As an association of national member organisations, BETTER FINANCE is supported by a small professional Brussels-based team and our friends on Facebook and LinkedIn. New members and supporters are always welcome to get involved.
Our team consists of finance professionals, lobbyists and communication specialists who carry out the core activities of BETTER FINANCE.
Managing Director,
Guillaume Prache
Guillaume Prache is the Managing Director of BETTER FINANCE, the European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users. He is also one of the experts representing financial services users at EU-level, notably before the European Commission (lastly as a member of the HLF CMU – High-Level Forum on Capital Markets Union), the European Securities & Markets Authority as a member and former chair of the ESMA Securities & Markets Stakeholder Group, and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority as a member of the EIOPA IRSG – Insurance and Reinsurance Stakeholder Group (and formerly as a member of the EIOPA Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group and of the EBA Banking Stakeholder Group). He is also an expert for the French financial regulator AMF.
He started as a magistrate at the French Court of Auditors and has an extended and international experience in financial matters, notably as Chief Financial Officer of US-based Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, Inc., a “Fortune 500” publicly listed pharmaceutical company (today Sanofi) from 1997 to 2000, and then as Managing Director of the European subsidiary of the Vanguard Group, Inc., a global leader in asset management, from 2000 to 2006.
He has taught asset management for the CIWM (Certified International Wealth Manager) program and wrote two books and various articles on economics and finance.
EU expert groups: Member of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) – Insurance and Reinsurance Stakeholder Group (IRSG), member of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) – Securities and Markets Stakeholders Group (SMSG).
Executive Director,
Aleksandra Mączyńska
Aleksandra Mączyńska is coming from Warsaw, Poland, where she was the Deputy Director of the International Relations and Communication Department of the Polish consumer and competition watchdog.
She studied at the Faculty of Management at the Poznan University of Economics and at the Warsaw School of Economics. She has also a vast experience in management of international projects, e.g. EU funded capacity building projects. As a Fellow of the Robert Bosch Foundation Programme for the Young Executives from the Public Sector, she worked at the Division for World Bank International Monetary Fund, Debt Issues and International Finance Structure at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. She was an expert at various EU Council’s Working Parties such as the WP on Financial Services and WP on Competitiveness and Growth, as well as European Commission’s Working Groups and Advisory Committees. One of her task was also external representation and managing professional networks such as Consumer Policy Network (CPN), International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), European Competition Network (ECN) and OECD Competition Committee.
EU expert groups: Member of the Directorate-General for the Environment on the European Commission Eco-labelling Board, Member of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) Occupational pensions Stakeholder Group (OPSG), Member of the United Nations Civil Society Advisory Body of the Principles for Responsible Banking (UNEPFI).
Project Manager,
Anaïs Baudrier
Anaïs joined Better Finance on February 2021 as a Project Manager to deal, amongst other things, with H2020 project LEVEL EEI (GA894345).
Since her graduation with a Master’s degree as Expert in European Project Management from the University of Caen Basse Normandie in France, she has cumulated 8 years of experience in project and proposal management for French, European and International funders.
On the Innovation side, she has worked in different consulting companies in France and Belgium on FP7 and H2020 projects related to many different topics with a focus on Energy.
On the International development side, she was working for the prestigious Institut Pasteur in Paris and for the Brussels office of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Research & Policy Officer,
Sébastien Commain
Sébastien Commain is Research and Policy Officer at BETTER FINANCE. He specialises in Financial Services Regulation and Capital Markets Research.
Sébastien holds a Masters’ degree in European affairs from Sciences Po Paris and a Ph.D. in political science from the Université du Luxembourg. Before joining BETTER FINANCE, Sébastien worked as an interest representative, a role in which he initially developed a strong taste for financial regulation issues as well as advocacy and policy analysis skills. He then turned to academia, working at the College of Europe for several years, before undertaking a Ph.D. on the influence of financial interest groups in EU and international policy making and the reform of bank capital requirements.
Director of Communication
Arnaud Houdmont
Arnaud Houdmont joined the team at BETTER FINANCE following a varied and multi-facetted career in the world of communication, press relations and research at the heart of Europe. During this time he worked closely with policy makers from the European Commission, the European Parliament and private sector stakeholders on topics such as youth employment, entrepreneurship, health policy, sustainability and innovation. Prior to this he earned a master’s degree in Global Communication from Goldsmith’s College (University of London) and a bachelor’s degree in International relations from Sussex University.
His studies and career have given him a critical and analytical insight in a range of issues, as well as a profound knowledge of the political economy, media and the European institutions. On a personal level Arnaud is fascinated by all aspects relating to sustainable development and political economy.
At BETTER FINANCE, Arnaud is responsible for all communications activities and the continued development of an inclusive communication strategy aimed at reaching all interested parties and stakeholders. He speaks fluent Dutch, English and French and has a very good working level of Spanish.
Finance and Administration Assistant,
Clara Hubeaux
During her master’s degree, she had the opportunity to complete an internship at the Parlement Bruxellois as a parliamentary assistant.
Finance & Administration Officer,
Matis Joab
Matis Joab is the Finance and Administration Officer at Better Finance. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Economics and a Master’s degree in Management from Tallinn University of Technology. After working 6 years in the private sector in Estonia, mostly in Real Estate, he moved to Brussels to become Financial Director of the European Students’ Forum (AEGEE), before joining Better Finance at the beginning of 2020.
In addition to his knowledge of Financial Management, Matis has a deep interest in geopolitics, economics, and sustainable finance. He is bilingual in Estonian and English, has a decent grasp of both French and German, in addition to a basic understanding of Russian.
Research & Outreach Officer,
Martin Molko
Martin is Research and Outreach Officer at BETTER FINANCE, where he supports the research team, monitors policy issues and carries out dissemination tasks for our activities. He works on various policy areas, with a focus on Digital Finance/FinTech, Shareholder Rights, Financial Literacy and inclusion. Within the BETTER FINANCE team, he is also involved in several topics related to the EU Capital Markets Union (CMU), market structure and corporate finance.
Martin obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Information and Communication from the University of Nice and pursued a specialised Master’s Degree in European Studies at the Free University of Brussels (ULB). He has also participated in summer university programmes related to European multilateralism and economic development. As part of his past professional experience, he has consolidated his communication and reporting skills, including within a European news agency, where he developed a strong interest in finance. He has lived in Belgium, France and Germany, where he gained experience in consulting and held project management and editorial positions in the academic field.
Research & Policy Officer,
Mariyan Nikolov
Mariyan Nikolov is a Research & Policy Officer at Better Finance, where he specializes in the areas of Sustainable and Digital Finance, Financial Reporting and Corporate Governance. He is also involved with the coordination of relevant policy developments with member organizations and leads on consultation responses to the EU on broader sustainability dossiers.
In his previous roles – with government representation, EU institutions and the private sector – he led on multiple research projects encompassing sustainable finance initiatives and comparative regulatory developments, carbon pricing and trading, as well as consultations with international financial institutions.
Mariyan has an integrated MSci in International Relations and Global Issues from the University of Nottingham, UK whereby he also completed various study and volunteering projects across China, India and Malaysia in the fields of sustainability. He is a native Bulgarian, Turkish, English speaker and has some understanding of other languages including Russian, French and Dutch.
Communications Assistant,
María Yuste
María Yuste Puche is Communications Assistant at BETTER FINANCE. She obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism (University of Jaume I, Spain). After her undergraduate studies, Maria is currently studying for a master’s degree in Corporate Communication, Protocol and Events (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya).
As part of his professional experience, María has worked as Social Media Manager in Valencia. She also had the opportunity to develop her career as a journalist working for a national political newspaper.
