership roles at SAP and IBM as well as leading consulting, sales, and product development organisations. He was appointed member of the Executive Board of SAP in 2008 and co-CEO of SAP AG alongside Bill McDermott in 2010.
Jim Hagemann Snabe is actively engaged in efforts related to the digital transformation of business and society. These efforts bring together policy makers, business leaders, and leaders in society to understand current issues and shape a better and more sustainable future.
He is co-author of “Dreams and Details” – a book about leadership in times of change and co-author of “Tech for Life” – a book about putting trust back in technology as a force for good.
Jakob Stausholm
Rio TintoUnited Kingdom
Jakob joined Rio Tinto in September 2018 as Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer. He was appointed as Chief Executive from 1 January 2021. He has worked globally in senior finance roles for over 20 years.
Jakob worked 19 years for Shell across Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. His last role was VP Finance for Asia Pacific, based in Singapore. During his time at Shell, Jakob also held the position of chief internal auditor.
In 2008, Jakob moved back to his native Denmark as Group CFO of the global facility service provider ISS, which operates in 50 countries with in total around 450,000 employees.
From 2012 until 2018, Jakob worked for A.P. Moller-Maersk, the worlds largest shipping company with an annual turnover of US$50bn. Initially, Jakob worked as Chief Strategy, Finance and Transformation Officer for Maersk Line (USD 30 bn turnover) and later held the same role for the broader Maersk Group. As a member of the management board, key responsibilities included, Strategy, Digitisation, IT, Legal and the Transformation and Shared Services Centres.
From 2006 until 2008, Jakob served as a non-executive director of Woodside Petroleum.
From 2009 to 2016, Jakob served as a non-executive director of Statoil (now Equinor), the last six years as Chairman of the Audit Committee.
Jonathan Symonds
GSKUnited Kingdom
Jon is Chair of the Board of GSK appointed in 2019.
He is also a Non-Executive Director of Genomics England Limited having previously served as Chairman and Non-Executive Chair of Energy Aspects.
He served as an Independent Non-Executive Director of HSBC Holdings plc from April 2014, and its Deputy Group Chairman from August 2018, until his retirement from the Board in February 2020. He was previously Chairman of HSBC Bank plc.
Jon was Chief Financial Officer of Novartis AG, a Partner and Managing Director of Goldman Sachs; Chief Financial Officer of AstraZeneca plc and a Partner at KPMG. His governance experience also includes roles as Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committees of Diageo plc and QinetiQ Group plc.
Jon has extensive international financial, life sciences and governance experience. He is a Senior Advisor to Chatham House and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Jacob Wallenberg
Investor ABSweden
Jacob Wallenberg is Chair of the Board of Investor AB, a lead shareholder of Nordic-based global companies. He is Vice Chair of ABB Ltd, Ericsson AB, FAM AB and Patricia Industries.
Mr Wallenberg also serves on the Board of Nasdaq Inc and the Board of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
He is a Member of the European Round Table for Industry and Member of its Steering Committee, as well as Chair of the ERT Committee on Trade and Market Access. He is also member of the Advisory Board of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management and member of the Trilateral Commission.
Mr Wallenberg is a member of and Honorary Chair of IBLAC, the Mayor of Shanghai’s International Business Leaders Advisory Council.
Jacob Wallenberg was the Chair of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) from 1998 to 2005 and Vice Chair from 2005 to 2014. Mr Wallenberg was the CEO of the Bank in 1997 and EvP and in charge of Corporate and Investment banking 1995-1996.
Born in Stockholm 1956, Mr Wallenberg was educated at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 1980 and an MBA in 1981.
Mr Wallenberg attended the Royal Swedish Naval Academy and is today an Officer in the Royal Swedish Naval Reserve.
Morten Wierød
ABBSwitzerland
In 1997, Morten Wierød earned a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Norway. Shortly after completing their education, he embarked on a professional journey with ABB.
Morten began his career at ABB in 1998 as an Area Sales Manager at ABB AS in Norway. Two years later, in 2000, he took on the role of Export Manager for ABB AS.
From 2003 to 2008, Morten served as the Local Business Unit Manager for Breakers & Switches at ABB Automation Products in Norway. In 2008, Morten transitioned to ABB (China) Ltd in the People’s Republic of China, where he assumed the roles of Local Business Unit Manager for Breakers & Switches and Global Product Group Manager for Fusegears and CDC in the Low Voltage Products Division. His tenure in China lasted until 2011.
From 2011 to 2015, Morten held the position of Managing Director for the Control Products Business Unit within ABB’s Low Voltage Products Division in Switzerland. This role was followed by a tenure as Managing Director of the Business Unit Drives in the Robotics and Motion Division, based in Zurich, Switzerland, from 2015 to 2019.
Continuing his ascent within ABB, Morten became President of the Motion Business Area in 2019, a position he held until 2022. During this time, he was also a member of the Group Executive Committee of ABB Ltd, Switzerland.
From April 2022 to 2024, Morten served as President of ABB’s Electrification Business Area, further demonstrating his leadership in shaping the company’s strategic direction.
In August 2024, Morten Wierød was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of ABB Ltd.
Oliver Zipse
BMW GroupGermany
Born in Heidelberg, Oliver Zipse is Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, having been appointed in 2019. Since he joined BMW AG in 1991, he has held various responsibilities within the company in development, technical planning and production. He was Managing Director of MINI Plant Oxford from 2007 to 2008, Senior Vice President Technical Planning until 2012 and Senior Vice President Global Corporate Planning and Product Strategy until 2015. In May 2015, he was appointed to the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for worldwide production.
Oliver Zipse holds a Dipl. Ing. Degree from the Technical University of Darmstadt and an Executive MBA from the WHU Koblenz and Kellogg School of Management. He is Deputy Chair of the Senate of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and has been appointed President of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) for 2021.
