How can employee share ownership help Europeans build long-term wealth, improve financial literacy and become more active participants in capital markets?

That is the question that BETTER FINANCE and its Austrian member organisation IVA – Austrian Shareholders’ Association will explore at their upcoming conference:

From Participation to Prosperity:

Employee Ownership as a Driver of Financial Literacy and Capital Market Development in Europe

Date: 13 October 2026 | Time: 14:00 – 18:00 | Location: Vienna, Austria

Discussions will explore how employee ownership can contribute to:

• building long-term wealth and financial resilience for employees;
• strengthening financial literacy and investor participation;
• encouraging a broader ownership culture in Europe; and
• supporting deeper and more inclusive European capital markets and the Savings and Investment Union.
  

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The conference will also mark 25 years of the highly successful voestalpine employee participation programme, offering a unique opportunity to examine one of Europe’s most prominent examples of employee ownership in practice.

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Programme

13:30 – 14:00 | Registration

14:00 – 14:15 | Welcome & Opening Remarks

Friedrich Mostböck, Head of Group Research, Erste Group Bank AG and Chair of the Austrian Association ÖVFA

Florian Beckermann, Chairman of the Austrian Shareholder Association – IVA Interessenverband für Anleger

Angelika Sommer-Hemetsberger, President, Aktienforum

14:15 – 14:40 | Opening Keynote | Employee Ownership as a Strategic Factor in Companies

Angelika Sommer-Hemetsberger, President, Aktienforum

14:40 – 15:25 | Panel Discussion | Production, Sustainability, Financial Education, Experience on the Capital Market

Corporate Representation: Gudrun Egger, Board Member ERSTE Stiftung – DIE ERSTE österreichische Spar-Casse Privatstiftung

Legal: Philip Vondrak, Grama Schwaighofer Vondrak Rechtsanwälte GmbH

Employee Representation: Johannes Pointer, Voestalpine Mitarbeiterbeteiligung

Stakeholders: Angelika Sommer-Hemetsberger, President, Aktienforum

15:25 – 15:40 | Coffee Break

15:40 – 16:00 | Keynote Speech |  A Roadmap for Europe: Employee Ownership as a Pillar of the Savings and Investment Union

Aleksandra Maczynska, Managing Director, BETTER FINANCE

16:00 – 17:00 | Panel Discussion |  From Employee to Stakeholder: How can Europe Facilitate Employee Ownership?

European Shareholder Representation: Aleksandra Maczynska, Managing Director, BETTER FINANCE

Capital Markets: Manuel Prieschl, EuropeanIssuers Brüssel

Investors: Walter Hatak, Head of Responsible Investments, Erste Asset Management GmbH

Corporate Representation: Günther Ofner, Joint CEO & CFO, Flughafen Wien AG and Chairman, Supervisory Board, ÖBAG

17:00 – 17:20 | Q&A Session

17:20 – 17:40 | Keynote Speech | Best Practices: Successful Employee Ownership Models in Europe

Jörg Ziegler, Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Workplace Solutions

Corporate Representation: Julia Jäger, MA, Senior Expert Rewards, Total Rewards & Global Mobility, OMV AG

17:40 – 18:00 | Closing Remarks & Reception

Register Here