European Young Leaders (#EYL40)

Manuel is the Managing Director of J.P. Morgan in the United Kingdom. Formerly, CEO of Angels Den Funding, a digital investment platform that matches active investors with European start-ups, and a Non-Executive Director at the fintech start-up, iFactor. Also, a former member of the Parliament of Romania, Manuel served as the deputy minister for trade and investment, in which role he oversaw the implementation of infrastructure projects and stimulated foreign investment and public-private partnerships in Romania. Before joining the government, he worked as an executive director at JP Morgan, where he was responsible for various public sector clients in Europe, including central banks, debt management offices, development banks and government agencies. With experience as an independent consultant on business and development projects in Australia, South Africa, Tanzania and Peru, Manuel was also a research analyst at the Brattle Group, where his worked focused on risk management and strategies in the energy sector.

Together with Ashoka, Markus has founded FASE and established it as the leading European impact finance advisor. Since 2013, FASE has built a successful track record: an investor base with >2,000 impact investors and successful support for >85 European impact ventures, raising EUR >75mn in hybrid growth capital. Additionally, FASE has initiated the European Social Innovation and Impact Fund (ESIIF). The ESIIF is the first financial intermediary across Europe providing impact ventures with patient capital and benefiting from EU-guarantees (EaSI).

Markus is recognized as a thought leader for social finance in Germany and beyond. Markus has an active presence in public discourses (e.g. member of Expert Group on Social Entrepreneurship of EU Commission (GECES), Board Member of Impact Europe) and wrote a wealth of articles, reports and case studies on best practices in social finance. He was also selected for the 40 under 40 European Young Leaders Class 2017.

Prior to this, Markus worked for more than 7 years as consultant for McKinsey & Company. Markus studied Business Administration and Economics at the Universities of Witten/Herdecke and Cambridge and received his Ph.D. from the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management.

Agnija is an award-winning choreographer and dancer. She is the author of more than 20 choreography works, including dance films, installations and performances. Her compositions have been performed at dance festivals both in her native Lithuania and abroad. Agnija successfully collaborates with creators of various art forms, resulting in dance pieces that feature audio-visual art and sculpture installations. Along with choreographing, Agnija gives lectures at Klaipeda University and runs the Šeiko Dance Company . She was named Best Choreographer of the Year in 2012 and, in 2013, was awarded the Golden Cross of the Stage, the highest Lithuanian theatre award. Her most recent show, ‘Dior in Moscow’, was presented at the International Contemporary Dance Festival ‘New Baltic Dance’.