AVNT 10-mečio konferencija 2026

Rūta Carik

Vice-Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania

Rūta Carik is the Vice-Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania. She has many years of experience in public administration, European Union’s investment and project management. Prior to her appointment as Vice-Minister, R. Carik worked as Head of the Social Dialogue Unit at the Ministry of Social Security and Labour and spent most of her professional career at the PI Central Project Management Agency, where she managed projects financed by the European Union funds, advised project promoters, took care of reviewing the latest legislation, etc. She is also a member of the Vilnius District Municipal Council. 
Vice-Minister has acquired Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Social Work from Mykolas Romeris University, she has also completed 4 courses in accounting programme at Vilnius College and various courses and modules at Ghent University (Belgium) and Copenhagen University (Denmark). 

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

Jon is a senior financial management consultant specializing in assisting governments, public oversight bodies (POBs), professional accounting organizations, and other stakeholders to drive real sustained improvements in corporate and public sector financial reporting and audit regulation and practice in both the public and private sectors. Jon works both as an individual consultant and for ICAEW on capacity building projects funded by the World Bank, ADB, EU and others in countries including Ukraine, Georgia, Mongolia Kyrgyzstan, Western Balkans, Nepal, Armenia and across central Asia and the Middle East.
Jon was formerly Head of International Relations for the UK’s Financial Reporting Council, the UK’s Audit Oversight and Accounting regulator. He worked for FRC for 10 years including 2 years on secondment to the World Bank in Washington. Jon served on the International Accounting Education Standards Board Consultative Advisory Group for 6 years and the secretariat of the Internation Forum of Independent Audit Regulators (IFIAR) for 7 years. 
After graduating from Cambridge University, Jon joined KPMG in London and worked in audit and transaction services before working in corporate finance and then audit and accounting regulation. He is a prize-winning graduate of the ICAEW accountancy qualification and a fellow member of both ICAEW and ACCA.  

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.

Rui Peres Jorge

Director – Strategy and Communications, IESBA

As Director, Strategy and Communications, Rui Peres Jorge is responsible for shaping and advancing the IESBA's strategic positioning, innovation agenda, and communications function. He advises the Chair, Senior Director, and Board on strategic priorities and external positioning, with a focus on enhancing the relevance, adoption, and impact of IESBA's standards globally.
Mr. Peres Jorge joined IESBA in January 2025. Previously, he served as Economics Advisor and Head of Communications at Portugal's Ministry of Finance, and as Advisor to the Board and Head of Strategic Analysis and Communications at the Portuguese Securities Market Commission.
He began his career as a journalist specializing in macroeconomics and financial economics, reporting on the global financial crisis and institutions such as the IMF, ECB, and European Commission. He holds a master's degree in Monetary and Financial Economics from the University of Lisbon and certifications from INSEAD and the London School of Economics (LSE).

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.

Pal Lajos Sziranyi

European Commission, DG JUST Legal officer

Pal Lajos Sziranyi is a legal officer at the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers of the European Commission. 
He has been participating in policy making and legislation of European law since 2004. 
Since he joined the European Commission in 2013, he has been entrusted with all aspects of EU insolvency law. He participated in the negotiations of the recast EU Regulation on insolvency proceedings (adopted in 2015), since its start he is involved in the work concerning the first insolvency harmonisation directive, the 2019 Directive on Restructuring and Insolvency and he has been and is tasked with the new EU insolvency harmonisation directive, too. Between 2015 and 2017 he represented the EU in the UNCITRAL Working Group V on insolvency law. 

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 a Council Member of the Lithuanian Chamber of Property and Business Valuers and Chair of its Science and Education Committee. She is an experienced real estate valuer and forensic expert, with 16 years of professional experience in the real estate sector. In these roles, she contributes to the professional development of valuers, promotes cooperation between academia and professional practice, and supports initiatives related to education, innovation and quality standards in property and business valuation.
Asta is Programme Director of International Business and Communication at ISM University of Management and Economics, where she also lectures in International Business and is currently a PhD candidate in Social Sciences. Her research focuses on environmental psychology, particularly human–environment interaction, employee motivation, productivity, and the role of nature in hybrid working environments.

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.