A Decade of Transformation: Audit, Financial Reporting, Valuation & Insolvency

Taurimas Valys

Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania

Taurimas Valys serves as Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania and is responsible for financial policy, state budget planning and the strategic development of Lithuania's public finance system.

Audrius Linartas

CEO, Authority of Audit, Accounting, Property Valuation and Insolvency Management (AVNT)

Ph.D. Audrius Linartas has served as Executive Director of AVNT since 2016, leading Lithuania’s public oversight authority responsible for auditors, property valuers and insolvency managers. He has played a pivotal role in shaping Lithuania’s audit oversight framework, accounting standards and regulatory policy. Previously, he held senior leadership positions in insurance supervision and public oversight, chaired the Lithuanian Accounting Standards Committee, and pursued an academic career as an Assistant Professor at Mykolas Romeris University and a Partnership Professor at Vilnius University. Under his leadership, AVNT has undergone a decade of transformation across audit, accounting, valuation and insolvency supervision.

Signe Viimsalu

Head of the Insolvency Service of the Republic of Estonia

EU structural funds, public venture capital, corporate law and finance, start-ups, M&A, service and system design, change lead and management consulting, holding different leadership positions in Estonia and internationally.
In her current role, she oversees supervision of assetless insolvent legal entities and related parties (management) during bankruptcy proceedings, investigates potential legal violations and advocates for reform of Estonia's insolvency framework. 
Dr Viimsalu is also a prominent public voice on business environment issues, regularly publishing commentary on transparency, accountability, and creditor protection in Estonia's economic system. 
She holds a Mag.Iur degree, a PhD, and two MBAs, reflecting a strong academic foundation in law, finance and business administration. Her international experience and credentials underpin her multidisciplinary approach to legal and economic policy.

Panos Prodromides

Chair, CEAOB | Director General, CyPAOB

Panos Prodromides is Head of the Cyprus Public Audit Oversight Board (CyPAOB), where he leads the independent oversight of the audit profession and promotes high-quality auditing standards in Cyprus. Since July 2024, he has also served as Chair of the Committee of European Auditing Oversight Bodies (CEAOB).
Panos has extensive experience in audit oversight and audit practice. Before becoming Head of CyPAOB in 2023, he served as an Audit Quality Reviewer at the authority from 2015 to 2023. Earlier in his career, he was Managing Partner at A. Panayiotou & P. Prodromides Ltd., Head of the Audit Department at Nexia Poyiadjis, Senior Audit Manager at Deloitte Cyprus, and began his professional career at Arthur Andersen in London.
He actively contributes to international audit oversight initiatives through the CEAOB and is a member of the Emerging Working Group of the International Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR).
Panos is a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Cyprus (ICPAC) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). He holds a master’s degree in Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor’s degree in Economic and Social Studies from the University of Manchester.

Petr Wagner

Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission, DG FISMA

Petr Wagner works on corporate reporting, audit and credit rating agency policy at the European Commission. His work focuses on regulatory developments that strengthen transparency, trust and quality in European capital markets

Jonathan Hooper, Moderator

Senior Manager, ICAEW

Moderator of the panel discussion

Jonathan Hooper is a Senior Manager at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). He regularly contributes to discussions on audit, assurance and professional standards and serves as moderator of the panel discussion on reporting and assurance standards.

Rasa Selevičienė

Audit Director, PwC Lithuania

Rasa has more than 27 years of experience at PwC, leading audits and other assurance engagements for companies across a wide range of industries.
Rasa specialises in audits under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Lithuanian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (Lithuanian GAAP) for banks, leasing and insurance companies, asset managers, investment funds, electronic money and payment institutions, as well as large groups operating in the construction, manufacturing, and trading industries. As PwC Lithuania’s Audit Methodology Champion, Rasa ensures that audit methodologies are aligned with global standards and best practices and regularly participates in Engagement Compliance Reviews to support audit quality and regulatory compliance.
Rasa has been a member of the Lithuanian Chamber of Auditors since 2009 and currently chairs its Audit Committee, which is responsible for developing audit methodology guidance for Lithuanian auditors.
She is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), a Certified Auditor in Lithuania, and a Certified Sustainability Reporting Assurance Specialist in Lithuania. Rasa holds a master’s degree in Accounting and Auditing from Vilnius University.

Marjolein Doblado

Director of the International Division, H2A (French High Audit Authority)

Marjolein Doblado is Director of the International Division at H2A, the French High Audit Authority. Her role includes representing H2A in international organisations involved in audit regulation and sustainability reporting.
She is an active member of the Committee of European Auditing Oversight Bodies (CEAOB) and its subgroups, serves as an observer on the EFRAG Sustainability Reporting Board, and leads the CEAOB Sustainability Reporting Task Force. From 2016 to 2026, Marjolein chaired the CEAOB International Auditing Standards Subgroup, where she organised the dialogue with the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) and the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA), and led the development of CEAOB’s technical advice to the European Commission. From 2014 to 2020, she also chaired the IFIAR Standards Coordination Working Group.
Marjolein began her career as an auditor at an international audit network, conducting statutory audits of French and international companies for ten years. During that time, she was actively involved in training and in developing the network’s audit tools and methodologies.

Gabriela Figueiredo Dias

Chair, IESBA | Co-CEO, IFEA

Gabriela Figueiredo Dias is Chair of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) and co-CEO of the International Foundation for Ethics and Audit (IFEA).
She previously served as Executive Chair of the Portuguese Securities Commission (CMVM), Portugal’s financial markets and audit regulator, and was a member of the Portuguese National Council of Financial Supervisors. At the international level, she served on the Board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and of its Sustainability Task Force, as well as on the Board of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), chaired ESMA’s Investment Management Standing Committee, and was Vice Chair of the OECD Corporate Governance Committee. She is a founding member of the Portuguese Corporate Governance Institute.
A lawyer and academic for 18 years, Gabriela has published extensively on capital markets, corporate governance, auditing, pension funds, finance, and sustainability. She also served as President of the Board of the University of Coimbra. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from the University of Coimbra.

Bob Wessels, Moderator

Professor Emeritus of International Insolvency Law

Moderator of the panel discussion

Bob Wessels is Professor Emeritus of Commercial Law and International Insolvency Law, with a distinguished academic career spanning more than 25 years at the Universities of Amsterdam and Leiden. He has also held visiting professorships at universities in Germany, South Africa, the United States, Latvia, and Luxembourg.
An internationally recognised expert in restructuring and insolvency law, Bob has authored more than 25 books and hundreds of articles on corporate law, cross-border insolvency, contract law, and financial restructuring. His publications include the ten-volume Wessels Insolvency Law series, one of the leading works on Dutch insolvency law, as well as numerous English-language books and reports on international insolvency and restructuring.
Bob served as Deputy Justice at the Court of Appeal in The Hague from 1988 to 2016 and was a member of the Joint Board of Appeal of the European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, ESMA, and EIOPA). Since 2010, he has acted as an independent Expert Counsel to the European Commission on EU restructuring and insolvency legislation, contributing to key reforms including the recast EU Insolvency Regulation, the Preventive Restructuring Directive, and the 2026 Directive harmonising certain aspects of insolvency law.
He is co-founder and former Chair of the Conference of European Restructuring and Insolvency Law (CERIL), co-founder of the International Insolvency Institute (III), and former Chair of INSOL Europe’s Academic Forum. Bob is a Fellow of the American Law Institute (ALI), the European Law Institute (ELI), and an International Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy.
In recognition of his longstanding contribution to insolvency law in the Netherlands, Europe, and internationally, Bob has received numerous honours, including the International Insolvency Institute’s Outstanding Contribution Award (2023) and appointment as Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau by His Majesty the King of the Netherlands (2023).

Gabrielė Sabalė

Senior Lawyer and Licensed Insolvency Administrator

Gabrielė Sabalė is a senior lawyer and licensed insolvency administrator with more than 13 years of experience in insolvency, litigation and legislative development. Over the past decade as an insolvency administrator, she has successfully completed 78 insolvency proceedings and has attained the highest level of professional experience recognised for insolvency administrators in Lithuania.
Her work sits at the intersection of insolvency practice and policy. Alongside administering insolvency proceedings and advising on complex insolvency matters, she contributes to the development of insolvency legislation and represents the insolvency practitioner community in discussions with institutions involved in legislative drafting. This combination of hands-on case experience and regulatory work gives her a practical perspective on how insolvency rules operate in reality - and where they can be improved. 
She holds a Master’s degree in Law from Vilnius University.

Vytis Grybauskas

Attorney-at-Law, Insolvency and Restructuring Expert

Vytis Grybauskas is an insolvency lawyer whose practice is focused exclusively on restructuring and bankruptcy matters. He is one of the few practising lawyers in Lithuania working on insolvency proceedings both in Lithuania and across other EU jurisdictions. 
Vytis is involved in a significant number of major bankruptcy and restructuring cases in Lithuania. He advises and represents distressed companies, creditors and financial institutions throughout insolvency proceedings, including complex and contentious matters. His experience covers creditor claims, restructuring plans, bankruptcy proceedings, directors’ liability and insolvency-related disputes.
Working on both debtor and creditor sides gives him a broad practical understanding of insolvency proceedings and the commercial considerations behind them.

Nicholas Talbot

Chief Executive Officer, International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC)

Moderator of the panel discussion

Nicholas Talbot is the Chief Executive of the International Valuation Standards Council www.ivsc.org – which brings together experts to produce the global approach to assets valuation in conjunction with some of the world’s biggest investors, investment banks, businesses, regulatory leaders, Ministers and professional bodies. Nick has also held various other international director and non-executive roles and has an award and an executive masters level qualification from Oxford University. 
Nick uses his skills as a well-known mountaineer and motivational speaker to raise money for charities and has featured in various documentaries, television, radio and news outlets across the world, and received a Point of Light Award from the UK Prime Minister.

Vaida Kačergienė

President, Lithuanian Chamber of Auditors

Vaida Kačergienė is the President of the Lithuanian Chamber of Auditors (LAR) and a certified auditor since 1997. Engaged in the sector since its formative years in independent Lithuania, she brings nearly three decades of expertise, institutional knowledge, and executive leadership to the profession.
As a leader, Vaida advocates for the continuous evolution of auditing. She believes modern auditing is not a static procedure, but a dynamic, living practice constantly adapting to economic transformations, regulatory developments, and shifting stakeholder expectations.
As LAR President, she champions professional resilience and innovation, emphasizing that the audit we knew even a year ago is fundamentally different today. Vaida is dedicated to ensuring the profession remains an agile, forward-looking, and trusted pillar of the modern economy.

Asta Lisauskienė

Chamber of Property and Business Valuers of Lithuania

Asta Lisauskienė is an experienced valuation professional actively engaged in the development of the valuation profession in Lithuania. Her work focuses on professional quality, valuation methodology and the advancement of best practices in property and business valuation.

Claire Lindridge

Director, Policy and Insights, ACCA

Claire is Director of Policy and Insights at ACCA, where she leads a team of technical and policy experts producing research and policy insights on the key issues shaping the global business environment. Her team also responds to international and regional consultations across a broad range of policy areas, supporting ACCA’s public interest mission.
After graduating in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, Claire began her career in accountancy at a Big Four firm in London before moving into audit regulation at the UK Financial Reporting Council (FRC).
During her 19 years at the FRC, Claire held a number of senior roles, culminating in the establishment of the Audit Market Supervision team in 2018. She led the development of several key aspects of the FRC’s supervision of the UK’s largest audit firms, with a particular focus on audit quality and market oversight.