Catherine Ford Consultant Editor MERGERMARKET

Catherine Ford is a consultant editor for the events division at Mergermarket. She is a consultant editor to event programmes, and engaged in the development of timely editorial content for global corporate finance, M&A and capital markets related conferences and events. She routinely moderates discussion panels at conferences across the region. She has worked for Mergermarket since early 2002, holding a number of senior editorial roles in the company’s European, US and Asia-Pacific head offices.

Paul Donovan Chief Economist UBS Global Wealth Management

Paul is the Chief Economist of UBS Global Wealth Management. He is a member of the Global Investment Committee, and (despite being told to stop studying art at the age of twelve) sits on the UBS Art Board. He is a UBS Opinion Leader, and a member of UBS Pride. He participates in the UBS Nobel Perspectives program and is a supporter of the UBS Women in Economics program.

Paul is responsible for developing and presenting the UBS economic outlook, marketing the UBS view on economics, policy and politics around the world. He regularly appears in the print and broadcast media, and is a reluctant Tweeter on economic issues. Paul started at UBS Investment Bank as an intern in 1992, and was Global Economist before moving to Global Wealth Management in August 2016.

Paul has an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University. He is an Honorary Fellow of St Anne’s College, Oxford, sitting on its investment committee, and is a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Circle of Oxford. He holds an MSc in Financial Economics from the University of London. Paul sits on the Research Advisory Board of Open for Business, and is part of the World Economic Forum’s Chief Economists’ Community. Paul is also a co-founder of the Peter Culverhouse Memorial Trust (a cancer research and patient care charity). He is an amateur heavyweight boxer, plays at being a farmer (with sheep, apples, and pears), and is a keen skier.

Paul co-authored “From Red to Green? How the financial credit crunch could bankrupt the environment” with Julie Hudson, published in August 2011. “Food Policy and the Environmental Credit Crunch: From Soup to Nuts”, also co-authored with Julie, was published in September 2013. Paul contributed to “How the world really works: the economy”, a children’s guide to economics published in May 2014. His book "The Truth About Inflation" was published in April 2015, with a Spanish language version published in September 2018. His latest book "Profit and Prejudice: The Luddites of the Fourth Industrial Revolution" looking at the increasing economic risks arising from prejudice was published in November 2020.

Michael Maag Managing Partner Alantra

Michael Maag is Managing Partner of Alantra Switzerland. Prior to Alantra, he was Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley Switzerland. Before that, he worked in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs in Frankfurt and London.

Over 20 years in investment banking, Michael Maag has advised on transactions worth over $50bn, including numerous M&A, IPO and capital raising transactions in a variety of sectors and geographies.

Brice Bolinger Head of M&A Switzerland UBS

Brice Bolinger is a Managing Director of UBS and Head of M&A Switzerland, based in Zurich. He joined Credit Suisse (now part of UBS) in 2008 from Novartis, where he worked in the Corporate M&A team. Brice started his career at UBS in 2004 in the Swiss Investment Banking team. Brice has been involved in some of the largest Swiss M&A transactions and has broad experience ranging from public M&A deals to complex carve-out transactions. He graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) with a M.Sc. in industrial engineering and business administration with highest distinction. Brice is a CFA charterholder.

Pablo von Siebenthal Global Head M&A Swissport International

Pablo is Global Head of M&A with Swissport International, the world's leading provider of airport ground handling and cargo handling services with more than 45,000 employees and operations at approx. 300 airports in 45 countries. Swissport International is pursuing a growth plan that includes an ambitious acquisition agenda in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Prior to joining Swissport earlier this year, Pablo was Global Head of M&A with global logistics company Kuehne+Nagel where he managed M&A transactions with a combined deal value of around $2.5 billion. Prior to Kuehne+Nagel, Pablo was an M&A advisor with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Switzerland and Australia. Pablo holds a Master of Arts in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Banking & Finance from the University of Zurich and has passed all CFA exams.

Urs Jordi CEO and Chairman of listed Aryzta

Urs Jordi has more than 25 years of experience in various national and international food companies at management and board level. Urs became a member and Chair of the ARYZTA Board in September 2020. He held various management positions within the Hiestand and ARYZTA Group, most recently as CEO of the listed Hiestand Holding AG (from 2008 within ARYZTA AG), and from 2010 to 2013 as CEO ARYZTA Food Europe & Asia Pacific. Since 2014, Urs Jordi has been involved in various own investments. Urs serves on the board of Schweizer Zucker AG. Urs Jordi is a trained baker and confectioner.

Catherine Ford Consultant Editor MERGERMARKET

Catherine Ford is a consultant editor for the events division at Mergermarket. She is a consultant editor to event programmes, and engaged in the development of timely editorial content for global corporate finance, M&A and capital markets related conferences and events. She routinely moderates discussion panels at conferences across the region. She has worked for Mergermarket since early 2002, holding a number of senior editorial roles in the company’s European, US and Asia-Pacific head offices.

Giovanna Maag Partner Altor Equity Partners

Giovanna is a Partner at Altor Equity Partners in Zurich. She focuses on mid-market investments in the DACH region. Her recent investments are family-owned industrial services company Kaefer and life science process engineering company VTU. Giovanna has c15 years of investment and portfolio management experience in the DACH Mittelstand. Prior to joining Altor in 2018, she worked at 3i in Germany. She started her career in M&A at Morgan Stanley and strategy consulting at McKinsey & Company in London and Frankfurt. Giovanna is a member of Invest Europe Mid-Market Platform Council.

Liana Logiurato Non-Executive Director Intesa Sanpaolo Bank.

Liana Logiurato is a Non-Executive Director on the Board of Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, as well as a member of the Board’s Remuneration Committee and the Board’s Committee for Transactions with Related Parties.
As a leading board adviser she worked on over $100bn of M&A, JV and licensing transactions as well as raised capital for over $20bn through IPO. She worked as a strategic consultant at Ernst & Young Ltd (Zürich), where she was Equity Partner and Head of Chemicals EMEIA, Strategy e Transactions (2018-2021); she was Global Head of M&A (2010-2017) at Syngenta AG (Basel); she was Executive Director (1999-2009) at Nomura International plc (London); she was Associate Director (1998-1999) at UBS AG (London & Zürich).
In her professional career, she developed a strong track record in Corporate Defence, ESG and sustainability driven finance and in creating Long Term Stakeholder Value by identifying and originating strategic opportunities for industry transformation and growth in Asian, European and North/South American markets and in several sectors.

A graduate in Business Administration from Bocconi University in Milan, she earned an MBA and pursued further post-graduate studies at IMD (International Institute for Management Development) in Lausanne.

 Resident in Switzerland, she lectures on M&A, governance and climate finance at IMD in Lausanne, IESE in Madrid and the University of Zürich.

Ralph Betz Managing Director Bridgepoint Credit

Ralph is a Managing Director within Bridgepoint Credit and joined the Firm in 2020 from EQT Credit which was acquired by Bridgepoint in 2020. He is responsible for origination and execution of financing solutions for mid-sized companies in Germany. Ralph is also part of the Bridgepoint ESG Committee.

Prior to joining EQT in 2014, he was Head of Acquisition in Germany at GE Corporate Finance Bank and Bank of Ireland. He has a wide range of transactional experience in European Leveraged Finance across a large expanse of industries sectors.

Ralph Betz ist Managing Director bei Bridgepoint Credit und kam 2020 von EQT Credit, welches von Bridgepoint im Jahr 2020 erworben wurde. In Deutschland ist er verantwortlich für Origination und Execution von Finanzierungslösungen für mittelständische Unternehmen. Darüber hinaus ist er Teil des Bridgepoint ESG Committee.

Bevor er 2014 zu EQT kam, war er Head of Acquisition in Deutschland bei der GE Corporate Finance Bank und der Bank of Ireland. Er verfügt über ein breites Spektrum an Transaktionserfahrung im Bereich European Leveraged Finance in einer Vielzahl von Industriesektoren.

Kirsten Bode Co-Head Pan European Private Debt Muzinich & Co

Prior to joining Muzinich, Kirsten worked for six years as a Managing Director in the principal debt investing team at Macquarie, responsible for sourcing and executing transactions ranging from leveraged senior, unitranche and mezzanine debt to equity in the U.K., Germany and Benelux. Previously, she worked for Silver Point Capital, a U.S. based credit/distressed fund, in the private debt team in Europe. Kirsten started her career at Morgan Stanley in 1999, working in the generalist M&A and Leveraged Finance teams in Germany and London. Kirsten graduated from ESB Reutlingen and Middlesex University London with a B.A. Honors in European Business Administration.

Björn Lauschke Head of Debt Advisory Capvis

Björn Lauschke has been with Capvis since 2012. Prior to joining Capvis, Björn was a Director in the debt advisory division of DC Advisory Partners and with The Royal Bank of Scotland, Credit Suisse and WestLB in the structured finance division.

Björn is Head of Debt Advisory and responsible for all debt financing in the Capvis portfolio.

He studied business administration at the University of Mannheim, Germany with a Dipl.-Kfm. Degree.

Patrick Förg Head Origination, Primary Markets SIX

Patrick Förg is the Head Origination in the Primary Markets team at SIX Swiss Exchange. In this function, he and his team are responsible for the origination of new listings through enhancing visibility and awareness of SIX Swiss Exchange as a listing location for Swiss and international companies, by managing and facilitating relationships with all stakeholders involved in the listing process and by acting as a capital market knowhow center for equity and debt capital markets. Before joining SIX Swiss Exchange, Patrick worked 12 years in the Corporate Finance & Treasury department of LafargeHolcim. He holds a BSc in Business Administration (Banking and Finance) and a Master of Advanced Studies in Corporate Finance.

Markus Wetter Head of Equity Capital Markets Switzerland UBS

Markus Wetter is heading the Equity Capital Markets team for Switzerland. In this role, Markus originates, structures and executes bespoke equity, equity-linked and equity derivative transactions for corporate, sponsor and wealth management clients.

While based in Zurich, Markus also spent time in UBS’ London, Singapore and Hong Kong offices.

Prior to joining UBS in 2008, Markus worked in the private equity department of Deutsche Bank and interned with Credit Suisse First Boston in their M&A / corporate advisory division in London.

Markus received a Master's degree with distinction from Sir John Cass Business School in London, a Bachelor's degree from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and he holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Markus is married and father of three daughters.

Thorsten Zahn Head of DACH Equity Capital Markets JP Morgan

Thorsten Zahn is heading J.P. Morgan’s Equity Capital Markets team for Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

He joined J.P. Morgan in 2022 from Goldman Sachs where he served as Head of ECM Northern Europe (Germany, Austria, Nordics). Prior to this he held several M&A and ECM roles at Morgan Stanley, working in Paris and London.

Thorsten holds a master’s degree in Finance, Legal and Financial Engineering from ESCP Europe Business School, Paris.

Catherine Ford Consultant Editor MERGERMARKET

Catherine Ford is a consultant editor for the events division at Mergermarket. She is a consultant editor to event programmes, and engaged in the development of timely editorial content for global corporate finance, M&A and capital markets related conferences and events. She routinely moderates discussion panels at conferences across the region. She has worked for Mergermarket since early 2002, holding a number of senior editorial roles in the company’s European, US and Asia-Pacific head offices.

Kristin Umbach Head of Corporate Development Swiss IT Security Group

Kristin joined Swiss IT Security Group in 2019 and has since then executed various successful add-on acquisitions, as well as the secondary buyout of Swiss IT Security Group. She has an extensive track record in M&A, working in M&A advisory as well as Corporate M&A in Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich.

Kristin holds Degrees in Economics and Management from University of Reutlingen and Zeppelin University.”

Ulrich Mogwitz Partner Patrimonium

18 years of private equity experience at HANNOVER Finanz in Germany, Ufenau Capital Partners and Patrimonium Private Equity Advisors in Switzerland. At Patrimonium, Ulrich is Co-Head Private Equity, member of the investment committee and serves on the board of portfolio companies. He is instrumental in developing the private equity business within Patrimonium Asset Management AG. Prior to joining the private equity industry, Ulrich worked as a consultant and in the food industry. Ulrich holds a diploma in Economic Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Germany) and an Executive Master of Business Administration from the University of Muenster (Germany).

Felix Werdin Partner Bregal

Felix Werdin is a Partner at Bregal Unternehmerkapital. He previously served as an Associate at JPMorgan and, most recently, as a Principal at TowerBrook Capital Partners in London.

Felix is a graduate in Business Administration and holds an MBA from the University of Mannheim and ESSEC Business School.

Dr. Christian Waldvogel Managing Partner Renaissance

Christian Waldvogel has been a Managing Partner of Renaissance Management SA since 2003.
Besides he is a board member of the swiss export association and the Society for Economic Research (Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Konjunkturforschung) which supports the Konjunkturforschungsstelle (KOF) of ETH-Zurich.

He has operational and managerial experience at an international level in investments (Intel Capital), semi-conductors (Intel) and telecoms (Eutelsat).

Christian Waldvogel holds a doctorate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and a Bachelor of Science and Engineering from the University of Princeton.

Martin Gamperl Managing Director Alantra

Martin Gamperl is Managing Director of Alantra Switzerland. Martin has 15 years of investment banking experience. Prior to Alantra, he worked at Rothschild & Co, where he was a Director in the Swiss Corporate Finance Advisory team focusing on M&A and capital markets transactions.

From 2014 to 2017, he was part of Alantra’s Swiss Corporate Finance Advisory team and prior to this, he worked at Rothschild & Co in the firm’s German and Indian offices.

Stefanie Dobbert Senior Director Strategic Reviews and M&A Novartis

Stefanie is an experienced C-level Director of Strategy with wide experience of in portfolio transformations and M&A integration & separation programmes to drive growth and create value. She is currently Head of Portfolio Definition at Sandoz (a Novartis division). She was previously Senior Director Strategic reviews, Global Head of ESG and Global Head of Strategy & Portfolio among other roles at Novartis. Stefanie is especially passionate about the S in ESG and how to integrate a clear ”S” vision into the deal strategy and execution at a very early stage

Ueli Eckhardt Managing Partner eevolve

Responsibilities

Bringing people, strategy and technology into sustainable harmony in an entrepreneurial context is a powerful and meaningful driver for me, which shapes my professional passion. As co-founder of eevolve, I support companies in creating value in a cooperative manner, and in successfully shaping transformation processes. This applies to the entire investment cycle.

Career

Prior to eevolve, I worked for 20 years at Capvis, a private equity firm focused on mid-sized companies, as a partner and member of the executive board and the investment committee. As a member of the board, I was able to accompany numerous companies and bring some of them to the stock exchange. Before that, I developed, implemented and was responsible for digitisation projects at Swiss Re and UBS.

Education

Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Zurich. Master’s degree in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University. Executive programmes at IMD.

Isabella Eichler Director Altor Equity Partners

Isabella Eichler is a Director at Altor Equity Partners focused on investments in the DACH region and passionate about decarbonization and digitalization. She previously spent time at Rivean Capital Partners and at Rothschild & Co in London and Singapore. Isabella looks after Altor’s DACH investments in Oceansapart and KAEFER