Pieter De Gooijer joins as a Partner; Virginie Banet joins as a Senior Advisor; Bernhard Maier joins as a Senior Advisor
September 1, 2022 – Brunswick Group, the world’s leading critical issues advisory firm, today announced a series of senior appointments in Europe to support continued growth in the region.
- Pieter de Gooijer joins as a Partner in Brussels
- Virginie Banet joins as a Senior Advisor in Paris
- Bernhard Maier joins as a Senior Advisor in Germany
Pieter brings deep knowledge of European public and corporate affairs. He has spent the last five years as the Dutch Ambassador to France, Monaco and Andorra, and was previously Permanent Representative of The Netherlands to the EU for six years, playing a central role in the EU’s legislative and diplomatic processes. Pieter is based in Brussels and will advise clients across Europe and internationally on public affairs, geopolitical and policy issues.
Virginie is a financial markets expert, with deep expertise in ESG issues and M&A. She is the President and Founder of her own consultancy, IOLITE Consulting, and was previously a Managing Director at Nomura, Global Head of Coverage and M&A at Natixis and Head of IR and M&A Projects at Lagardère. Virginie is based in Paris and will provide senior counsel to clients on complex financial situations and ESG matters.
Bernhard is a world-renowned leader in the automotive industry. Most recently, he was CEO of ŠKODA, part of Volkswagen. Before that, he was CEO of Porsche Deutschland and a Board Member for Sales and Marketing at Porsche. Previously, Bernhard spent thirteen years in management roles at BMW. Bernhard is based in Germany.
Neal Wolin, Chief Executive Officer, said: “I am delighted to welcome Pieter, Virginie and Bernhard to Brunswick. Each of them has been hugely successful in their respective fields and can offer extremely valuable expertise to our clients.
“Pieter’s distinguished career across government, industry and trade bodies will help elevate our public affairs capabilities in Brussels and across Europe even further. Virginie’s deep knowledge of the financial markets will help strengthen our market-leading financial situations and ESG teams. Bernhard’s leadership in and knowledge of the automotive industry will help strengthen our advice and networks in such an important sector for the global economy. I look forward to working with Pieter, Virginie and Bernhard as we continue to drive growth in Europe.”
About Pieter de Gooijer
Pieter has spent the last five years as the Dutch Ambassador to France, Monaco and Andorra, and was previously Permanent Representative of The Netherlands to the EU in Brussels, where he played a central role in the EU’s legislative and diplomatic processes. He was also responsible for liaising directly with the Dutch Prime Minister, other Ministers and senior officials formulating and implementing EU policies, leading a large administration in Brussels.
Prior to this, Pieter served in various roles at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as Director-General for Political Affairs, as a Director in the European Integration Department and Political Affairs Department, and as Private Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Earlier in his career, he spent three years as the Counsellor for Political-Military Affairs at the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Pieter received a Masters in International Law from the University of Amsterdam and a Masters in International Affairs from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
About Virginie Banet
Virginie is the President and Founder of her own consultancy, IOLITE Consulting. Previously, she was a Managing Director at Nomura, Global Head of Coverage and M&A at Natixis and Head of IR and M&A Projects at Lagardère. She began her career as an Equity Analyst at banks including SG Warburg, ABN Amro, SBS and Detroyat, before joining Airbus as Head of M&A and later Deutsche Bank as a Senior Investment Banker and Head of M&A for Aerospace and Defense in Europe.
Currently, Virginie serves as an independent member of the Boards of NetGem, Mediobanca S.p.A and Lagardère. She received an Economics degree from the Panthéon-Assas University Paris II and also graduated from the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris) and French Society of Financial Analysts (Société Française des Analystes Financiers.)
About Bernhard Maier
Most recently, Bernhard was the CEO of ŠKODA AUTO, part of the Volkswagen Group. Before that, he was CEO of Porsche Deutschland and a Board Member for Sales and Marketing at Porsche AG. Previously, he spent thirteen years in various management roles at BMW AG in Germany and internationally, including as Project Manager for International Brand Strategy. Bernhard started his career at German equipment company, Nixdorf Computer AG.
He is a member of the Supervisory Board of a professional services company focused on transformation consulting, WP Transformation Solutions AG, and a Senior Adviser to various companies, including Roland Berger and Caresoft Global. He received a master’s degree in Automobile Mechanics and a diploma in Business Administration.
About Brunswick Group
Brunswick is a strategic advisory firm focused on critical issues and critical stakeholders. Our purpose is to help our clients play their role in the world successfully. We advise on critical issues and critical stakeholders at the center of business, politics and society, and help our clients – the leaders of large, complex organizations – understand and navigate these interconnected worlds. Brunswick is one firm globally, operating as a single profit center. This allows us to respond seamlessly and effectively to clients’ needs wherever they are in the world.
For more information, visit: www.brunswickgroup.com
Contact
Chris Buscombe
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