Prague 14-16 September 2026
CEE Sustainable
Finance Summit
Geostrategic Europe and business
in an era of geopolitical and AI transformation
85
45+
Sessions
Speakers
400+
Attendees
Countries
25+
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
AGENDA 2026
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:
Business competitiveness and sustainability leadership – two sides of a coin or priorities at odds?Chair: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Responsible Investor
Speakers:
Martin Zenker, Head of Group ESG Office,UNIQA Group
Andrea Fiori, director of VUB Bank in Prague
Miluše Poláková, Country HR director Czech Republic and HR Director zone Central and Eastern Europe, Veolia
09:50 - 10:20 | On stage interview:
Financial sector in focus: new trends, strategic priorities, and the pursuit of growth and returnsChair: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Editor, Responsible Investor
Speakers:
Petr Polach, Co-Head of Group Structured Finance & Investment Banking, Raiffeisen International
Blanka Beranová, Executive Director for Sustainability at ČSOB Group
Sergio Henrique Collaco de Carvalho, Partner, Planet First
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?
Chair: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Edit in Chief, Responsible InvestorSpeaker: 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?”
Jakob Thomä, Founder and CEO, Theia Finance Labs
Connie Hedegaard, former European Commissioner for Climate Action from 2010 to 2014
12:00 – 12:30 | TED style talk:
Who Are You Really Reporting To? Rethinking Sustainability Reporting for Financial MarketsErwin Groenendal, Co-Founder and Product Evangelist, Tangelo Software
12:30 - 13:30 | Lunch break
-
13:30 – 13:45 | TED-style presentation
“Who Is Afraid of Climate Damages?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 realityMartin 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?
Transition and competitiveness in focus: is Europe’s strategic autonomy realistic and will it bring the competitiveness benefits for the CEE region?
What are the strategic pivots for European business?
Chair: Martin Ehl, Correspondent, Hospodarske Noviny
Speakers:
Pavel Mička, Head of performance and transformation, Veolia
Kristýna Machová, Investment Director, Inven Capital
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?
Chair: 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?
Chair: Hugh Wheelan, Journalist
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 – 16:00 | Presentation & conversation: Transition planning and supervision in focus
Gábor Gyura, Director, HuSIF in conversation with
Torsti Silvonen, Deputy Director General European Central Bank (ECB)
16:00 - 16:30 | Expert presentation and discussion: Risk mapping – the use in pricing and risk management
Lucie Skoumalová, Executive Credit Risk Management Manager, ČSOB
Ladislav Garassy, Director, Natural Hazard Modelling & Risk Engineering, Intermap Technologies, Inc.
Vojtěch Hlavatý, Head Flood Modeler & Climate Change Expert, Intermap Technologies, Inc.
16:30 – 17:00 | On stage discussion: Banking in Flux
Chair: Hugh Wheelan, Journalist
Speakers:
Justine Leigh Bell, CEO, Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute
Luca Bertalot, Secretary General of the EMF-ECBC
-
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 FinanceA 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
-
09:00 - 09:05 | Welcome remarks
09:05 – 09:20 | Keynote
Munir Nanji, CEO, Citi Bank Central Europe -
09:20 – 09:40 | On-stage interview
Geopolitical shifts, trade, and energy transition: key risks and upside for business in Europe and CEE
Chair: Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker, Responsible Investor
Speakers:
Gary Mazzotti, Chair, Accolade
Vedrana Jelušić Kašić, Head of Corporate, SME & Small Business Division and Member of Management Board in VUB
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, Editor in Chief, Responsible Investor
Speakers:
Ganna Pidgorna, Member of the Board UNIQA CZ/SK
Emila Mamajova, Managing Partner at EVERITA Capital and Founding Partner at ESPIRA Investments
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
Chair: Raphael Minder, Journalist, Financial Times
Speakers:
Pavlína Žaková, Director, 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 Research12:00 – 12:30 | Conversation with the audience
Made in Europe: will Europe deliver on its ambitions for clean tech?
Chair: Raphael Minder, Financial Times
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:
Stanisław Cichocki, Senior expert in the International Regulations Office of the Polish Energy Group (PGE)
Martin Račan, ESG Expert, 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
14:35 -14:55 | 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
14:55 – 15:10 | PresentationUnlikely green tigers: Czech and CEE clean-tech and the (lack of) governmental support
Nikola Hořejš, Member of Board of Directors, Aliance pro moderní stát & Advisor, Druhá ekonomická transformace
-
15:40 – 16:15 | Conversation with the audience
What to expect from the European Commission going forward – updates and insights from the “Brussels bubble” and beyond
Chair: Raphael Minder, Central Europe correspondent, Financial Times
Speakers
Olivier Vardakoulias, Chief Economist, CAN Network
William Todts, Executive Director, Transport and Energy
Chris Vrettos, Senior Policy Advisor, REScoop.eu
16:15 – 16:40 | On stage conversation
Julian Toth, Director, CzechSIF & Investment Manager, Soulmates Ventures
Petr Holub, Founder & Director, Budovy 21
Claudia Alner, Projet Manager & Investor Relations, Crowdberry
Lucie Martincová, Rohlik
16:40 – 17:00 | Presentation
Jiří Mravec, Head of Innovation & Transformation, Třinecké železárny
-
17:10 – 18:00 | Move to evening venue
Main stage
Business & Transition
Electrification & Energy Transition
Second stage
Co-hosted with SAPI (Slovak Association of Sustainable Energy).
A room with fishbowl approach -an active discussion with an opportunity for the audience to share questions, remarks, and comments both directly and online.
Since energy is a key topic for geostrategic decisions, the first day will have a full focus on the European energy security – bridging the top down and bottom-up levels of decision making and problem solving.
-
09:00 – 09:05 | Opening speech
Jan Karaba, Director, SAPI – Slovak Association of Sustainable Energy
09:05 – 09:20 | Keynote presentation
Laila Kienel, Deputy head of the unit for renewables and energy system integration policy, DG ENER, European Commission
09:20 – 10:30 | Facilitated discussion – Delivering the Next Phase of Europe's Energy Transition
Chair: Marcel Bartczak, Policy Advisor, Business & Science Poland
Participants/speakers:
Stanislaw Cichocki, Senior expert, Polish Energy Group (PGE)
Balázs Felsmann, Economist, REKK
Marek Lang, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors, Modern Energy Union
Radu Surdeanu, Senior Director Government and Executive Affairs, Siemens Energy
-
11:00 – 11:20 | Keynote - scene setting remarks: From Energy Transition to Energy Security
Albéric Mongrenier, Executive Director, EIES, European Initiative for Energy Security
11:20 – 11:40 | Presentation – Scaling up renewables to decarbonise the Slovakian industry sector
Marek Hrubčo, Energy Analyst, SAPI – Slovak Association of Sustainable Energy
11:40 – 12:30 | Conversation with the audience: Can electricity networks keep pace with Europe's electrification ambitions?
Chair: Jan Karaba, Director, SAPI
Speakers
Ivelina Atanassova, Commercial Director, Rezolv energy
William Todts, Executive Director, Transport and Energy
Zdeněk Obruča, CEE Head of Energy Advisory, KPMG
Patrik Križanský, Member, BoD AVERE – European Association for Electromobility
-
13:30 – 13:50 | Informative presentation
Karolina Grotowska, Forum Energii
13:50 – 14:10 | Presentation: Public engagement in the renewable energy projects
Georgios Maroulis, Eclareon
14:10 – 15:10 | Facilitated discussion with the audience on Scaling up renewable energy
Chair: Karel Voldrich
Speakers:
Chris Vrettos, Senior Policy Advisor, REScoop
Ján Karaba, Director, SAPI
Jan Krčmář, Director, Solar Association
Arthur Hirsch, Senior Expert, Sustainable Energy Systems team, ICLEI Europe
-
15:40 – 16:00 | Policy Design for System Change: What Is Needed to Speed Up Electrification and Move from A to Better
Speaker: Gerben Hieminga, Senior Economist, ING Research
16:00 – 17:00 | Facilitated discussion
Main suggested topics for discussion:
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: Tuan Son Tran, Senior Manager, SEFE Marketing & Trading Ltd & Visiting Fellow, ISFC
Participants/speakers:
Martin Račan, Central controlling Expert – Project manager, External reporting and support, ČEZ Group
Jan Troják, Director of Project Finance, CSOB
Jim Campion, Board member and adviser, engineer
Tomáš Pavelka, Counsel, Dentons
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 | Short on stage discussion
Chair: Tomáš Janeba, Director, Czech Infrastructure Association (ARI)
Speakers:
Radka Turková, Board member, Czech National Development Bank (NRB)
David Petr, Member of the Board of Directors, Státní investiční a rozvojová společnost/State investment and development company
09:50 – 10:10 | TED-style talk
Ondřej Viša, Sustainability Consultant, Česká Spořitelna
10:10 – 10:30 | Spotlight session: Investing in real estate – investor perspective. Trends, changes in market practices, new developments
Chair: Raúl Garcia Rodriguez, Independent advisor and Co-Chair of UNECE’s Joint Task Force on Energy Efficiency Standards in Buildings
Omar Sattar, Real Estate Fund Manager, Amundi
Katerina Jarosova, ESG Manager CEE, WOOD & Company Real Estate
Lubomir Vystavel, Goldman Sachs
Katerina Jarosova, WOOD & Company
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 – implementation in practice and leveraging of the tools
Jakub Vít, EY
13:50– 14:10 | On stage interview/ fireside chat
14:10 – 14:20 | Investing in real estate – investor perspective in focus
14:20 – 14:50 | Conversation with the audience/ on stage interview
Chair: Raúl Garcia Rodriguez
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
Petra Hajna, CPI
14:50 - 15:10 | Short presentations
-
15:40 – 16:15 | TED-style presentation & a fireside conversation
Solving Scope 3: How SMEs Can Power Supply Chain ESG Data
Hana Libecajtová, Executive Director for Brand Strategy, Communications and Sustainability at Komerční banka
Lenka Mynářová, Czech expert in the circular economy, decarbonisation and ESG transformation
16:15 – 16:30 | TED-STYLE talk
Pending – NATO name
16:30 – 16:50 | Presentations – Ideas for a sustainable future by Young Sustainability Leaders
16:50 – 17:00 | Closing remarks
-
17:10 – 18:00 | Move to evening venue
Real Estate & Resilience
Main stage
Innovation and
Clean Tech for Resilience
Co-hosted with CzechInvest, this session brings together a select group of movers and shakers in the innovation space, from start-up founders to investors and scale-up business developers, in a fishbowl format that gives the audience the chance to share questions, remarks and comments directly and online.
Second stage
-
Why are European startups emerging, but their industrial scale, customers and ownership often end up outside Europe? What should be done to change it and where does Czech Republic stand?
09:10 – 09:25 | Keynote: Markéta Přenosilová (CzechInvest)
09:25 – 10:05 | Fire Side Discussion
10:05 – 10:30 | Discussion with the Audience
-
This session will showcase selected EcoTech companies as solutions to clearly defined industrial, energy and urban challenges. Each presentation will specify the customer problem, evidence from deployment, financing need and proposed next step.
Moderator: Filip Krůta (CzechInvest)
11:10 – 11:45 | 5x Technology Incubation Startups - TBC
11:45 – 12:15 | Europe’s Clean-Tech Challenge: Where Will Growth Come From?
Europe’s clean-tech opportunity is shifting from technology discovery to industrial deployment. Founders and investment managers will discuss where they see credible growth across energy, industry, circularity and urban infrastructure.
12:15 – 12:30 | Discussion with the Audience
-
How can cities act as testbeds, lead customers and market makers for sustainable innovations?
13:40 – 13:55 | Keynote: Miroslav Scheiner (Ministry of Industry and Trade Czech Republic)
13:55 – 14:10 | Input Presentation: Pavel Borecký (CzechInvest)
14:10 – 14:40 | Fire Side Discussion: TBC
14:40 – 15:00 | Discussion with the Audience
15:00 – 15:10 | Concluding remarks
Closed-door sessions in an interactive setting for in-depth discussions on different key topics.
If you are interested in attending one of the following roundtables, please email registrations@ceesummit.org.
Roundtables
2026 SPEAKERS
Limited ticket sale!
10 tickets for the CEE Sustainable Finance Summit 2026 are available for purchase.
With only 10 tickets released per day, access is limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. There are now only 2 tickets left.
Where policy, finance, and business meet to drive economic transformation.
Direct access to
influential
decision-makers,
and practitioners
High quality speakers
and engaging content
Informal networking
and practical discussion
CEESummit 2026 celebrates leadership shaping sustainable finance in CEE
Leadership Awards
Celebrating leaders driving sustainability across Central and Eastern Europe.
Learn More
Sustainability Leaders
Empowering the next generation of sustainability talent in the region.
Learn MoreLEAD PARTNERS 2026
