Leadership

Aiga Ārste-Avotiņa has been working in the executive search business since 1996, when she joined Amrop International in Latvia as their first local representative. She developed the company into the biggest player in the market for senior level recruitment in the Baltics. As of 2019, Aiga is the Managing Partner of Amrop Latvia as well as a Partner in Amrop Ukrainian and Estonian operations.

Since 1999, when she was first appointed as a Partner, she has been leading executive search assignments in the Baltics and Ukraine, in a range of sectors, including Infrastructure, Manufacturing, Retail, IT & Telecommunications and other industries, completing over 500 executive search projects for the leading international, state-owned and local companies. She has also been leading management assessment assignments in the Baltics and Nordics.

Aiga graduated from the University of Latvia with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and has an MBA from the Riga Business School. She has also studied Executive Development Business Programs at the International Institute of Management Development in Switzerland and the Baltic Institute of Corporate Governance.

Nijolė Kelpšaitė is the Managing Partner at J. Friisberg & Partners Lithuania, an executive search company, and has more than 20 years of experience in providing executive search and selection services for clients in the Lithuanian market. Nijolė has an in-depth knowledge of the job market trends and developments.

Her professional career includes such positions as heading business partner search and recruiting company Vilniaus Konsultacinė Grupė, being a Project Manager at the Open Society Fund-Lithuania and working as an economist at the Lithuanian Ministry of Economy, Department of Foreign Investment.

Since 2016, Nijolė is a Board Member at Renkuosi mokyti, a non-governmental initiative that encourages young people to choose a teaching career.

Nijolė has an International Executive’s MBA from the Kaunas Technology University, programme held together with SDA Bocconi (Italy), and a Diploma of Engineering in Economics from Vilnius University, Faculty of Finance and Cybernetics.

Marja-Liisa Soone is the Head of Legal and Compliance at Ridango AS, a leading Mass Transport IT Solutions provider in Northern and Eastern Europe.

Passionate about introducing and implementing good corporate governance in companies, Marja-Liisa has made it one of her priorities both at Ridango and, previously, at Tallinna Vesi AS, a listed and largest water utility company in Estonia.

She holds a law degree and a degree in financial management, both from Tartu University. She has also taken courses in Lund University in Sweden and Georgetown University in US.

Marja-Liisa is an alumnus of the BICG class of 2013.

Lina Kapčinskienė is the Managing director and Chair of the Management Board at Baltic Agro Machinery UAB, a company providing agricultural, forestry, construction and other machinery as well as services for its maintenance. As the company is a part of a larger group across the region, she is also among the top management on the Danish/Baltic level.

For many years now, Lina has been active publicly, in such organizations as  Junior Chamber International (JCI), the Finnish-Lithuanian Chamber of Commerce (FLCC), the Association of Responsible Business Companies in Lithuania (LAVA) and the association ‘Lyderė’ for promoting women’s leadership and career striving.

Lina holds a Bachelor of Science of Business Administration from the Kaunas University of Technology and a Master’s degree from the ISM University of Management and Economics.

Lina is also one of the first graduates of the BICG, having attended in 2009. She was a member of the BICG Nomination Committee between 2013 and 2016.

She is serving on the BICG Board since 2019, and was elected to the position of the Chair in 2020.

Daiga Auziņa-Melalksne is the Head of Exchange Services at Nasdaq Baltic. She holds managerial responsibility of Baltic exchanges business unit. That includes running day to day transaction and issuer services business activities, customer relations, sales and government relations. She is also the Chair of the Management Board at Nasdaq Riga and a Management Board member at Nasdaq Tallinn.

Daiga has worked in the company since 1998. She has been a manager in stock exchange and central securities depository area, worked as a specialist in listing and information disclosure unit.

Daiga is a Board member of American Chamber of Commerce in Latvia. Since 2010, she has been a Board member of the Baltic Institute of Corporate Governance, including serving as the Chair in 2012-2014 and in 2016-2020.

Daiga holds an Executive MBA from the Riga Business School and Masters in Economics from the University of Latvia.

Guntars Baļčūns (born in 1980) is a Member of the Management Board and Chief Financial Officer at Latvenergo AS. He is also a Member of the Supervisory Board at Elektrum Lietuva UAB and Elektrum Eesti OU.

Guntars has worked at Latvenergo Group for ten years. Previously he was a Member of the Management Board at Energijas publiskais tirgotajs AS and held the positions of Business Planning and Control Director and Corporate Strategy Project Manager at Latvenergo AS.

Guntars studied Economics and Business Administration at the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga and University of Latvia. He is continuing with his studies in Business Administration at the RTU Riga Business School.

He is serving on the BICG Board since 2016, being re-elected for a second tenure in 2019.

Kārlis Danēvičs (born 1982) is a Management Board member of SEB in Latvia. He is responsible for Credits and Risks, thus having an overview of local and Baltic economies while making credit decisions and steering the bank’s credit portfolio. Such responsibilities include making a judgement of maturity of borrowers’ governance as well as advising clients to continue improving their corporate governance.

Kārlis has previously been CFO and Head of Client Relationship Management at SEB, etc. He has also worked for SEB in Sweden, covering other geographies besides the Baltics, and also for other financial institutions.

Kārlis serves as the Head of Lending Committee in Commercial Banking Association, is a lecturer at local universities and an active Supervisory Council member for SOS Children Villages Association, cooperating with donors,  President’s chancellery and promoting socially responsible business conduct.

He is serving on the BICG Board since 2017, being re-elected for a second tenure in 2020.

Riina Käi is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Elering AS, an electricity and gas transmission system operator in Estonia.

Previously, she has served as CFO at Tallinna Vesi AS and gained broad experience working as a development manager, financial controller, financial auditor, financial manager and chief accountant in various other companies, including Konekesko Eesti AS and Deloitte & Touche Audit AS.

Riina is a Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), since 2009.

She holds a Bachelor‘s degree in Financial Accounting and Management as well as a Master’s degree of Economic Sciences from Tallinn University of Technology.

Riina is serving on the BICG Board since 2016, being re-elected for a second tenure in 2019.

Priit Lepasepp is the CEO and Founder at the renewable energy company Sunly OÜ in Estonia.

He is also a Co-founder and Member of the Management Board at the financial services co-operative Tuleva, which owns of a pension fund management company.

Previously, Priit has worked as General Counsel at a wind energy company Nelja Energia AS, where he was responsible for all internal and external legal and regulatory issues in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Priit has obtained a BA in Law from University of Tartu and a MA in Law from Tallinn University of Technology.

He is serving on the BICG Board since 2018.

Dr Irmantas Norkus is the Managing Partner of COBALT Lithuania and Chairman of the Pan-Baltic Board of COBALT, one of the leading law firms in the region. Apart from these roles, he is a practicing lawyer advising a wide range of clients, both local and international, on high-profile and complex legal matters and focusing, among other things, on transactional and corporate governance matters.

He has more than 15 years of extensive experience in private and public M&A, competition, banking and finance, and is constantly recognized as a leading lawyer in his practice areas by the most prestigious legal directories.

Irmantas has been a member of the Lithuanian Bar Association since 1999 and a member of the International Bar Association (IBA) since 2004.

He has a Doctor’s degree in Social Sciences (Law) from Vilnius University.

Irmantas is serving on the BICG Board since 2017, being re-elected for a second tenure in 2020.

Kaarel Ots is the CEO of Nasdaq Tallinn stock exchange. He joined Nasdaq from Deloitte, where he served as the Head of Financial Advisory.

Prior to Deloitte, he worked for UniCredit Bank Estonia for 8 years, holding several positions, most recently Acting Branch Manager and Head of Corporate Banking.

Since 2012, Kaarel has served as the Member of the Management Board of FinanceEstonia – a public-private financial sector cluster organisation, promoting the development of financial markets.

Kaarel has a Master’s degree in corporate and investment banking from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Italy.

He is serving on the BICG Board since 2017, being re-elected for a second tenure in 2020.

Daiva Rakauskaitė, CFA, is a partner at LLP Business angels fund I (since 2010) and a fund manager at LLP Business angels fund II (since 2018). She has more than 15 years of experience in private equity, and in the latter years is actively investing into start-ups and young businesses.

Daiva is a Chairwoman at Probiosanus UAB and Integrated optics UAB as well as a  Board member at Ars Lab LTD and Gera dovana UAB. Previously, she has served as a financial analyst at the Baltic Post Privatisation fund (1999-2006) and securities brokerage house Suprema (1994-1999).

Since 2017, Daiva is a member of the Investors’ association as well as the association ‘Lyderė’. She has been a member of the BICG since 2011.

Daiva’s basic education is in economics. In 1995, she received a diploma in Systemic Economic Analysis (Economic cybernetics) from the Vilnius University, and two years later obtained an MBA in finance from the same university. In 2003, Daiva earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation at CFA Institute.

She is serving on the BICG Board since 2019.

Rytis Ambrazevičius has 20 years of experience in top level positions at various international and local companies, including  Omnitel (now Telia Lietuva, part of the Telia group), Mandatum Life Baltics, Sampo Life (Lithuania), Falck Security (now G4S) and SBA Group.

During the last decade, he held different positions in the boards of directors at numerous businesses, including Sampo group companies and such Lithuanian state-controlled companies as Klaipėdos nafta and EPSO-G. Currently, he is serving on the board of Vilniaus vandenys, the largest water supply company in Lithuania.

Rytis graduated with honours from Kaunas Technology University (Mechanical engineering), from International Business School at Vilnius University (BSc Management and Business Administration and MBA International trade). He also graduated from the BICG in 2012 (board member certificate) and in 2013 (chairperson’s certificate).

Andris Grafs is experienced in various corporate governance matters, especially from the shareholder perspective in state owned enterprises (SOEs). He has also acted in several leading positions in public policy institutions and non-profits, thus obtaining practical experience and competences in strategic planning, management, public communication and advocacy at a senior level.

For almost five years, he was a senior project manager at the Latvian Privatisation Agency (LPA), ensuring partnership with companies owned by the LPA, including Citadele Bank and Reverta. Andris has been directly involved in implementing the Citadele Bank sale transaction in 2014 and 2015. He is a co-author of the Latvian Government concept of reforms on governance of SOEs and has also participated in the OECD Working Party on State Ownership and Privatisation Practices in the years from 2011 to 2014.

Andris graduated from Riga Stradiņš University with a Master’s degree in Strategic and PR Management in 2011. He has also participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program on Transparency and Accountability, organized by the United States Department of State.

Erik Sakkov has 25 years of experience working in top management positions in Estonian companies, including Union Bank of Estonia (now SEB), Port of Tallinn, NT Marine, Tallinn Airport and Nordica.

As a volunteer, he acts as an Honorary Consul of Belgium in Estonia and chairs the Supervisory Board of the cancer treatment foundation The Gift of Life.

He graduated the Estonian Business School with an Executive MBA degree in 2003.