European Retirement Week: Better Finance & FESE Conference
Thursday 27 November 2025 | 16:00 - 19:30 CET | Renaissance Brussels Hotel (Rue du Parnasse 19, 1050 Bruxelles)
The Better Finance – FESE Conference will focus on a discussion about the upcoming legislative proposals aimed at advancing the Savings and Investments Union (SIU), considering perspectives from both financial market infrastructures (FMIs) and retail investor communities. The discussion will address views for effectively aligning the objective of directing increased investments into capital markets.
It will also feature a keynote speech by the DG FISMA Director General, John Berrigan.
Programme
Rosa Armesto is Director General of the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE), the trade association of exchanges in Europe. She is a member of the ESMA Securities and Markets Stakeholder Group and also lectures on financial market infrastructures at Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management (Belgium).
Before becoming Director General of FESE, she served as Deputy Director General for 6 years. She also worked at Insurance Europe for 4 years as a Member of the Management Team and Head of Public Affairs and Communications. Earlier in her career, she was Head of Public and Regulatory Affairs at FESE and had various roles before rejoining FESE. She began her professional career at Eurostat, the Statistical office of the European Commission, in Luxembourg.
Rosa has nearly 20 years of experience in EU financial services. She specialises in financial regulations like MiFID/MiFIR, Capital Markets Union, Sustainable Finance, Benchmarks, and the Digital Package. Additionally, she is knowledgeable about Solvency II, PRIIPs, IDD, and other insurance-related files. Rosa is also the Co-Chair of the Advocacy Community at the European Society of Association Executives (ESAE).
She holds a Master of Science in Economics with a major in Econometrics from the University of Zaragoza (Spain) and the University of Groningen (Netherlands), a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from the University of Zaragoza (Spain), and a professional degree in Piano from the Conservatory of Teruel (Spain). She is proficient in English, French, and Spanish.
Niels Brab is Deutsche Börse Group’s Chief of Staff and Head of Group Corporate and Regulatory Strategy. In his role he works in symbiosis with the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Board on the daily management of the company and is responsible for the Group-wide strategy. As part of his responsibilities, Niels supports DBG’s businesses and their senior executives, acting as a catalyst to drive growth and resilience. He is also in charge of Deutsche Börse Group’s regulatory strategy and represents the Group in various industry associations and key public fora, enhancing critical thought-leadership.
Niels is the President of the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE) and serves as a Co-Chair of the European Association of CCP Clearing Houses (EACH). He is also a member of the European Securities and Markets Authority’s (ESMA) CCP Policy Committee and a member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions’ (IOSCO) Consultative Committee.
Before his appointment as Chief of Staff, Niels served as Deutsche Börse Group’s Chief Regulatory Officer, Head of Government Relations and Head of the Brussels Representative Office.
Prior to joining Deutsche Börse Group in 2014, he held roles at leading consultancies, such as FTI Consulting and Fleishman-Hillard. He also founded his own firm, EURObjective. Niels holds an LLM in European Law and an MSc in Public Policy and Human Development from the University of Maastricht.
John Berrigan is the Director-General of the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA) of the European Commission.
DG FISMA is responsible for EU-level policy-making and legislative initiatives with respect to the financial sector, including Banking Union, Capital Markets Union, sustainable finance, digital finance, anti-money laundering and sanctions. In this context, John represents the European Commission on the Economic and Financial Committee and the Financial Services Committee, which report to EU Finance Ministers. He also represents the Commission on the Financial Stability Board, which reports to G20 Finance Ministers. He attends the European Systemic Risk Board and is a permanent observer on the Single Resolution Board.
John has a master’s degree in economics from University College Dublin. He is married with two children.
Niels Brab is Deutsche Börse Group’s Chief of Staff and Head of Group Corporate and Regulatory Strategy. In his role he works in symbiosis with the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Board on the daily management of the company and is responsible for the Group-wide strategy. As part of his responsibilities, Niels supports DBG’s businesses and their senior executives, acting as a catalyst to drive growth and resilience. He is also in charge of Deutsche Börse Group’s regulatory strategy and represents the Group in various industry associations and key public fora, enhancing critical thought-leadership.
Niels is the President of the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE) and serves as a Co-Chair of the European Association of CCP Clearing Houses (EACH). He is also a member of the European Securities and Markets Authority’s (ESMA) CCP Policy Committee and a member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions’ (IOSCO) Consultative Committee.
Before his appointment as Chief of Staff, Niels served as Deutsche Börse Group’s Chief Regulatory Officer, Head of Government Relations and Head of the Brussels Representative Office.
Prior to joining Deutsche Börse Group in 2014, he held roles at leading consultancies, such as FTI Consulting and Fleishman-Hillard. He also founded his own firm, EURObjective. Niels holds an LLM in European Law and an MSc in Public Policy and Human Development from the University of Maastricht.
Aleksandra Mączyńska comes from Warsaw, Poland, where she was Deputy Director of the International Relations and Communication Department of the Polish consumer and competition watchdog.
She studied at the Faculty of Management at Poznań University of Economics and at the Warsaw School of Economics. She also has extensive experience in managing international projects, for example EU-funded capacity-building projects.
As a Fellow of the Robert Bosch Foundation Programme for Young Executives from the Public Sector, she worked in the Division for World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Debt Issues and International Finance Structure at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
She has served as an expert in various EU Council Working Parties, such as the Working Party on Financial Services and the Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth, as well as in European Commission Working Groups and Advisory Committees. Her responsibilities also included external representation and managing professional networks such as the Consumer Policy Network (CPN), the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), the European Competition Network (ECN) and the OECD Competition Committee.
EU expert groups:
- Member of the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST) Consumer Policy Advisory Group
- Member of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group (OPSG)
- Member of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) Securities and Markets Stakeholder Group (SMSG)
- Member of the Directorate-General for the Environment’s European Commission Eco-labelling Board
- Member of the United Nations Civil Society Advisory Body of the Principles for Responsible Banking (UNEP FI)
Rosa Armesto is Director General of the Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE), the trade association of exchanges in Europe. She is a member of the ESMA Securities and Markets Stakeholder Group and also lectures on financial market infrastructures at Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management (Belgium).
Before becoming Director General of FESE, she served as Deputy Director General for 6 years. She also worked at Insurance Europe for 4 years as a Member of the Management Team and Head of Public Affairs and Communications. Earlier in her career, she was Head of Public and Regulatory Affairs at FESE and had various roles before rejoining FESE. She began her professional career at Eurostat, the Statistical office of the European Commission, in Luxembourg.
Rosa has nearly 20 years of experience in EU financial services. She specialises in financial regulations like MiFID/MiFIR, Capital Markets Union, Sustainable Finance, Benchmarks, and the Digital Package. Additionally, she is knowledgeable about Solvency II, PRIIPs, IDD, and other insurance-related files. Rosa is also the Co-Chair of the Advocacy Community at the European Society of Association Executives (ESAE).
She holds a Master of Science in Economics with a major in Econometrics from the University of Zaragoza (Spain) and the University of Groningen (Netherlands), a Bachelor of Science in Statistics from the University of Zaragoza (Spain), and a professional degree in Piano from the Conservatory of Teruel (Spain). She is proficient in English, French, and Spanish.
Aleksandra Mączyńska comes from Warsaw, Poland, where she was Deputy Director of the International Relations and Communication Department of the Polish consumer and competition watchdog.
She studied at the Faculty of Management at Poznań University of Economics and at the Warsaw School of Economics. She also has extensive experience in managing international projects, for example EU-funded capacity-building projects.
As a Fellow of the Robert Bosch Foundation Programme for Young Executives from the Public Sector, she worked in the Division for World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Debt Issues and International Finance Structure at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
She has served as an expert in various EU Council Working Parties, such as the Working Party on Financial Services and the Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth, as well as in European Commission Working Groups and Advisory Committees. Her responsibilities also included external representation and managing professional networks such as the Consumer Policy Network (CPN), the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), the European Competition Network (ECN) and the OECD Competition Committee.
EU expert groups:
- Member of the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST) Consumer Policy Advisory Group
- Member of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group (OPSG)
- Member of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) Securities and Markets Stakeholder Group (SMSG)
- Member of the Directorate-General for the Environment’s European Commission Eco-labelling Board
- Member of the United Nations Civil Society Advisory Body of the Principles for Responsible Banking (UNEP FI)