Serge Allegrezza - Director General, STATEC

Dr Serge Allegrezza studied economics and management at the universities of Liège and Louvain-la Neuve in Belgium. He holds a Master in Economics and a Phd in Applied Economics.

He is the Director General of the Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, STATEC) since April 2003. He is chairman of the board of STATEC Research asbl. He is also the head of the Competitiveness Observatory (Ministry of Economy) since 2005 and the head of the National Council of Productivity (Ministry of Economy) since 2019.

Dr Serge Allegrezza is the head of the LU delegation at the Economic Policy Committee (EPC) of the EU since 2004 and a member since 1997. He is also Chairman of the board of LuxTrust i.n.c., President of the board of POST Luxembourg and a member of the board of Elysis Asbl. He is a former president of the Social and Economic Council and a former member of the board of SES.

At the beginning of his career, Dr Serge Allegrezza worked as a research fellow for a few years at CEPS/Instead (now LISER) in Luxembourg, followed by 12 years as a Conseiller de gouvernement 1ère classe at the Ministry of Economy responsible for internal market policy and later for general economic policy. He was a Member of the Board of the European Patent Office in Munich as well as a Member of the Board of the Community Trade Mark in Alicante. He was a lecturer at the IAE/University of Nancy2 and a scientific advisor of the Centre de Recherche Public Henri Tudor.

Bérengère Beffort - Lead Public Relations & Advocacy, Chamber of Commerce

An expert in high-level information and political communication, Bérengère Beffort has been Lead Public Relations & Advocacy at the Chamber of Commerce since December 2022.

As the institution's spokesperson, she helps to promote the needs and interests of businesses, advises the executive management and moderates the organisation’s major conferences.

After 13 years working in leading media as a political journalist in print and on television, she became an advisor in a ministerial cabinet, then Publishing Director and member of the Executive committee of a business media publishing house in Luxembourg.

Bérengère Beffort has a master's degree in journalism from the Centre universitaire d'enseignement du journalisme (CUEJ) in Strasbourg.

Michele Cincera - Professor of Economics, Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management-ULB

Michele Cincera is a Professor of economics at Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) with a specialisation in the economics of science and technology, digital economics, applied econometrics and data analytics. Over the recent years, he has conducted various studies and research reports on behalf of the European Commission (DG RDT, DG Regio among others), regional and national public authorities as well as private companies. Prof. Michele Cincera has continuously strengthened his know-how and developed expertise in a wide array of both qualitative and quantitative artificial intelligence methods to assess the socio-economic impact of policies to support research and innovation activities. He has supervised several students in data science projects commissioned by large multinational companies from different industries (banking, food, chemical, oil and gas,...)
Specialities: Bibliometrics, Econometrics, Data science, Socio-economic impact evaluation of policies.

Lex Delles - Minister of the Economy

Following secondary studies, Lex Delles began studying law at the University of Luxembourg before graduating in educational sciences at HERS (Haute Ecole Robert Schuman) in Virton (Belgium).

After his studies, Lex Delles started a career as a teacher in the primary school in Lenningen.

Following the legislative elections of 14 October 2018, Lex Delles joined the government as Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Minister for Tourism on 5 December 2018 in the coalition government formed by the Democratic Party (DP), the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) and the Green Party ('déi gréng'). After the legislative elections of 8 October 2023, Lex Delles was appointed Minister of the Economy, SME, Energy and Tourism on 17 November 2023 in the coalition government between the Christian Social People's Party (CSV) and the Democratic Party (DP).

True to his motto "Nothing is easier than criticising, it is better to act", Lex Delles joined the youth wing of the Democratic Party of Luxembourg (Jonk Demokraten - JDL). He revived the JDL section in Mondorf-les-Bains and the democratic youth of the East District of which he was president until 2013. From November 2015 to June 2022, Lex Delles was vice-president of the DP. In June 2022, he was elected as the Democratic Party's new president at the age of 37. In 2011, Lex Delles ran for the first time in the municipal elections and is elected from the outset first alderman of Mondorf-les-Bains. In January 2014, he was sworn in as mayor of his hometown. Lex Delles was also chairman of the Syndicat intercommunal pour la création, l'aménagement, la promotion et l'exploitation d'une zone d'activités économiques à caractère régional dans le canton de Remich (SIAER - Triangle vert) from March 2014 until he joined the government. Following the legislative elections of 2013, Lex Delles was elected to Parliament and in 2014, at the age of 29, became the youngest mayor and member of Parliament of the country. During the 2017 municipal elections, he retained his mandate as mayor until he joined the government. At the Chamber of Deputies, Lex Delles chaired from 2013 to 2018 the commission for education, children and youth. He was also member of the commission of the civil service and administrative reform, of the commission of agriculture, viticulture, rural development and consumer protection, as well as the commission of culture. Lex Delles was also an alternate member of the Luxembourg delegation to the Benelux Interparliamentary Consultative Council from 2015 to 2018.

Lionel Fontagné - Professor of Economics, University Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne

Lionel Fontagné is a Professor of Economics at the Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne (on leave), a Chaired Professor at the Paris School of Economics. He has been the Director of the Centre d’Etudes Prospectives et d’Informations Internationales (CEPII, Paris) from 2000 to 2006. He is also a scientific advisor to CEPII and a CESifo Research Fellow (Munich). He has been a member of the Conseil d'Analyse Economique (Council of Economic Analysis to the French Prime Minister) from 2001 to 2010 and 2012 to 2016. He served as Director of the Centre d’Economie de la Sorbonne (UMR 8174 CNRS) from 2014 to 2018.

He also served as a Part-time Professor at the European University Institute (Florence) and at the Free University of Brussels, as a Professor at the University of Nantes, as well as a consultant for the International Trade Center (UNCTAD-WTO, Geneva), the OECD Development Centre, the OECD Directorate for Science Technology and Industry, the World Bank, the Ministry of Finance of the Luxembourg, and for the French Ministry of Finance.

He has written numerous studies on international trade, trade policy as well as trade and environment issues. In 1999, Open Economies Review recognized Prof. Fontagné for his joint-contribution to the debate on the endogenous symmetry of shocks in monetary unions. In 2008, he was awarded an Emerald Management Reviews Citation of Excellence for his contribution to the understanding of the economic impact of the competition of emerging countries. In 2007 and in 2018 as well, he was awarded the Research Fellowship of GTAP (Global Trade Analysis Project, Purdue University). In 2023 he was inducted into the GTAP Research Fellow Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to trade policy analysis.

Richard Forson - CEO, Cargolux

Richard Forson joined Cargolux as Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer and member of the Executive Committee in February 2012. In August of the same year, Richard was appointed Interim President and CEO by the Cargolux Board of Directors while also retaining his responsibilities as CFO. He continued in this function until March 2014 when he returned to his original assignation as the company’s Executive Vice-President Finance and Chief Financial Officer. Since August 2016, Richard has returned to the helm of Cargolux Airlines as President and CEO. Richard has more than 30 years’ experience in the aviation industry and an extensive background in finance, general business, and operational management. He joined Cargolux from Wamar international, Inc., a leading global provider of premium services and products in the fields of power generation, oil and gas, aviation, real life support, and defense and security, where he held the position of Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer. In his role, Richard was responsible for overseeing worldwide operations including areas such as the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Before that, Richard worked as General Manager Finance and Administration for Qatar Airways, where he was responsible for the financial and administrative functions of both the airline and group companies. He also previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer of South African Airways, and member of the Executive Committee.

Vincent Hein - Director, IDEA

Vincent Hein holds a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Lorraine (2009).

He then worked as an economist at the Economic and Social Council of Lorraine and taught courses at the University of Lorraine for about ten years.

Since 2016, he has been an economist at the Fondation IDEA in Luxembourg, the Think Tank established by the Chamber of Commerce. He was appointed Director of IDEA in 2023.

At IDEA, his main work has focused on analyzing economic and social trends, the country's research and innovation policies, and more recently, issues related to territorial development in Luxembourg and its cross-border area.

Cécile Liégeois - Partner, Clients & Markets Leader, PwC Luxembourg

Cécile is the Clients & Markets Leader of the Country Leadership Team (CLT). She joined PwC Luxembourg in 1999 and has served as assurance market leader for the last 4 years.

She is a regulatory and audit partner in the banking industry. She also leads the banking regulatory advisory practice, focusing on regulatory, operational, and business impacts that governance, compliance, MiFID, digital regulation have on banks, PSF or payment institutions. She is also assisting entities to set up new regulated activities in Luxembourg.

An active member in a number of local associations, she is an advisor to the Board of Directors of the Luxembourg Association of Compliance Officers (ALCO), member of the Financial Markets and Intermediation Committee at Banking Association (ABBL), and chair of the Advisory & Investment Service working group.

She graduated from UCLouvain in Belgium with a Business Engineering Master’s and she is also a qualified “Réviseur d’Entreprises agréé” (registered auditor), as well as a Qualified Chartered Accountant ("Expert Comptable").

Cécile expects PwC to be known as a Trusted Advisor, meaning working collaboratively with clients as a strategic partner and delivering high-quality services to clients. She emphasizes the importance of attracting and retaining the right talents to achieve this goal, aiming for PwC to be an employer of choice, with people feeling valued and able to grow and develop.

François Mousel - Managing Partner, PwC Luxembourg

François Mousel, Managing Partner of PwC Luxembourg as of 1 July 2023, joined the firm in 2005, where he started his career in audit. In 2009, he switched to the Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) as a senior advisor.

After three years at the CSSF, François rejoined the PwC team in 2013. He became a partner in 2015, managing a diversified audit and advisory engagement portfolio, including high profile commercial companies, public institutions, social care institutions/foundations and private equity firms as well as family businesses. He was a member of the exam jury for "réviseur d'Entreprises" in Luxembourg for more than 10 years. Between 2019 and 2023, he held the role of Markets and Strategy - Clients and Markets Leader of PwC Luxembourg as part of the Country Leadership Team. In June 2023 he was elected to join the Board of Directors of the Institut Luxembourgeois des Administrateurs (ILA).

François holds a Master's degree as “Ingénieur de gestion” from Solvay Business School in Brussels and is a qualified "Réviseur d'Entreprises agréé" as well as a Qualified Chartered Accountant ("Expert Comptable").

Anne-Marie Solvi - CEO, Paul Wurth Geprolux SA

With a Master's in Physics and a doctorate in Biological Sciences, Anne-Marie embarked on a career journey that reflects her passion for innovation and technology. Following a brief tenure at the CRP Henri Tudor research center, she joined Paul Wurth in 2007 to work on wastewater treatment design. After gaining several years of experience in project management, she assumed the role of CEO at Paul Wurth Geprolux in 2015. Paul Wurth Geprolux is a company specializing in project management and engineering, active in the construction and energy sectors in Luxembourg. In 2016, she co-launched Paul Wurth Incub in collaboration with Technoport. This new incubator was the opportunity to connect and exchange between agile and innovative startup companies and a traditional highly specialized engineering & technology company like Paul Wurth. Currently, as a board member of the 'Association des Ingénieurs et Scientifiques au Luxembourg', she actively contributes to the promotion of sciences and engineering, as she firmly believes they are essential disciplines for shaping the future of our society.

Carlo Thelen - Director General, Chamber of Commerce

After obtaining a Master of Science in Economics at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, Carlo Thelen joined the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in 1996 as an Economic Adviser. In August 2003, he joined the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and in January 2004, he became Director of International Affairs. In January 2014 he was nominated Director General. Until 2019, he was also the Chief Economist of the Chamber of Commerce, each year preparing and presenting the most important official opinion of the Chamber of Commerce: the opinion on the state budget. Carlo Thelen is also the author of a notable expert blog that highlights current important socio-economic questions, as well as articles and strategic papers published by the Chamber of Commerce. He also represents the Chamber of Commerce in different working groups and councils in Luxembourg institutions and organisations, is in charge of strategic papers, studies, surveys and statistics, research and innovation, documentation and literature on economics, and regularly gives advice and consultations on these subjects. In addition to his economic expertise, Carlo Thelen has extensive experience in commercial and economic advocacy as he regularly participates in economic missions abroad where he promotes the Luxembourg economy and businesses.

Christophe Timmermans - CEO, SolarCleano

Christophe Timmermans is the CEO of Fallprotec and Solarcleano, both of which are based in Luxembourg.

Raised in Luxembourg, Christophe pursued his studies in business and economics in Paris, London and Berlin. Following graduation, his career began at PWC and later with Airbus in France and Spain. In 2017, Christophe returned to Luxembourg to take over the family business, Fallprotec, together with his brother.

At this time, he also founded SolarCleano together with Mr Pol Duthoit. Mr Duthoit brought his extensive knowledge and years of experience in the solar panel cleaning industry to the table, whilst Christophe uses his skills in sales and technology to complement their mechanical design expertise. Solarcleano, through its expert team of mechananical and robotics engineers, has and continues to grow very rapidly, always with a global view on such growth.

Involved on all continents particularly on bigger solar plants and with large scale power producers, the company is driven by R&D and has developed one new robot per year since its creation. The complexity of the technology developed is significant, with robots which have an autonomous driving precision of a few centimeters in the middle of the desert.

Gaston Trauffler - Head of Industrial Policy, FEDIL

Gaston Trauffler is currently head of Industrial Policy at FEDIL and he is also a member of FEDIL’s management committee. In this capacity, Gaston is in charge of energy and environmental issues and he is in charge of implementing initiatives designed to make local industry more competitive.

Before joining FEDIL, Gaston was the Director of Communication, Marketing, and Strategy and a member of the Management Committee at Luxinnovation, Luxembourg’s National Innovation Agency. Previously, Gaston held several positions with the Agency, among others, as Head of Strategy, Department Head of Innovation Management, Design & Strategic Intelligence, and as Head of Start-up Support and SME Performance, where he developed the programs Fit for Innovation and initiated Fit for Start.

Before re-joining Luxinnovation as the Head of Strategy, Gaston worked as a senior manager at Ernst & Young, EY Luxembourg’s business advisory practice in strategy, management, and innovation. He also spent several years working in Tokyo, Japan as an industrial analyst in foreign direct investment and as a consultant in Zurich, advising technology-based companies in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany in innovation management.

Gaston holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s degree in business engineering and Industrial Management with a major in Biocompatible Material Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich. He authored articles on innovation and technology management and published a book on strategic innovation management. He was appointed a member of the expert panel for evaluating the European Commission’s H2020 ERC PoC Grant Program in 2013, 2014 and 2017. Gaston was appointed Associate Professor at the Welch College of Business & Technology (Sacred Heart University) MBA program between 2018 and 2022. Since 2023, he contributes in the same role to HEC Liège Luxembourg’s MBA program.

Emanuele Vignoli - CEO, HSBC

Emanuele Vignoli was appointed Chief Executive Officer of HSBC in Luxembourg in March 2022 and is responsible for all of HSBC’s businesses, covering Private Banking and Wealth Management, Securities Services, Corporate Banking and Global Payments Solutions. Emanuele joined HSBC in 2005 and worked in a variety of roles, including Managing Director, Regional Head of Global Liquidity & Cash Management for UK & Europe International with direct responsibility of people, P&L, client and risk management across 12 markets.

Prior to joining HSBC, he worked for ABN AMRO and Citibank, within their Transaction Banking division covering several management roles in their middle and front office departments in addition to Strategy and Transformation roles. Emanuele has a strong international background and an excellent track record of driving growth and client focus. He has represented HSBC as Non-Executive Director for Vaultex Ltd, one of the UK’s leading cash processors. He is currently member of several internal HSBC Boards and Chairman of the Luxembourg Bankers' Association (ABBL) UK/Nordic geographical group. Emanuele holds a post graduate degree in Economics and Banking at the University of Siena (Italy) and Antwerp (Belgium).

Pierre Zimmer - CIO, POST

Pierre Zimmer started his career in the civil service in 1990 to integrate the Executive Management of the “Centre Informatique de l’Etat” (CIE). In 2005 he became advisor to the Minister of Public Service, responsible for the eLuxembourg service. Pierre plays a decisive role in the launch of LuxTrust, of which he was appointed Managing Director. Pierre initiated the merger between the CIE and eLuxembourg, and is appointed General Manager of the State Information Technology Center, resulting from this merger. In 2013 Pierre joins POST Luxembourg as CIO. In 2015 he was elected ‘CIO of the Year’. In April 2016 Pierre was appointed Deputy CEO, responsible for the diversification strategy, digital transformation, innovation and the Cyberforce service at POST.