For the second year running, is in the top ten of the Top 100: "Unlike some of the other people in the ranking, it's my mission and my job to be influential on a daily basis, and it's normal for us to aspire to be," Winkin said in an interview. Founded in 1918, Fedil defines itself as "the voice of Luxembourg industry".

So, two years after his first top 10 ranking, what has changed in the way Winkin exerts his influence? "Over the last two years, we haven't changed our positioning, which is to be influential, constructive, explanatory and not too demanding. But there have been several changes since 2022: I have a new director in the person of , who replaced in the spring. That doesn't change much, it's a continuation of what was done before. There have also been European and national elections, so some of the people we deal with have changed".

, who was already in charge of the ministry in charge of small- and medium-sized enterprises, has taken over the ministries of the economy, SMEs and energy since the last parliamentary elections in 2023. "Previously, it was , of the LSAP, who was minister for the economy. We worked very well with him, but let's just say that his party is quite close to the OGBL [trade union], so on certain issues we could feel a certain pressure."

What about the new DP-CSV coalition? "In the coalition agreement, it is written that certain projects must move forward, such as the simplification and acceleration of certain procedures, housing, energy and the modernisation of labour law. Some things are defined in advance. When we anticipate certain subjects, they are already on the government's roadmap. That makes our job easier, because we don't have to convince people that we need to tackle these projects, and civil servants know more or less what is expected of them, and where the government wants to go. That's certainly been a change in the last two years, because we don't need to be so influential to convince people that something needs to be done, we can already move on to the next stage and see how we think we can do it or contribute to it".

At nearly 57 years of age, Winkin is equally at home on the subjects of industry, energy, geopolitics and European politics. "You have to be constantly on the lookout, and I'm in contact not only with our industrial members, but also with our country's politicians and trade unions, as well as the MEPs and European commissioners who represent Luxembourg in Brussels."

Winkin travels abroad almost a week a month, "mostly to Brussels and sometimes to other European cities. I mainly travel as part of BusinessEurope [a European employers' confederation of which he is a member of the executive committee], of which Fedil is a member. I also travel to Liverpool football matches, but that's at the weekends," laughs the father of three.

And does the director of Fedil feel that he is listened to and followed enough? “On a national level, on subjects where the Luxembourg government can act and where there are no conflicting interests, it works rather well. I don't get the impression that senior civil servants or ministers come to completely different conclusions from us when we see and study a subject and there is a need for action. In a way, we have the same agenda: that of the country's economic development, of businesses that have to cope with a market in an international context that is not necessarily easy. The only downside that I would put would be with regard to the organisation, which is still a bit siloed. Some people need to broaden their horizons.”

Loyal to Fedil

Born on 30 December 1967 in Ettelbruck, René Winkin joined Fedil in 1991, after studying economics, business management and international relations in Strasbourg. He held the posts of economic attaché, then adviser, before being appointed secretary general in 2006. He was also head of the industrial affairs department and served as secretary general of the Groupement pétrolier luxembourgeois (GPL), Luxembourg’s petroleum industry association, for twenty-three years. Winkin represents the interests of Luxembourg industry on a number of national and European advisory and decision-making bodies.

This article was written for the January 2025 issue of Paperjam, published on 11 December 2024.  .

Is your company a member of the Paperjam Club? You can request an individual subscription delivered directly to your home or office. Let us know via .