Programme details

Seizing the Opportunity for Philanthropy in Luxembourg

Under the Esteemed Patronage of Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess

8am-8.30am

Welcome message

8.30am-9am

Philanthropy, the new impetus in the private and public spheres

Public authorities, citizens and the corporate sector are experimenting with new forms of organisation. What is driving this new impetus? What role can philanthropy play in this context?

Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister, Luxembourg 
Introduced by Pierre Ahlborn, Chief Executive Officer, Banque de Luxembourg, Luxembourg.

9am-10am

"New Philanthropy": a European overview

The rapid rise of philanthropy in Europe reveals the demands of some and the creativity of others. What are the expectations and roles of private donors today? What are the needs and challenges for the beneficiary organisations? Who are the stakeholders in this booming “sector”?

• Luc Tayard de Borms, Managing Director, Fondation Roi Baudouin, Belgium
• Matthew Bishop, journalist and writer, United Kingdom
• Arno Krause, Président, Forum Europa, Germany

Hosted by Volker Then, Managing Director, Center for Social Investment, University of Heidelberg, Germany

10am-10.30am

State of play in Luxembourg: the view from key players

Leading players in the Luxembourg “philanthropy chain” met recently to identify the factors that could stimulate or hamper donations.

• Dr. Mario Di Cato, President, Fondation de Recherche Cancer et Maladies du Sang, Luxembourg
• Frantz Charles Muller, Président, Fondation Hëllef fir d’Natur, Luxembourg
• Marie-Paule Planchard, Founder, Handicap International, Luxembourg
• Bertram Pohl, Président, Bertram Pohl Foundation, Luxembourg
• Laurent Probst, Partner, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Luxembourg

Hosted by Philippe Depoorter, Head of Philanthropy Advisory Services, Banque de Luxembourg

10.30am -11am
Break

11am-12pm

Legislation and tax: challenges and levers of development

The legal and tax framework determines the level of contributions from individuals and the private sector. In recent years, there have been significant innovations in this area in a number of European countries. Cross-border donations and the status of a European foundation are of vital importance in this context. Foundations and legal professionals analyse and discuss best practices.

• Russell Prior, Executive Director, Company & International Services, Charities Aid Foundation, UK
• Xavier Delsol, Lawyer and Partner, Delsol & Associés, France
• Ludwig Forrest, Project Manager, TGE (Transnational Giving Europe), Fondation Roi Baudouin), Belgium
• Volker Then, Managing Director, Centre for Social Investment, Universität Heidelberg, Germany
  

Hosted by André Prum, Dean of the Faculty of Law, the Economy and Finance, Director of the  Economic Law Laboratory, Luxembourg

12pm – 1.30pm
Lunch

1.30pm-3pm

Professionals serving donors

The efficiency of donations is the primary requirement of the donor and a real challenge for the sector.
New intermediaries and advisors are responding to the needs of donors. What kinds of services are they offering? What is their added value?

• Martin Brookes, Chief Executive, New Philanthropy Capital, UK
• Sharath Jeevan, Executive Director, Global Giving, UK
• Dominique Allard, Director of Philanthropy Centre, Fondation Roi Baudouin, Belgium
• Etienne Eichenberger, Co-founder, wise partnership, Switzerland 
• Virginie Seghers, Consultant, France

Hosted by Marc Elvinger, Lawyer, Luxembourg

3pm-3.45pm

Which model for Luxembourg?

Marc Pfitzer, Managing Director, FSG Social Impact Advisors, has been meetin with various players in Luxembourg in the run-up to the Symposium and will discuss his avenues for reflection and recommendations for Luxembourg. 

Introduced by Philippe Depoorter, Head of Philanthropy Advisory Services and Secretary of the Management Committee, Banque de Luxembourg

3.45pm – 4.15pm

Conclusion and outlook

Jacques Santer, Honorary Minister of State, Luxembourg
Simulataneous translation will be provided in French, German and English.

Speaker profiles 

Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister, Luxembourg

Pierre Ahlborn, Chief Executive Officer, Banque de Luxembourg

Matthew Bishop - is Chief Business Writer/New York Bureau Chief of The Economist, based in New York. Matthew is the author of several Economist special survey supplements, including most recently "The Business of Giving", which looks at the industrial revolution taking place in philanthropy. He has served as a member of the Advisors Group of the United Nations International Year of Microcredit 2005. He has been honoured as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. His book, "Philanthrocapitalism", (with Michael Green) will be published in September 2008.

Arno Krause - is the founder and honorary president of the ASKO-EUROPA foundation and the Europrofession foundation. He is also president of the board of the Forum EUROPA foundation in Luxembourg and the board of trustees of the EAO (European Academy Otzenhausen, Saarbrucken), and is honorary member of the presidency of the Europa Union in Germany and the board of directors of the European Policy Institute in Berlin.
Luc Tayart de Borms - with more than 20 years' experience, Luc Tayart de Borms is the Managing Director of the King Baudouin Foundation in Brussels. He is also involved in a number of major organisations in the world of philanthropy as President of the Network of European Foundations for Innovative Cooperation (NEF), Treasurer of the King Baudouin Foundation United States, trustee of the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) and member of the board of the European Cultural Foundation (FEC).

Volker Then - since July 1, 2006, he has been the Managing Director of the Centre for Social Investment at Heidelberg University. Previously, he set up the Philanthropy and Foundations division of the Bertelsmann Foundation (Germany), of which he was Director from 1999 to 2006. Dr. Then is a member of numerous boards and committees, including the Editorial Board of "@lliance" (UK), and the boards of three German foundations.
Philippe Depoorter - Head of Philanthropy Advisory Services, Banque de Luxembourg

Dr. Mario Di Cato - is a haematological cancer specialist at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg. A regular speaker at international conferences on cancer-related diseases, he also sits on the Advisory Board of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). Dr. Di Cato is the founding President of the Luxembourg Research Foundation for Cancer and Blood-Related Diseases where around twenty researchers, laboratory assistants and biologists carry out applied research in the field of cancer and genetics.

Frantz Charles Muller - began his career at the Luxembourg Forestry Commission in 1966 and is today President of the Hëllef fir d’Natur foundation and Natura (the Luxembourg league for nature and environmental protection), an umbrella organisation with 40 members. He is also President of the Council for the protection of nature and as Honorary Director for the National Youth Service, he is involved in youth organisations including scouting and youth hostels.

Marie-Paule Planchard - following a career in marketing and international trade with the countries in the Southern Hemisphere and a stint in India, Marie-Paule Planchard-Maldague was appointed co-director of communication and finance at Handicap International in Brussels. She went on to set up the Luxembourg arm of the association which she managed from 1997 to 2007, where she is still head of institutional representation and direct marketing. She is currently working as consultant under the commercial name Citizendeal.

Bertram Pohl - comes from a long line of passionate philanthropists. His greatgrandfather Franz Ströher, founder of the Wella group, was involved in charitable initiatives, while his grandfather Karl Ströher, was a renowned collector, patron and benefactor of the art world. The Bertram Pohl Foundation continues this tradition with the aim of supporting and encouraging youth in a wide range of areas in Europe.

Laurent Probst - is partner in charge of the Research & Development programme and Marketing & Communication at PwC Luxembourg. The Research & Development unit is specialised in Investment Management and monitoring the development of Luxembourg’s economic policy, specifically in biotech and logistics.Through PwC’s Socially-Responsible Committee, Laurent and his team are involved in the group’s philanthropic activities.

Xavier Delsol - is lawyer and partner at Delsol & Associés based in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, where he is responsible for the "Non-profit organisations and third sector" department. He is founder of the Juris Service publishing house and the Juris Associations bi-monthly journal for non-profit making organisations, where he was Chief Editor for more than 20 years. Xavier gives regular training courses and is a lecturer at the Sorbonne University in Paris (masters in “Engineering and Management of Associations”) and at the prestigious French business school, HEC, on its "Alternative Management" programme.

Ludwig Forrest - is philanthropy advisor at the King Baudouin Foundation in Brussels and works at the KBF Centre for Philanthropy, which provides information, guidance and tailor-made strategic philanthropy advice to private donors, families, businesses and professional advisers. His main objectives are to foster and simplify European cross-border giving through the Transnational Giving Europe network www.givingineurope.org and to help donors and beneficiaries to find effective solutions for their philanthropy projects.

Russell Prior - joined Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in the autumn of 2005 where he is in charge of charitable giving programme development for companies, individuals and charities, and head of CAF’s international projects. Until recently he was Chair of the National Finance Hub, a body funded by the UK Government to develop financial sustainability in the Third Sector in the England. Two decades with Barclays provided Russell with a wealth of knowledge and experience of the UK and international banking and finance sector.

André Prüm - was elected Dean of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance at the University of Luxembourg in October 2005 where he is professor of corporate law and criminology. In 1996, he set up the Economic Law Laboratory in Luxembourg and has contributed to a series of draft laws which lead to recent legislation in corporate law, trust and fiduciary contracts, securitisation, competition and electronic commerce.

Dominique Allard - as member of the Executive Committee and secretary to the Board of Directors of the King Baudouin Foundation since 1986, Dominique Allard is head of project development for individuals, organisations and companies interested in contributing to a better society. He is head of the King Baudouin Foundation Centre for Philanthropy, which informs and guides philanthropists in Belgium and in the rest of Europe, and undertakes project management on their behalf.

Martin Brookes - with 15 years’ experience as an economist at Goldman Sachs International and the Bank of England, Martin Brookes’ appointment at New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) has been a fascinating challenge. Martin has taken it up and has real opportunities to use his background in his function as Director of Research and now Chief Executive. Martin is responsible for managing NPC’s research programme and strategy. His research interests include information flows and measuring charity results. Martin also sits on the Economic and Social Research Council.

Etienne Eichenberger - after starting out his career with Nestlé in India before moving to Stephen Schmidheiny’s Avina Foundation, Etienne Eichenberger joined the World Economic Forum to take charge of the global agenda on humanitarian security, global governance and international development. In 2002, he cofounded the Wise philanthropy advisory consultancy with Maurice Machenbaum, which assists donors and their families in realising their philanthropic aspirations.

Sharath Jeevan - is Chief Executive of GlobalGiving UK. He previously headed up eBay’s charity division in the UK, which he grew from concept to £5m funds raised in its first two years. He drove participation from over 2,000 UK charities involving corporate brands such as Virgin and Vodafone. Sharath previously held senior management positions at Booz Allen Hamilton, ActionAid and Contact Details.com. In May 2007 Sharath was recognised as ‘one of the 50 most influential people in UK fundraising’, by Professional Fundraising Magazine. He was educated at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and INSEAD.

Virginie Seghers - is a sponsorship and corporate social responsibility (CSR) expert. Between 1994 and 2002, she was director of the Admical association for the development of corporate sponsorship projects which comprises 150 large companies that are active in sponsorship. A consultant working with large companies and NGOs, trustee of a number of foundations, CSR conference speaker at France’s prestigious business schools, author of a number of recent books on social entrepreneurship and sponsorship, Virginie’s aim is to provide a link between corporate initiatives and charitable projects.

Marc Elvinger - is lawyer and partner at Elvinger, Hoss & Prussen in Luxembourg. With a postgraduate degree in development law, he has extensive experience in the charitable arena. He has represented Luxembourg in the Liaison Committee of Development NGOs with the European Community Commission and was president of the Luxembourg "Cercle de coopération" which brings together a large number of Luxembourg Development NGOs. He has written a number of articles on North-South relations and cooperation to development.

Marc Pfitzer - is Managing Director and head of European projects at FSG Social Impact Advisors where he works with multinational corporations, foundations, NGOs, and public-private partnerships involving government agencies on strategic reviews and business planning, research leading to action and policy recommendations, initiative implementation, and evaluation. Prior to joining FSG, Marc served as Principal at the Boston Consulting Group based in Zurich, and during his studies, he worked with the World Economic Forum.

Jacques Santer - Honorary Minister of State, Luxembourg