Frances Baskerville is Secretary-General of CIRM (Comité International Radio-Maritime).
CIRM, established in 1928 is the principal international association for marine electronics companies with a truly global membership. Working in ‘Consultative Status to the International Maritime Organisation (the IMO) CIRM is regarded as the ‘go to’ organisation for information on maritime regulatory and technical issues affecting the electronics sector today.

Frances brings a uniquely diverse background to CIRM. She has worked in many different business sectors and, after joining the organisation in 2004, she was appointed Secretary General in 2013. Focusing on delivering value to the membership, the organisation has doubled in size over the last five years and under her guidance the Secretariat provides its members comprehensive technical and regulatory support.

Susan Danger is CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU (AmCham EU), which speaks for American companies committed to Europe on trade, investment and competitiveness issues. She has full strategic and operational responsibility for the association and represents it externally. AmCham EU is a membership organization supporting over 150 US corporate companies, international business, and law and consultancy firms in the area of public affairs. Susan has dedicated her entire career to advancing transatlantic cooperation. She joined AmCham EU in 1995 as Communications Manager, becoming Communications & Operations Manager in 2000. Since 2002 she has been leading the organization as Managing Director and since 2016 as CEO. In 2003 she oversaw the re-branding of AmCham EU and its separation from AmCham Belgium. Susan was named by POLITICO as one of the top 20 women influencers in Brussels in 2016. Susan has also been elected as Chair of AmChams in Europe network for the period 2020-2022.

Debbie joined APM in 2015 and held the roles of chief commercial officer and chief operating officer before becoming CEO in 2018. She is responsible for leading the organisation through a period of change, including establishing it as a chartered body and developing the reputation of project management as a profession of value.

Debbie’s career journey has seen her work for Thames Television, Oxford University Press and as a member of the board at Swets Information Services, delivering global transformation projects across sales, IT and customer service. Debbie has also served as a non-executive director for UKSG, a membership organisation connecting the knowledge community, and as a volunteer for Inspiring Future Careers.

Having had responsibility for teams in 25 countries, Debbie has a proven track record in leading people through change and development, and using technology to drive continuous improvement. She says the most important attributes in her role as CEO are being open to learning new things, listening to people’s views and having the confidence to do things differently.

Outside work, Debbie’s passions include travelling and exploring new places. She also enjoys property development and walking.

Meryl Halls was appointed Managing Director of the Booksellers Association of the UK and Ireland in April 2018, having worked at the BA in a variety of roles for many years. Meryl has been central to the success of many BA initiatives of the last two decades, as well as being a key driver of high street consumer campaigning on behalf of booksellers, helping establish and develop the Books Are My Bag campaign. Meryl has been a key part of – and now leads – a team which has overseen initiatives which are at least partly responsible for the revitalisation of bookselling in the UK and Ireland. Meryl is, unsurprisingly, a keen reader and is currently judging the Desmond Elliott Book Award for debut fiction. She also sits on the Policy Board of the British Retail Consortium, the London Book Fair Advisory Board, and is Vice Chair of the Independent Retailers Confederation. She is married with two (sort of) grown up children and lives in London.

Walburga Hemetsberger is the Chief Executive Officer of SolarPower Europe based in Brussels, Belgium. She joined SolarPower Europe in February 2019 after nine years as Head of the EU Representation Office at VERBUND. Prior to this, she worked as Advisor of Financial and Capital Markets at The Association of German Public Banks and Association of Public Banks (VÖB / EAPB). Earlier in her career, Mrs Hemetsberger worked as a competition lawyer at Haarmann Hemmelrath, and has experience from the European Parliament and European Commission. Mrs Hemetsberger has also been a board member of Hydrogen Europe.

Walburga Hemetsberger is the Chief Executive Officer of SolarPower Europe based in Brussels, Belgium. She joined SolarPower Europe in February 2019 after nine years as Head of the EU Representation Office at VERBUND. Prior to this, she worked as Advisor of Financial and Capital Markets at The Association of German Public Banks and Association of Public Banks (VÖB / EAPB). Earlier in her career, Mrs Hemetsberger worked as a competition lawyer at Haarmann Hemmelrath, and has experience from the European Parliament and European Commission. Mrs Hemetsberger has also been a board member of Hydrogen Europe.

Meryl Halls was appointed Managing Director of the Booksellers Association of the UK and Ireland in April 2018, having worked at the BA in a variety of roles for many years. Meryl has been central to the success of many BA initiatives of the last two decades, as well as being a key driver of high street consumer campaigning on behalf of booksellers, helping establish and develop the Books Are My Bag campaign. Meryl has been a key part of – and now leads – a team which has overseen initiatives which are at least partly responsible for the revitalisation of bookselling in the UK and Ireland. Meryl is, unsurprisingly, a keen reader and is currently judging the Desmond Elliott Book Award for debut fiction. She also sits on the Policy Board of the British Retail Consortium, the London Book Fair Advisory Board, and is Vice Chair of the Independent Retailers Confederation. She is married with two (sort of) grown up children and lives in London.