Focus on Cross-Border Investments

Nadia Bonnet is Senior Luxembourg Counsel at Simpson Thacher, based in the firm’s New York office. She has more than 15 years of experience in guiding U.S. and international sponsors on the formation of funds and other investment vehicles in Luxembourg, as well as in related distribution and other activities. Her practice focuses on the development and regulation of alternative investment funds, vehicles and managers (AIFMs) across a wide range of asset classes, including private equity, real estate, venture capital, private debt and infrastructure, for both regulated and non-regulated investment structures. In the beginning of her career, she also counseled clients in related joint ventures, corporate restructurings and mergers and acquisitions.

Nadia’s clients include Blackstone, DigitalBridge, KSL Capital Partners, New Mountain Capital, Stonepeak and TCV, among others. She has represented many sponsors of private investment funds over her career, such as: LVMH and Groupe Arnault in the structuring and lifecycle of their real estate funds and in their strategic partnership with Catterton; GCM Grosvenor; and Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity. She also acted as a consultant to the World Bank, analyzing the offshore (Luxembourg) regulatory framework for supporting the establishment of hybrid (public-private), venture capital and private equity funds in developing countries, including in the Western Balkans.

Nadia is a recognized authority in Luxembourg private fund formation and investment matters, having played a prominent role in some of the most significant Luxembourg fund matters in recent years. She has written articles for the European American Chamber of Commerce, International Financial Law Review, ESG Investing, the Luxembourg Revue Pratique de Droit des Affaires, Investment Lawyer, Private Equity Law Report, and many others.

Nadia regularly serves on panels at several industry conferences. She has spoken at events hosted by the Association Luxembourgeoise des Fonds d’Investissement (“ALFI”), HFMWeek, Informa Connect (the “UCITS & AIFMD for US Managers” conference), the Hedge Fund Association, the “big four” accounting firms and other industry players. Nadia is also hosting a CFO Roundtable on a quarterly basis with Aztec Group.

Fluent in French and English, Nadia is a member of the Luxembourg bar. She received a Bachelor’s in Business Law, with distinction, and a Master’s in European Business Law, with distinction, from the Université de Franche-Comté, and studied in Luxembourg and in a U.S. legal exchange program at Kansas University (undergraduate). She also received a Certificate of Business Finance Formation from the HEC Liège, Belgium, a Certificate of Islamic Capital Markets Formation from the Luxembourg School of Finance and a Certificate in the Fundamentals of Alternative Investments from the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association.

Nadia is a member of the International Bar Association as well as a member of the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry’s Debt Funds Committee and PE & VC Publications group. She also serves on the board of the Luxembourg American Chamber of Commerce.

Jillien Flores serves as Executive Vice President, Managing Director, Head of Global Government Affairs at Managed Funds Association (MFA).

Jillien joined MFA after six years at Vanguard, one of the world’s leading asset managers. There, she advocated before Washington policymakers on a range of issues related to US capital markets, tax, and retirement policy. Leveraging policy depth, strategy, and relationships, Jillien achieved policy outcomes beneficial to Vanguard’s clients on issues including equity market structure, ESG and corporate governance, and systemic risk. Throughout her career, Jillien has sought opportunities to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the financial services sector, serving in leadership roles of related efforts at Vanguard.

Prior to joining Vanguard, Jillien was Director of Government Relations at Porterfield, Lowenthal, Fettig & Sears, where she represented clients before Congress and the federal financial regulators in the asset management, insurance, securities, and biotechnology sectors. She was involved in the legislative and rule-writing process for several financial services laws and regulations, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act.

Jillien earned a B.A. from the George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Simon Gorbutt is Deputy CEO at Luxembourg for Finance, the Agency for the Development of the Financial Centre.

A lawyer qualified in England and Wales, and Ireland, Simon has worked in financial services in Luxembourg since 2007. He joined LFF from a leading Luxembourg provider of unit-linked insurance solutions where he was the company’s Legal and Tax Counsel for the UK, Northern Europe, Asia and International and, later, Director and Head of Wealth Planning, leading a team of specialists working on a global basis at the intersection of private banking, asset management, succession planning and insurance.

A qualified Director, Simon is a founding member of STEP Benelux a.s.b.l. and has served as Chairman of the STEP Benelux Board. He is a Board member of the Luxembourg Association of Family Offices and has also served as Chair of the UK and DAC 6 Working Groups at the Luxembourg Association des Compagnies d’Assurances et de Réassurances, Chair of the AmCham Luxembourg Insurance Committee and Deputy Chair of the Tax Committee at the Association of International Life Offices. Simon teaches on the Masters in Wealth Management at the University of Luxembourg, and on the International Management of Family Wealth programme at the International University of Monaco.

He holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Edinburgh and a Masters in Law, and has received the Certified Digital Asset Advisor designation.

Dr. Marcus Peter heads the Investment Funds and Private Equity practice at GSK Stockmann in Luxembourg. He is a lawyer in Germany (since 2004) and Luxembourg (since 2005) and obtained his LL.M and Ph.D. degrees from the European Institute in Saarbruecken, Germany.

Prior to GSK Stockmann in Luxembourg, Dr. Marcus Peter has worked for a Luxembourg law firm from 2004 to 2016 (last 4 years as partner). Since 2016, he is a partner at GSK Stockmann in Luxembourg. Dr. Marcus Peter is an expert in Luxembourg Investment Funds & Private Equity law, Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate Law.

Dr. Marcus Peter is a member of the Luxembourg Private Equity Association (LPEA), Chinese-Luxembourgish Chamber of Commerce, DAV Luxembourg, EVER and CBBL (Cross Border Business Lawyers).

Catherine Pogorzelski has significant experience of advising fund managers and investors on structuring, forming and investing into alternative investment funds, particularly within the private equity, real estate and debt fund sectors. She combines excellent technical knowledge of the local legal environment and global market practice with a solution-driven approach.

Catherine also helps clients with fund distribution, regulatory matters such as SFDR (sustainability and ESG compliance requirements), general corporate law and, in particular, transactional work relating to investment funds and investment management related financial services.

She assists on all legal aspects impacting alternative investment fund managers, fund management entities and their service providers. These include fund and investment management operator structuring, regulatory compliance and ongoing activities.

Catherine has written and co-authored publications and is a regular speaker and lecturer on fund structuring and formation, private equity and AIFMD related topics (House of Trainings, LPEA and ALFI).

Prior to joining DLA Piper as a partner in 2014, she worked for a top-tier law firm in Luxembourg, and in the New York and Luxembourg offices of a leading Benelux law firm.

Catherine serves as co-chair of LPEA’s legal committee. She is also a founding member and member of the board of directors for Dress for Success Luxembourg ASBL, a not-for-profit organisation that provides suits and accessories to disadvantaged women returning to or entering the workforce.

Abbas Suleiman is the Senior Director and Head of Structured Finance at Invesco Real Estate. Abbas is responsible for structured finance matters of a range of separate account and pooled funds at Invesco Real Estate.

Abbas began his investment career in 2002 and joined Invesco Real Estate in January 2013. Prior to joining Invesco, Abbas was a fund controller at AEW Europe for four years and has also worked in fund reporting and fund accounting roles at CBRE Investors, Close Brothers and MFI. Abbas has 16 years’ accounting experience.

Abbas is a qualified chartered accountant and is based in the London office.

Frank van Kuijk is a member of Loyens & Loeff’s Investment Management group. Out of Loyens & Loeff’s NYC office Frank mainly assists US and Canadian asset managers with their fund-raising efforts in Europe through Luxembourg structures. Frank also heads the NYC’s EU deal structuring team. That team supports US fund managers with their EU acquisitions and EU credit strategies.

Frank’s advice is characterized by tailored solutions factoring in EU regulatory and tax aspects, relevant in the different stages of the fund’s life cycle. He has an outstanding eye for EU investor needs and how to accommodate these.

Frank has a particular focus on infra structure, debt, and private equity funds, and on US fund managers that tap for the first time into the European investor markets.

Before joining the New York office, Frank worked at the Dutch, Luxembourg, and London offices of Loyens & Loeff, where he gained broad international experience and recognition. Frank is currently co-heading our New York office and is the co-chair of Loyens & Loeff’s Private Equity and Funds focus group.

Miriam Wall is an Executive Director at Waystone, based in New York City, and has extensive investment funds experience with a focus on client solutions and alternative investment fund structures.

She brings to this role her well-rounded experience in European fund management companies and fund administration, which she gained in Ireland and Luxembourg.

Having joined the Waystone Group in 2015, Miriam relocated from Dublin to Luxembourg in 2017 to establish the Luxembourg Branch of the Waystone AIFM and UCITS Management Company. Miriam was responsible for the relationship management team in Luxembourg, where she managed key relationships with investment managers and strategic partners for the Waystone Group across multiple jurisdictions.

In 2021 she joined Waystone Compliance Solutions, a new division in the Waystone Group and was responsible for driving the growth of this new business line as well as cross-sales.

Miriam has a background in fund operations and client relationship management, and has extensive experience in the management, oversight and governance of investment funds. Prior to joining Waystone, Miriam worked at Citibank Europe PLC, PFS Credit Suisse ad BNY Mellon covering client and investor solutions.

Robert is a Partner at EY Luxembourg where he serves as market leader and a member of the country leadership committee.  Additionally, at a regional level, he serves as the EY EMEIA Wealth and Asset Management Assurance Leader.

Robert is a Board member of the Luxembourg Investment Funds Association (ALFI), a member of the ALFI Strategy Board and co-chair of the ALFI Real Estate Investment Funds Committee.

Robert is a former member of the public affairs Board of the European Association of Investors in Non-Listed Real Estate Vehicles and a member of their open-end funds group.  He also sits on the Board of the National University of Ireland, Galway, Commerce Faculty.

Robert is a presenter at various internal and external IFRS trainings, guest lecturer at numerous universities and has authored articles in many notable publications.