Archives: Speakers

Pascale Favre and Carmen Ene will explore how the asset finance and leasing industry is transforming in response to shifts in trade policy, technology, sustainability, and regulation. They will outline a new vision for lessors — evolving from traditional financiers to full lifecycle managers, data-driven service providers, and active sustainability and policy partners. Key themes include the impact of global trade and tariff changes, the post-COVID dynamics of the second-hand market, opportunities in data monetization and usage-based models, and the importance of total cost of ownership in customer propositions. The speakers will also address sustainability challenges, regulatory expectations, and how lessors can lead the transition towards greener, more transparent, and resilient financing ecosystems.

Marietta Sarkisian has over 13 years of experience in the clinical trials industry. She has held roles in both operations and business development across global markets. She brings a strong understanding of clinical research and a strategic approach to delivering tech-driven solutions.

Gaurav Sharma serves as the Head of Circularity and Life Cycle Asset Management (LCAM) at DLL, where he spearheads the company’s global circularity strategy and execution.

With over 24 years of experience in consulting, business development, and software, Gaurav has dedicated more than 8 years to advancing the circular economy. His previous role at Schneider Electric saw him leading their circularity initiatives.

A recognized thought leader, Gaurav has co-authored influential white papers, frequently speaks at industry panels, and has been instrumental in award-winning projects such as The Circulars 2019 and Leasing Life 2023.

He holds an engineering degree from Delhi University and an MBA from INSEAD.

Rob van den Heuvel is General Manager of DLL Europe, overseeing the company’s operations across 16 countries in the region. He began his career at DLL in Risk Management and later served as global CFO in two of DLL’s Global Business Units. In 2013, Rob was appointed Senior Vice President Asset Management & Insurance and in 2017 he joined DLL’s joint venture with AGCO. Within AGCO Finance he was President & Global CEO for three years, managing all retail and commercial finance operations globally.

Throughout his career, Rob has led large, diverse teams and driven transformation, digitalization, and sustainable growth in highly regulated, international environments.

Rob holds a Masters degree in Econometrics, and finished his Executive MBA at TIAS/Nimbas in the Netherlands.

As Operations Manager of the Fibonacci Group, Salvatore Pira leads strategy and market development in the Leasing and Rental sector, with the aim of strengthening the group’s presence in Italy and promoting its international expansion.

After graduating in Economics and Business from the University of Milan-Bicocca in 2015, he held leadership roles at Lutech and RGI, contributing to innovation, digitization, and IT company integration projects.

Today, with his extensive experience in the financial and technology sectors, Pira is responsible for the entire leasing area of the Fibonacci Group, where he continues to promote operational excellence and innovation.

Boon-Hiong Chan leads Securities Market and Technology Advocacy for APAC at Deutsche Bank, and drives applied innovations in securities servicing. With over 20 years of experience, Boon has shaped transformation strategies and client solutions in post-trade and investment services, blending expertise in AI, tokenization, cybersecurity and regulations to advance resilient, forward-looking approaches.

A co-recipient of five innovation awards, a Singapore IBF Fellow and mentor, Boon actively contributes to industry discussions including in MAS Project Guardian and Pathfin.AI.

Based in Singapore, Boon champions financial literacy; modernization and collaboration across the region’s capital markets.