(L-R) Jean-Paul Olinger, outgoing UEL Director; Marc Wagener, incoming UEL Director; Michel Reckinger, UEL President; Credit: UEL

On Monday 22 April 2024, the Board of Directors of the Luxembourg Employers' Association (Union des Entreprises Luxembourgeoises - UEL) appointed Marc Wagener as the new Director of the UEL as of 17 June 2024, following the departure of Jean-Paul Olinger.

During a transition phase ending on 31 August 2024, Marc Wagener will remain in his current role at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce.

"I welcome Marc Wagener to the management of the UEL and am delighted with his arrival. Our ecosystem is already familiar to him and his institutional career is perfectly in line with the UEL's mission to represent and defend the interests of companies in social dialogue," commented Michel Reckinger, President of the UEL.

Fernand Ernster, President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, added: "I congratulate Marc on this new challenge and I wish him good success. I have no doubt that he will be able to use the experience he has accumulated at the Chamber of Commerce for the benefit of the UEL with which the Chamber maintains very close and synergistic links, united to support our businesses and the economy."

Jean-Paul Olinger, who is taking over as Director of the ACD tax authority (Luxembourg Inland Revenue / Administration des Contributions Directes), thanked the UEL's President, Board of Directors and Executive Committee, as well as his colleagues "for these six years of collaboration, the trust and collegiality they have shown me". He added: "I am convinced that the handover to Marc Wagener will ensure the continued development of the UEL and excellent management of current and future files."

In his new role, Marc Wagener is called upon to direct the UEL secretariat, to assist the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee in the implementation of their decisions, to collaborate closely with the professional chambers and federations on strategic files, to develop positions for the benefit of the interests of Luxembourg companies and to play a role of representation and communication that complements the President of the UEL.

Marc Wagener, aged 46, has held the role of Chief Operating Officer at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce since 2019, where he also worked in Economic Affairs for ten years. He is currently Vice-President and representative of organisations representing business interests within the Economic and Social Council. He also chaired the National Council of Public Finances from 2021 to 2022.

The UEL added that Marc Wagener graduated in commercial and financial sciences from HEC Liège and holds a Master in European Integration & Development from Vrije Univesriteit Brussel.

"I look forward to joining a passionate team to help move our economy forward. The extensive skills of the UEL, particularly in the areas of social security, employment policies and labour law and taxation, will be of key importance in the months and years to come in order to strengthen the competitiveness of our companies and to perpetuate the Luxembourg socio-economic model," he commented.