01/10/2020 : 15.15 – 15.45
How can pension funds participate in sustainable infrastructure projects, thus addressing the current challenges and helping with the economic recovery?
The Covid-19 outbreak has led to an unprecedented economic situation leaving the world in dire need of recovery. At the end of May the European Commission therefore launched its proposed plans for a €750bn recovery instrument named ‘Next Generation EU’ to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, partly through contentious joint debt issuance. This plan will require the unanimous approval by the EU27 Member States. One of the main pillars in this plan is to incentivise private investments in key sectors and technologies. This is also in line with European Commission Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) focussing on (among others) investment in the green and digital transition, in particular on infrastructure for sustainable transport, clean and efficient production and use of energy, digital infrastructure, such as 5G and Gigabit Networks, and research and innovation.
Pension funds are important institutional investors and can play a crucial role in maintaining financial stability by acting counter-cyclically in their investment policy. Moreover, pension funds are eager to take up their responsibility by participating in sustainable infrastructure projects, thus addressing the current challenges and helping with the economic recovery.
About the speakers
Inès Horwart
Ines Horwart holds a master’s in business administration from Louvain school of management). She also certified as an EFFAS Financial Analyst (European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies).
After starting her career as Senior Auditor in a big four Company, Ms Horwart joined Electrabel in 2002 where she took several positions in the finance department. After 4 years in the Acquisition, Investment & Financial Advisory for the Engie group where she contributed to several asset disposals/acquisitions, greenfield developments, she took up the position of Chief investment officer in the Belgian gas and electricity pension schemes as from 2014 and became also chief financial officer of the Contassur insurance Cy since 2018.
Ms Horwart is also board member of Esperides fund and Nuclear Investment fund.
Since 2019, she became a member of the Investment Committee of the King Baudouin Foundation.
Marc Van den Bosch
Marc Van den Bosch holds a Master in Law at the University of Ghent (1998) and complements his education by obtaining a Master in Fiscal Sciences at the Fiscale Hogeschool of Brussels (2001) and a Diploma Investment Advisor at Ehsal-EMS (2013). After numerous years as Legal Counsellor for Dexia Insurance followed by his function as Group Insurance Manager, Marc takes the responsibility of Pension Fund Manager for Dexia Life & Pensions in Luxembourg, before joining Sepia where he serves as President of the Executive Committee from 2009 onwards. As a result of the fusion of Sepia with Belfius Insurance, Marc joins Belfius Insurance in 2016, where he is responsible for the management of the sectoral pension plans and the organisation’s representation for Employee Benefits’ related matters towards different institutions, amongst which Assuralia. In the course of his career, Marc gathered in-depth knowledge in the field of supplementary pension systems, at national as well as international level , through group insurances as well as pension funds. He is member of different working groups for complementary pension funds and author of different articles on the subject of pensions and fiscal matters. Marc also gives trainings and is an acknowledged speaker at seminars.
