Zeno Bach is an associate at Kekst CNC. He focuses primarily on public affairs and strategic communications, advising multinational firms on complex public affairs mandates. With a strong affinity for public policy and the capital markets, he has already worked on various mandates across sectors. Before joining Kekst CNC, Zeno was a management consultant at Accenture Vienna and worked at Raiffeisen Capital Management, one of the leading asset management firms in Austria.
Zeno holds a degree in governance and public policy from the University of Passau and an MSc in management from the University of Bath.
Xavier Baeten is professor of management practices at Vlerick Business School. Xavier obtained a Master’s degree in Applied Economics from Ghent University in 1991 and a Master in Tax Legislation and Accountancy from Vlerick Business School in 1992. In 2006 he established the Executive Remuneration Research Centre. Today he heads up the Vlerick Reward Centre, which has long-term collaborations with more than 40 firms that participate regularly in the centre’s workshops and take part in its research. Xavier is an independent member of various remuneration committees and teaches the course on Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility in the MBAs.
Mirza is global head of governance at Aviva Investors, responsible for managing Aviva Investors’ governance function, which includes the development and oversight of voting policies and execution, related company engagement, the integration of ESG factors across the full spectrum of Aviva Investors’ assets, and the development of governance focused public policy positions.
Peter Bakker is president and CEO of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, which is leading the development of the Social & Human Capital Protocol. He is also chairman of War Child, Netherlands, and vice president of the International Integrated Reporting Council.
Dr Katharina Balazs is associate professor of leadership at the European School of Management (ESCP Europe) in Paris, France, and executive coach with the INSEAD Global Leadership Center in France and Singapore. Katharina’s expertise is in leadership communication, power and influence, women leaders, high-performance teams and board dynamics, and organisational change.
Catherine Banat is responsible for servicing RBC GAM's (Royal Bank of Canada Global Asset Management) impact investing clients. She has dedicated her career to the financial services industry and has held senior-level positions at various firms.
Helle Bank Jørgensen is the founder and CEO of Competent Boards, which offers online climate and ESG education programmes from a worldwide faculty of board directors, senior executives, investors and industry experts. She is the author of the best-selling book, 'Stewards of The Future: A Guide for Competent Boards', and has worked with world-leading companies, including IKEA, Nike, Maersk, Shell, Unilever, Novo Nordisk, Orsted and Vestas.
Helle serves on the Accounting For Sustainability Global Expert Panel, the Non-financial Digitisation Working Group of the Impact Management Project (IMP), the Reuters Panel of Expert Judges for the Responsible Business Awards, and the Canadian Climate Law Initiative.
Janet Barberis is managing director of internal audit and financial advisory at Protiviti UK. She has more than 30 years’ internal audit, risk and controls experience and has held senior internal audit and operational roles at leading organisations across the financial services industry. Janet’s previous experience includes leading internal audit outsourced and co-sourced services at professional services firms. She also led their quality assurance services, which included external quality assessments, internal audit transformation, independent file reviews and training. Janet has extensive internal audit experience gained from senior roles at leading global investment and retail banks.
Dr. Roger M. Barker is head of corporate governance at the Institute of Directors, and managing director of Barker and Associates, a corporate governance advisory firm. He is a UK member of the European Economic and Social Committee (the EU advisory body), senior advisor to the board of the European Confederation of Directors' Associations (ecoDa) and chairman of the ecoDa Education Programme for European Directors. Dr. Barker is honorary associate at the Centre for Ethics and Law at University College London and a visiting lecturer at Saïd Business School, Oxford, and Cass Business School, London. He is also the holder of a doctorate from Oxford University and the author of numerous books and articles on corporate governance and board effectiveness, including: "Corporate Governance and Investment Management: The Promises and Limitations of the New Financial Economy" (Edward Elgar, 2017). A former investment banker, Dr. Barker spent almost 15 years in a variety of equity research and senior management roles at UBS and Bank Vontobel.
Paul Barnett is founder and CEO of the Enlightened Enterprise Academy, which is attracting a global faculty of experts offering practical ways to improve the institutions managing the systems we depend on to achieve sustainable prosperity, measured in terms of human flourishing and wellbeing.
Carum is corporate governance policy adviser at the Institute of Directors. He is a member of the Policy Committees of the European Confederation of Directors' Associations (ecoDa) and the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI). Prior to joining the IoD, Carum served as a senior associate at a leading strategic communications consultancy where he advised clients across a broad range of public affairs issues.
