Marius Cara, Deputy Head of Investor Relations, European Investment Bank

Marius Cara is the Deputy Head of Investor Relations and Marketing Division at EIB. His main responsibilities include marketing of the EIB Climate Awareness Bonds (CAB), on-going liaison with investors, rating agencies and credit analysts and general market communication on EIB developments. In the field of green bonds, Marius is actively following the work of the Green Bond Principles and other relevant research, providing input to the EIB communication on the subject and explaining the EIB green bond strategy at conferences and events. Marius joined the EIB in 2006 as Advisor to the Audit Committee and moved to Capital markets in 2011. Before EIB he worked for several years as an internal auditor in the UN system and as a consultant for Pricewaterhouse Coopers. Marius has a degree in business administration from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, Romania and he is a chartered accountant (FCCA). Marius is fluent in English and French, being a native speaker of Romanian.

Antony Andrews, Group Policy (ESG Relations), BP Global

Antony is Environmental and social policy adviser for BP. In this role, he provides guidance to the group on E&S issues and leads the engagement programme with BP’s socially responsible investors. Antony has spent the majority of his 11 years at BP in the Upstream, working as an environmental adviser for a number of businesses. He has a BSc in Biochemistry and MSc in Environmental Engineering.

Sören Stöber, Director Business Development, Trucost (S&P Global Group)

Sören is Director of Business Development ESG & Sustainability for Trucost, part of S&P Dow Jones Indices. Trucost assesses and prices risks relating to climate change, natural resource constraints, and broader ESG factors, enabling companies and financial institutions to understand exposure to ESG factors, inform resilience and identify the transformative solutions of tomorrow. Sören is responsible for corporate business development in Northern Europe, Africa, and Japan. He began his career at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Energy, and Environment followed by Group Communications and Social Affairs positions in Germany’s retail/mail order group KarstadtQuelle AG. From there he moved into tourism and to the UK to join Thomas Cook Group PLC. His experience at Thomas Cook includes Group Sustainability & ESG Reporting Manager and Interim Head of Sustainability. Most recently he was Commercial Director for the ABTA-owned sustainability certification scheme Travelife. He served as an ISO principal expert for tourism services and Board Member of the Roundtable Human Rights in Tourism. Sören holds a BA in Philosophy & Economics from Bayreuth University in Germany and MSt in Sustainability Leadership from the University of Cambridge.

Ciaran McCale, Head of Media & Communication, Arabesque Asset Management

A highly committed, results-driven communications professional with a proven track record and 10 years’ experience in delivering impactful corporate and consumer communications programmes in fast-changing business environments. An industry multi-specialist who is widely networked across the highest levels of the international media sector. Formerly a director at one of the UK’s fastest growing agencies. I am responsible for global communications for Arabesque, an ESG Quant fund that uses self-learning quant models and big data to assess the performance and sustainability of globally listed companies

Nils Meinefeld, Head of ESG & Portfolio Manager, RMA Asset Management

I am an investment professional who has been managing equity portfolios for more than a decade. Ever since I started working in investment management I have been looking for solutions that make our investments more sustainable – ideally having a positive impact on people and planet alike.  I like working with and investing in people and companies that see the challenges of tomorrow as long-term opportunities rather than as threats. I hope to prove that the new low carbon Entrepreneur Responsible Investment strategy – RMA Entrepreneurs Impact Europe – that I developed and manage today will show that reducing negative environmental impacts and performance can go hand in hand.  As a great tennis fan and in terms of style, longevity, and endurance, Roger Federer is certainly a role model.

Martina Macpherson, Senior ESG & Risk Manager, IHS Towers & President, Network of Sustainable Financial Markets

Martina is President at the Network for Sustainable Financial Markets – and a founder of SI Partners Ltd., an ESG content, research, and analytics firm that provides insights and analysis to stakeholders across the investment value chain. Martina is a multi-lingual writer, lecturer and presenter on sustainable investment, risk management and green finance themes and contributes regularly to industry and academic publications. She has participated in a range of sustainable investment and ‘green’ finance working groups such as Towers Watson’s Thinking Ahead Institute Sustainability WG, the Global Green Finance Initiative by the City of London, WE – Women in ETFs, and WAM – Women Advancing Microfinance. Most recently, she contributed to Sustainable Stock Exchanges’ and City of London’s taskforce reports on green finance and policy recommendations. Martina is a visiting fellow at Henley Business School and a guest lecturer at the University of Zurich. She is a board member of the Network for Sustainable Financial Markets, an advisory group member at Sedex, a mentor at the Global Thinkers Forum and sits on the analyst committee board at UKSIF, the UK’s sustainable investment and finance association. She is also a member of the Institute of Directors.

Volker Weber, President, Forum for Responsible Investment (FNG) / (TBC)

Mr. Volker Weber has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of the FNG – Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen e.V. since September 2007, based in Berlin. Until March 2016, he was CFO at MAMA Sustainable Incubation AG and from September 2008 to November 2009 at the consulting firm Erfinderdienst in Hamburg. As a sustainability expert at the Directorate of Swisscanto Fondsleitung AG, he was responsible for the international orientation in the field of market development from July 2002 to August 2008. Between 1999 and 2002 he worked as a senior executive at DekaBank in Frankfurt a. M. and for the WestLB Group. There, he focused on market development, customer relationship management, and skills development. From 1992 to 1998, he was providing advice to banks and savings banks in the areas of employee training, the establishment of sales units and the implementation of customer loyalty programmes. The main topics were balance sheet analysis, charting technology and the securities business. At the Ostdeutsche Sparkassen- und Giroverband, he mainly took on jobs in the areas of investment and education and training. His first professional career began in 1988 at the Deutsche Bundesbank in Frankfurt. There he worked in the areas of banking supervision, stock exchange, and balance sheet analysis. Previously, he completed his business studies at the Fachhochschule der Deutschen Bundesbank.

Angela McClellan, Managing Director, Forum for Responsible Investment (FNG)

Angela McClellan is managing director of the Forum for Sustainable Investment e.V. for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (FNG) since June 2018. Since 2006, she has worked at Transparency International in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility and Anti-Corruption in Business, Anti-Money Laundering, and Banking Integrity. She was responsible for advising the international network, strategy development, and representation in international fora (including UN Global Compact, G20, World Economic Forum). Previously, she worked as a project assistant for InWEnt Capacity Building International (GIZ), also during her studies. Ms. McClellan holds a Diploma in Political Science from the Free University of Berlin and an Executive Master of Business Administration from the European School for Management and Technology.

Gesa Vögele, Member of the Management at Corporate Responsibility Interface Center (CRIC) e.V 

Gesa Vögele is a member of the management at CRIC (Corporate Responsibility Interface Center) e.V., a non-profit organization that promotes ethics and sustainability in investing. Before that, she worked almost eight years for Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen, the Sustainable Investment Forum in German-speaking Europe. Prior to this, she was an editor in a publishing house where she was responsible for a monthly magazine dealing with education. She gained her first experience with sustainable investments in 2004 at an NGO. Gesa Vögele holds a degree in economics from the University of Cologne and is a trained journalist.

Yvonne Zwick, Director, Sustainability Code / German Council for Sustainable Development

The Dipl. Theol. Yvonne Zwick, née Scherer, studied at the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg Catholic theology with a focus on Christian Sociology and moral theology. Yvonne Zwick is Scientific Advisor at the office of the German Council for Sustainable Development, a position she has held since 2004. In this role, she is responsible for issues related to sustainable consumption and lifestyles, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable finance. In addition, Ms. Zwick manages the Council’s initiative on the German Sustainability Code, a transparency standard implemented in Germany on a voluntary basis.

 Christian Pech, Director Banks, Credit, Funds, Investment Bank Berlin (IBB)

Christian is head of loans/ banks/fund management in the Investment Bank Berlin. After a bank apprenticeship and studying business administration at the University of Siegen, he worked, from 1993 until 1997, for the Weber bank and then until 1999 for Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse corporate customers. From 1999 until 2004 he was responsible in the gbb Beteiligungs AG, a subsidiary of KfW as an officer in the guarantee and investment business. With the spin-off of Investitionsbank Berlin in 2004, Christian took over the structure of the lending business in the economic development of the IBB. In this role, he is responsible for the entire range of commercial lending business of the SME financing to complex project financing. In addition, he is Regional Committee Chairman Berlin of the International Bankers Forum.

Reinhard Oldenburg, Board Member (Treasurer), International Bankers Forum

Reinhard Oldenburg, a trained and studied banker by profession held assignments for 25 yrs in various german banks domestically and abroad. He was responsible for the mid-size corporates sector. Since 2009 he is not only CFO of International Bankers Forum in but also founding partner in a management strategy consultancy in Frankfurt and engaged in start-up investments in Berlin.

Joanna Radeke, Manager, Center for Sustainable Business, European School of Management & Technology (ESMT Berlin)

Joanna Radeke is the manager of the Center for Sustainable Business at ESMT Berlin, a business school. She leads the Sustainable Business Roundtable, a peer-to-peer learning platform of international companies interested in advancing their sustainability activities. She conducts research and publishes on topics such as sustainability and the fourth industrial revolution, sustainable innovation, corporate governance, sustainability in real estate. Joanna has an MA in Corporate Social Responsibility from the London Metropolitan University and a BA in Applied Social Sciences from the University of Warsaw. She joined ESMT Berlin in 2015. She worked previously for the Hertie School of Governance, Freie Universität Berlin, London School of Economics and trained at Corporate Citizenship, one of the first corporate sustainability consultancies.

Michael Spanos, Managing Director, Global Sustain Group

Michael is the Founder and Managing Director of Global Sustain Group, an Expert Advisor to the European Commission on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); an AHC Group Senior Associate; and a member of the secretariat of the United Nations Global Compact Network and of the Advisory Board of the CEO Clubs in Greece. Michael is a corporate executive with extensive hands-on entrepreneurial experience in sustainability, corporate responsibility, management consulting, investments, and business information, with exceptional communication and networking skills and a demonstrable track record in delivering sustainability and business development solutions. He is an accomplished project manager, accustomed to working in international and multicultural environments, with solid analytical and quantitative skills and strong synthesis and strategic thinking ability. He is an expert in representing initiatives in high-profile settings and venues, with outstanding stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to build meaningful and long-lasting relationships with clients and partners.

Yannis Salavopoulos, Managing Director, Global Sustain GmbH (MD, CCG GmbH) & Guest Lecturer, SRH Berlin University

Yannis Salavopoulos (MBA, MSc), is Managing Director, Global Sustain GmbH & Group Head International Affairs. He is also Visiting Lecturer for Public Affairs at SRH Berlin University and Senior Advisor for Public Affairs/Policy & Strategy for various companies. Yannis entered Global Sustain after a successful career in Economic Diplomacy, representing, for over a decade, Greece in Germany and earlier in the United Arab Emirates. He served from 2007-2014 as First Embassy Secretary for Economic & Commercial Affairs at the Embassy of Greece in Berlin (Deputy Head of Economic Section). Before Berlin, he served as Third Embassy Secretary for Economic & Commercial Affairs at the Embassy of Greece in the United Arab Emirates, (Dubai). He was responsible at both posts for bilateral economic, trade, exports, investment relations as well as for finance, energy, climate, and sustainability policy issues. Till recently (2014-2015) he was at Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Athens Expert & Desk Officer for the bilateral economic & trade relations of Greece to Germany, USA (TTIP too), Canada (CETA too), Austria, Switzerland, Sweden & Cyprus.