Programme

The European Union is going through tough times. The anaemic recovery from the 2008 financial crisis has combined with new challenges – including Brexit, the migration crisis, and a chilling in relations with Russia – to test the very fabric of the European Union body politic. Do Europe’s leaders have the vision and political mandate to manage these systemic challenges? How should business and investors navigate the fault lines in the EU?

Moderator:
Peter Lаvelle , Anchor, RT

Peter Lаvelle

Anchor, RT

Peter John Lavelle is a senior journalist and host of “CrossTalk”, presented by the English-language channel RT, a global multilingual television news network (formerly "Russia Today"). Lavelle, from California, is now based in Moscow. Prior to “CrossTalk”, Peter Lavelle hosted RT's programs “IMHO” (In My Humble Opinion), “In Context”, and a business program called "On the Money." Lavelle received a B.A. in International Economic Relations, an M.A. in European history, and completed Ph.D. courses in Studies in European Economic History from the University of California, Davis. He was a Fulbright Research Fellow at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland. He has been living in Eastern Europe and Russia for over 25 years, working as a lecturer at the University of Warsaw, a market researcher for Colgate-Palmolive, and an investment analyst for brokerage firms, including Russia’s Alfa Bank. Lavelle has contributed articles to a number of publications including Asia Times Online, The Moscow Times, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, United Press International, The National Interest, and Current History. Lavelle also was the author of "Untimely Thoughts", an electronic newsletter.

Panellists
Emmanuel Babeau , Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Schneider Electric
Markus Beyrer , General Director, BusinessEurope
Yaroslav Lissovolik , Chief Economist, Member of the Management Board, Eurasian Development Bank (EDB)
Gerard Mestrallet , Chairman of the Board of Directors, ENGIE Group
Peter Szijjarto , Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary
Jean-Pierre Thomas , President, Thomas Vendome Investment

Emmanuel Babeau

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Schneider Electric

Emmanuel Babeau joined Schneider Electric on July 2009. He is Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Finance & Legal Affairs since 2013. He began his career at Arthur Andersen in late 1990. In 1993, he joined Pernod Ricard as an Internal Auditor. He was appointed Head of Internal Audit, Corporate Treasury and Consolidation in 1996. He subsequently held several executive positions at Pernod Ricard, notably outside France, among which he served as Finance and Administrative Director Spain subsidiary in 1997. In 2001, Emmanuel rejoined Pernod Ricard head-offices in Paris to hold position of Vice President, Development, in charge of the integration of Seagram. Progressing fast, he was appointed CFO in 2003 and Group Deputy Managing Director of Finance in 2006, supervising Finance, Information Systems and Industry Administrations. He joined Schneider Electric in 2009 as Executive Vice President Finance and Member of the Management Board of Schneider Electric Emmanuel graduated from École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP, 1989) and holds a degree in finance and accounting (DESCF).

Markus Beyrer

General Director, BusinessEurope

Markus J. Beyrer has been Director General of BUSINESSEUROPE since late 2012. Prior to this he held the positions of CEO of the Austrian Industry Holding ÖIAG, Director General of the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) and Director for Economic Affairs of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. Before this Mr Beyrer served as Chief Economic Advisor to the Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel. In the 1990s he worked on Austria’s accession to the European Union and the integration of Austria into the European Single Market (at the Austrian Permanent Representation to the European Union and the European Commission). In addition to his executive positions, Mr Beyrer held a number of non-executive board functions in various Austrian industrial companies and was a member of the non-executive board of the Austrian Central Bank. Mr Beyrer read Law and Commercial Sciences in Vienna, graduating in Law at the University of Vienna. Later he completed postgraduate studies in European Law at the Danube University in Krems (Austria) and the Stanford Executive Program at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. Mr Beyrer is married and has two children.

Yaroslav Lissovolik

Chief Economist, Member of the Management Board, Eurasian Development Bank (EDB)

Yaroslav Lissovolik joined the Eurasian Development Bank as its Chief Economist in 2015. In 2001-2004 he worked in the International Monetary Fund, where he was Advisor to the Executive Director for the Russian Federation in Washington. In 2004 Yaroslav Lissovolik joined Deutsche Bank as Chief Economist; in 2009 he became Head of Company Research in Russia and in 2011- a member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank in Russia. Yaroslav Lissovolik earned a BA in Economics from Harvard University; an MA in International Economic Relations from Moscow State Institute of International Relations; an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, holds a PhD in Economics and is a professor at the department of World Economy at the Diplomatic Academy. Yaroslav Lissovolik is a member of the Advisory Council of the Central Bank of Russia, a member of the Council on foreign and defense policy and a member of the Bretton Woods Committee. In 2012 Yaroslav Lissovolik became a member of the Expert Council of the Russian government as well as the Working group on macroeconomic policy of the Presidential Economic Council. He has published books on Russia's entry to the WTO and on Russia's integration into the world economy, as well as numerous articles and papers on economic and policy issues.

Gerard Mestrallet

Chairman of the Board of Directors, ENGIE Group

Born April 1, 1949. Education • Graduate of the École Polytechnique. • Graduate of the École Nationale d’Administration. Professional career • 2008-2016: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ENGIE. • 2001-2008: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SUEZ. • 1997-2001: Chairman of the Executive Board of SUEZ Lyonnaise des Eaux. • 1995-1997: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Compagnie de Suez. • 1991-1995: Executive Director and Chairman of the Management Committee of Société Générale de Belgique. • 1986-1991: Senior Executive Vice-President in charge of industrial affairs of SUEZ. • 1984-1986: Special Advisor at Compagnie financière de SUEZ. Other memberships and offices held • Chairman of the Board of Directors at SUEZ (France) and ENGIE Energy Management(Belgium) • Director of Société Générale • Member of the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG (Germany) • Chairman of Paris EUROPLACE (France) • Chairman of the FACE (Fondation Agir Contre l’Exclusion) Foundation and the ENGIE Corporate Foundation (France) • Honorary Chairman of the Chongqing Mayor’s International Economic Advisory Council • Member of the Shanghai and Beijing Mayors’ International Economic Advisory Councils • Director of Tongji University (Shanghai) • Doctor Honoris Causa at Cranfield University (UK)

Peter Szijjarto

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary

He was born on October 30th, 1978 in Komárom. He is an economist who earned his degree in International Relations from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences and Public Administration in 2002. He joined Fidesz in 1998. He was elected to member of the municipal government in the same year in the city of Győr, and then he obtained a mandate between 2006 and 2010 again. In 2005 he was elected to president of Fidelitas, the youth organization of Fidesz. He occupied this position until 2009. He first became member of the National Assembly in 2002. He received mandates in 2006, 2010 and 2014 as well; currently he serves his fourth term as member of the Parliament. He served as communications director and spokesman of the Fidesz between 2006 and 2010, and he was chief of staff of the party’s president from 2009 to 2010. During his parliamentary work he was deputy faction leader of Fidesz and chairman of the Parliament's Budget Committee. He served as the Prime Minister’s spokesman from June 2010 to June 2012, and headed the Prime Minister’s staff in charge of press, international and organizational affairs. In June 2012 he was appointed to State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations of the Prime Minister’s Office. He served as Government Commissioner for Hungarian-Russian Relations and Hungarian Chinese Bilateral Relations from March 2013. In June, 2014, he was appointed to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Since September, 2014, he serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Jean-Pierre Thomas

President, Thomas Vendome Investment

2013: creation of his own company “THOMAS VENDÔME INVESTMENT”: private Equity, Real Estate Investments and advisory especially for European and Russian companies. 1998 – 2013: LAZARD partner. Former representative of French President Nicolas Sarkozy – French – Russian economic cooperation. March 2012: report on the creation of an economic Euro – Russian area. Appointed by the French Ministry of the Economy to follow cross-boarder investments and programme of privatizations between France and Russia within C.E.F.I.C. (Conseil Economique, Financier, Industriel et Commercial). Political career. NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: one of the leaders in Republican Party. Member of Finance Committee : spokesman on the Economy and the Budget, Special Finance Committee reporter. Author of the Thomas Law (March 1997) for creating pension funds in France. The Euro : Representant of the Parliament at the Euro Committee. Privatisations: in 1998, as a Member of the Parliament, he wrote a book “Les privatisations”. Member of the International Advisory Board of RUSAL, member of the board of RECYLEX Group. Advisor of SANOFI. Senior Advisor of the president of AMUNDI. Member of the “Cercle de l’Union Interalliée”. Born in 1957 in Vosges (France).

Jim Rogers , Chairman, Beeland Interests Inc
Liv Monica Stubholt , Chairman of the Board, Norwegian-Russian Chamber of Commerce; Partner, Law Firm Selmer

Jim Rogers

Chairman, Beeland Interests Inc

Jim Rogers, a native of Demopolis, Alabama, is an author, financial commentator, adventurer, and successful international investor. After attending Yale and Oxford University, Rogers co-founded the Quantum Fund, a global-investment partnership. During the next 10 years, the portfolio gained 4200%, while the S&P rose less than 50%. Rogers then decided to retire – at age 37. Continuing to manage his own portfolio, Rogers kept busy serving as a full professor of finance at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. In 1990-1992, Rogers fulfilled his lifelong dream: motorcycling 100,000 miles across six continents, a feat that landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records. As a private investor, he constantly analyzed the countries through which he traveled for investment ideas. He chronicled his one-of-a-kind journey in Investment Biker: On the Road with Jim Rogers. Jim also embarked on a Millennium Adventure in 1999. He traveled for 3 years on his round-the-world, Guinness World Record journey. It was his 3rd Guinness Record. Passing through 116 countries, he covered more than 245,000 kilometers, which he recounted in his book Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip. His latest memoir Street Smarts: Adventures on the Road and in the Markets was published in February 2013.

Liv Monica Stubholt

Chairman of the Board, Norwegian-Russian Chamber of Commerce; Partner, Law Firm Selmer

Liv Monica Stubholt has 25 years’ experience as a business lawyer. She has been engaged with EU and EEA law since 1990. She co-chaired the government appointed expert group reviewing Norway's overall relationship with the EU, submitting its report in Norwegian Public Report (NOU) 2012:2 " On the outside and on the inside". Liv Monica has held top executive positions in business and government. As deputy minister in the Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs 2005 – 2007 she was responsible for the Arctic, Norway's bilateral relationship with the EU and EU member states. She subesequently served as deputy minister for Petroleum and Energy 2007-2009. As a lawyer, she continues to be work for public sector entitities in their commercial ventures. Before returning to the legal profession she had almost five years of industry experience including President and CEO of the listed seafood company Aker Seafoods and Strategy Director of Kværner, a world leading offshore yard contractor. She continues to represent Kværner in her capacity as the elected chairman of the Board of the Norwegian Russian Chamber of Commerce since 2014. During the last 10 years she has been particularly active in the energy sector (oil and gas, renewable energy and environmental technology) as well as in the seafood sector, advising also a number of international companies within these sectors. Liv Monica has several non-executive board positions, particularly in the energy and technology sectors. This includes board member of Norsk Hydro and chairing Rosneft's subsidiary in Norway (oil and gas), Varanger Kraft AS (hydropower) and Klemetsrudanlegget AS (waste to energy). She is a council member of the Centre for Petroleum and Energy Law at the Faculty of Law in Oslo and at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, an independent foundation engaged in research on international environmental, energy and resource management politics and law. She serves on the Advisory Board of energy, environment and resources department of the Norwegian Research Council. Recent publications Norwegian offshoreyards' competitiveness (Norske offshoreverfts konkurranseevne), chair of the committee appointed by KonKraft, 2013 Norway’s agreements with the European Union – Official Norwegian Reports – Co-chairman of the committee, NOU 2012:2, 2012 Ocean21 – A substantial seafood industry (FoU-strategi for en havnasjon av format – HAV21) – Chair of the strategy advisory committee appointed by the Government, 2012