Meet the Luxembourg team

Patrick van Denzen, Managing Director

Patrick holds a position of Managing Director at TMF Luxembourg office. He joined TMF Group in 1997 and since then has held various positions within the company, including Deputy Managing Director, Director Client Services, heading up the accounting department in the Luxembourg office and his last position being the Chief Operating Officer for Luxembourg. He also worked in the Dutch office for one year and upon returning to Luxembourg, headed a team of legal professionals. Patrick holds a Bachelor degree in Economics and is a native Dutch speaker with fluency in English and German.

Marco Cipolla, Executive Director

Marco joined TMF Group in February 2021 as Managing Director of TMF Fund Management, AIFM of the Group acquired in 2021 to complete the fund services offer of TMF, and of which Marco was co-founder. 

Marco has an extensive experience of 15+ year in the fund industry, ranging from fund administration for an Italian banking asset manager, to an independent Luxembourg asset manager, and finally setting up and running a UCITS / AIFM management company finally been acquired by TMF Group. 

Since April 2022 Marco has taken the lead of the fund services division of TMF Luxembourg as Executive Director and member of the Management Team. 

Marco holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in financial engineering from the Politecnico di Milano, and completed an Executive MBA with ESSEC & Mannheim Business School in 2021. Marco speaks fluent Italian, English and French. 

Atif Kamal, Executive Director

Atif is Executive Director and member of Management Team. Atif has extensive experience in capital markets, securitisation and corporate services. Before joining TMF Luxembourg in 2017, he worked for TMF Ireland for 8 years where he was responsible for client service delivery of various structured finance vehicles including CLO/ CDO, CMBS/ RMBS, receivables, leasing, life settlements vehicles. During his tenure with TMF Ireland he was also member of various boards, including holding companies, structured finance vehicles, real estate and leasing structures.

Atif started his career in 2001 in Audit and Financial Advisory Department of KPMG Pakistan and later on joined Deloitte Ireland. Atif is a Fellow Member (FCA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP).

Joel Cardenas, Market Head of Business Development

Joel was recently appointed Market Head of Business Development and member of the Management Team in Luxembourg after joining TMF Group in January 2020 as Director Client Services. In this role, Joel led a team of accounting and legal professionals, who manage a portfolio of real estate clients and international corporations. He is an accounting and financial services professional with over 18 years of experience. Before joining TMF Group, Joel spent most of his professional career with a Luxembourg Trust and Corporate Services provider, Big 4 audit firms and the investment department of Knight Frank, where he gained extensive experience in the real estate sector as an external auditor and as an accounting and financial advisor. Joel holds a Master’s degree in Law and International Tax and Accounting and is a native Spanish speaker, fluent in English and French, with a good understanding of Portuguese.

Stéphane Toscano, HR Director

Stéphane joined TMF Group in November 2019 as Human Resources Director and member of the Management Team. Stéphane has a 16-year track record in the Human Resources field within the Financial sector in Luxembourg. Before joining TMF Group, Stéphane worked for over 10 years in one of the big 4 companies and 5 years with a major Corporate and Trust service provider. He holds an MBA from the Johns Hopkins University in Washington DC. He has lived in France, Cameroon, Canada and the US before settling in Luxembourg. He is a native French speaker with fluency in English. 

Virginie Dohogne, Regional CFO - EMEA

Virginie joined TMF Luxembourg in January 2020 as a Finance Director and member of the Management Team. She is an experienced professional with strong focus on finance matters. Prior to TMF, she worked for 5 years in the banking sector, both private and retail banking and then spent 16 years with a major corporate and trust service provider where she acted as CFO, Board Member and was also in charge of the daily management of the company for the last 8 years. Prior to her CFO role, she was working in business operations for 8 years, mainly leading a team in charge of a client portfolio dedicated to the Benelux, Italian, French, Southern Europe and Latin America markets. She has a background in Economics and International Taxation and holds a university degree from Mons-Hainaut and a Master’s degree from HEC Liege. Virgine is a native French speaker and fluent in English. 

Maelle Leaners, Managing Director

Maelle joined TMF Group in April 2022 as Managing Director of TMF Fund Management, the AIFM and UCITS Management Company of TMF.

Maelle has extensive experience in advising global asset managers and fund promoters in structuring and setting up all types of Luxembourg investment vehicles, with a specific focus on Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs).

Before joining TMF Group, Maelle has created and managed the Luxembourg AIFM of a major Corporate and Fund service provider for 5 years. Previously she was managing the Fund Legal Department of a renowned Japanese Bank and Senior Legal Counsel in a well-known third-party Management Company.

As Managing Director of TMF Fund Management, Maelle is leading a large team of portfolio managers, risk managers, legal counsels, valuation, and compliance experts.

As Conducting Officer in charge of Legal and Marketing, she also handles regulatory matters relating to regulated and unregulated investment funds, in close collaboration with the Financial Supervisory Commission (CSSF). In addition, she ensures the ongoing coordination with clients and service providers. 

Maelle is an active member of ALFI and ALCO.

Maelle Lenaers holds a master’s degree in Law with Magna Cum Laude from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.  A native French speaker, Maelle is also fluent in English.

Claudia Momoh, Head of Fund Administration

Claudia joined TMF Group in January 2020 as Head of Fund Administration. Claudia has a 25-year track record in accounting, audit, management and administration within service provider, asset manager and bank in Luxembourg and Germany. Before joining TMF Group, she has spent over 5 years with a major bank in Luxembourg. Claudia holds an International Certified Management Accountant degree from the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Cologne, Germany. She is a native German speaker with fluency in English.

Fabrice Rota, Director Client Services

Fabrice holds a position of Director Client Services at TMF Group. He is responsible for a team of legal professionals managing a portfolio of private equity firms and international corporations. He has a wide experience in banking, corporate and secretarial services, where he has been working for the past 18 years. Prior to joining TMF Group he spent 6 years working for an Italian bank in Luxembourg. Recently, he has been approved by the Luxembourg regulator (CSSF) as director of regulated vehicles. Fabrice holds a Master’s Degree in International Trade from the University of Metz in France and speaks fluently French, English and Italian.

Gaëlle Attardo, Head of Capital Markets

Gaëlle joined TMF Group in January 2020 as Head of Capital Markets. She has a 15-year track record in legal, corporate and financial matters with particular expertise in capital markets industry, including financing and refinancing transactions, restructuring, stock exchanges related (de)listings, structured finance and other capital markets operations as well as management and administration within the service providers environment in Luxembourg.

Before joining TMF Group, for over six years she has worked in the Capital Markets departments of two major law firms in Luxembourg and eight years at a major Corporate Service Provider focusing, as Director Capital Markets, on capital markets legal matters and new structures services. Within TMF Group, she is now leading the Capital Markets services and products development in Luxembourg and is consulted on all capital markets related legal, corporate and transactional matters.

Gaëlle has graduated from Law from the University of Nancy France (Magistère de Juriste d’Affaires Européen) and University of Sheffield United Kingdom and was admitted to the Luxembourg Bar in 2007.

Hui Gao, Head of China Desk International Markets

Hui rejoined TMF Group in February 2020 as Head of China Desk International Markets, where from 2014 to 2016 she used to hold a position of Head of China Desk Luxembourg. Currently she is responsible for the growth of China business in Europe and beyond by customizing the service model for Chinese clients.

Hui has a 13-year track record in accounting, corporate and business development within service providers in Luxembourg and has been the board member of Chinalux Chamber of Commerce since 2017. Before joining TMF Group, Hui assisted and serviced more than 100 Chinese corporates having entities in different European countries.

Hui holds two master’s degrees respectively in administration of enterprises and financial management from the Université Nancy II in France. She is a native Mandarin speaker with fluency in English and French.

Kristina Velička, Director Client Services

As Director Client Services, Kristina manages a unit of accounting and legal professionals, servicing a portfolio of international corporations and private equity firms. She serves as a personal manager in the boards of several client entities.

Kristina joined TMF Luxembourg in 2015 as Accounting Supervisor and was appointed Accounting Team Leader in 2017. As of January 2021, she assumed the role of Director Client Services.

Prior joining TMF Group, Kristina was Audit Senior Manager in one of the Big 4 companies, where she started her career and worked in Audit Department overall 17 years. She holds a Certified Public Accountant license since 2003.

Kristina holds a university degree in Accounting and Finance from Tallinn University of Technology. She is a native Estonian speaker, fluent in English and has a proficient level of Russian.

Michaël Watrin, Director Client Services

Michaël joined TMF Luxembourg in October 2006. In his current role as Director Client Services, Michaël is responsible for the supervision of a unit of professionals, qualified accountants and legal officers which are managing a portfolio of real estate clients and international corporations.

Presently he serves also on Board of several companies, which are mainly engaged with real Estate area.

Prior to joining TMF Group in 2006, he worked for a well-known French bank in Luxembourg for 6 years with a strong focus on Special Purpose Vehicles within the Fund Accounting department whereby he developed his knowledge on financial instruments and analytical accounting. Michaël holds a master degree in accounting, management and economics and he is fluent in French and English.

Pamela Valasuo, Regional Head of Sales and Business Development, EMEA

Pamela has 20 years of experience in financial services industry, with 12 of those years being based in Luxembourg where she started her Luxembourg career at Equity Trust and TMF Group as a Team Leader. Followed her departure from TMF Group in 2013 she held various senior management roles within several established service providers in Luxembourg. Within these roles, she has gained significant experience in understanding and delivering solutions to the needs of asset managers, both from a strategic and daily management standpoint, across all asset classes. She holds both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Law from respectively the University of Buckingham and Stellenbosch University and has also completed INSEAD’s International Director Program in 2018. She is fluent in English, Finnish & Swedish.

Paul Akkerman, Commercial Director EMEA

Paul joined TMF Group in October 2019 as Commercial Director, focusing on finding new fund opportunities as well as assisting the operational teams in developing their business. With experience in various jurisdictions, Paul assists prospect clients in looking at the greater multi-jurisdictional environment. Paul develops tailor-made solutions for private equity firms and alternative investment funds, from fund formation to SPV coordination.

Next to this Paul is appointed to help lead and develop cross border awareness and to further co-ordinate and facilitate communication between our offices within the EMEA region, in relation to our strategic intermediary relationships.

Prior to TMF Group, he has spent 3 years with a major Corporate Service Provider in Luxembourg.

Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Applied Sciences of Rotterdam. He is a native Dutch speaker, also fluent in English, French and Italian, with professional knowledge of German, Luxembourgish and Spanish.

Samuel Haglon, Senior Client Director

Samuel joined TMF Group in September 2021 as Senior Client Director in the Fund Services team. He acts as key contact for our largest Luxembourg funds clients and also works closely with the sales team to develop our business.

Samuel has a track record of eight years in securities services as a Client Officer, and 14 years in Alternative Investment Funds as a Team Leader and Relationship Manager with service providers based in both Luxembourg and Ireland. Before joining TMF Group, he spent seven years as Private Equity Relationship Manager with a major bank in Luxembourg. Samuel holds a degree in technology, specialising in logistics and economics, from the “Institut Universitaire de Technologie” in Bordeaux, France. He is a native French speaker and is also fluent in English.