Europe: Bigger Picture - Business structures – adapting to ownership models

Bettina Cassegrain, Global Director, Professional Standards and Sustainability Assurance, HLB

Initially a UK chartered accountant and expert-comptable/commissaire aux comptes in France, Bettina has focused on international outreach activities since 2017. She has developed a pragmatic approach to improving audit quality and training within HLB International (the 8th largest global network of accounting and audit firms) and leads global awareness initiatives worldwide.

A key area of Bettina’s work with various regions is the active identification and promotion of young talent. This includes mentoring and guiding colleagues on their career paths toward partnership, leading women-focused networking activities, and advocating for female leadership at conferences worldwide. For her work in this field, she was recognized as one of the TOP 50 Women in Accounting of 2023. In 2024, she was named among the "100 qui comptent", a ranking developed by the editorial staff of Le Monde du Chiffre which rewards 100 key players in the accounting profession in France for their exceptional commitment, dynamic outlook and spirit of innovation.

In 2023, Bettina became actively involved in the field of sustainability. She is registered as a sustainability auditor in France and has led HLB’s project to develop an international methodology for sustainability assurance. She has also been involved in the creation of sustainability related training material, most notably e-learning modules on IFRS S1 & S2 for the Universidad para la Cooperación Internacional in Costa Rica.

Bettina is a regular speaker on auditing, business development, and practice management at national and international events. She also regularly appears on television, radio, and in the print media. Since 2020, Bettina has been a guest lecturer at EM Normandie Business School on topics such as organizational development and change, public speaking, and intercultural man

Tom Heerkens, CFO Innovation & Technology, ABN AMRO

Tom Heerkens is a finance leader at ABN AMRO Bank N.V., working as CFO of the Innovation & Technology division, with a strong focus on driving performance, efficiency, and strategic value creation within large-scale organisations.

In his current role, Tom acts as a trusted partner to senior leadership, combining financial expertise with a deep understanding of business drivers to support decision-making, challenge assumptions, and optimize outcomes. He is known for his analytical mindset, pragmatic approach, and ability to translate complex financial insights into actionable strategies.

He has worked for two decades at ABN AMRO, where he has performed multiple roles in financial reporting, controls, policies, financial markets, and controlling. He has built a strong track record in financial steering, cost optimisation, and transformation initiatives. He is passionate about building high-performing teams and fostering a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement—believing that sustainable results come from combining sharp financial discipline with strong collaboration and clear priorities.

Before his career at ABN AMRO, Tom trained as a Chartered Accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the United Kingdom.

Adonis Sotiriou, Group Chief Financial Officer, Lanitis E.C. Holdings

Adonis Sotiriou is the Chief Financial Officer of Lanitis Group, one of the biggest Cypriot Business Groups, and he is serving on the Board of Directors of several group companies.

He has graduated from the University of Manchester with a BA in Accounting & Finance, and he is a member of ICAEW.

Adonis started his career with KPMG in Cyprus where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

His work experience covers a wide range of industries including banking, manufacturing, property development, construction, energy and leisure and entertainment.

In the past, he has held the positions of Credit Officer in Hellenic Bank and CFO at PepsiCo (Cyprus) International.