- Katia Ciesielska
About Me
With more than 20 years in fund governance and financial services, I serve as an independent non-executive director on the boards of regulated investment funds and corporate structures across around 15 sponsor and family-office groups — more than 40 portfolio entities spanning private equity, private debt, real estate, infrastructure and special situations. The vehicles are predominantly Luxembourg-domiciled (AIFMs, SICAV-SIFs, SICAV-RAIFs, SCSps and PE GPs), with underlying activity across the DACH region, the UK, Italy, CEE, Belgium and the US. I am independent on every mandate, with chair experience on selected boards.
Increasingly, I work with boards on AI governance and EU AI Act readiness — an area where most boards are still working out which questions to ask. I speak regularly on the subject (Nexus, Nacha Brussels, PwC NED Day, Guberna, Luther) and co-authored the ILA’s “AI in the Boardroom: Opportunities, Risk and Board Oversight” and “New Technologies for Board Minutes.”
What I bring to a boardroom is an uncommon combination: deep fund-governance and AML/CFT expertise — I act as AML Officer (RC/RR) on several boards and hold CAMS and ALCO certifications — regular CSSF engagement, and a pragmatic, transaction-oriented perspective shaped by years of M&A, restructurings and refinancings alongside sponsors and lenders.
I am a board member of the Luxembourg Institute of Governance (ILA), where I co-authored the Code of Conduct for Directors and the CGO Journey series, and I sit on the LPEA iNED Committee. INSEAD-, ILA- and ACAMS-certified, with further executive education from MIT Sloan, Frankfurt School, HEC Paris and LSE, I’ve been recognised on Paperjam’s Top 100 Women on Boards (2020, 2023, 2025). I work in English, French, Polish, German and Luxembourgish.
What I bring to the boardroom
Navigating complex regulatory environments to ensure compliance and ethical governance
Applying pragmatic decision-making focused on long-term value creation
"My boardroom approach pairs independent judgement with a willingness to challenge assumptions. Governance is most effective when it balances integrity, transparency, and practical decision-making."
- Education
ACADEMICS & CERTIFICATIONS
Lifelong learning is central to my approach as an Independent Director and governance professional. I invest continuously in executive education to stay at the forefront of corporate governance, finance, sustainability, and technology, ensuring my board contributions are informed, current, and forward-looking.
Academic Background
Master in Commercial Law - University of Łódź, Poland
Master 2 in European Business Law -Nancy 2 University, France
Master 1 in Business Law -Paris Nanterre University, France
Postgraduate Certificate in Common Law - Queen Mary University of London, UK
Executive Education
- INSEAD International Directors Program (IDP) - INSEAD, France
- Fund Governance Masterclass - ILA (2025, ongoing)
- Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Business Strategy - MIT Sloan School of Management
- International Certificate in Corporate Finance (ICCF) - HEC Paris
- Certified Expert in Sustainable Finance - Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
- Certificate in Real Estate Economics and Finance - London School of Economics and Political Science
- Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) - Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS)



