Europe Turns to Private Enterprise to Close the Gap as BOARD Attracts Support from Over 200 European CEOs
Europe is renting its future rather than building it. It relies on others for its energy, its computing power and much of the capital its companies need to grow. Its leaders are pushing reform of markets and regulation to improve the conditions, but policy alone cannot build what Europe now rents. That falls to its companies, and in large part to the growth-stage private businesses that have had little voice in the debate about Europe’s future.
BOARD is a new forum for those businesses, bringing their CEOs together with the investors and non-executive directors who can help them raise capital, strengthen their boards and scale in Europe. Its first speakers, announced today for its launch at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, from 22 to 24 March 2027, include Renault chairman Jean-Dominique Sénard, Worldline CEO Pierre-Antoine Vacheron and James Caan CBE. More than 200 European CEOs are already backing its mission to improve Europe\’s competitiveness, and more than 500 are expected in Monaco by March.
The cost of Europe’s reliance on others was laid bare by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union address this month. Imported fossil fuels have cost Europe an additional €90 billion without adding any new energy, the trade deficit with China is running at €1 billion a day, and the EU is more than 80 per cent dependent on China for many critical raw materials. She called for reform, including a banking system built for growth rather than stability alone, but warned: “Developing capital markets takes time. And the needs of our companies are urgent.”
Rohan Marwaha, Founder and CEO of BOARD, a new forum for European private enterprise, said: “Europe is renting its future rather than building it. We rely on others for our energy, our computing power and much of the capital our companies need to grow. Reform can improve the conditions, but policy alone cannot build what Europe now rents. That falls to our companies, and in large part to the growth-stage private businesses that have had little voice in the debate about Europe’s future.”
More than 200 European CEOs have already committed to attend, backing BOARD’s mission to improve European competitiveness, and more than 500 are expected in Monaco by March. The forum is built for privately owned companies with the ambition to become Europe’s next giants, typically generating €10 million to €500 million in revenue and ready to scale. It gives their CEOs access to the capital, the expertise and the relationships they need to grow, and to do it in Europe rather than elsewhere.
BOARD launches at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, from 22 to 24 March 2027, where a one-to-one meetings programme running across all three days puts those CEOs in front of the investors, chairs and non-executive directors who back and advise growing companies, alongside leaders of Europe’s largest businesses.
Marwaha said: “Davos brings together the chief executives of listed companies and heads of state, and that has a valuable place, but the room for private enterprise, which does most of Europe’s hiring, has been noticeably absent until now. These CEOs want access to capital, the right people around the boardroom table and the partners who can help them grow faster.”
The first tranche of confirmed speakers are:
Jean-Dominique Sénard, Chairman, Renault Group
Pierre-Antoine Vacheron, CEO, Worldline
James Caan CBE, Founder and Chairman, Hamilton Bradshaw
Jürgen Eckel, Head of Strategy and Innovation, Airbus Defence and Space
Mike Jatania, Co-founder, Aurea Group, and Executive Chairman and CEO, The Body Shop
Alexandre Mars, Founder and CEO, blisce/
Fred de Gombert, Co-founder and President, Akeneo
Olga Megorskaya, Founder and CEO, Toloka
Tim Kohn, one of Amazon’s first 20 software developers
Roozbeh Charli, CEO, Einride
Steffan Peyer, Managing Director, Summit Partners
The programme is shaped by BOARD’s research with 193 European CEOs and board directors, who judged the boardroom challenges they face to be 70 per cent shared across industries and 30 per cent sector-specific. Capital allocation, M&A, AI, cyber security, compliance and succession recur regardless of sector, which is why BOARD is designed as a cross-industry forum.
The programme runs across three days and five content pillars: Capital and Strategy; AI and Technology; Risk, Security and Resilience; Governance, Accountability and Board Dynamics; and Leadership and Human Capital. It includes more than 90 sessions, over 40 roundtables and more than 150 speakers, with no session longer than 35 minutes.
In total, more than 2,000 delegates are expected in Monaco in March, comprising the CEOs building ambitious companies, the directors guiding them, the investors backing them and the technology and advisory partners helping turn strategy into execution.
BOARD is held with the support of the Monaco Tourist and Convention Authority. Learn more at www.boardeurope.com
BOARD is a forum for European private enterprise, convening the CEOs, board directors and investors of the continent’s growth-stage companies. Held at the Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, from 22 to 24 March 2027 under the banner “Powering Growth In Private Enterprise Across Europe”, it combines plenary sessions, panels, roundtables and one-to-one meetings across five content pillars. BOARD also publishes The BOARD Brief, a weekly briefing on the capital, deals and board-level decisions moving across European private enterprise. BOARD is organised by Board Summits Ltd, founded by Rohan Marwaha and Chris Styring.
