INGA RUGINIENĖ

Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania

Inga Ruginienė holds a Master's degree in Labour Law from Mykolas Romeris University, a Master's degree in Public Health from Vilnius University, and a Bachelor's degree in Forest Management from Kaunas College of Forest and Environmental Engineering.
Inga Ruginienė served as the Minister of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania in the 19th Government, has extensive experience in leadership roles, including serving as the President of the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation, Vice President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Vice President of the International Trade Union Confederation - European Region (ITUC-PERC), and Chairperson of the Lithuanian Federation of Trade Unions of the Forest and Forest Industry.
Since 2024, Inga Ruginienė has been a Member of the Parliament (Seimas).
In addition to her professional achievements, Inga Ruginienė is actively involved in social activities. She has been a first aid instructor and volunteer at the Lithuanian Red Cross Society, where she served as a board member from 2016 to 2019. She also held a board position at Kaunas College of Forest and Environmental Engineering from 2021 to 2023.

Dainius Vilčinskas

Chief Executive Officer of UAB ILTE

Dainius Vilčinskas is the Managing Director and Chairman of the Board at Lithuania’s national development bank, ILTE. He took up these positions in 2023 after working for Swedbank, the leading bank in the Nordic and Baltic countries, for over 19 years, where he held the position of Head of the Corporate Customer Segment, was a member of the Baltic Management Team, and served as a member of the Management Board of Swedbank Lithuania. In 2020, he was entrusted with establishing and heading up VIVA (the State Investment Management Agency of Lithuania) to invest in medium-sized and large enterprises affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. D. Vilčinskas has gained significant experience in designing and implementing complex financing strategies aimed at fostering innovation and supporting high value-added projects. He has a deep understanding of the interaction between private and public capital, as well as the importance of sustainable investments for long-term economic growth.

Niina Äikäs

Head of Baltic Division, SEB

Niina is the Head of Baltic Division at SEB and a member of SEB’s Group Executive Committee. SEB is a leading financial services group in Northern Europe, and Niina is responsible for overseeing the bank’s operations and strategic offering across the Baltic region. In her role, she is deeply committed to fostering economic growth, social value, and long-term prosperity in Lithuania and the Baltics as a whole. Niina brings a strong and diverse background in banking and finance, with expertise spanning client relationship management, risk management, and corporate finance. Prior to her current role, she held several leadership positions within SEB, including serving for 3.5 years as Country Manager in China. This international assignment strengthened her ability to lead multicultural teams in complex business environments and deepened her problem-solving capabilities with a global and cultural perspective. As an executive, Niina is widely recognized for her inclusive leadership style and her dedication to mentoring young talents.

Januš Kizenevič

Vice Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania

Vice-Minister of Finance Januš Kizenevič – With over 13 years of international experience in the financial and legal services sectors, Mr. Kizenevič has served as Senior Vice President at Citibank (a member of Citigroup) in London since 2021, where he was responsible for the risk management of new investment products and services across the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region.
From 2018 to 2021, he held the position of Vice President at Citi Handlowy (a member of Citigroup) in Warsaw, where he worked as Senior Risk Officer and Acting Deputy Chief Risk Officer (CRO).
Between 2015 and 2018, he worked as a Corporate Governance and Strategic Projects Analyst at HSBC Bank Polska S.A. (a member of HSBC Holdings plc) in Warsaw.
Previously, from 2012 to 2015, he was a lawyer at the law firm Varul in Vilnius.
Mr. Kizenevič holds a Master’s degree in Law from Vilnius University (VU), as well as a Master’s degree in Finance and Accounting from the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH). He has also completed internships at the Jagiellonian University (UJ) in Kraków (Poland), the University of Cambridge (UK), and Stanford Graduate School of Business (USA).
As Vice-Minister of Finance, Mr. Kizenevič is responsible for areas including EU investments, accountability, audit, asset valuation, and insolvency policy.

Rimantas Šadžius

Expert, former European Court of Auditors (ECA) member, former Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania

Mr. Rimantas Šadžius has extensive management experience in finance. From 2016 to 2022, Mr. R. Šadžius was a member of the European Court of Auditors. His work focused on the regulation of markets and competitive economy, especially the European Union’s financial governance, with its Banking Union, the Capital Markets Union and the European System of Financial Supervision. Mr. R. Šadžius served as Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania three times from 2007 until 2008, again from 2012 until 2016, and from 2024 until 2025. He coordinated Lithuania's accession to the euro area and chaired the ECOFIN during Lithuania's Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2013. Mr. R. Šadžius graduated from Vilnius University, where he obtained a Master’s degree in Law. In 2015, Mr. R. Šadžius was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great by the President of the Republic of Lithuania for special merits to Lithuania.

Tim Collins

Ripplewood, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Citadele

Tim is the Chief Executive Officer of Ripplewood Advisors LLC. Before founding Ripplewood in 1995, Mr. Collins worked for Cummins Engine Company, Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Lazard Freres & Company and Onex Corporation. Mr. Collins is involved in several not-for-profit and public sector activities, including the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, and Yale Divinity School Advisory Board. He was formerly the Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Yale School of Management, and is currently a member of the Investment Advisory Committee to the New York State Common Retirement Fund.
Mr. Collins currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Citadele Banka (Latvia), sits on the board of Younited Financial (Paris) and has previously served on a number of public company boards including Banque Saudi Fransi (KSA), EFG Hermes (Egypt), Asbury Automotive, Shinsei (Japan), Advanced Auto, Rental Services Corp., CIB (Egypt), Gogo and Citigroup (after it accepted public funds). Mr. Collins also served as an independent director at Weather Holdings, a large private emerging markets telecom operator.
Mr. Collins has a BA in Philosophy from DePauw University and an MBA in Public and Private Management from Yale University’s School of Management. Mr. Collins received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from DePauw University in 2004 and he has served as a Visiting Lecturer at the Yale Law School and the Senior Becton Fellow at the Yale School of Management. In 2023 he was awarded the Yale Medal for his service to the university.

Kilvar Kessler

Chair, Management Board at the Estonian Financial Supervision and Resolution Authority

Kilvar Kessler is the Chairman of the Management Board of Finantsinspektsioon, the Estonian Financial Supervision and Resolution Authority, since 2014.

Has guided the organisation in its role of ensuring the smooth functioning of the Estonian financial system, strengthening the credibility of the Estonian financial market both domestically and internationally.

On top of his work in Estonia, Mr Kessler is actively involved in international organisations and collaborative projects for financial market supervisors, and he represents Estonia in various international forums.

He also lectures as a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Tartu.

Mr Kessler holds a B.A. Law from the University of Tartu and a LL.M., Law from the Georgetown University and studied banking and financial law at the Boston University.

VERENA ROSS

Chair, European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)

Verena Ross is the Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). She took up the role on 1 November 2021 and is responsible for representing the Authority as well as preparing the work of and chairing its Board of Supervisors and Management Board.

Between 2011 and 2021 Verena Ross served as ESMA’s first Executive Director, when she was responsible for building up the organisation and overseeing its day to day running.

Prior to this, Verena held a number of senior posts in the UK's Financial Services Authority (FSA) and was a member of the FSA's Executive Committee. Verena joined the FSA in 1998 to run the Executive Chairman’s office during the regulator’s start-up phase and was briefly a seconded advisor to the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission in 2000. She held various positions in the FSA’s Markets Division and was Director of Strategy & Risk Division before becoming Director of the International Division.

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

Chloe Barz

Head of International Government and External Affairs, Robinhood

Chloe Barz is the Senior Director of International Government and External Affairs at Robinhood. She leads the global stakeholder engagement, community impact, and sustainability teams and the international government affairs and policy team across EMEA and APAC.
Prior to joining Robinhood, Barz spent a decade navigating the top levels of the U.S. federal government. During her time at the Department of State, Barz served as Chief of Staff for the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, where she played a role in negotiating major foreign policy with Congress and advancing the legislative priorities of the President and Secretary of State. While serving in the U.S. Senate under the Majority Leader, Barz worked on the Senate floor as a Cloakroom Assistant. Here, she was responsible for providing senators and their senior staff with parliamentary advice and counsel on floor strategy.
Barz received her B.A. in International Relations from George Washington University. She has lived and studied in Indonesia and Turkey.

Karl Nehammer

Vice – President, European Investment Bank (EIB)

Karl Nehammer serves as Vice President of the European Investment Bank Group (EIBG) since 1 September 2025. Vice-President Nehammer’s areas of oversight in the EIB include primarily financing of energy, health and life sciences and development. He oversees financing operations in Austria, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, EFTA countries (Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) as well as part of Sub-Saharan Africa. He is also the alternate EIB Governor of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Oversight of the Group’s Digital Ambition, Mutual Reliance with other multilateral and national institutions, as well as responsibility for relations with the Nordic Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and NGOs are also in VP Nehammer’s portfolio in the Bank.
Prior to joining the EIB, Mr Nehammer was the Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria between 2021-2025. Previously, he was the Federal Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Austria 2020-2021 and Member of the National Council (Austrian Parliament) 2017-2020.
He holds a Master of Science in Political Communication.

Kristupas Vaitiekūnas

Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania

Kristupas Vaitiekūnas is the Minister of Finance of Lithuania. In January-September 2025, he served as Vice-Minister of Finance, overseeing tax policy, financial market policy, financial policy, European Union and international affairs.
Based on the proposals submitted by K. Vaitiekūnas, the Seimas adopted the necessary tax changes in order to better finance defence and other priority areas in Lithuania.
In recent years, K. Vaitiekūnas has worked as a Tax Project Manager at Rödl & Partner UAB, before that – as a Senior Transfer Pricing Consultant and Analyst, and Chief Project Management Specialist at the National Cancer Institute, etc.
K. Vaitiekūnas graduated from Vilnius University with a Bachelor's degree in Economics, where he also obtained a Master's degree in International Finance.

Rolf Strauch

Chief Economist, European Stability Mechanism (ESM)

Rolf Strauch is Chief Economist and Management Board Member at the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), which he joined in 2010. Mr Strauch is in charge of the divisions Economic and Market Analysis, Economic Risk Analysis, and Financial Sector and Market Analysis. Overall, he is responsible for economic and financial analysis and policies and the country monitoring work that the two rescue funds undertake. He represents the ESM in the international and European fora. Mr Strauch is also a member in advisory committees of several academic institutions.

Prior to this, Mr Strauch worked at the European Central Bank from 2000–2010 in the Directorate General Economics on fiscal, monetary, and structural policies. He also served previously as an economist at the Deutsche Bundesbank and as a researcher at both the University of Mannheim and the University of Bonn.

Mr Strauch holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Bonn. He is a fellow at the Center for European Integration Studies (ZEI) in Bonn. He is leading the CEPR research policy network on European Economic Policy (EEP) together with Giancarlo Corsetti since February 2025.

He is the author of numerous articles, opeds, blogs posts and economic publications.

Jens Henriksson

President and CEO, Swedbank

Jens Henriksson was appointed President and CEO of Swedbank in October 2019. He was previously the President and CEO of Folksam, Sweden’s largest insurance company, Senior Vice President with NASDAQ OMX and the President and the CEO of the Swedish Stock Exchange, NASDAQ OMX Stockholm. Over the years Jens has held various senior positions within financial markets, private companies, public finances and international economic affairs and international agencies. He has also been a long-time member of the EU Economic and Financial Committee (EFC) and participated in WP3 in OECD, discussing economic policy with G7. He has been elected a lifelong member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and awarded Chevalier of the National Order of Merit by the President of the French Republic. In 2022 he was appointed honorary doctor at Lund University School of Economics and Management.

DR. JUDITH ARNAL

Associate Senior Research Fellow of the Financial Markets and Institutions Unit, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

Judith Arnal is a Senior Fellow at the Elcano Royal Institute and at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and the European Credit Research Institute (ECRI). She is also an independent Board member of the Bank of Spain and a member of the Board of Trustees of CEMFI. She is an Adjunct Professor at IE SPEGA and a columnist at EU Observer and El Mundo-Actualidad Económica. She has published in top peer-reviewed journals, such as the European Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Regulation, the Journal of Common Market Studies, the European Journal of Risk Regulation, Global Policy Journal and the Journal of Payments Strategy and Systems and has provided independent analysis to the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the European Commission.

Judith has extensive professional experience, having been a Board Member of the Spanish National Promotional Bank –Instituto de Crédito Oficial–, the Spanish public company in charge of taking forward the Digital Agenda –Red.es– and the Spanish public company for the promotion of start-ups –ENISA–. She worked for 10 years in the Spanish Treasury, being the Head of the Financial Analysis Department and chairing several working groups of the Spanish Macroprudential Authority, AMCESFI. She has also been Head of Cabinet of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Spain and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.

In the European field, for almost four years she was the chair of the Eurogroup Working Group Task Force on Coordinated Action. Her chairmanship saw the design of the technical details of the ESM reform: the common backstop to the Single Resolution Fund, the revamp of precautionary financial assistance programmes and the review of the debt sustainability framework. Other topics regarding Banking Union were also dealt with, such as liquidity in resolution.

Judith has a PhD in economics and finance, with a thesis focusing on the feedback loop between European banks and sovereigns and the role played by the Banking Union. She is also a Chartered State Economist in Spain and the recipient of several prizes, such as the Best Young Lawyers Award by Garrigues.

A Spanish national, Judith is fluent in English, French, German and Italian. She is a native speaker of both Spanish and Basque.

Arvils Ašeradens

Minister of Finance of the Republic of Latvia

Professional experience:
Since 14 December 2022, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Latvia
2022, Member of the 14th Saeima of the Republic of Latvia
2018–2022, Member of the 13th Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, Chairman of the Education, Culture, and Science Committee
2016–2019, Minister of Economics of the Republic of Latvia, and Deputy Prime Minister
2014–2016, Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Latvia
2014, Member of the 11th Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, Chairman of the Science and Innovation Subcommittee, and Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Welfare
2010–2011, Member of the 10th Saeima of the Republic of Latvia
Prior to engaging in politics, worked as an entrepreneur, press publisher, long-time board chairman of Diena media group, and board member of Marieberg Int. AB
Education:

Master’s Degree in Economic Geography, University of Latvia (1986)
Political activities

Since 2017, Board Chairman of the Vienotība (Unity) political party
Since 2011, Member of the Vienotība political party
2009–2011, Member of the ‘Pilsoniskā savienība’ (Civic Union) political party
Awards:

In 2007, awarded Order of the Three Stars, 5th Class

Ivars Bergmanis

Partner, ViaClarus

Australian-born Latvian with more than 30 years of international financial market experience including 7 in London with HSBC Investment Bank in a global role. Since 2004 has primarily dedicated himself to Baltic market capital development through many transactions and various market structural development initiatives, working with stakeholders including multilateral development banks such as the EBRD. He is a founding partner of ViaClarus, an independent investment advisory firm with robust experience in M&A, strategic sale, IPOs, SPOs, private equity raisings and debt financing across the Baltic countries. No other advisory team has brought more companies to the Baltic equity market. Other positions held include being a member of the Listing and Surveillance Committee at Nasdaq Tallinn as well as the Chairman and co-founder of the Latvian Financial Literacy Society (NGO).

Alfred Kammer

Director of the European Department, International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Alfred Kammer is the Director of the European Department at the International Monetary Fund since August 2020. In this capacity, he oversees the IMF’s work with Europe.

Mr. Kammer was previously the Chief of Staff of the Office of the Managing Director, advising the Managing Director on strategic and operational issues and overseeing operations for the senior management team; Deputy Director of the Strategy, Policy and Review Department, overseeing the work on Fund strategy and surveillance policy; Deputy Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department, overseeing regional economic developments and financial sector issues; Director of the Office of Technical Assistance Management, advising management on technical assistance operations and overseeing fundraising and global partnerships for capacity building; and Advisor to the Deputy Managing Director. Mr. Kammer also served as resident representative of the IMF in Russia. Since joining the IMF, Mr. Kammer worked with countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and on a wide range of policy and strategic issues.

Sakari Puisto

Minister of Economic Affairs of the Republic of Finland

Sakari Puisto was born in 1976 in Tampere. By education, he is a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Cambridge (2004).

In 2023, Sakari Puisto was elected for the second term in the Parliament from Pirkanmaa constituency. Before taking office as Minister of Economic Affairs, he has acted as the Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee and a deputy member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the current parliamentary season. He has also been a member of the Parliamentary Council which oversees the activities of Bank of Finland and Financial Supervisory Authority, and the supervisory board of Finnfund, Finnish Fund for Industrial Cooperation. In 2025, he was elected to his third term as City Councillor in his hometown Tampere.

Before his path to politics and becoming an MP, he worked in both private sector and universities, of which a couple of years in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

Minister of Economic Affairs Sakari Puisto is responsible for innovation policy, space policy, special public funding and export financing policy, mineral policy, internationalisation policy of business and industry, tourism coordination and promotion of foreign investments and the development of the business subsidy system.

Puisto is also responsible for security of supply issues and matters related to regional development, sudden structural changes, steering of the Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) and business services offered by them, promotion of entrepreneurship, EU regional and structural policy, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF).

Furthermore, Minister of Economic Affairs Puisto is also responsible for matters related to the Financial Markets Department of the Ministry of Finance.

Rolandas Juteika

CEO at Revolut Securities Europe

Rolandas has accumulated 15 years of professional experience in the banking industry with a focus on investment products. Since 2021 he is leading the wealth and trading business for European Economic Area (EEA) customers at Revolut. For a few past years Rolandas has built a passion for building mobile apps.

Kaarel Ots

Head of Baltic Exchanges, Nasdaq

Kaarel Ots brings over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and currently serves as the Head of Nasdaq Baltic Exchanges and CEO of Nasdaq Tallinn. Prior to joining Nasdaq in 2016, Kaarel led the financial advisory unit at Deloitte and spent 13 years in the banking sector.
He firmly believes that capital markets play a significantly greater role in the economy than is commonly recognized, offering broad benefits to society. Kaarel has been actively committed to advancing this vital segment.

Charlotte Ruhe

Managing Director for Central and South Eastern Europe, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Charlotte Ruhe is the EBRD’s Managing Director for Central and South-Eastern Europe, responsible for delivering business and policy reform in 18 countries of operation, which account for more than a third of the EBRD’s business.
Ms Ruhe was previously Director, SME Finance and Development, providing finance and advice to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the EBRD regions. She served as Director for Croatia in Zagreb from 2005 to 2010. Before that, she led the EU-EBRD SME Finance Facility as a Senior Banker in the Financial Institutions Team.
Ms Ruhe joined the EBRD as Adviser to the Director for the United States of America in 1992 and, in 1995, moved to the Financial Institutions team, where she worked on debt and equity transactions in the Baltic states, central Europe, Georgia and Uzbekistan.
She began her career at the US Department of the Treasury as an international economist. She has an MA in International Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BA in Journalism and Political Science from Indiana University.

Maria Luís Albuquerque

European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union

Maria Luís Albuquerque is currently the European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union. She is a highly experienced Portuguese economist and politician, best known for her role as Minister of Finance in Portugal from 2013 to 2015. During her tenure, she played a critical role in managing the country's financial crisis. Prior to her position as finance minister, Albuquerque held various key positions in the public sector, including Head of Issuing and Markets at the Portuguese Treasury and Debt Management Agency. After leaving politics, she continued her career in the private sector, contributing her expertise in finance and economic policy to international organizations and advisory roles. Her professional experience reflects a deep understanding of fiscal management, economic reform, and European financial systems.

Nicolas Véron

Senior Fellow, Bruegel

Nicolas Véron cofounded Bruegel in Brussels in 2002-05, joined PIIE in Washington DC in 2009, and is currently employed on similar terms by both organizations. He is also an independent board member of the global derivatives trade repository arm of DTCC, a financial infrastructure company that operates on a non-profit basis. A graduate of France’s Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole des Mines in Paris, his earlier experience was in the French government and private sector. Véron’s research focuses on financial development and stability policies. He has long advocated supervisory integration in Europe, including in banking union (for which Bloomberg Markets included him in its yearly global “50 Most Influential” list in 2012), anti-money laundering, and capital markets supervision.

Inga Miliauskienė

Head of Private Banking and Investment Department at SEB Bank

Since 2006, Inga Miliauskienė has focused her career on the banking and financial services sector. She began her journey in investment banking at J.P. Morgan in London and has continued to advance her career within financial institutions, specializing in structuring blended finance vehicles across various European and cross-border markets. With over 10 years of experience in private equity and venture capital, she has also worked with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London and held various finance and business-related roles in Lithuania. Additionally, she has served as an independent consultant in fundraising for private equity, venture capital, SMEs, capital structuring, investor relations, and policy advising. In November 2023, she assumed the position of Head of the Private Banking and Investment Department at SEB Bank.

Indrė Genytė-Pikčienė

Chief Economist of Šiaulių Bankas Group

With 18 years of experience in the finance and banking sector, Indrė Genytė-Pikčienė has cultivated expertise across diverse areas, including macroeconomic analysis, strategic planning, financial markets, regional economic policy, and sectoral analysis. Her insights on the global and local macroeconomic environment, financial markets, regional competitiveness and trade, monetary and fiscal policy, as well as sectoral developments of the Baltic region are highly valued by business leaders, policymakers, and various international bodies.

Sven Kunsing

Head of Finance Communication, Enefit Green

Sven Kunsing leads the investor relations function at Enefit Green, the largest pure-play renewable energy company in the Baltics. He joined the company just before it’s record-breaking IPO, which became the most successful in Baltic market history, attracting over 60,000 local and international investors. Since then, Sven has been instrumental in establishing the IR function, managing investor communications, coordinating regulatory and public reporting, including quarterly and annual reports, and overseeing the IR website. His efforts have significantly expanded Enefit Green's investor base. Additionally, Sven has played a key role in discussions with regional banks and international financial institutions such as the EBRD, NIB, and EIB to secure debt financing for a €1.5 billion investment pipeline.

Andrius Šuminas

Head of Swedbank Private Banking Department

Andrius Šuminas has been been working with capital markets for over 15 years in various positions. Currently, Andrius is the head of Swedbank Private Banking Department, where he serves the bank's most important clients, focusing on financial asset management.

Eglė Dovbyšienė

Member of the Board & Head of Retail Banking at SEB Bank

Eglė Dovbyšienė – an accomplished banking executive with over 20 years of industry experience, working as a Member of the Board and Head of Retail Banking at SEB Bank, where she leads transformational initiatives fostering digitalization, innovation, and financial literacy. Additionally, she contributes to nurturing entrepreneurial skills as a Board Member and Mentor with Junior Achievement Lithuania.

Viktorija Čijunskytė

Chairwoman of the board and Chief of Strategic Growth at Profitus

Viktorija Čijunskytė is the Chairwoman of the board and Chief of Strategic Growth of Profitus, the leading crowdfunding platform in Lithuania, which has raised more than EUR 170 million to fund real estate projects and has more than 12 years of experience in real estate.

She was elected "Fintech Business Leader of the Year" for her positive impact on the development of the Lithuanian Fintech sector. Viktorija's significant contribution to the development of financial literacy competences, and her significant contribution to the education of Lithuanian population. Viktorija is also one of the organisers of the Financial Freedom Forum, the largest financial literacy conference in Lithuania.

Viljar Arakas

Founder of EfTEN Capital AS

Holds a master degree in business administration from EBS International University and has completed his second bachelor's degree at Hogeschool NOVI in the Netherlands.
He was a founder of EfTEN Capital AS in 2008, the largest fund management company focused on real estate in the Baltic States. Viljar has more than 20 years of experience from building companies and investing in real estate in the Baltics. He is also a a member of the Supervisory Board of Coop Pank AS and Vice Chairman of Fiscal Council of Estonia.

Žygimantas Mauricas

Chief Economist at Luminor Bank Lithuania

Chief Economist at Luminor Bank Lithuania & Lecturer at ISM University of Management and Economics. Žygimantas Mauricas is also an active investor, traveler and GoKart driver.

Žygimantas Mauricas

Chief Economist at Luminor Bank Lithuania

Chief Economist at Luminor Bank Lithuania & Lecturer at ISM University of Management and Economics. Žygimantas Mauricas is also an active investor, traveler and GoKart driver.

Tautvydas Marčiulaitis

Fund manager and Member of the Board, Milvas

Tautvydas has been working in the field of private banking, asset and wealth management for a decade. With extensive experience in investment management, he specialises in trading simple and complex financial products. Conducts macroeconomic and behavioural market analyses, has experience in financial law and compliance. Tautvydas is a licensed financial advisor and Baltic Corporate Bond Fund manager.

Edmunds Antufjevs

Head of Investment Banking at Signet Bank

Head of Investment Banking at Signet Bank, a leading investment bank in Latvia. For 10+ years, Edmunds specializes in capital markets projects, assisting local companies with fundraise via debt securities and share offerings. Edmunds is also a co-Chair of Capital Markets Committee in Finance Latvia Association and Member of Nasdaq CSD Latvian User Committee.

Martins Valters

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer at Mintos

Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Mintos, an award-winning global marketplace for investing in loans. Prior to his role at Mintos, Martins amassed eleven years of experience at Ernst & Young, specializing in audits, due diligence, and consultations for prominent banking groups across Europe. His tenure equipped him with extensive expertise in the financial sector. Martins is a Chartered Certified Accountant and holds a B.Sc. degree in Economics and Business Administration from the esteemed Stockholm School of Economics in Riga.

Simonas Krėpšta

Member of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania

Mr Simonas Krėpšta is the Member of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania and a Member of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank. Mr Simonas Krėpšta started his professional career in one of Lithuania’s commercial banks in 2006. In 2008–2019, he worked at the Bank of Lithuania – having started his career there as Economist at the Financial Stability Division, he later held senior positions as Head of the Macroprudential Policy Division of the Financial Stability Department and Director of the Financial Stability Department. For the last couple of years, he chaired the Economic and Social Policy Group of the presidential office, which coordinates economic, financial, innovation, health and social policy issues. Simonas Krėpšta holds an International Executive MBA from the Baltic Management Institute (BMI) as well as Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics (Finance and Banking) from Vytautas Magnus University. He also studied at Cracow University of Economics under the Lithuanian-Polish bilateral cooperation agreement. For several years, he worked as a lecturer in Financial Intermediation (Master’s programme) and International Finance (Bachelor’s programme) at ISM University of Management and Economics.

Eglė Džiugytė

The Head of Markets at Šiaulių Bankas

The Head of Markets at Šiaulių Bankas, a leading financial institution in the Baltic capital markets. With over a decade of experience, she has held various roles in trading, asset management, hedging, and product development. Her expertise and strategic insight have been instrumental in driving the bank’s success in the financial sector.

Jonas Kvedaravičius

Head of Investment banking, Swedbank AB

Participated and organized number of largest Lithuanian IPO’s. Led or was part of up to 100 M&A transactions advising either business sellers or buyers.
29 years of investment banking experience and 24 years with Swedbank.
Prior experience in investment banking from Balticum Management, Norwegian M&A boutique active in Lithuania and Vilniaus Bankas (currently SEB), where organized first Baltic corporate secondary offering in form of GDR’s.
MBA from Vytautas Magnus University.

Aija Zitcere

Director of Financial Market Policy Department, Ministry of Finance of Republic of Latvia

Aija Zitcere is director of Financial Market Policy Department at Ministry of Finance of Republic of Latvia since 2017, and is responsible for financial market policy, anti-money laundering regulation and cooperation with international financial institutions. Aija has worked at Ministry of Finance since 2002 and has held various positions there related to financial markets and budget policies. She has extensive experience in policy and legislative processes at national and EU level.
Aija Zitcere is also an alternate board member in the board of directors of the European Investment Bank.
She has Master’s Degree in Economics from Riga Technical University, and she is Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).

Dovilė Burgienė

Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WALLESS

Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WALLESS, is a highly regarded figure in the legal community with over 20 years of expertise in M&A practice. Renowned in the Baltics and featured in top legal directories such as “The Legal 500” and "Chambers and Partners," Dovilė is celebrated for her leadership and influence. Clients trust her expert guidance through complex matters. Dovilė holds the position of Co-Vice President of the “Lithuanian Business Confederation” and is a co-founder of the Association “Lyderė,” dedicated to promoting gender equality in leadership. Her impact extends beyond her practice as she actively shapes the legal landscape and holds key positions in professional organizations such as the International Bar Association.

André Küüsvek

President & CEO, Nordic Investment Bank (NIB)

André has been leading the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB, www.nib.int), the international financial institution of Nordic-Baltic countries since 2021. NIB has EUR 45 billion of assets and provides financing to projects that improve the productivity and protect the environment.

In 1996-2021, André worked for the EBRD (www.ebrd.com), rising from a junior banker to leadership position by 2004, as country director in Kazakhstan and then Ukraine; leading the bank-wide strategic initiative for developing capital markets and local currency financing from 2013; and becoming Managing Director for Central Asia and Mongolia in 2020. André served at EBRD management committees (Strategy & Policy Committee; Asset-Liability Committee).

André earlier banking career included heading departments at the Tartu Kommertspank and Bank of Tallinn in Estonia; as well as working for the SMH Bank and Dresdner Bank in Germany.

André has served at the board of over 30 banks, insurance and infrastructure companies, stock exchanges and equity funds. He is currently Chair of the Supervisory Board of Tallinn Airport.
André is a graduate of Tallinn University of Technology, Estonian Business School, and Stockholm School of Economics.

Mārtiņš Kazāks

Governor of the Bank of Latvia

Mr Mārtiņš Kazāks is the Governor of the Bank of Latvia since 2019 and a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. He holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Latvia (1995), a Diploma in Economics from the University of Cambridge (1996), an MSc in Economics (with distinction; 1997) and a PhD in Economics (2005) from the University of London. He was Chief Economist of Swedbank AS in Latvia (2005–2009) and Deputy Chief Economist of the Swedbank Group (2010– 2018). From 2006 to 2011, Mr Kazāks was a Member of the Strategic Analysis Committee of the President of the Republic of Latvia; from 2014 to 2018, he was a Member of the Fiscal Discipline Council of the Republic of Latvia. 2018 Mr Kazāks was appointed Member of the Council of Latvijas Banka by the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia. Mr Kazaks is a Member of the Governing Council and the General Council of the European Central Bank and serves as Governor of the International Monetary Fund for the Republic of Latvia.

MADIS MÜLLER

Governor for Eesti Pank

Mr Madis Müller is the Governor for Eesti Pank and a a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. Prior to his appointment in June 2019, Mr Müller held the position of a Deputy Governor of Eesti Pank. Before joining Eesti Pank in 2011, Mr Müller worked in the area of investment management at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Washington, DC. He has also held the roles of an advisor and senior advisor to the executive director of the Nordic-Baltic constituency at the World Bank, an economic advisor to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance of Estonia and that of a corporate finance consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mr Müller holds a Master’s degree in Finance from George Washington University and a degree in Banking and Finance from the Estonian Business School. He is also an FRM (Financial Risk Manager) and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) charterholder.

Claudia M. Buch

Chair of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank

Professor Claudia M. Buch is Chair of the Supervisory Board of the European Central Bank from January 2024.
Before joining the ECB, Claudia M. Buch was Deputy President of the Deutsche Bundesbank, responsible for the Financial Stability Department, the Statistics Department and the Audit Department. Prior to joining the Bundesbank in May 2014, Claudia M. Buch was President of the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) (2013-14), Professor of Economics at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (2013-14), and Professor of Economics for International Finance and Macroeconomics at the University of Tübingen (2004-13). From 2012 to 2014 she was a member of the German Council of Economic Experts. She was Scientific Director at the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IAW) of Tübingen (2005-13), and worked at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW) (1992-2013). She obtained her doctorate in 1996 and her post-doctoral degree (Habilitation) in 2002 from the University of Kiel. Between 1985 and 1991 she studied Economics at the University of Bonn, and later graduated from the University of Wisconsin (Eau Claire) with a Master of Business Administration degree in 1988-89.
Professor Buch’s fields of specialisation are international finance and macroeconomics, international financial markets, financial integration, business cycles and employment volatility, international banking and foreign direct investment.

JOANA BAUBLYTĖ-KULVIETĖ

Co-Founder and Partner at WALLESS

Co-Founder and Partner at WALLESS, has over 15 years of experience in wide range of financing projects, including secured lending, mezzanine and subordinated lending, loan syndications, securitization, issuance of mortgage and corporate bonds. Her experience covers most of the business processes, including those of licensing, regulatory and compliance, funding, provision of financial services, Fintech, winding-up and restructuring of financial institutions. Among her professional strengths are coordination and documentation of complex transactions, understanding the business operations and needs of the clients, excellent communication skills and cooperation with clients’ in-house and external counsels as well as supervisory authorities in Lithuania.

ARMINTA SALADŽIENĖ

Vice President, European Markets at Nasdaq

Since 2017 Arminta serves as a Vice President of European Markets at Nasdaq, responsible for the Post Trade business unit, which provides stock exchange, central securities depository (CSD) and post trade services in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland, and Sweden. She chairs the Supervisory Boards of the regulated entities, including Nasdaq CSD SE, Nasdaq Vilnius AB, Nasdaq Tallinn AS, Nasdaq Riga AS, as well as the BMR Oversight Committee under Nasdaq Copenhagen. In addition, Arminta is the CEO of Nasdaq’s Global Technology and Business Services center in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Arminta has a 25 years’ professional track record in the capital markets. During 2007-2017, she acted as President of the Vilnius Stock Exchange and in 2012-2017 as VP, Head of Nasdaq Baltic Markets, leading the development and integration of the markets in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into a harmonized, well regulated and technologically advanced regional market.

Arminta is committed to advancing sound corporate government, financial literacy and women empowerment. As a co-founder of the Baltic Institute of Corporate Governance and association “Lydere”, a board member of Invest Lithuania, she has been actively engaged in the NGO work with the aim of advancing the economic and societal development in Lithuania and the rest of the Baltic region, recognized with international and national awards for this work.

Ingrida Šimonytė has been the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania since December 2020. She was elected as a Member of the Lithuanian Parliament (the Seimas) twice – first in 2016 and again in 2020. During her tenure in the 2016-2020 Parliament, she served on various committees, including the Committee on European Affairs, Anticorruption Commission, Commission for the Rights of People with Disabilities, and also chaired the Committee on Audit. Starting in 2013, she became a Member of the Board at the Bank of Lithuania, and concurrently held positions as a lecturer and the President of the Council of Vilnius University. Ms Šimonytė also served as the Minister for Finance of the Republic of Lithuania from 2009 to 2012.