Speakers

Claire Godding has a long banking experience (corporate, marketing, L&D) and focused on diversity, equity and inclusion during the last 15 years.

Claire is a Senior Expert on DEI at Febelfin, and the Co-Chair of Wo.Men in Finance.

She also founded and currently chairs DMAB, the network for DEI managers of all sectors in Belgium, and gives lectures in different universities and business schools.

Mother and grandmother of a multicultural family, keynote speaker and storyteller. 

Dirk Van Gerven has extensive experience in all areas of corporate and financial law. He also sits as arbitrator in Cepani, ICC and ad hoc arbitrations in the above and other matters.

He regularly assists larger companies with reorganisations, acquisitions and other transactions and advises listed companies on a wide range of financial and corporate issues including corporate governance.

Dirk received his law degree from the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in 1985. He joined NautaDutilh as a partner in 1999 and was appointed managing partner of NautaDutilh's Brussels office in 2018.

Dirk is admitted to both the Brussels and New York bars. He has served as president of the Dutch-speaking chapter of the Brussels bar, presides over its permanent education institute for lawyers and is member of the board of directors of CEPANI (the Belgian arbitration institute). From 2003 through 2020, Dirk has sat on the supervisory board of the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA), which he presided from 2013 through 2020. He is a member of the American Bar Association as well as of the International Bar Association and the New York Bar Association. Dirk is on the editorial board of TRV-RPS, a leading Belgian corporate law review.

He publishes frequently on selected topics in the fields of corporate, and financial law and arbitration. His numerous publications have resulted in invitations to address both national and international meetings. He is the author of several treatises, on Associations (2004), Foundations (2004), Companies (2020) and Legal entities (2022). He also wrote a book on gender equality in professional life (Alle mensen zijn gelijk, ook vrouwen). He is the editor of several books published by Cambridge University Press on the European Company (SE), the Prospectus Directive, the Takeover Directive, the Cross-border Mergers Directive, the Capital Directive and Professional Secrecy in Europe and the Americas.