PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS)
06 February 2025 | Frankfurt am Main
EFFAS is pleased to announce the appointment of Davide Grignani and Masato Takebayashi, CESGA, as new members of the EFFAS Advisory Council.
Commenting on the appointments, Hans Buyssee, Chair of the EFFAS Executive Management Committee (EMC), stated:
“The addition of Davide and Masato to our Advisor Council is a milestone for our 2026 strategic roadmap. Their deep expertise in investment banking and global ESG integration is essential as we reinforce EFFAS’s position as the leading European think tank and strengthen our professional certification standards across markets.”
Established in October 2025, the Advisory Council serves as a consultative body providing strategic, academic, and technical guidance to EFFAS. Its mission is to support the advancement of the financial analyst profession and to foster excellence in financial education, innovation, and sustainability across Europe and beyond.
The Council is chaired by Dr. Jesús López Zaballos and includes the academic directors from across EFFAS programmes.
With the addition of Davide Grignani and Masato Takebayashi, the Advisory Council strengthens its expertise by incorporating senior perspectives from investment banking, ESG advisory, and international capital markets.
Davide Grignani
Davide Grignani brings more than three decades of senior leadership experience in international investment banking and financial advisory. He currently serves as Senior Advisor at Terzi & Partners and Arwin & Partners in Milan, focusing on corporate finance, M&A, investor relations, and sustainability advisory. He holds a DES (MSc) in Economics and an MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.
Prior to this, Davide spent nearly 20 years at Société Générale CIB, where he was Managing Director and Head of the Italian Financial Institutions Group, and held senior roles at Lehman Brothers, Paribas, and Salomon Brothers. He has advised leading European financial institutions on strategic transactions, capital markets activity, and financial restructuring.
Davide is a long-standing member of AIAF – Associazione Italiana per l’Analisi Finanziaria, where he served as Executive Chairman from 2020 to 2024 and now continues as a Board Member. He is actively engaged in education and research through published articles and lectures in corporate finance and capital markets, alongside initiatives related to sustainability.
“I’m sincerely honoured and enthusiastic to join such a prestigious council of professionals and friends with whom to work together in the best interest of our Associations and the best possible development of capital markets. Thank you !”
Masato Takebayashi, EFFAS CESGA
Masato Takebayashi has nearly 20 years of experience in ESG investment and strategic consultancy and has been active in the field since its early development in Japan. He is the CEO of Musashino ESG Advisory, where he provides independent strategic advice to corporations and investment managers on ESG integration and sustainable value creation.
Masato has held key roles as an ESG assessment and engagement specialist at leading global ESG rating providers and as an ESG strategy consultant at a major international professional services firm. He is widely recognised for his deep understanding of the Japanese and global ESG ecosystems and for his close collaboration with institutional stakeholders in sustainable finance.
Since 2018, Masato has also contributed to executive education as a lecturer in the Executive MBA programme at Keio Business School, focusing on ESG, sustainable corporate value propositions, and competitive advantage. He holds an MSc from University College London (UCL) and is an EFFAS Certified ESG Analyst® (CESGA).
“I am honoured to join the EFFAS Advisory Council and look forward to bridging the evolving ESG landscapes of Europe and Japan. By fostering deeper collaboration and knowledge-sharing, I believe EFFAS can play a pivotal role in advancing ESG and sustainable finance across the Japanese and wider Asian markets,”
About the EFFAS Advisory Council
The EFFAS Advisory Council provides non-binding strategic guidance to the EFFAS Executive Management Committee (EMC), supporting the development of professional standards, education, and thought leadership across financial markets, sustainability, and innovation.
About EFFAS
EFFAS is a not-for-profit organisation set up in 1962 with 15 national member associations in Europe, representing more than 18,000 financial analysts, asset managers, pension fund managers, corporate finance specialists, risk managers, treasurers among many other professional profiles from the investment profession. EFFAS is a leading certification body with over 27,000 certificate holders worldwide, offering prestigious designations such as the Certified European Financial Analyst by EFFAS, the EFFAS Certified ESG Analyst® (CESGA), and the EFFAS Climate Risk Analyst (ECRA).
For any further information, please contact:
Álvaro Wagener Díez | Marketing & Communications Manager
E-mail: a.wagener@effas.com | Phone Number: +49 69 98959519
