The Steering Board has the task to oversee the implementation of the InvestEU Programme and determine the strategic and operational guidance for the implementing partners. Other duties of the board include the adoption of the risk methodological framework, the rules of procedure of the secretariat for the Investment Committee and the rules for operations with investment platforms.
The Steering Board is composed of four representatives of the Commission, three representatives of the EIB Group, two representatives of the implementing partners other than the EIB Group and one expert appointed as a non-voting member by the European Parliament.
Chair of the InvestEU Steering Board; Deputy-Director General – Investment & Innovation, Directorate- General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW)
As Deputy Director-General of DG GROW of the European Commission, Maive Rute is responsible for investment and innovation policies such as InvestEU, public procurement and intellectual property. As of May 2025, she leads DG GROW work in the European Semester process and in the Horizon Europe. Maive is a Board of Directors member of the European Investment Fund EIF and the EU Intellectual Property Office EUIPO. Between 2020 – 2025 she was Deputy Director-General in GROW for industrial policy, and in 2016 – 2019, DDG in the DG Joint Research Centre. Since 2005 she has held Director positions in the European Commission for biotech research and for enterprise policy.
In Estonia, she has worked as CEO of credit and export guarantee fund KredEx and as Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Estonia. Estonian government has nominated her to the national Research and Development Council advising Prime Minister for 2025 – 2028.
Director - Investment, Innovative & Sustainable Transport, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (MOVE)
Eric von Breska joined DG MOVE as Director for Investment, Innovative & Sustainable Transport on 1 November. Before joining DG MOVE, he worked in DG Budget as Director for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and Own Resources. He also worked in the Recovery and Resilience Task Force of the Secretariat General where he was responsible for the roll-out of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Finally, in DG REGIO he coordinated the preparation of 2021-2027 cohesion policy framework.
Director - Investment, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (EMPL)
An economist, Ruth Paserman joined the Commission in 1993. She has since worked in a number of services: Eurostat, DG Employment and Social Affairs, DG Competition, DG Enterprise and Industry. She was also member of cabinet of Vice-President Tajani, Vice-President Dombrovskis and deputy Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Thyssen. Since November 2020 she is Director for Funds Programming and Implementation in DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. She is responsible for the legislation, policy development and coordination of implementation of the funds managed by the DG (European Social Fund +, Social Climate Fund, European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, InvestEU social window), as well as for the social economy, social innovation and better regulation.
Director for Policy, Strategy and Outreach (DG Connect)
Thibaut KLEINER is the Director for Policy, Strategy and Outreach at DG Connect. He has worked since 2001 at the European Commission. The first ten years of his career in the Commission were spent in the area of competition policy (merger, antitrust and State aid). He was notably member of the cabinet of Neelie Kroes, Commissioner for Competition, in 2007-2010 and head of unit for State aid coordination in DG Competition. In September 2011, he moved to the digital policy area, as advisor of Vice-President Neelie Kroes, in charge of the Digital Agenda, and supervised Internet policies at large (Internet Governance, cybersecurity, cloud, data). From January 2014 to June 2016, he was head of unit in charge of network technologies (5G and Internet of Things) in DG Connect. From June 2016 to December 2019 he was the deputy head of cabinet of Commissioner Oettinger, in charge of Budget and Human Resources and he then came back to DG Connect to head the unit in charge of Research Strategy and Coordination. An economist by training, Thibaut holds a Master from HEC Paris and a PhD from the London School of Economics.
Deputy Director General of Projects Directorate
Christoph Kuhn is Deputy Director General of the EIB’s Projects Directorate, which is responsible for the Bank’s technical and economical project assessment and advisory. In his role, Christoph also oversees the Bank’s lending policies for climate, social and environmental investments. Christoph has been with EIB for more than 19 years in various banking functions. Before that, he had various positions in corporate and investment-banking. He holds two Master degrees in Business Administration and Finance from E.M. Lyon and Cranfield University.
Hristo is the Director of Advisory Services and Mandate Management department in the EIB.
Prior to this position, Hristo lead the EIB’s Venture Debt, Equity, and EIC Fund Investment Advisory activities. Hristo joined the front office operations of the EIB in 2007 where he worked on various innovation finance operations, including under the original Risk Sharing Finance Facility mandate between EC and EIB.
Before joining the EIB, Hristo held investment banking and finance positions in Canada, the US and Bulgaria. Hristo holds an MBA degree from York University, Toronto.
Director - Head of Strategy and Business Development Department – Mandate Management
Laurent Braun is in charge of EIB and European Commission mandates in the EIF. Prior to that, Laurent held positions in risk management, restructuring and investment in both EIB and EIF.
Sophie Barbier is the Head of European Affairs at the French Caisse des Dépôts (CDC) Group. She graduated from the National School of Administration (ENA/INSP) and holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) de Cachan and Nanterre University. Previously, she worked at the Forecasting Department in the French Ministry for Finance and in the Asset-Liability Team at CDC. She is currently involved in the implementation of EU programs within CDC, such as the InvestEU program and the blending instrument under the Connecting Europe Facility.
Martina Colombo is the Head of European Affairs at Gruppo Cassa Depositi e Prestiti S.p.A. (CDP). She oversees the EU affairs of CDP Group, Italy's National Promotional Institution (NPI), and the Financial Institution for International Cooperation and Development Finance (IFI and DFI).
Since joining CDP in 2004, Martina has played a pivotal role in the institution's growth following its spin-off from the Ministry of Finance in 2003. Her career at CDP includes various significant roles: initially as Head of Strategic Planning and Financial Control, then as Head of International Activities in Business Development, and later as Head of Blended Finance in International Development Cooperation. Throughout these positions, she has consistently contributed to innovating CDP's business model and expanding its activities both domestically and internationally.
Over the past decade, Martina has become an expert in managing EU-funded program operating both within and outside Europe. She has designed financial instruments that leverage donor and mandator funds alongside CDP's resources to finance sustainable development. Martina also served as Blended Finance Senior Advisor for the G20 Development Working Group during Italy's G20 presidency.
From early 2021 to mid-2023, Martina was a Seconded National Expert at the European Commission, advising on the implementation of EU-funded programs with a focus on sustainability and climate impact, particularly InvestEU and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Upon return to CDP Group, Martina is supervising the implementation of EU Programs both for CDP S.p.A. and CDP Equity.
Since April 2024, Martina has been serving as an Alternate Board Member of the European Investment Fund (EIF) and as the coordinator of the Financial Institutions’ Shareholder Group (FISG) of the Fund.
Prior to her tenure at CDP, Martina worked for Citigroup in Corporate and Investment Banking. She holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Politecnico di Milano and a post-graduate Certificate in Management and Administration from Harvard University.
Expert appointed by the European Parliament
Alain Lamassoure is a former Magistrate of the French Court of Auditors, Mayor of Anglet, France, Member of the French National Assembly, Minister for European Affairs, Budget Minister and served five terms as Member of the European Parliament. In his capacity as MEP, he was Chairman of the Budgetary Control Committee (CONT), the Budgets Committee (BUDG) and the Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect (TAXE 2).