CEE Sustainable Finance Summit

Prague 14-16 September 2026

CEE Sustainable
Finance Summit

Geostrategic Europe and business
in an era of geopolitical and AI transformation

Discover the agenda

85 45+

Sessions

Speakers

400+

Attendees

Countries

25+

Overview | Agenda ‍ ‍| Speakers | Partners

The 2026 Summit will explore how technology and innovation are shaping finance, business, and society, from AI and regenerative practices to nature-based solutions and biodiversity.

Held annually in Prague, the CEE Sustainable Finance Summit is one of the region’s leading invite-only gatherings, connecting decision-makers from across Europe to share insights, showcase solutions, and navigate change together.

AI, innovation and sustainable finance in action

Contact us for partnerships

Interested in attending?

AGENDA 2026

Monday 14.09 | Tuesday 15.09 | Wednesday 16.09

DAY 1

14 SEPTEMBER
Monday

GEOPOLITICS, FINANCE & AI

Geostrategic Europe, Geopolitics, Climate and Strategy in an Era of AI

Main stage

Keynote speeches
09:00 - 09:10 | Welcome remarks
09:20 – 09:30 | Opening keynote
- Jan Dusík, Deputy Director General, DG CLIMA, European Commission
09:30 – 09:50 | Fireside conversation
- Chair: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Responsible Investor
- Speakers: Martin Zenker, Head of Group ESG Office, UNIQA Group
  Vedrana Jelušić Kašić, Executive director, corporate banking, VUB
  Miluše Poláková, Country HR director Czech Republic and HR Director zone Central and Eastern Europe, Veolia
09:50 - 10:20 | On stage interview
Chair: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor
Speaker: Sabine Abfalter, CFO and board member, Raiffeisen CZ
10:20 – 11:00 | Networking break
11:00 – 11:20 | TED-style presentation: Transition planning and implementation
- Petra Ondrušová, CSO, Česká spořitelna
- Peter Franek, Head of Strategic Risk Management, Česká spořitelna
11:20 – 11:35 | Fireside chat: The transition to net zero: Where does the CEE region stand in the transition of key sectors?
Gergely Pókos, Executive director, Green Program Directorate, OTP Bank
11:30– 11:55 | Keynote and a fireside conversation
Climate, AI, and the future of society: are we doomed?
- Connie Hedegaard, former European Commissioner for Climate Action from 2010 to 2014
- In conversation with: Jakob Thomä, Founder and CEO, Theia Finance Labs
12:00 – 12:30 | TED style talk
Who Are You Really Reporting To? Rethinking Sustainability Reporting for Financial Markets
- Erwin Groenendal, Co-Founder and Product Evangelist, Tangelo Software
12:30 - 13:30 | Lunch break
13:30 – 13:45 | TED-style presentation
Climate change scenarios for financial sector professionals
Riccardo Rebonato, Professor of Finance, EDHEC Business School; Senior Advisor, EDHEC Climate Institute
13:45 – 14:00 | TED-style talk
Banking on Tomorrow: Where green ambitions meet security reality
Martin Sládeček, Associate Director of Customer & Digital Advisory, KPMG
14:00 – 14:30 | Fireside conversation
Energy transition and competitiveness in focus: is Europe’s strategic autonomy realistic?
What are the strategic pivots for European business?
- Chair: Martin Ehl, Correspondent, Hospodarske Noviny
- Pavel Micka, Head of performance and transformation, Veolia
14:30 – 15:00 | Fireside conversation
Mobilising private capital for economic growth and resilience
- How will we finance the economic transformation?
- What are the trends and developments in the financial sector?
- Will sustainable finance play a greater role in company financing going forward?
Speakers:
- Vera Economou, Sustainable Solutions Group Lead, ING
- Gina Hanrahan, Head of Economic Policy, UN PRI
- Radek Taborsky, Senior manager for investment banking, VUB Bank Prague
15:00– 15:40 | Coffee break
15:40 – 16:15 | On-stage interview
Fixed income and technological solutions in focus: using tools and approaches for a profitable and smart transition
- Chair: Hugh Wheelan, Journalist & founder of Responsible Investor
- Speakers: Justine Leigh Bell, CEO, Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute
- Luca Bertalot, Secretary General, EMF-ECBC
16:25 – 17:00 | Expert discussion
Risk mapping – the use of climate risk maps in pricing and risk management
17:00 – 17:10 | Closing session and reflections of the day
17:10 – 18:00 | Move to evening venue

Roundtables

Closed-door sessions

These are closed-door sessions for in-depth discussions on different key topics.

If you are interested in attending one of the following roundtables, please email registrations@ceesummit.org.

Navigating shifting geopolitics and money flows, with UN PRI.
Run by Moody’s Ratings
with Amaya London, Assistant Vice President - Sustainable Finance
A practical discussion on how issuers and investors are navigating the next phase of the sustainable finance market - from the EU Green Bond Standard and evolving investor expectations to social, sustainability-linked, transition and blue bonds.

Featuring perspectives from Moody’s Ratings and CPIPG, with a focus on framework design, credibility and the realities of the CEE market.

DAY 2

15 SEPTEMBER
Tuesday

BUSINESS & ELECTRIFICATION

Keynote speeches
09:00 - 09:05 | Welcome remarks
09:05 – 09:15 | Keynote
09:15 – 09:40 | On-stage interview
Geopolitical shifts, trade, and energy transition: key risks and upside for business in Europe and CEE
- Chair: Raphael Minder, The Financial Times
- Speakers: Gary Mazzotti, Chair, Accolade
- Andrea Fiori, director of VUB Bank in Prague
- Jan Ružicka, Chief External Affairs Officer, PPF Griup
09:40 – 10:10 | On-stage interview
Leadership – how to lead teams and communicate in difficult times
- Chair: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Responsible Investor
- Ganna Pidgorna, UNIQA
- Emila Mamajova, EVERITA
- Christine Würfel, CSO, RBI
10:10 – 10:30 | TED-style talk
Adaptive leadership & managing the contradictions of modern leadership
Emmanuel Coblence, Professor of Leadership, Associate Dean for Pedagogy, HEC Paris

10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee Break
11:00– 11:20 | On stage discussion
Business in the EU – the future of competitiveness, resilience, and funding for growth
- Pavlína Žaková, Confederation of Industry
- Anita Simon, Deputy CEO, Alteo
- Marta Babicz, National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, Poland
11:25 - 11:45 | Presentation: Net-zero transition planning: financing business and risk perspectives
Réka Sulyok & Gábor Szigel, OTP Bank
11:45 – 12:00 | Presentation: Policy Design for System Change: What Is Needed to Speed Up the Transition and Move from A to Better

Gerben Hieminga, Senior Economist at ING Research
12:00 – 12:30 | Conversation with the audience
Made in Europe: will Europe deliver on its ambitions for clean tech?
Speakers:
- Albéric Mongrenier, Executive Director of EIES, the European Initiative for Energy Security
- Radu Surdeanu, Senior Director, Government Affairs, Siemens Energy
- Jan Brazda, Co-founder, Revoltum
12:30 -13:30 | Lunch Break
13:30 – 13:50 | | Fireside conversation
Transition planning & future of non-financial reporting and risk management
Questions:
- How are the data and integration issues getting solved?
- How is transition planning for energy sector progressing?
- How to best manage stakeholder engagement and communications related to ESG strategies and transition plans?
Chair: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor in Chief, Responsible Investor
Speakers:
- Stanislaw Cichocki, PGE
- Martin Račan, ČEZ Group
13:50 – 14:10 | On-stage interview
Hugh Wheelan, Founder, Responsible Investor
Speakers:
- Eva Bučová, Country Manager, ING Bank Czech Republic
- Andrea Basilova, CEO, Sensoneo
14:10 -14:25 | TED-style presentation
How sustainability can be translated into tangible financial performance
Livio Scalvini, Executive Director of the Leonardo Centre & CEO and Co-founder of Golden for Impact
15:40 – 16:00 | TED-style presentation
16:00 – 16:30 | Conversation with the audience
What to expect from the European Commission going forward – updates and insights from the “Brussels bubble” and beyond
- Olivier Vardakoulias, Chief Economist, CAN Network
- William Todts, Executive Director, Transport and Energy
- Chris Vrettos, reScoop
16:30 – 17:00 | Conversation with the audience
Corporate reporting, digital infrastructure, and technological autonomy for the EU
Přemysl Píška, Regional sales director for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and DACH, Tangelo Software
17:10 – 18:00 | Move to evening venue

Main stage

Business & Transition

Electrification & Energy Transition

Side-event

Co-hosted with SAPI (Slovak Association of Sustainable Energy).

A dedicated deep-dive for energy practitioners, investors and policymakers, using a fishbowl format that gives the audience space to participate and ask questions.

09:10 – 09:20 | Opening speech
Jan Karaba, Director, SAPI – Slovak Association of Sustainable Energy
09:20 – 09:45 | Keynote presentation – Laila Kienel, Deputy head of the unit for renewables and energy system integration policy at the European Commission, DG ENER
9:45 – 10:30 | Facilitated discussion – Delivering the Next Phase of Europe's Energy Transition
Chair: ISFC
Speakers:
- Stanislaw Cichocki, Economic Expert at National Bank of Poland, PGE Group
- Balázs Felsmann, Economist, REKK
10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee break
11:00 – 11:20 | Introductions and keynote remarks: From Energy Transition to Energy Security
Albéric Mongrenier, Executive Director, EIES, European Initiative for Energy Security
11:20 – 11:40 | Presentation - Energy security in focus
11:45 – 12:30 | Conversation with the audience
Questions we will explore
- Can electricity networks keep pace with Europe's electrification ambitions?
- What investments are most critical to strengthening Europe's energy security?
- What is preventing capital from flowing into strategic energy infrastructure
Chair: Jan Karaba, Director, SAPI
Speakers
- Radu Surdeanu, Senior Director Government and Executive Affairs at Siemens Energy
- Katarína Kertýsová, Policy Officer, NATO
- Patrik Križanský, member of BoD AVERE – European Association for Electromobility
15:40 – 16:00 How private finance be mobilised for innovative clean energy solutions? What is happening in the banking sector and project finance in the CEE region?
- Jan Troják, Director of Project Finance, CSOB
16:00 – 17:00 | Facilitated discussion
Questions we will explore
- Where is private capital flowing today?
- Which clean energy technologies are attracting the strongest investor interest?
- What are today's biggest risks for investors?
- How do policy uncertainty, permitting delays, grid constraints and electricity market volatility affect investment decisions?
- What makes a clean energy project bankable?
Chair: Denisa Lehmanova, ISFC
Speakers
- Zdeněk Obruča, CEE Head of Energy Advisory
- Martin Račan, ČEZ Group
- Zdeněk Obruča, CEE Head of Energy Advisory
- Jim Campion, PE Fund Manager, investor, asset manager and advisor in Renewable Energy and Storage projects

Closed-door sessions in an interactive setting for in-depth discussions.

If you are interested in attending one of the following roundtables, please email registrations@ceesummit.org.

Roundtables

Discussion topics:
- Industrial Accelerator Act
- Modernisation Fund and future financial incentives for decarbonisation
- CBAM and EU ETS – the tools and policies for enabling European competitiveness
- Changes to procurement
A facilitated roundtable for ESG managers and business leaders focused on how to bring sustainability topics into management decisions and business strategy. Participants will share both successful approaches and lessons learned from what did not work, with space for peer-to-peer discussion across different industries.
The session will be held in Czech.
Fair Venture – strategic ESG and sustainability consulting

16 SEPTEMBER
Wednesday

DAY 3

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE & RESILIENCE

09:30 – 09:50 | Presentation or fire side chat
09:50 – 10:10 | TED-style talk or presentation
10:10 – 10:30 | Spotlight session: what is needed to build critical infrastructure and resilience for business?
10:30 - 11:00 | Coffee break
11:00– 11:15 | Presentation
11:15 – 11:30 | Short interview
11:30 - 11:50 | On-stage interview
- Chair: Hugh Wheelan, Journalist
- Tomáš Procházka, CFO, Accolade
- Michał Gładyś, CEO/CIO of ARP TFI managing the Polish Green Fund
11:50 – 12:30 | Real estate – EPBD and solving the retrofitting financing and implementation puzzle
How can we mobilise private finance and make the transition affordable?
- Chair & speaker: Marta Gellová, Chance for buildings
- Katarína Nikodemová, Buildings for the Future Slovakia
- Sarah Anwar, Head of Sustainability and Governance, Econans
12:30 - 13:30 | Lunch break
13:30 – 13:50 | TED-style presentation
EU taxonomy in the built environment
13:50– 14:10 | On stage interview
14:00 – 14:20 | Presentation
14:40 - 15:10 | Conversation with the audience
15:10 - 15:40 | Coffee Break
15:40 – 16:00 | TED-style talk
16:10 – 16:30 | On stage interview/ fireside chat
Digital infrastructure and data centres
16:30 – 17:00 | Conversation with the audience
Real estate – valuations, climate, risk, and climate adaptation
What value added derives from investing in retrofitting or ESG integration?
- Stefan de Goeij, Partner and Head of Sustainability & ESG for Central and Eastern Europe and the Nordics, Cushman & Wakefield
17:00 – 17:10 | Closing remarks
17:10 – 18:00 | Move to evening venue

Business & Transition

Main stage

Innovation and clean tech for resilience

Co-hosted with Czech Invest.

A special event for a group of movers and shakers in the innovation space, from start-up founders to investors and scale up business developers.
The room will have a fishbowl approach - for an active discussion with the audience.

Side-event

09:10 – 09:20 |Keynote remarks: Markéta Přenosilová
09:20 – 09:40 | Fire side chat:
09:40 – 10:20 | Facilitated discussion with the audience
10:20 - 11:00 | Coffee Break
11:00 – 11:15 | Introductions and keynote remarks
11:15 – 11:30 | Keynote presentation
11:30 – 11:50 | Fireside discussion
11:50 – 12:30 | Facilitated interactive discussion with the audience
15:30