Agenda

Alain Zimmermann is the Global Chief Marketing & Branding Officer and a member of the Global
Business Committee of EFG International since 01 May 2024.

Alain Zimmermann is a senior executive with more than 20 years of international marketing and
branding experience in the luxury goods and private banking sectors. He joined EFG from Digital
Luxury Group in Geneva, where he has been Managing Partner since 2020, providing strategic
consulting services to leading global brands. Before that, Alain Zimmermann held strategic
leadership roles at the luxury goods holding company Richemont, including the position of Chief
Executive Officer of Baume et Mercier in Geneva from 2009 to 2018. From 2006 to 2009, he was
Managing Director Marketing & Communications at Julius Baer in Zurich. Prior to that, Alain
Zimmermann held various senior management roles at IWC, Cartier and L’Oréal Group.

Alain Zimmermann was born in 1967 and is a French citizen. He holds a Bachelor in International
Business Management (CESEM double degree programme) from the NEOMA Business School in
Reims, France, and a degree in Business Administration from the ESB Business School in Germany.

Andre Portelli is the Head of Investment & Client Solutions and a member of the Executive Committees of EFG International and EFG Bank since 01 February 2024. He is also a member of the
Global Business Committee of EFG International as of the same date.

As Head of Investment & Client Solutions, Andre Portelli is responsible for EFG’s global investment activities, including all discretionary and advisory mandates, research and for the full range of investment funds managed by EFG Asset Management.

Andre Portelli is a senior banking executive with more than 20 years of experience in private banking and investment banking. From 2017 until joining EFG in 2024, he was Global Co-Head Investments
and Global Head Strategic Solutions Group and Private Markets at Barclays Private Bank. Prior to that, he held various senior roles at UBS, including Head of Private Solutions, EMEA, UBS Investment
Bank, from 2010 to 2017. He previously also worked for Nomura and Lehman Brothers in the UK, the UAE and Switzerland.

Andre Portelli was born in 1976 and is a Maltese citizen. He holds a Master in International Economics & Management, Money, Banking & Finance from the Bocconi University Business School, Milan.

Holly Cova is the British Team Director of offshore racing team Team Malizia, working alongside skipper Boris Herrmann. She joined the team in Germany in 2018, when it was made up of just a few people, and has played a central role in growing it into a 40+ person organisation and one of the larger and most competitive offshore racing teams.

Originally from the UK, Holly grew up sailing and has a lifelong passion for the ocean. Before joining Team Malizia, she studied law and became a practicing corporate finance lawyer in London in 2014. In 2018, she moved from law into professional sailing, taking on responsibility across the team including budgets, sponsorships, communications and organisational development.

Alongside its racing programme, Team Malizia has a strong focus on climate action, ocean science and sustainability. Holly is particularly passionate about using the team’s platform to communicate the importance of ocean health, support scientific research and inspire
practical solutions to global environmental challenges.

Holly believes strongly in the power of collaboration, thinking differently and finding solutions to complex problems. She is also passionate about creating opportunities for women in sailing and challenging stereotypes within a traditionally male dominated industry.

Alfredo Girón Nava leads the World Economic Forum’s Ocean work though ACT Ocean and the Friends of Ocean Action. His work bridges ocean science, multilateral governance, and private finance to advance marine conservation, ocean industries transition and blue economy development, with a strong focus on emerging economies in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Indo-Pacific.

An oceanographer with a PhD from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and 50+ peer-reviewed publications, Alfredo has contributed to ocean policy processes at UNGA, UNFCCC, CBD, and the UN Ocean Decade. Originally from Mexico and based in Geneva, he brings a distinctly Global South perspective to the intersection of science, finance, and ocean governance.

Jessica Smith is Head of Nature at the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), leading efforts to integrate nature across global finance. She played a key role in establishing the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and advancing financial sector engagement in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. She co-authored the “Finance for Nature Positive” working model and has developed extensive
technical guidance on nature risks and opportunities.

With deep expertise in nature-related finance, Jessica has led research on unlocking investments into Indigenous- and community-managed landscapes and advocated for Indigenous leadership in emerging nature markets, including the Biodiversity Credit Alliance’s Communities Advisory Panel. She authored the first academic paper linking conservation finance, blended finance, and community-led conservation and holds advisory
roles in both public and private sectors.

Before UNEP FI, Jessica directed an environmental finance consultancy and led secretariats for the Equator Principles Association and the Cross-Sector Biodiversity Initiative. She previously held roles at UNEP-WCMC, IUCN, and UNDP. Jessica holds degrees in environmental studies, business, international development, and finance and is a PhD researcher at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business.

Melanie is the Global Head of Sustainable Investing at EFG International, where she leads the sustainable investing strategy, product development, and related content and communication. She
joined EFG in 2017 initially as Swiss Equity portfolio manager and later launched the New Capital Climate Transition Equity Fund, where she serves as Lead Fund Manager. Prior to EFG, Melanie held
various roles at Credit Suisse across Asset Management, Private Banking, and Investment & Trading Solutions.

Melanie holds a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and has earned the CFA UK Certificate in Climate and Investing. She has also completed executive
programs in Sustainable Finance at the University of Cambridge and Business Sustainability Strategy at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Damita Pressl is an award-winning journalist, international moderator, public speaking coach and TEDx speaker. She previously worked as a news anchor and TV host on Austrian national television, and as a journalist at Neue Zürcher Zeitung. She moderates high-level panels, forums and conferences across Europe and beyond.

Andrea Beltratti is Full Professor in the Department of Finance at Bocconi University, Academic Director of the Executive Master in Finance – EMF at SDA Bocconi School of Management and Chairman of the EFG Gamma Foundation. He has been Chairman of Eurizon Capital until 2024 and of the Management Board of Intesa Sanpaolo until May 2013. 

Andrea has a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University, where he wrote a dissertation on financial market volatility under the supervision of Prof. Robert Shiller. He has been member of the Board of Directors of EFAMA (European Fund and Asset Management Association), President of the FEDUF (Fondazione per Educazione Finanziaria), and part of Investment Committees of institutional investors.

Andrea Beltratti is Full Professor in the Department of Finance at Bocconi University, Academic Director of the Executive Master in Finance – EMF at SDA Bocconi School of Management and Chairman of the EFG Gamma Foundation. He has been Chairman of Eurizon Capital until 2024 and of the Management Board of Intesa Sanpaolo until May 2013. 

Andrea has a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University, where he wrote a dissertation on financial market volatility under the supervision of Prof. Robert Shiller. He has been member of the Board of Directors of EFAMA (European Fund and Asset Management Association), President of the FEDUF (Fondazione per Educazione Finanziaria), and part of Investment Committees of institutional investors.