Board

Chairman of the Board

Gundars Bērziņš is rector and professor of the University of Latvia, he has a PhD in Management Sciences (Dr. sc. admin.). He is also a leading researcher at the University of Latvia and a corresponding member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Bērziņš started his work at LU in 2000 as a lecturer at the Faculty of Business, Management and Economics (FBME), and in 2003 he also became the executive director of the faculty. Later, from 2008 to 2010, he worked as the director of the Finance and Accounting Department of the LU. In 2010, he became the chancellor of the University of Latvua, but in 2014 he started a successive path to the academic position of professor, which he obtained in 2018. Bērziņš was the dean of LU FBME from 2016 until March 2024. From 2019 to 2021, he was also the chairman of the council of AS "Olainfarm". Gundars Bērziņš has also been a adviser to the President of Latvia and an expert of the Saeima.

Laimdota Straujuma is a Chair of the Board of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, a Member of the Board of the association "Latvian Formula 2050". Former Member of the 12th Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, Chairman of the Saeima Sustainable Development Commission. From January 2014 to February 2016, she was the Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia. During this time, in 2015, Latvia chaired the work of the EU Council for six months. From October 2011 to January 2014, she was Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia. Prior to that, from 2000 to 2011, she was a State Secretary at the Ministries of Agriculture and Regional Development and Local Government of the Republic of Latvia. Prior to working in the public administration, she held leading positions in the Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre LLC, and the Latvian Computer Centre LLC. She has been a Researcher at the Institute of Economics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences for more than 10 years. Doctor of Economics (Dr. oec.), Honorary Doctor of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies and Honorary Member of the Councilors' Convention. Worked in various councils, from 2002 until 2007 was a Member of the Council of JSC Mortgage and Land Bank of Latvia. Worked in the Latvian Council of Science, the Central Land Commission of the Republic of Latvia, the National Development Council. In 1973, she graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the University of Latvia. In 2008, she was awarded the 2nd class of the Cross of Recognition of the Republic of Latvia for merits for the state.

Andris Piebalgs is a Professor at the European University Institute. His work is linked to the challenges of reshaping the energy sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He is actively involved in the development of the European green energy policy. Andris Piebalgs is also a Chairman of the Board of Appeal of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER). Andris Piebalgs is an experienced politician and diplomat. He has been a Minister in several Latvian governments, a Member of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, and an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Estonia and the European Union. He did important work for Latvia's accession to the European Union. Andris Piebalgs has extensive experience in European Union policy. He has been the European Commissioner for Energy from 2004 to 2010 and the European Commissioner for Development from 2010 to 2014. Under his leadership, important reforms were carried out to strengthen the European Union's energy independence, strengthen the European common energy market and transform the energy sector towards sustainable development. He played a key role in making the European Union's development policy more effective.

Juris Binde is a President and a Chair of the Board of Latvijas Mobilais Telefons LLC and a Professor at the Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences. In 1978, he graduated from the Faculty of Radio Engineering and Communications of the Riga Polytechnic Institute, obtaining the specialty of radio electronic equipment engineer-designer-technologist (Dipl. ing, Mg. sc. ing). He studied in Germany (1990), the International Business Institute IFL in Stockholm (1995) and Columbia University in the USA (2000). He is Honorary Doctor of Riga Technical University (Dr. h. c.) (2006). In 2007, he completed his doctoral studies at the University of Latvia and defended his doctoral dissertation, obtaining a degree of Doctor of Economics (Dr. oec.) in Business Management. President of Latvijas Mobilais Telefons LLC since 1992, Chairman of the Board since 2004, Professor of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences since 2017. From 1987 to 1992, he was the Chief Technologist and Head of the Technological Department at the Scientific Research Institute of VEF. From 1984 to 1987 he was a Deputy Head of the Scientific and Technical Information Division and Head of the Systems Analysis Group. From 1978 to 1984, he progressed from engineer-designer to Deputy Chief Designer of Household Radio Equipment at the production association VEF. Juris Binde is a Vice President of the Employers' Confederation of Latvia (LDDK) and the Latvian Information and Communication Technology Association (LIKTA), a Chairman of the Advisory Council of the University of Latvia and a Member of the Advisory Board of the Riga Technical University.

Jānis Endziņš is a Lawyer and an Entrepreneur, who has been working as the Chairman of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) since 2011. During his career, he worked in the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Latvia, as well as the Chief State Notary of the Enterprise Register of the Republic of Latvia. Since 2008 he has been working at the LCCI. For many years he has been a lecturer in commercial law at the Riga International School of Economics and Business Administration (RISEBA) and the School of Business Administration "Turība". The author and a co-author of many regulatory enactments, including the head of the working group for the development of the Commercial Law Entry into Force Law, Jānis Endziņš has participated in the development of the Commercial Law, the Commercial Pledges Law and many other Latvian business environment regulatory enactments and policy documents.

Edmunds Valantis has been the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economics since 3 June 2020. Since 2016, as a Deputy State Secretary for Construction and Housing of the Ministry of Economics, he has initiated a significant transformation of the housing and construction environment in Latvia: improvement of rental regulation to reduce risks and resolve disputes faster; improvement and development of support models to promote housing availability and evaluation; reduction of the shadow economy in construction, including the introduction of electronic working time at construction sites and the introduction of a general agreement for raising the minimum wage in construction, as well as introduced an electronic construction process in Latvia. Since 2007, he has managed the European Union Funds Implementation Department of the Ministry of Economics, being directly responsible for the development and implementation of European Union funds programmes related to business promotion and energy efficiency. Economist, graduated with honors from the Institute of Transport and Maritime Management of the University of Antwerp in Belgium in 2002, where he obtained a Master's degree.

Andris Bite is a President of the Employers’ Confederation of Latvia (LDDK). Experience in the business environment since 1996, when he started in the fish processing company A/S Kaija. Since 2002, he is the manager and co-owner of the company - now SIA Karavela, as well as the co-owner or manager of other production, trade, real estate management and agricultural companies. The goods produced by the group of the enterprises are exported to 46 countries around the world. Andris Bite believes that the potential of LDDK as a social dialogue partner should be exercised in order to enhance the business environment and raise the competitiveness of Latvia's business.