Focus on the New EU Commission Agenda

Adam Farkas is the Chief Executive Officer of AFME. He joined the Association in February 2020 and is responsible for shaping its overall strategy, leading the formulation of policy positions of the industry on European regulatory issues, and managing AFME’s daily operations. Adam was also appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA) in March 2022, coordinating industry views on key global regulatory issues. Adam also sits on the Board of TheCityUK, an industry-led body representing UK-based financial and related professional services. He also serves as a member of the Global Markets Advisory Committee of the US Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Before joining AFME, Adam was the Executive Director of the European Banking Authority (EBA) from April 2011 until the end of January 2020 where he managed the organisation’s daily operations and led the implementation of its regulatory work programme. Between 2011 and 2019, he represented the EBA on the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.

Prior to joining the EBA, he acted as the Executive Chairman of the Hungarian Financial Supervisory Authority from 2009 to 2010 where he spearheaded the Authority’s response to the financial crisis. His other previous positions include CEO for Allianz Bank from 2006 until 2009 and co-CEO of CIB Bank (Intesa Sanpaolo Group) between 2002 and 2005. Between 1997 and 2001, he was Managing Director and Member of the Board at the National Bank of Hungary. Adam started his career as an Assistant Professor at the Budapest University of Economic Sciences (subsequently renamed Corvinus University of Budapest). He was also a consultant to various financial institutions in Budapest and London, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) between 1991-1997. Adam holds a doctorate degree in Finance from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences, and a Master’s in computer-based simulation and modelling from Sunderland University in the UK.

Adam holds a doctorate in Finance from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences, and a Master’s in computer-based simulation and modelling from Sunderland University in the UK.

Steve Jacoby is the Regional Managing Partner for Continental Europe of the Luxembourg office of Clifford Chance and co-heads the Luxembourg Banking, Finance and Capital Markets practice, handling lending, securitisation, capital markets, regulatory, derivatives, general banking law (including litigation), corporate law and insolvency matters.

His practice focuses in particular on financial regulatory matters as well as on Fintech and innovation. Steve is also an associate lecturer (Chargé de Cours Associé) at the University of Luxembourg in Banking, Finance and Capital Markets law.

Alexandra Jour-Schroeder is Deputy Director General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union since March 2021.

Prior to that she was Acting Deputy Director General for Justice and consumers and Director for Criminal Justice. Ms Jour-Schroeder joined the European Commission in 1996 and held different positions inter alia in competition, industry, justice and consumer policies. Between 1997 and 2007 she was a member of Cabinet of several European Commissioners and of Vice-President Verheugen.

Before joining the European Commission, Alexandra Jour-Schroeder worked for the German Ministry of Economic Affairs. She is a graduate in law.

Since 2006 Antoine Kremer has been responsible for European Affairs at both the Luxembourg Bankers’ Association (ABBL) and the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI). In 2022 he took up the same position at the Luxembourg Insurance and Reinsurance Association (ACA) as well. He is currently heading the ABBL, ALFI & ACA EU Representative Office in Brussels. In this role, he oversees representing the three associations in dealing with the EU institutions. He also participates in working groups at the European Banking Federation (EBF), the European Fund and Asset Managers Association (EFAMA), Insurance Europe, the Union of Luxembourg Companies (UEL) and BusinessEurope. Antoine is also an alternate Member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

Before joining ABBL, ALFI and ACA, Antoine worked at the Luxembourg Permanent Representation with the EU, dealing with relations with the European Parliament. For four and a half years, he was head of private office for MEP Astrid Lulling where he was in charge of works regarding the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee, and specialized in financial services and tax matters. Antoine has also carried out work experience with the European Commission and the Luxembourg Ministry of State.

She focuses on Capital Markets, Banking & Finance, Corporate, Restructuring and Sustainable Finance.

She is admitted to the Bar in Germany (2015) and Luxembourg (2017) and holds qualifications from Julius-Maximilians University in Würzburg and Humboldt University in Berlin.

Anna undertook traineeships at two major international law firms in Berlin in the areas of insolvency administration and antitrust, and was employed at a major international law firm in Frankfurt am Main with a focus on corporate and finance litigation.

She speaks English, French and German, and is a member of the Luxembourg Banking Law Lawyers Association (ALJB).

Benoît Theunissen is a Policy and Regulatory Affairs Advisor with Luxembourg for Finance. In this role, he specializes in the analysis and monitoring of regulatory developments spanning local, European, and international spheres. Alongside this, he engages in broader strategic analysis, encompassing political and market intelligence and offering guidance on a range of sustainable finance issues.

Before joining Luxembourg for Finance, Benoît Theunissen worked as a business and financial journalist, including roles as an EU-accredited correspondent and Editor-in-Chief. Additionally, he has experience in financial crime compliance and forensic auditing, where he assisted diverse sectors including oil and gas, and pharmaceuticals. His role extended to aiding financial institutions ranging from depositary and custodian banks to international clearinghouses and retail banks. His focus was on developing and implementing compliance frameworks for anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, anti-corruption, as well as enforcing international sanctions and restrictive measures in various jurisdictions.

Natalie Westerbarkey joined the International Capital Markets Association (ICMA) in June 2024 and is Managing Director, Co-Head of the Market Practice and Regulatory Policy team and Executive Committee Member.

In her role Ms Westerbarkey promotes the safe functioning of fixed income markets globally and engages on behalf of more than 600 members with public sector stakeholders and other trade associations. ICMA is a global trade body with members in 70 jurisdictions including private and public sector entities like banks, insurance firms, asset managers, market infrastructures, corporate issuers, sovereign issuers, central banks, and multi-lateral development banks.

Prior to joining ICMA, she worked as Director and Head of EU Public Policy at Fidelity International based in Luxembourg and Brussels and was Chairman of Fidelity’s distribution entity for over five years. She was also the Vice-Chair then Chair of EFAMA’s Investor Education Platform. Before that, she worked at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) based in the UAE, at Citigroup as a Director based in London and at Clifford Chance in London as a lawyer, at the European Commission in Brussels, and as a lawyer in Germany.

Ms Westerbarkey qualified as a judge in Germany in March 2002, completed an Executive MBA at Bayes (former Cass) Business School in 2011, and an LLM at Oxford Brookes University in 2005. She is certified as board director by ILA in Luxembourg and Deutsche Börse in Germany and has about 25 years international experience in the financial and regulatory sector.