Conference – #Invest4Future
INFRASTRUCTURES :
“WHICH STRATEGY FOR THE BACKBONE OF OUR ECONOMY?”
Biographies of the Speakers
Dominique RIQUET – Chairman of the Long Term Investment
Intergroup
Elected at the European Parliament in 2014 for a second mandate, Dominique
Riquet is the first Vice-Chair of the transport and tourism committee and a member
of the industry, research and energy committee.
As a member of the UDI (Union des Démocrates et Indépendants) in France, he
joined the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) within the European Parliament. Particularly involved
in infrastructure financing, he was rapporteur on the Connecting Europe Facility and he is currently rapporteur for
opinion on the European Fund for Strategic Investments ("Juncker Plan"). In the meantime, he has become the
founder and chairman of the intergroup on long-term investment and reindustrialisation (#Invest4Future).
Prior to that, he was Regional Councillor for the Nord Pas-de-Calais region (1992-2009) and he also served for ten
years as the mayor of Valenciennes (2002-2012) following Jean-Louis Borloo. Born in 1946, Dominique Riquet holds
a degree in general medicine and a degree in urological surgery.
***
Elzbieta BIENKOWSKA – European Commissioner for Internal
Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Between 2007 and 2013 she was the Minister for Regional Development of Poland
and from 2013 to 2014, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional
Development and Infrastructure of Poland. She was in charge of the strategic
development system of the country, including the effective investment of the European
funds. Her work resulted in the full absorption of the EU funds from the budget for
2004-2006 and distribution of almost 68Bn€ granted to Poland for the years 20072013. She was managing the preparation of the EU funds implementation system from the EU budget for the years
2014-2020. Apart from the European funds her tasks in the Polish Government included also the management of
transport infrastructure and issues related to construction and housing.
Before, from 1999 to 2007, she was working for the local government of the Silesia Region in Southern Poland. She
graduated from the Jagiellonian University and from the Polish National School of Public Administration and completed
the business administration post graduate studies at the Warsaw School of Economics. She is married, with three
children.
Adina Iona VALEAN – Vice President of the European Parliament,
Vice-Chair of the Long Term Investment Intergroup
Adina Ioana Vălean is the Vice President of the European Parliament, on behalf of the
EPP Group, elected for the first two and a half years of the current legislature. As a
politician, Vălean is innovative in her structure, scope and philosophy. Her take on
European issues is considered progressive and daring. In the 2014-2019 legislative
term, she is a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy; and a
member of the Delegation for relations with the United States. She also serves as a
substitute in the Committee on International Trade. Her work is focused on
telecommunications, energy and industry. Her current activity is dedicated to the two
big package initiatives of the European Commission: the Digital Single Market and the Energy Union.
Adina Vălean has been a member of the European Parliament since 2007. In the previous mandate, she was
rapporteur on the Connecting Europe Facility; a financing instrument which aims at funding €33.2 billion worth of
investments to improve Europe's transport, energy and digital networks. She takes an incisive approach towards
reassessing public financing, which she thinks should be primarily used for completing the single market: by
increasing competition and incentivising private investment. As member of the INTA Committee, she has also
developed a strong interest in the negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: the benefits of
which she has long advocated. With a strong commitment to the internet economy, entrepreneurship and innovation;
she has been elected as a member of the steering committee of the European Internet Forum, as well as board
member of the knowledge4innovation platform. With a particular interest in securing the competitiveness of the
European automotive industry, Adina Vălean is co-chair of the Forum for Mobility and Society.
Adina Vălean is a member of PNL (Romanian National Liberal Party) and from 2004 to 2006 was a member of the
Romanian Parliament. Valean's main focuses, while in the National Parliament, concerned market and labour issues.
Prior to that, she acted as the Secretary General of the National Liberal Party's youth wing; and Secretary of the
National Liberal Party Committee on business, privatization and competition policy. She joined the National Liberal
Party in 1999. Before becoming a politician, Adina Vălean was a social activist, member of several foundations and
associations, which promote tolerance, dialogue and a liberal economic market. Adina Vălean began her professional
career as a teacher of Mathematics in Bucharest. She has a Master's degree in European Integration and Security
Studies, postgraduate studies in National Security and Defence Management and a Bachelor degree in Mathematics.
She is married and has one child.
***
Monika HEIMING – Executive
Infrastructure Managers
Director
of
the
European
Rail
Since 1993 Monika Heiming has been active in Brussels as a lobbyist and manager of
international associations and groupings. In November 2004 she joined the European Rail
Freight Association (ERFA) and in January 2005 was made its Secretary General, serving
the organisation's company and association members across Europe. Her tasks include
dealing with the association’s legal, technical, political, financial and administrative matters
and external issues.
From 1999 to 2004 she managed and marketed the engineering activities of a European engineering group,
Europengineers eeig, which had 5,000 staff working in 10 design offices that were active in 45 countries. From 1993 to
1997 she helped to develop the railway industry association UNIFE, lobbying for multimodal, combined transport, the
environment, EU Framework Programmes for R&D and CEECs.
Monika Heiming studied languages at the University of Cologne, she holds a Master’s degree in European
Management from the University Faculties in Brussels and an Executive MBA from the Belgian Solvay Business
School. She is member of the Solvay Alumni and of the Belgian League of Optimists. Monika Heiming was born on 18
November 1965 in Cologne (Germany).
Erzsebet FITORI – Director at the European Competitive
Telecommunications Association (ECTA)
Erzsébet Fitori is Director at the European Competitive Telecommunications Association
(Brussels office), the trade association representing over 100 pro-competitive operators
across Europe. She oversees ECTA’s public policy, regulatory and PR activities and is
responsible for ECTA’s engagement inter alia with the EU institutions, national
regulators and governments.
Prior to joining ECTA as Regulatory Affairs Manager in February 2008 she was Head of
Regulatory Affairs at Telenor Hungary in Budapest.
Erzsébet’s early career saw her as an Assistant Professor in the Department of
European Law and Private International Law at the University of Miskolc in Hungary.
Erzsébet holds an LL.M. in European Community Law from Leiden University and a Degree in Law from the
University of Miskolc, Hungary. In addition to her native Hungarian she speaks excellent English, intermediate level
German and basic French.
***
Olivier GRABETTE – Deputy Director General of RTE for the Economy
and member of RTE’s executive Board, Union for the French
Electricity Industry (UFE)
A graduate of the National School of Aeronautics and Space, Olivier Grabette is Deputy
Director General of RTE for the Economy, Markets and Innovation. Aged 50 and holds a
DEA in automation, he held numerous positions in the engineering of electricity
transmission networks in France and abroad (EDF) before joining RTE maintenance
activities in 2002.
From 2006, he held various management positions at the Network Expertise Centre of
RTE. In 2012, he created the Department of R&D of RTE. Since 2014, he has
accompanied the RTE Presidency in steering innovation on Intelligent Electrical Networks (Smartgrids)”.
On September 29, Olivier Grabette was nominated member of the Board of RTE, in addition to his current role of
Deputy Director General of RTE for the Economy, Markets and Innovation.
Philippe de BACKER – MEP, Member of the Long Term Investment
Intergroup
Philippe De Backer (35) holds a PhD in biotechnology from Ghent University and an MBA
from Solvay Business School.
Before joining the European Parliament, Philippe worked as Technology Transfer Officer at
CRP-Santé and as analyst at Vesalius Biocapital, a Luxembourg based venture capital firm
specialized in the life-sciences. He has an expertise in the valorisation of IP developed by
public research institutes and setting-up early ventures in the life-sciences.
Philippe is currently a Member of the European Parliament where he is a full member of the Industry, Technology,
Research and Energy Committee. He is a substitute Member of the Economy and Monetary Affairs Committee.
As a liberal, Philippe truly believes that it is his duty to take up responsibility in the community and actively work for the
society and the people that live in it. He believes strongly in individual liberty, self-development, free markets and
equal starting chances for everybody.
***
Jacques ROEDER – Senior Counsel and “Chargé de pouvoir” with
Allianz Capital Partners, in charge of infrastructure investments
and government relations
Jacques Roeder was born in 1975 in Bonn, Germany. He is married with three
children. He has a background in law and studied in France, Germany and in the
United States.
Before joining Allianz, he worked, between 2002 and 2008, as a corporate attorney in
private practice in New York, Paris and Munich. Since 2008, he has been appointed
senior counsel and “chargé de pouvoir” with Allianz Capital Partners, Munich, in charge of infrastructure investments
and government relations.
Alain RAUSCHER – Managing Partner, CEO of Antin-Infrastructure
Partners, Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA)
Alain is CEO and a Managing Partner of Antin Infrastructure Partners. He is a member of
both the Executive Committee and the Investment Committee.
Having founded Antin IP in 2007, Alain oversees the company’s development and drives its
strategy. Under his leadership, Antin IP completed two successful fundraises, securing a total
of more than €3 billion in commitments from investors. Together with Managing Partner Mark
Crosbie, he laid the framework for growing the firm from one office and two founders to
today’s footprint of three offices (Paris, London and Luxembourg) and 48 professionals
comprising 20 nationalities. He was named Global Infrastructure Personality of the Year at
the Infrastructure Investor Awards in 2011.
Alain holds board seats for several portfolio companies. He is also Chairman of the Infrastructure Roundtable at Invest
Europe (formerly EVCA). Alain was formerly Head of the Oil, Gas and Mining division at BNP Paribas Corporate
Finance. Prior to that role, he worked on numerous mergers and acquisitions transactions in various sectors at Lazard
Frères and Lehman Brothers. He began his career with Bain & Company.
He received an MPhil in Philosophy from the Ecole Normale Supérieure, an MPhil in Philosophy from the Sorbonne
University, an MS in Economics from Sciences Po and an MA in Management from HEC.
***
Nicolas MERIGO – CEO Marguerite Advisor which manages the
2020 European Fund for Energy, Climate Change and Infrastructure
(Marguerite Fund)
Nicolás Merigó has 25 years’ experience in Private Equity, M&A, and Asset
Management. He has been CEO and Partner of Luxembourg and Paris-based
Marguerite Adviser since 2010. Marguerite Adviser is the independently owned
exclusive advisory company to the 2020 European Fund for Energy, Climate Change
and Infrastructure. The Fund, also called Marguerite, was launched in 2010 with the
backing of six major European financial institutions, i.e. the EIB, Caisse des Dépôts et
Consignations, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Instituto de Crédito Oficial, KfW and PKO Bank Polski. The equity fund’s
overall aim is to make capital-intensive greenfield and brownfield investments in three core sectors, i.e. energy, mature
renewables and transport, within the EU-27 countries.
Prior to joining Marguerite, he spent 17 years with the Santander Group in Spain, U.K., and Chile, where he was most
recently Head Partner of Santander Infrastructure Capital, and previously Deputy Manager of the Industrial Group
Division. He also worked at McKinsey (Madrid), Salomon Brothers (London), and Lazard Frères (Paris) before joining
Santander.
Mr. Merigó has a Physics degree from Imperial College of Science & Technology (London) and an MBA from UCLA.