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
Carl-Henric Svanberg
AB VolvoSweden
Carl-Henric Svanberg has been the chairman of AB Volvo, a leading global manufacturer of trucks and construction equipment, since 2012 and the chair of ERT since May 2018. He is also the chairman of The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, the world’s oldest academy of engineering sciences.
Between 2010 and 2018, Carl-Henric Svanberg was the chairman of BP plc and led the board through the Deep Water Horizon incident, its aftermath and the company’s recovery.
From 2003 to 2009, Carl-Henric Svanberg was the CEO of Ericsson. He joined in the middle of the telecom crisis when the company was forced to reduce its workforce from 107,000 to 47,000 employees, led the restructuring and a strong expansion of sales during seven years when 3G and early versions of 4G were rolled out.
Prior to this, Carl-Henric Svanberg was the CEO of Assa Abloy Group, a manufacturer of locks and door hardware. He expanded the company from a small domestic player to a global leader through a successful global acquisition strategy.
Carl-Henric Svanberg began his career at ASEA (today ABB) and Securitas AB, latterly as the group’s executive vice president.
Svanberg holds a Master of Science in Applied Physics from the Institute of Technology at Linköping University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Uppsala University. He holds honorary doctorates at Luleå University of Technology and Linköping University in Sweden and is the recipient of the King of Sweden’s medal for his contribution to Swedish industry.
Carl-Henric lives in Sweden with his wife Louise and their six children.
Vice-Chair
Dimitri Papalexopoulos
Titan CementGreece
Dimitri Papalexopoulos is Chief Executive Officer of TITAN Cement Group, an international cement and building materials producer active for over 115-years. TITAN aspires to combine an entrepreneurial spirit and operating excellence with respect for people, society and the environment.
TITAN 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 Papalexopoulos serves as Vice-Chairman of the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT) since November 2018 and is a member of its Steering Committee. At the same time, he is Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), and sits on the Board of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).
Prior to joining TITAN in 1989, he was a consultant for McKinsey & Company in New York and Munich.
Dimitri Papalexopoulos holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ-1985) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (1987), and speaks Greek, English, French and German.
He is married and has three children.
Jean-François van Boxmeer
HEINEKENThe Netherlands
Jean-François van Boxmeer has been Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer of Heineken N.V. since 2005.
He joined the company in 1984 and, after three years as a trainee in production, sales and administration in Amsterdam, he moved to Africa. As Sales and Marketing Manager, first for Bralirwa in Rwanda and then Bralima in the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC), Jean-François van Boxmeer helped to build HEINEKEN’s business in these two important markets. He was appointed General Manager of the DRC in 1993.
In 1996 he returned to Europe to become President & General Manager of Zywiec S.A. in Poland, and three years later was promoted to become Vice-President & General Manager of the newly formed Grupa Zywiec S.A, one of Poland’s leading brewers. In 2000 he was appointed General Manager of Heineken Italia Spa. In 2001 he was promoted to the executive board, with worldwide responsibility for supply chain and technical services, as well as the operating businesses in North-West Europe, Sub- Saharan Africa and Central and Eastern Europe.
Since becoming Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer in 2005 Jean-François van Boxmeer has overseen a period of significant growth with the company consolidating its position as the most geographically diverse brewer in the world, the largest brewer in Europe and the third largest globally.
Jean-François van Boxmeer sits on the Board of Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods Inc.) as an Independent Director, a position which he has held since 2010, and is a member of the shareholders committee of Henkel AG & Co.KGaA.
He is Chairman of the board of directors of De Nationale Opera & Ballet, Amsterdam and a member of the board of the Institut Royal pour Sourds et Aveugles Foundation in Belgium.
Jean-François van Boxmeer studied at the Facultés Universitaires Notre Dame de la Paix S.J. in Namur (Belgium) and obtained his Masters degree in Economics in 1984.
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.
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 of Industrialists, 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
José 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 top 10 global telcos worldwide, into a technology company. As a firm advocate of a human-centric digitalisation, he is leading the debate on the safe and ethical use of data and Artificial Intelligence. José 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 Chief Financial Officer 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 Chief Operating Officer 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 received the Asociación Española de Directivos’ ‘Manager of the Year’ award in the Large Corporations category in 2019.
Nils S. Andersen
AkzoNobelThe Netherlands
Nils Andersen is the chairman of AkzoNobel’s Supervisory Board and is a non-executive director at Unilever and BP. He is also the chairman of Faerch Group and Salling Group.
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 the chief executive and president of Carlsberg A/S from 2001 to 2007, having previously held the position of Executive Vice President. From 1997 to 1999 he was CEO of the Drinks Division of Hero Group and previously held various senior management roles in the Carlsberg Group. 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 of Industrialists from 2001 to 2016 and again since 2018. He served as the group’s vice-chairman from 2012 to 2016.
Paulo Azevedo
SonaePortugal
Paulo Azevedo is the Chairman of Sonae — a multinational company managing a diversified portfolio of businesses in retail, telecommunications, technology, shopping centers and financial services — Sonae Indústria – a wood panel manufacturer — and Sonae Capital — an investment group active mainly in energy, industrial engineering and real estate.
Paulo Azevedo was previously CEO of Sonae for 12 years and prior to that, CEO of Sonaecom and Optimus.
Paulo Azevedo ’s other business roles include the chairmanship of EFANOR, membership of the board of directors of BAGlass and of the International Advisory Board of Allianz.
Paulo Azevedo has always been active in roles outside his management functions. He is currently actively involved in the Belmiro de Azevedo Foundation — dedicated to education — and Espaço-T — dedicated to fighting social exclusion — and has in the past been involved in several sectorial and general business associations, foundations and academia and was the first Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Porto University.
Besides his degree in Chemical Engineering from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Paulo Azevedo has an MBA from the Porto Business School.
Paulo Azevedo, who is married and has three kids, enjoys sport and multiple outdoor activities and is currently dedicating more time to the protection of nature and biodiversity.
Guido Barilla
Barilla GroupItaly
Guido Maria Barilla is Chairman of Barilla G. & R. Fratelli S.p.A.
As an undergraduate, he spent two years studying in the United States, first as a senior in high school then as a freshman at Boston College. Because of family reasons, he decided to return to Italy and attended the Università Statale di Milano, where he studied Philosophy.
His professional career began in 1982, with two years’ experience in the sales department at Barilla France, a subsidiary of the Barilla Group. Following his European training, he worked at several food companies in the United States.
Once he returned to Parma, where Barilla Group’s headquarters are located, he became an executive of the Company in July 1986 and was engaged in the Group’s international expansion. Guido Barilla was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of Barilla G. & R. Fratelli S.p.A., the same year, and went on to be named Vice Chairman in May 1988.
Following the death of his father, Pietro Barilla, in October 1993, he became Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Group Chairman in March 2003. In 2009, he became Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN), currently the BCFN Foundation.
Guido Barilla also served on the board of directors of several Italian companies and is currently a board member of Danone S.A., an international food and beverage company.
In 2019 he became a member of Boston College’s Board of Trustees and a member of the ERT.
Guido Barilla is married to Nicoletta and has five children.
Martin Brudermüller
BASFGermany
Dr. Martin Brudermüller is Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, and Chief Technology Officer of BASF SE.
He is responsible for the divisions Legal, Taxes, Insurance & Intellectual Property, Corporate Development, Corporate Communications & Government Relations, Senior Executive Human Resources, Investor Relations, Compliance, Corporate Technology & Operational Excellence and Innovation Management.
In May 2011, he became Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, and Chief Technology Officer since May 2015.
Martin Brudermüller has been a member of the board of executive directors since 2006, and during this time he was also responsible for the Asia Pacific region headquartered in Hong Kong, and the Performance Materials division. Prior to this, since 2003, he was President of the Functional Polymers division. From 2001 to 2003 he was Senior Vice President Strategic Planning.
Martin Brudermüller started his career with BASF in 1988 in the Ammonia Laboratory. From 1993 to 1995 he worked in New Business Development/Marketing in the Intermediates division. Transferring in 1995 to BASF Italia Spa, Milan, Italy, as Head of Sales Intermediates, Pharma Chemicals. Following this assignment, he became Staff to the Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors and, from 1999 onwards, was a director in the Fine Chemicals operating division.
Martin Brudermüller was born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1961. From 1980, he studied Chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, and received his degree in 1985.
After earning his doctorate in Karlsruhe in 1987, he completed a post doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley.
Paul Bulcke
NestléSwitzerland
Paul Bulcke has been Chairman of the Board of Nestlé S.A. since April 2017.
Born in Roeselare in western Belgium, Paul Bulcke graduated from the University of Leuven, Belgium, with a degree in commercial engineering, followed by a postgraduate in the Vlerick Management School.
After a brief period as a financial analyst with Scott Graphics International in Belgium, Paul Bulcke joined the Nestlé Group in Vevey, Switzerland, as a marketing trainee in 1979.
Over the next sixteen years he held various positions in marketing and sales, and as division head, in Peru, Ecuador and Chile, before moving to Portugal as Market Head followed by the Czech and Slovak Republic, and finally Germany.
In July 2004, Paul Bulcke joined the Nestlé Executive Board as Executive Vice President with responsibility for Zone Americas, where he played a decisive role in transforming this region into the Group’s largest and most profitable zone.
In 2008, and with a career of almost 30 years with the Nestlé Group, Paul Bulcke was appointed Chief Executive Officer. At the end of 2016, he handed over the office of CEO and was elected Chairman of the Board of Nestlé S.A. in April 2017.
Paul Bulcke is the Vice Chairman of L’Oréal in France, a board member of Roche Holding Ltd., of the World Economic Forum’s Community of Chairpersons and of the European Roundtable of Industrialists (ERT). He is also member of the Board of Trustees, Avenir Suisse as well as a member of the Foundation Board of IMD and Co-Chairman of the 2030 Water Resources Group.
Married with three children, he speaks six languages and enjoys various activities, including golf and flying.
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 is also a member of the Executive Committee of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). He was 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.
Iain Conn
CentricaUnited Kingdom
Iain Conn was appointed Group Chief Executive of Centrica plc on 1 January 2015. He is Chairman of the Executive Committee and the Disclosure Committee.
Iain Conn has a deep understanding of the energy sector built up over a lifetime in the industry, and has demonstrated strong commitment to customers, safety and technology. Iain Conn was previously BP’s Chief Executive, Downstream – BP’s refining and marketing division – a position he held for seven years. He was a Board member of BP for 10 years from 2004-2014 and also served as a non-executive director and latterly senior independent director of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc from January 2005 until May 2014.
Iain Conn is Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum System Initiative on the Future of Energy. The System Initiative aims to enable an effective transition to a more sustainable, affordable, secure and inclusive energy system by accelerating development of effective policies, private-sector action and public-private cooperation.
Iain Conn is a non-executive director of BT Group plc, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Imperial College Business School, a member of the Council of Imperial College, a member of the advisory board of the Centre for European Reform, a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists and a member of the CBI’s President’s Committee. He is also a member of the BritishAmericanBusiness International Advisory Board, the EUCERS Advisory Board and a Trustee of Movement to Work.
Iain Conn is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Institution of Chemicals Engineers, and the City and Guilds of London Institute.
Ian Davis
Rolls-RoyceUnited Kingdom
Sir Ian Davis is Chairman of Rolls-Royce plc and a Non-Executive Director of Johnson & Johnson Inc and of BP, where he is the Senior Independent Director.
Sir Ian Davis is Senior Partner Emeritus of McKinsey & Company, where he was a partner for 31 years until 2010. He served as Chairman and Worldwide Managing Director of McKinsey between 2003 and 2009.
Rodolfo De Benedetti
CIRItaly
Rodolfo De Benedetti (Turin, 1961) has been Chairman of CIR and COFIDE since his appointment in April 2013. The COFIDE-CIR Group, of which he is a controlling shareholder together with his brothers Marco and Edoardo, operates in various business sectors, particularly Healthcare (KOS), Auto Components (Sogefi) and Media (GEDI Gruppo Editoriale). Within the group he is also a member of the Board of Directors of Sogefi and GEDI Gruppo Editoriale.
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 of Industrialists, 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 is married to Emmanuelle de Villepin and is father to Neige, Alix and Mita.
Pierre-André de Chalendar
Saint-GobainFrance
Pierre-André de Chalendar is a graduate of ESSEC Business School and École Nationale d’Administration. A former civil servant (Inspecteur des Finances), he served as deputy to the Director General for Energy and Raw Materials within the French Ministry of Industry.
Pierre-André de Chalendar joined Compagnie de Saint-Gobain in 1989 as Vice-President, Corporate Planning. He was subsequently Vice-President of the Abrasives business in Europe (1992-1996), President of the Abrasives business worldwide (1996-2000) and General Delegate for the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (2000-2002) before being appointed Senior Vice-President of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain in charge of the Building Distribution Sector in 2003.
He was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain in 2005 and elected to the Board in 2006. Pierre-André de Chalendar was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2007 and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 2010.
Pierre-André de Chalendar is also a director of BNP Paribas. He is Vice-President of Entreprises pour l’Environnement, which he chaired from 2012 to 2015. He was appointed co-President of La Fabrique de l’industrie in July 2017 and Chairman of ESSEC Business School’s Supervisory Board since February 2019.
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 of Industrialists 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.
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.
Henrik Ehrnrooth
KONEFinland
Henrik Ehrnrooth is the President and Chief Executive Officer of KONE, a world leader in the elevator and escalator business.
KONE has consistently been the fastest growing global company in its industry as a result of its innovation leadership and focus on delivering the best outcomes for its customers. KONE’s vision is to provide the best people flow experience, and it transports around one billion people every day. Over 55,000 employees are working towards delivering the company’s vision.
Henrik Ehrnrooth joined the company in 2009 as Chief Financial Officer and in April 2014 he was appointed President and CEO. Prior to joining KONE, Henrik Ehrnrooth had a career with several leadership positions in banking, most recently as Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs. He worked at Goldman Sachs from 1998 to 2009, and at UBS from 1994 to 1998.
Henrik Ehrnrooth serves on the boards of UPM-Kymmene Corporation, the Mannerheim Foundation and the KONE Centennial Foundation. He is also a member of the Foundation Board of the International Institute of Management Development (IMD) and a member of the European Roundtable of Industrialists.
During his free time he enjoys skiing, sailing and trail running. Henrik Ehrnrooth is married with two children and lives in both Finland and England.
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 and Alibaba, Inc and a Member of the Board of Trustees of Choate Rosemary Hall.
Christoph Franz
F. Hoffmann-La RocheSwitzerland
Christoph Franz was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1960. After graduating from Darmstadt Technical University and the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in Industrial Engineering, he earned his PhD in Political Science from Darmstadt Technical University and worked as a postdoc at the University of California, Berkeley.
He started his career at Lufthansa AG in 1990 and joined Deutsche Bahn AG in 1994, where he was appointed a member of the executive board and CEO of the Passenger Transport Division. He was then appointed CEO of Swiss International Air Lines AG in 2004 and was later promoted to CEO of Lufthansa Airlines in 2009. From 2011 to 2014, Christoph Franz was CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
Christoph Franz has served as the chairman of the board of directors of Roche Holding AG since March 2014.
Further mandates include the boards of Stadler Rail AG and Zurich Insurance Company Ltd. He is a Member of the Board of Trustees of Ernst Göhner Foundation, the Advisory Board of University of St. Gallen (HSG) and Member of the Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Christoph Franz was appointed Honorary Professor for Business Administration at University of St. Gallen (HSG) in May 2017.
Christoph Franz is married and a father of five children.
Ignacio S. Galán
IberdrolaSpain
Born in Salamanca (Spain) in 1950, Ignacio Galán graduated as an Industrial Engineer from ICAI of Universidad Pontificia de Comillas in Madrid.
Ignacio Galán is Chairman and CEO of Iberdrola, and Chairman of ScottishPower, Avangrid and Neoenergia, the country subholding companies of the Iberdrola Group in the UK, USA and Brazil, respectively.
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 Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde, Chairman of the Social Council of the University of Salamanca and a Patron of the Comillas-ICAI University Foundation. He is also on the Presidential CEO Advisory Board of MIT.
Ignacio Galán is a member of the Electricity Cluster at the World Economic Forum (Davos), which he has chaired in the past, and a member of the Steering Committee of the ERT and of JP Morgan International Council.
In 2019 he has received the Honourable Mention of his professional career by the Official Industrial Engineers Association of Madrid and was designated as Universal Spaniard by the Fundación Independiente. In 2018 he was appointed Honorary Member of the Spanish Institute of Engineering. In 2017 he was named Best CEO in the European utilities sector for the eleventh time by the Institutional Investor Research Group and in 2011 he was named best CEO in the European utilities sector for investor relations, according to the Thomson Extel Survey. In 2008, Ignacio Galán was named Business Leader of the Year by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the USA and in 2006 he was named the Best CEO of the Year in the Platts Global Energy Awards.
Ignacio Galán was also named a Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II.
Paul Hermelin
CapgeminiFrance
Paul Hermelin spent the first fifteen years of his professional life in the French government, primarily in the Ministry of Finance. He held a number of posts in the Budget Office and on various ministry staffs, including that of Finance Minister Jacques Delors. He was chief of staff to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Minister of Industry and Trade, from 1991 to 1993.
Paul Hermelin joined the Capgemini Group in May 1993, where he was first placed in charge of coordinating central functions. Taking a seat on Capgemini’s Directoire in May 1996, he was named CEO of Capgemini France and, in May 2000, following the merger between Capgemini and Ernst & Young Consulting (which he initiated), he became deputy CEO of the Group and member of the Board.
In December 2001, the Board of Directors accepted Serge Kampf’s proposal to appoint him CEO of the Capgemini Group as of January 1, 2002. In May 2012, Paul Hermelin became Chairman and CEO of the Capgemini Group.
In June 2018, he was appointed President of Festival d’Aix.
Paul Hermelin graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique in 1972 and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in 1978.
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.
Pablo Isla
InditexSpain
Pablo Isla is Executive Chairman of Inditex, previously holding the position of CEO between 2005 and 2011.
Born in Madrid in 1964, Pablo Isla graduated in Law from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1987 and became Spanish State Attorney in Spain the following year, ranking number 1.
From 1992 to 1996 he was General Manager of Banco Popular Legal Services, and in 1996 he was appointed General Director of State Assets at the Ministry of Economy and Finances. In 1998 he re-joined Banco Popular as Group General Counsel. Between July 2000 to 2005, Pablo Isla was Co-Executive Chairman of Franco-Spanish Altadis Group.
Pablo Isla has served as a director on Nestlé’s Board since 2018. He also serves as director of several Foundation and Institution Boards such as The Educational Carolina Foundation which is dedicated to providing scholarships for American students to Europe and chaired by his Majesty King Felipe VI; the Reina Sofia Museum, the leading institution in modern art in Spain; the Instituto Elcano, the most prestigious Spanish think-tank; and the Medical Foundation Pro-CNIC, which works to prevent heart diseases and is chaired by the distinguished Dr. Valentí Fuster.
Jean-Sébastien Jacques
Rio TintoUnited Kingdom
Jean-Sébastien Jacques was appointed a director of the Rio Tinto board on 17 March 2016 and became Chief Executive Officer on 2 July 2016.
He has over 25 years’ experience in heavy industry and mining. He gained extensive global experience leading businesses in developed and emerging markets in Australia, Asia, Africa, Americas and Europe.
Jean-Sébastien Jacques was appointed Chief Executive oOfficer of Rio Tinto’s Copper group in 2013 and Chief Executive Officer of the Copper & Coal group in February 2015. He led the transformation of this group delivering a step change in both safety and cash performance whilst reshaping the portfolio to focus on its highest quality assets. He also had responsibility for two of the group’s major growth projects, Oyu Tolgoi in Mongolia and Resolution in the US, both of which saw significant progress during his tenure.
He was the Chairman of the International Copper Association from late 2014 to 2016. He has been a member of International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) since July 2016 and he joined European Roundtable of Industrialists (ERT) in May 2018.
Prior to joining Rio Tinto in 2011, he worked in a wide range of operational and functional roles in the aluminium, bauxite, steel industries and served as group director, Strategy for Tata Steel Group from 2007 to 2011.
Jean-Sébastien Jacques holds a Master Degree in Science.
Jan Jenisch
LafargeHolcimSwitzerland
Born in Germany in 1966, Jan Jenisch joined LafargeHolcim as Chief Executive Officer on 1 September 2017.
From 2012 he served as Chief Executive Officer of Sika AG which develops and manufactures systems and products for the building materials and automotive sector. Under his leadership, Sika expanded into new markets and set new standards of performance in sales and profitability.
Jan Jenisch joined Sika in 1996 and went on to work in various management functions and countries. He was appointed to the management board in 2004 as Head of the Industry Division and he served as President Asia Pacific from 2007 to 2012.
Jan Jenisch has studied in Switzerland and the US, and graduated the University of Fribourg, Switzerland with a Master of Business Administration (lic. rer. pol.). He is a non-executive director of the privately held Glas Troesch.
Leif Johansson
AstraZenecaUnited Kingdom
Leif Johansson is Non-Executive Chairman of the Board at AstraZeneca Plc. He has been a member of the board since April 2012 and Chairman since June 2012. Leif Johansson is also Chairman of the Nomination and Governance Committee and a member of the Remuneration Committee.
From 1997 to 2011, he was Chief Executive Officer of AB Volvo. Prior to that, Leif Johansson served at AB Electrolux, latterly as Chief Executive Officer from 1994 to 1997. He was a non-executive director of BMS from 1998 to September 2011, serving on the board’s Audit Committee, and Compensation and Management Development Committee. Leif was the chairman of global telecommunications company LM Ericsson from 2011 until March 2018. He holds a Master of Science in engineering from Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg.
Leif Johansson holds board positions at Autoliv, Inc and Ecolean AB. He has been a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences since 1994, serving as Chairman between 2012 and 2017. He is also a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists, which he chaired from 2009 to 2014, a member of the Council of Advisors, the Boao Forum for Asia and a delegate to the China Development Forum.
Leif Johansson holds two honorary Doctorates of Technology, from Chalmers University of Technology and the Blekinge Institute of Technology, and an honorary Doctorate of Medicine at the University of Gothenburg.
Ilham Kadri
SolvayBelgium
Ilham Kadri is CEO and President of the Executive Committee of Solvay, an advanced materials and specialty chemicals company which addresses key societal challenges in sustainable mobility and resource efficiency.
Prior to joining Solvay, Dr. Kadri was CEO and President of Diversey. She led its turnaround leading to its spin off and and successful sale to Bain Capital.
Dr. Kadri is a world citizen with a rich professional experience across a variety of industries in four continents and with leading multinationals, including Shell, UCB, Huntsman, Dow Chemical and Sealed Air.
Dr. Kadri actively promotes inclusion and diversity and is committed to mentoring young women and promoting women in STEM. She is the founder of the ISSA Hygieia™ Network, a non-profit foundation promoting women in the hygiene industry. She is a non-executive board member at A.O. Smith.
Dr. Kadri holds a degree in chemical engineering from L’Ecole des Hauts Polymères in Strasbourg and a PhD in macromolecular physico-chemistry from Strasbourg’s Louis Pasteur University.
Joe Kaeser
SiemensGermany
Joe Kaeser is President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering. He has over 35 years of experience at Siemens, where he has held a variety of leading management positions in finance and strategy both in and outside Germany.
Joe Kaeser began his career at Siemens in 1980 in the field of components and semiconductors, where he also worked in Malaysia and the U.S. In 1999, he joined the Corporate Finance department. In 2001, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Information and Communication Mobile Group. From 2004 to 2006, he served as Siemens’ Chief Strategy Officer. Immediately prior to his appointment as President and CEO in August 2013, Joe Kaeser had served as Siemens’ Chief Financial Officer for seven years.
Thomas Leysen
UmicoreBelgium
Thomas Leysen, born 1960, is a Belgian entrepreneur. He obtained a Master’s degree in Law from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
His early career was in the shipping and commodity trading business in Brussels, Hamburg, London and Tokyo.
In 1992 he joined Umicore, which was then still called Union Minière.
He started as Executive Committee member in charge of marketing, and subsequently headed several industrial divisions.
From 2000 until 2008 he was CEO of the company, 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 2011 he has been Chairman of KBC Group, a banking and insurance group with activities mainly in Belgium, Central Europe and Ireland.
Thomas Leysen is also Chairman and main shareholder of Mediahuis, a media company which is a leading publisher of newspapers in Belgium and The Netherlands (De Standaard, De Telegraaf, NRC Handelsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen amongst others).
He is 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 entreprises and non-governmental organisations in Belgium. He was also a member of the Global Advisory Board of Toyota until 2018.
Since 2016, Thomas Leysen also chairs the King Baudouin Foundation.
He is married with four children.
Helge Lund
BPUnited Kingdom
Helge Lund joined the BP Board as a non-executive director and chairman designate on 26 July 2018. He was appointed chairman on 1 January 2019.
Mr Lund served as Chief Executive of BG Group between 2015 and 2016 when the company merged with Shell. He joined BG Group from Statoil where he served as President & CEO for 10 years from 2004.
Prior to Statoil, he was President & CEO of Aker Kvaerner, an industrial conglomerate with operations in oil and gas, engineering and construction, pulp and paper and shipbuilding. He has also held executive positions in Aker RGI, a Norwegian industrial holding company, and Hafslund Nycomed, an industrial group with business activities in pharmaceuticals and energy. He has worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company and has served as a political advisor for the parliamentary group of the Conservative party in Norway.
Mr. Lund was appointed to the Board as Chairman of Novo Nordisk AS, a global healthcare company in March 2018 having previously held non-executive positions at Schlumberger (2016-18), and Nokia (2011-14). He is an Operating Advisor to Clayton Dubilier & Rice, the US investment firm. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group and served as a member on the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Group on Sustainable Energy in the period 2011-14.
He has a degree in business economics from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) in Bergen and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from INSEAD business school in France.
A Norwegian national, Helge Lund is married with two children.
Martin Lundstedt
AB VolvoSweden
Martin Lundstedt became President of AB Volvo, Chief Executive Officer of the Volvo Group and a member of the Group Executive Team in October 2015.
Lundstedt began his business career in 1992 when he joined Scania as a trainee. Since then he has held various managerial positions within Engine Production and Engine Development.
In 2001 he became Managing Director of Scania Production in Angers, France, and was made Head of Product Marketing and member of the Executive Team in 2005. He was appointed Senior Vice President and Head of Trucks in 2006 and the following year became Head of Franchise and Factory Sales. Between 2012 and 2015, Lundstedt was the president and chief executive of Scania AB.
Lundstedt is the chairman of Partex Marking Systems AB and Permobil AB and a board member of ACEA Commercial Vehicle and Concentric AB. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the Swedish Prime Minister’s Innovation Council. Lundstedt is also a former o-chairman of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport.
In 2015, Lundstedt was awarded the Pontus Schultz prize for a more human economy and in 2016 the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm awarded him the Gold medal for industrial cooperation.
Bill McDermott
SAPGermany
Bill McDermott is the Chief Executive Officer of SAP, the world’s business software market leader. He leads the company’s more than 100,000 employees and 2+ million-person ecosystem in executing SAP’s vision to help the world run better and improve peoples’ lives.
Since becoming CEO in 2010, Bill McDermott’s innovation-led strategy for SAP has resulted in expansive increases in customers, total revenue, market value and profitable growth. One of the most popular leaders in business, his approval rating from employees on website Glassdoor hovers around 99%. As the only American in history to lead Europe’s most valuable technology company, Bill McDermott advises world leaders and policymakers on issues including youth unemployment, digital government and international trade policy. He is a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists and the U.S. Business Council.
He also serves on the boards of directors for performance apparel maker Under Armour, engineering software maker ANSYS, Inc. and security solutions leader Dell SecureWorks. He has received numerous awards for his civic leadership, including GENYOUth’s Vanguard Award, City Year’s Idealist of the Year, the We Are Family Foundation’s Visionary Award and the Children’s Aid Society’s Promise Award. He is a proud supporter of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Jefferson Health.
His life stories and leadership lessons are shared in Bill McDermott’s worldwide best-selling autobiography, Winners Dream: A Journey from Corner Store to Corner Office.
Bill McDermott resides in Germany, the United States and, most frequently, at 39,000 feet.
Nancy McKinstry
Wolters KluwerThe Netherlands
Nancy McKinstry (United States, 1959) is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman 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, Nancy 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 was also President and CEO of Legal Information Services, currently part of Wolters Kluwer’s Governance, Risk & Compliance division. Earlier, Nancy 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.
Nancy 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 of Industrialists and of the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School. Nancy McKinstry has been appointed by the Chinese State Council Information Office as a member of the Foreign Consultant Committee saw her leadership in the global information industry.
Nancy McKinstry has repeatedly been included in leading lists of business media as one of the most powerful women in business. She is among Fortune’s International Most Powerful Women in Business list, which noted in the 2016 edition ‘her transformation of the company into a digital powerhouse’.
Nancy 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.
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 is named General Managing Partner of the Group.
On May 17, 2019, Florent Menegaux is named Chief Executive Officer of Michelin.
Hilde Merete
Norsk HydroNorway
Hilde Merete Aasheim became President and CEO of Norsk Hydro in May 2019.
Prior to Hydro’s reorganisation of business areas in March 2009, Hilde Merete Aasheim served as Executive Vice President for the Aluminium Metal business area since November 2008.
Hilde Merete Aasheim joined Hydro in October 2005 as Executive Vice President for Leadership and Culture (human resources, health, environment, safety and corporate social responsibility).
In January 2007, she stepped out of Hydro’s corporate management board to lead the planning of the integration between Hydro’s oil and gas activities and Statoil. When the merger closed in October 2007, she became executive vice president of staff functions and corporate services in StatoilHydro.
From 1986 to 2005 she held several senior positions in Elkem. In 2002 she was head of Elkem’s Silicon division and a member of the corporate management board.
From 2015 she became the chairperson of the Federation of Norwegian Industries (Norsk Industri).
Hilde Merete Aasheim has a master’s degree in business economics from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration in Bergen and is also a state authorised public accountant. Hilde Merete Aasheim also has work experience from Arthur Andersen & Co.
Hilde Merete Aasheim was born in Larvik, Norway.
Lakshmi N. Mittal
ArcelorMittalLuxembourg
Lakshmi N. Mittal is the chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal. He founded Mittal Steel Company (formerly the LNM Group) in 1976 and guided its strategic development, culminating in the merger in 2006 with Arcelor to form the world’s largest steelmaker, operating in 60 countries and employing around 200,000 people worldwide.
Lakshmi N. Mittal is widely recognised for the leading role he has played in restructuring the steel industry towards a more consolidated and globalised model, and for championing the development of integrated mini-mills and the use of direct reduced iron as a scrap substitute for steelmaking.
An active philanthropist, Lakshmi N. Mittal focuses on education in India and child health in India and the UK. In addition to his membership of the ERT, he participates in the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council, the World Steel Association’s Executive Committee, the Global CEO Council of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Kazakhstan Foreign Investment Council and the Global Advisory Council of Harvard University.
Lakshmi N. Mittal is the chairman of Aperam, a member of the board of Goldman Sachs, and a member of the board of trustees of Cleveland Clinic.
Among his many awards and honours, Lakshmi N. Mittal is a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour, a Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award, a fellowship from King’s College London and a Doctor Honoris Causa from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland.
Stefan Oschmann
Merck GroupGermany
Stefan Oschmann is Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck. Before taking office at the end of April 2016, he served as Vice Chairman and Deputy CEO, with responsibility for Group Strategy, among other things.
Stefan Oschmann joined Merck in 2011 as a member of the executive board, and was responsible for the Healthcare business sector until the end of 2014. He drove the transformation of the Biopharma business by optimising its cost structures and improving the efficiency of its research & development model, which included a clear portfolio prioritisation. Furthermore, he played an instrumental role in the Group-wide transformation and growth programme “Fit for 2018”.
Before joining Merck, Stefan Oschmann worked for the U.S. pharma company MSD, where he served in a range of senior executive positions. He started his career at an agency of the United Nations, and worked for the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI).
Stefan Oschmann was born in Würzburg, Germany in 1957. He holds a doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. He is married and has two children.
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.
Benoît Potier was made an executive vice-president of Air Liquide in 1995 with additional responsibilities over the Engineering & Construction Division and the Large Industries operations in Europe.
He was appointed Senior Executive Vice-President of Air Liquide in 1997, to the board of directors in 2000 and became Chairman of the Management Board in November 2001.
Benoît Potier became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of L’Air Liquide S.A in 2006.
Patrick Pouyanné
TotalFrance
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 (E. Balladur) from 1993 to 1995 and Chief of Staff to the information technology and space minister (F. Fillon) from 1995 to 1996.
He joined Total in January 1997, as Chief Administrative Officer of Total E&P Angola and became Group Representative in Qatar in 1999.
In August 2002, he was named Senior Vice President, Finance, Economics and Information Systems in Exploration & Production, and then Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development and R&D in Exploration & Production in 2006.
In January 2012, Patrick Pouyanné was appointed President, Refining & Chemicals and member of the Executive Committee.
On 22 October 2014, the board of directors of Total appointed him Chief Executive Officer and President of the Executive Committee.
On 29 May 2015, he was elected as Member of the board of directors of Total.
On 16 December 2015, Total’s board of directors appointed Patrick Pouyanné as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Total.
Patrick Pouyanné is a Knight of the Legion of Honor.
He is member of the Board of Capgemini.
Alessandro Profumo
LeonardoItaly
Alessandro Profumo is Chief Executive Officer of Leonardo S.p.a. since 16 May 2017.
He is also Honorary Chairman of AIAD (the Italian Industries Federation for Aerospace, Defence and Security) since July 2017, Chairman of the Fondazione Ricerca & Imprenditorialità since February 2018, member of IIT Foundation’s Council (Italian Institute of Technology) and member of COMI (Italian Committee of Market Opera- tors and Investors) within CONSOB (Italian Companies and Stock Exchange Commission) since February 2019.
Born in Genoa, Italy on 17 February 1957, he holds a degree in Business Economics from Bocconi University.
In 1977, he began his career at Banco Lariano. In 1987, he joined McKinsey & Company, and was in charge of strategic and organisational projects for financial companies. In 1989, at Bain, Cuneo & Associati, he was in charge of developing relations with financial institutions.
In 1991, he joined Riunione Adriatica di Sicurtà, as General Manager, responsible for the banking and parabanking sectors.
In 1994, he joined Credito Italiano (today Unicredit), where he was appointed Deputy General Manager and put in charge of Planning & Group Control. A year later, he was appointed Chief General Manager and between 1997 and September 2010 he was Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, Unicredit Group became a European leading player, growing from 15,000 to over 162,000 employees, with branches in 23 countries.
In February 2012, he was nominated by the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services member of the High Level Expert Group in Brussels to reform the structure of the EU banking sector.
From April 2012 to August 2015, he served as Chairman of Monte dei Paschi di Siena Bank. From September 2015 to May 2017, he was a Board Member and Chairman of Equita SIM.
Alessandro Profumo was Chairman of the European Banking Federation in Brussels and of the International Monetary Conference in Washington, D.C. He was also on the International Advisory Board of Itaú UniBanco (Brazil) and was a member of Sberbank’s Supervisory Board (Russia).
He was a member of Eni’s Board of Directors from 2011 to 2014, and from July 2015 to April 2017. He was also a member of Mediobanca’s Board of Directors and Executive Board, and a member of Bocconi University’s Board of Directors.
Alessandro Profumo was awarded the Cavaliere al Merito del Lavoro (the Italian Order of Merit for Labour) in 2004. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Together To Go (TOG) Foundation.
Nick Read
Vodafone GroupUnited Kingdom
Nick Read, born in 1964, was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer on 1st October 2018 and has been a member of the Vodafone Group PLC Board since 1 April 2014.
Since joining Vodafone in 2001, Nick has held a variety of senior roles including Group CFO, CEO of AMAP and CEO of Vodafone UK. He has been a Board member of the listed companies of Vodacom, Safaricom, and Vodafone Qatar, our subsidiaries in India and Egypt, and our joint ventures, VHA in Australia and Indus Towers in India.
Prior to joining Vodafone, he held senior global finance positions with United Business Media Plc and Federal Express Worldwide. Nick has been a Non-Executive Director of Booking Holdings Inc since March 2018. Nick is a Fellow Chartered Management Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant, with a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance.
Stéphane Richard
OrangeFrance
Stéphane Richard, born in 1961, has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Orange since 1 March 2011.
He joined the Orange Group in September 2009 and has successively occupied the positions of Deputy CEO in charge of French Operations, CEO Delegate, and CEO. Between 1992 and 2003, Stéphane Richard was successively deputy to the CFO of Compagnie Générale des Eaux, Chief Executive Officer of Compagnie Immobilière Phénix, and Chairman of CGIS (Compagnie Générale d’Immobilier et de Services), now Nexity. From 2003 to 2007, he was Deputy CEO of Veolia Environnement and CEO of Veolia Transport, as well as being a director of Orange.
From 2007 to 2009, Stéphane Richard was Chief of Staff to the French Minister for the Economy, Industry, and Employment.
He is a graduate of École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) and École Nationale d’Administration. He is a French national.
Gianfelice Rocca
Techint Group of CompaniesItaly
Gianfelice Rocca is Chairman of the Techint Group, a multinational company whose activities span across steel industry, energy and power sectors, industrial and process plants, infrastructure and services.
Last year the Group generated USD 23.5 billion of total revenues with 57.100 employees worldwide.
He is also President and Founder of Humanitas Research Hospital and of Humanitas University.
In Italy, he is member of the Board of Directors of Brembo S.p.A., Buzzi Unicem S.p.A., Bocconi University, LUISS University, Fondazione Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia “Leonardo Da Vinci” and of the Advisory Board of “Politecnico di Milano”.
At international level, he is VicePresident of the Aspen Institute and member of the Aspen Executive Committee, he is member of the Harvard Business School Advisory Board and of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Cancer Center (BIDMC) International Advisory Board in Boston.
From May 2004 to May 2012 he was Vice President for Education of Confindustria (the General Confederation of Italian Industry) and from June 2013 to June 2017 President of Assolombarda (the largest territorial association of entrepreneurs in Italy and part of Confindustria).
In June 2007 he was appointed Cavaliere del Lavoro of the Italian Republic and in March 2009 he received a Honoris Causa Degree in Management Engineering from Politecnico di Milano.
In 2010 he received the 2009 Leonardo Award and in 2018 he was appointed “Commendatore”.
Gianfelice Rocca graduated cum laude in Physics at University of Milan and got a PMD at Harvard Business School.
Güler Sabanci
Sabanci HoldingTurkey
After working at every level of the organization, Güler Sabancı has been the Chair of Sabancı Holding since 2004, one of the leading and most reputable business groups in Turkey, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Sabancı Foundation, the leading private foundation in Turkey.
Güler Sabancı is the founding president of Sabancı University and also acts as Chair of the Sakıp Sabancı Museum.
Besides being an effective industrialist, art-enthusiast and prominent business figure, she has also been recognised as one of the most influential women in the region for her work on inclusion of women and social development. Her efforts have also been recognised internationally, with numerous awards including the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award, Clinton Global Citizen Award, Raymond Georis Innovative Philanthropist Award and European School of Management Responsible Leadership Award.
Güler Sabancı has been the first female member in many organisations, like the European Round Table of Industrialists. She also sits on the External Advisory Board of MIT Energy Initiative and Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School.
Jean-Dominique Senard
RenaultFrance
Jean-Dominique Senard graduated from France’s HEC business school (Hautes Etudes Commerciales). He also holds a Master’s Degree in Law.
He began his career in various financial and operations positions with Total, from 1979 to 1987, and then with Saint-Gobain from 1987 to 1996.
From 1996 to 2001, he was Chief Financial Officer of Pechiney and a member of its Group Executive Council. He was also head of Pechiney’s Primary Aluminum sector until 2004. As a member of Alcan’s Executive Committee, he was in charge of integrating Pechiney and served as Chairman of Pechiney SA.
Jean-Dominique Senard joined Michelin in March 2005 as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Michelin Group Executive Council. In May 2007, he was appointed as Managing Partner of the Michelin Group.
On 13 May 2011, Jean-Dominique Senard was appointed as Managing General Partner of the Michelin Group alongside Michel Rollier.
Jean-Dominique Senard has been CEO of the Michelin Group since May 2012. He supervises the Executive Committee and the Legal and Digital Activities Corporate Directions.
On 24 January 2019, Jean-Dominique Senard was appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Renault.
Risto Siilasmaa
NokiaFinland
Risto Siilasmaa is the Chair of the Board of Directors of Nokia Corporation. He joined the Nokia Board in 2008 and became Chairman of the Board in May 2012. Under his tenure, Nokia has successfully transformed from a mobile phone manufacturer to a leading communication technology company.
He is the founder of F‐Secure Corporation, a Finnish cybersecurity company and served as President and CEO of the company between 1988 and 2006. Since then he has held the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors.
He is a Board member of the Federation of Finnish Technology Industries and Futurice Corporation. He is also a member of the Tsinghua SEM Advisory Board at Tsinghua University and a member of the International Advisory Board at IESE Business School, University of Navarra.
Risto Siilasmaa has received several awards including Nordic Chairman of the year 2009, the Most Influential IT Leader 2007, The Leader of the Decade 2003 and Innovation Luminary Award 2015 granted by EU Open Innovation Strategy and Policy Group. He is an entrepreneur at heart and an active contributor in many European and Asian industry associations and public debate.
Risto Siilasmaa’s book on Nokia’s transformation was published in 2018 and has now been translated into several languages.
He also holds a Master of Science degree from the Helsinki University of Technology and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Technology by Aalto University Schools of Technology in 2018, and by L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University in 2019.
Søren Skou
A.P. Møller-MærskDenmark
Søren Skou has been the chief executive officer of A.P. Moller-Maersk since 2016 and has previously held executive positions within the company, both as CEO of Maersk Line and CEO of Maersk Tankers.
He has been an Executive Board member of A.P. Moller-Maersk since 2006 and held a variety of senior positions across A.P. Moller-Maersk prior to his appointment as CEO of Maersk Line.
Søren Skou joined A.P. Moller-Maersk in 1983 as part of the Maersk International Shipping Education program. He is a graduate from Copenhagen Business School and holds a Master of Business Administration from IMD Business School in Switzerland.
In December 2014, Søren Skou was named one of the most influential individuals in the international shipping industry according to Lloyds List and in May 2019 he was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors to Nokia.
Tony Smurfit
Smurfit Kappa GroupIreland
Tony Smurfit is Group Chief Executive Officer of Smurfit Kappa Group plc (SKG), 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 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 Kappa 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 €6 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 is currently sits on the board of Ibec (Irish Business Employers Confederation) ), ERT (European Round Table of Industrialists), and CEPI (Confederation of European Paper Industries).
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.
Johannes Teyssen
E.ONGermany
Johannes Teyssen studied law and economics in Freiburg, Göttingen and Boston. He began his career in 1989 in various leadership positions at E.ON’s predecessor VEBA. In 1999 he became CEO of E.ON Avacon AG, an E.ON subsidiary operating in electricity and gas distribution and sales.
From 2001 to 2006, Johannes Teyssen was Member of the Board of E.ON Energie AG in Munich, initially as CFO and later as CEO. In 2004, he was appointed to the Board of E.ON SE in Düsseldorf. He became Vice Chairman in 2008 before he was appointed as CEO in 2010.
Ben van Beurden
Royal Dutch ShellThe Netherlands
Ben van Beurden became Chief Executive Officer of Royal Dutch Shell plc with effect from 1 January 2014.
He joined Shell in 1983, after graduating with a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
Ben van Beurden’s career in Shell spans both Upstream and Downstream activities. He has held a number of operational and commercial roles, including some 10 years in the LNG business, as well as a variety of positions in Downstream, and has been based in The Hague, Sudan, Malaysia, London and Houston.
In January 2005, Ben van Beurden became Vice President Manufacturing Excellence (Houston, United States of America). In this role he was responsible for standards in operational excellence and high-performance initiatives in refining and chemicals manufacturing.
In December 2006, he was appointed Executive Vice President Chemicals (London, United Kingdom). During his tenure in this role, Ben van Beurden was appointed to the boards of a number of leading industry associations including the International Council of Chemicals Associations and the European Chemical Industry Council.
He became a member of the Executive Committee in January 2013 as Downstream Director, with regional responsibility for Europe and Turkey.
In 2015, he became a member of the Advisory Board of the School of Economics and Management Tsinghua University in Beijing.
Ben van Beurden, a Dutch citizen, is married to Stacey and has three daughters and a son. He enjoys reading, running and travelling with his family.
Hans Van Bylen
HenkelGermany
Hans Van Bylen is CEO of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, a global company with 20 billion EUR sales and successful brands, innovations and technologies, as well as leading market positions worldwide in three business units: Adhesive Technologies, Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care.
Henkel has become one of the most global German DAX companies with strong recognition as a leader in sustainability. Hans Van Bylen is proud to lead a global team of more than 53,000 employees, fully dedicated to creating sustainable value for Henkel’s customers and consumers. Appointed CEO in 2016, Hans Van Bylen has been a member of Henkel’s management board since 2005. Under his leadership, the company has shown strong business expansion and launched Henkel 2020+, a strategic agenda focusing on growth, digitalisation and agility, to generate sustainable profitable growth through to 2020 and beyond. Culture and talent are further focus points of Hans Van Bylen’s agenda. Many of Henkel´s top talents have grown under his leadership and mentorship.
He started his career at Henkel Belgium in 1984 as a sales representative, and went on to increase his management and geographic responsibilities in the Netherlands, Benelux, France, Western Europe, Africa/Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas.
Hans Van Bylen is also President of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), where he has set a focus on innovation, digitalisation and responsible business, and a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists amongst other forums.
Born in Belgium, he is married with three children. He is a graduate of the University of Antwerp, with a degree in business management and a Master of Business Administration.
Frans van Houten
Royal PhilipsThe Netherlands
Frans van Houten is CEO of Royal Philips, a position he has held since April 2011. As CEO, he is also Chairman of the Board of Management and the Executive Committee.
He drives Philips’ strategic agenda to provide healthcare technology solutions in support of seamless, patient-centered care across the health continuum, starting with healthy living and prevention, precision diagnosis and personalized treatment, through to care in the home – where the cycle to healthy living begins again.
Frans van Houten first joined Philips in 1986 and has held multiple global leadership positions across the company on three continents, including the role of co-CEO of the Consumer Electronics division. His team has driven the transformation and revitalization of the Philips portfolio to become a focused health technology company through targeted divestment, acquisition and organic business development. This is exemplified by the sale of the television business in 2012; the audio and video businesses in 2014 and the IPO of Philips Lighting on the Amsterdam Euronext stock exchange in May 2016. At the same time, Philips has invested in a number of acquisitions that strengthen the company’s portfolio, among them medical device leaders Volcano and Spectranetics, respiratory care leader RespirTech, and population health management leaders Wellcentive and VitalHealth, as well as others in digital pathology, neurology, pregnancy & parenting, healthcare informatics and ultrasound.
Frans van Houten was appointed a member of the Board of Directors of Novartis in February 2017. He has also served as Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum.
Jacob Wallenberg
Investor ABSweden
Jacob Wallenberg is Chairman of the Board of Investor AB, a lead shareholder of Nordic-based global companies. He is Vice Chairman of ABB Ltd, Ericsson AB, FAM AB and Patricia Industries and recently joined the Board of Nasdaq Inc.
Jacob Wallenberg also serves on the board of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
He is a member of the steering committee of the European Round Table of Industrialists and the Advisory Board of Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management. He is also a member of the Trilateral Commission.
Jacob Wallenberg is Honorary Chairman of IBLAC, the Mayor of Shanghai’s International Business Leaders Advisory Council.
He was the chairman of Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken (SEB) from 1998 to 2005 and Vice Chairman from 2005 to 2014. Jacob Wallenberg was CEO of the Bank in 1997 and EvP and in charge of Corporate and Investment banking 1995-1996.
Born in Stockholm 1956, Jacob Wallenberg was educated at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics in 1980 and a Master of Business Administration in 1981.
Jacob Wallenberg attended the Royal Swedish Naval Academy and is today an Officer in the Royal Swedish Naval Reserve.
