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Sheila Beladinejad
President O Canada Tech & Women in AI and Robotics
Sheila Beladinejad
President O Canada Tech & Women in AI and Robotics
Sheila Beladinejad is a Principle consultant and a multipreneur with over 20 years of experience in technology, holding degrees in Computer Science & Industrial Engineering. She leads a consulting firm, founded the opentrade.global network, and serves as president of Women in AI & Robotics, a German non-profit. With a background in software engineering, Sheila has spearheaded global product launches in the telecommunications industry and specializes in technical due diligence for investors during M&A processes. Her expertise spans evaluating software architecture, AI capabilities, and scalability, facilitating multi-million-dollar acquisitions across Europe, Canada, and the United States. Through opentrade.global, Sheila aims to democratize access to AI opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises worldwide. As President of Women in AI & Robotics, she champions diversity and gender equality in the field, advocating for increased representation through various initiatives, including partnerships, mentorship, and advocacy at international forums like the UN Women's Generation Equality Forum.
Helga Pattart
Managing Director TECHHOUSE - Architects of Digital Transformation
Helga Pattart
Managing Director TECHHOUSE - Architects of Digital Transformation
Helga Pattart has been part of the Techhouse team since 2022 and responsible for it as Managing Director. She leads various projects in the areas of innovation, leadership and digitalization. She also teaches at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, where she covers the topics of modern leadership and agility. In 2021, Helga Pattart-Drexler was Managing Director of Darwin's Circle and responsible for the development and design of conferences on the topics of digitalisation, innovation, technology change, leadership and diversity & belonging. Prior to that, she led the Executive Education department at the WU Executive Academy for 5 years, developing customized MBA and executive programs in Austria and abroad for international companies and organizations. Prior to that, she gained experience in the field of HR and HR strategy in various corporations and companies. In her studies, she focused on adult education and learning. She also has extensive experience in the areas of organizational and human resource development as well as coaching and leadership.
Andreas Rudas
President Arthur D. Little Austria and Chairman of RTR Gmbh, Media and Telecommunications Regulation
Andreas Rudas
President Arthur D. Little Austria and Chairman of RTR Gmbh, Media and Telecommunications Regulation
Born in Budapest, raised in Vienna, School and Medical University in Vienna
Different jobs in the health and Youth field.
Then Spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, after that Spokesperson and then Secretary General of the Austrian Public Broadcaster ORF.
Change to politics as Secretary General of the then ruling Social Democratic Party, from that Board Function of one of the leading automotive Suppliers Magna Europe.
Return to the media industry, first as Managing Director of the East Holding of the German Media Giant WAZ and then as Member of the Executive Board of RTL Group in Luxemburg.
Since 2018 President of ADL Austria and Chairman of RTR Gmbh, Media and Telecommunications Regulation.
Ludovit Garzik
Managing Director of Innovationorbit and Austrian Council for Research, Science, Innovation and Technology Development
Ludovit Garzik
Managing Director of Innovationorbit and Austrian Council for Research, Science, Innovation and Technology Development
Ludovit Garzik has a Master of Science (Geodesy) from the Technical University of Vienna and a Doctor’s degree in Marketing from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. In addition he got a Master of Business Administration (General Management) at the Danube University Krems and he is a state-certified economic technician (DWT). Since 2005, Ludovit Garzik has been managing director of the Austrian Council for Research, Science, Innovation and Technology Development which is a strategic recommending body to the government. He is responsible for managing and coordinating of the secretariat’s activities and external representation. Between 2000 and 2004 he was Head of the Galileo Contact Point Austria / Satellite Navigation of the Austrian Space Agency, member of the European Space Agency and delegate to different boards, including Galileo Supervisory Board. Ludovit Garzik is guest professor at Shanghai University and the Shanghai Institute for Science and Technology Management and a member of the LIMAK Austrian Business School faculty. In 2015 he founded the company InnovationOrbit.com which provides executive education programs for innovation culture in Africa, Asia, Europe and the USA.
Wolfgang Sulzgruber
Head of New Ventures Lab Hoerbiger
Wolfgang Sulzgruber
Head of New Ventures Lab Hoerbiger
Wolfgang Sulzgruber heads the New Ventures Lab, the innovation forge for customer-oriented digital products and services, at Hoerbiger in Vienna. Apart from his passion for innovation, he has experienced and embraced various innovation cultures as a manager in international corporations and as the founder of his own startup. Wolfgang is currently effectively working on the development and implementation of collaborative innovation formats, with the aim of strengthening internal innovation culture while also placing a focus on the customer.
Rainer Nowak
Chief Editor, Die Presse
Rainer Nowak
Chief Editor, Die Presse
Rainer Nowak (born in 1972 in Innsbruck) has been working as a journalist since 1994. He joined "Die Presse" as an editor in 1996, and in 2012, he became the editor-in-chief of "Die Presse". From 2014 to 2022, he served as the publisher of "Die Presse". As of 2024, he is the head of the domestic politics, foreign affairs, and business sections at Kronen Zeitung.
Radosław Kędzia
SVP of Huawei European Region
Radosław Kędzia
SVP of Huawei European Region
Radosław Kędzia was appointed as Regional Vice President of Central Eastern Europe and Nordic Region in H2 of 2019. He was the first European manager to be appointed as Huawei General Manager. He has been working for Huawei since 2008. Mr. Kedzia began his career in Huawei Kenya as Chief Operating Officer, then as a Regional Technical Director for the Eastern and Southern Africa Region, in 2013 he became a Chief Executive Officer in Uganda Representative Office and in 2015 was appointed as the CEO of Czech Representative office. Before his career in Huawei, Mr. Kedzia worked in Poland for PTC and TPSA and later, since 1999 in international, technical and managerial posts for Ericsson, Safaricom and Siemens in various countries.
Pia Seeberger
Managing Director Energie Burgenland
Pia Seeberger
Managing Director Energie Burgenland
As Managing Director at Burgenland Energie’s energy solution business, Pia is deeply committed to championing a sustainable future. With extensive experience in the energy sector, she is dedicated to developing innovative renewable energy solutions that empower households, businesses, and municipalities. Her vision is not only to foster energy independence but also to ensure everyone has an opportunity to actively engage in the global energy transition. In her previous roles, Pia delved deeply into the energy sector, collaborating with startups at Blue Minds and offering consultancy with BCG. She has served energy industry clients across Austria, Germany, Finland, Norway, France, the UK, the US, Switzerland, and the UAE. Pia holds a master’s degree in Technical Physics from the Vienna University of Technology.
THESE ARE OUR FORMER SPEAKERS
George Sharkov
Managing Director of ESI CEE (European Software Institute Center Eastern Europe)
George Sharkov
Managing Director of ESI CEE (European Software Institute Center Eastern Europe)
George Sharkov obtained his PhD in Artificial Intelligence, with specialization in applied informatics, biophysics, thermography and genetics, enterprise intelligent systems. Since 1994 he was leading international software projects and companies for banking and financial systems, e-business, online markets and innovative e-trading solutions. Since 2003 he is managing the European Software Institute – Center Eastern Europe. He is trainer and appraiser for software engineering quality management, cybersecurity and resilience management. Lecturing software quality, cybersecurity and business resilience at 3 universities. Pioneer in digital ecosystems development, regional cooperation, startup and accelerator support and initiatives for cyber resilient internet society.
Since 2014 George is appointed as a National cybersecurity coordinator for the Bulgarian Government, and adviser to the Minister of Defense. He is leading the development and implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy.
Noam Perski
Head of Public Sector, Palantir Technologies
Noam Perski
Head of Public Sector, Palantir Technologies
Since joining Palantir in 2012, Noam has directed engagements in Intelligence, Defense and Law Enforcement and now oversees Palantir’s work with government agencies and institutions across the company’s global footprint outside the USA. Prior to Palantir, Noam moved between the technology and non-profit sectors, focused on HIV, TB & Malaria based out of Geneva as Director of Development and Communications at the International AIDS Society and as communications advisor to the Global Fund amongst others. He has founded several technology ventures and held board positions in both private and publicly listed technology firms.
Since joining Palantir in 2012, Noam has directed engagements in Intelligence, Defense and Law Enforcement and now oversees Palantir’s work with government agencies and institutions across the company’s global footprint outside the USA. Prior to Palantir, Noam moved between the technology and non-profit sectors, focused on HIV, TB & Malaria based out of Geneva as Director of Development and Communications at the International AIDS Society and as communications advisor to the Global Fund amongst others. He has founded several technology ventures and held board positions in both private and publicly listed technology firms.
Christine Wahlmüller-Schiller
AIT Center for Technology Experience & Founder WOMENinICT
Christine Wahlmüller-Schiller
AIT Center for Technology Experience & Founder WOMENinICT
Christine Wahlmüller-Schiller is responsible for Marketing & Communications at the AIT Center for Technology Experience since November 2021. Previously, she worked for many years as a specialist IT editor, first for the IT magazine Monitor (Bohmann Verlag) and since 2016 for the IT magazines Computerwelt and it&tbusiness. Most recently, she acted as a trend scout and was responsible for the development and conception of new formats (Computerwelt TV, roundtables, virtual events). In addition, the Upper Austrian with a doctorate in communication science acted as a moderator at events such as the CIO Congress and the Forum Alpbach. Since August 2019, she has been supporting the Austrian Software Industry Association (VÖSI) in marketing & communication alongside her work and in 2020 founded the women's network WOMENinICT www.womeninict within VÖSI. Since 2020 she is responsible for the program management of the annual VÖSI Software Day. Since 2019, Christine Wahlmüller-Schiller has also worked as a moderator and consultant for LSZ-Consulting.
Tatjana Kiel
CEO of Klitschko Ventures
Tatjana Kiel
CEO of Klitschko Ventures
Tatjana Kiel is the CEO of Klitschko Ventures and long-time business partner of Dr. Wladimir Klitschko. They extracted the FACE the Challenge method from his expertise in nearly 30 years of competitive sports. Based on this, Klitschko Ventures offers individual consulting for companies and organizations, education formats for individuals and teams. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the focus of Tatjana Kiel's work has changed. Together with Wladimir Klitschko, who transmits needs from the war zone, she founded the initiative #WeAreAllUkrainians and is now co-managing director of the gGmbH of the same name together with Dörte Kruppa. With her network, she develops concrete immediate measures as well as sustainable aid projects to help as many people as possible in Ukraine as well as refugees in Germany.
Damita Pressl
Journalist and Presenter, krone.tv
Damita Pressl
Journalist and Presenter, krone.tv
Damita Pressl is a TV presenter, journalist and event host based in Vienna. She hosts her own debate show as well as a news show and has interviewed hundreds of politicians, experts, authors, analysts, and people of interest over the course of her career. She has also hosted various panel discussions and conferences both in German and in English.
Helga Pattart
Managing Director TECHHOUSE - Architects of Digital Transformation
Helga Pattart
Managing Director TECHHOUSE - Architects of Digital Transformation
Helga Pattart has been part of the Techhouse team since 2022 and responsible for it as Managing Director. She leads various projects in the areas of innovation, leadership and digitalization. She also teaches at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, where she covers the topics of modern leadership and agility. In 2021, Helga Pattart-Drexler was Managing Director of Darwin's Circle and responsible for the development and design of conferences on the topics of digitalisation, innovation, technology change, leadership and diversity & belonging. Prior to that, she led the Executive Education department at the WU Executive Academy for 5 years, developing customized MBA and executive programs in Austria and abroad for international companies and organizations. Prior to that, she gained experience in the field of HR and HR strategy in various corporations and companies. In her studies, she focused on adult education and learning. She also has extensive experience in the areas of organizational and human resource development as well as coaching and leadership.
Anne Wieben
Freelance Opera Singer/Founder and Creative Director of Opera on the Lake
Anne Wieben
Freelance Opera Singer/Founder and Creative Director of Opera on the Lake
Soprano Anne Wieben has been hailed by critics as a ‘true diva’ (Kronezeitung Voralberg) with a ‘hint of femme fatal in her velvety soprano’ (Süddeutschezeitung). She is the founder and creative director of Opera on the Lake, an opera festival in her home state of Minnesota.
Recent highlights include Wieben’s role debut in September 2021 as Annina in La Traviata at the Hofoper Pfaffstätten. In July 2021, she returned to Minnesota to sing and produce a series of operetta concerts with Opera on the Lake. In October 2019, Wieben starred as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Musiktheater Vorarlberg. Reviews praised her as “a radiant diva with dramatic versatility” (Kulturzeitschrift). Also in 2019, Anne covered the role of Médée in Cherubini’s opera of the same name at the prestigious Salzburger Festspiele. Summer 2019 saw Anne once more as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, first with Oper Rund Um and the Wir Sind Wien festival in June, and then in July with Opera on the Lake. Wieben performs regularly with Vienna’s interactive theater ensemble, Nesterval. In October 2020, Nesterval’s immersive online play “Der Kreisky Test” won the coveted Nestroy Prize (Austrian Theater Prize) for it’s contribution to the performing arts during the pandemic.
Anders Indset
Business Philosopher, indset GmbH
Anders Indset
Business Philosopher, indset GmbH
Anders Indset is one of the world’s leading business philosophers and a trusted sparring partner to international CEOs and political leaders. Dubbed “Rock’n’Roll Plato” and “Digital Jesus” by media, he is currently one of the most sought-after keynote speakers with his approach to practical philosophy.
Mona Ghazi
CEO & Co-Founder of Optimo
Mona Ghazi
CEO & Co-Founder of Optimo
Mona Ghazi is the CEO and Co-Founder of Optimo, a blue-collar upskilling platform. Most recently Optimo won the Tech Award in the field of New Work and Mona became bestselling author of the book “GenZ”. She founded her first company at 16 & by the age of 20 she already holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and in economics. As a passionate life-long learner, she helps blue-collar heavy SME’s through Optimo to boost knowledge transfer and employee retention. Her mission is to build the leading peer to peer training platform to empower 10 million workers by 2030.
Silvia Angelo
Board Member, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG
Silvia Angelo
Board Member, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG
Silvia Angelo is an economist and Member of the Management Board of ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG since January 2017. In her Board function she is responsible for Finance, Market and Services.She started her career in 1995 at the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor and Health. In 2001, her path led to Brussels. From 2002 to 2008, she worked in the Economic Policy Department of the Vienna Chamber of Labour. In addition, she also lectured at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration. From February 2007 to April 2008 she worked in the Parliament, responsible for Budget, Finance and Economy. In May 2008, she became head of the Economic Policy Department at the Vienna Chamber of Labour. In addition to these activities, she served on the supervisory boards of FFG, AMA and ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, and was a member of the University Council of WU Vienna. Until 2019, she was a member of the Supervisory Board of the University of Applied Sciences BFI Vienna. Currently, she is a member of the supervisory board Mungos, Sauber und Sicher GmbH, a member of the supervisory board Infineon Technologies Austria AG, chairwoman of the supervisory board of Bundessportgesellschaft and chairwoman of the supervisory board of ÖBB-Immobilienmanagement GesmbH.
Klaus Bamberger
Head of Market and Customer, Wiener Linien
Thomas Michael Zapf
Head of Digitalization, Information Security and IT, Verbund AG
Thomas Michael Zapf
Head of Digitalization, Information Security and IT, Verbund AG
Thomas Michael Zapf ist the Head of Digitalization, Information Security and IT
Verbund AG
Marianne Schulze
Manager Social Sustainability ESGs, PwC Austria
Marianne Schulze
Manager Social Sustainability ESGs, PwC Austria
Marianne Schulze is social sustainability advisor at PwC Austria. The renowned Austro-Australian human rights expert was involved in the adoption of the SDGs - Sustainable Development Goals - and worked on more than 20 resolutions for the UN General Assembly as well as the UN Security Council, just to name a few. She has just been elected to the University Council of Paris Lodron University in Salzburg. The expert advises PwC clients, among other things, on the risk analysis of their global supply chains and the associated due diligence obligations.
Alexander Juranek
CEO of FARM.NOW
Alexander Juranek
CEO of FARM.NOW
Alexander Juranek is a serial Entrepreneur/Innovator with proven capacity of building disruptive products/services. Versatile strategic brain, food lover & farming apprentice with data driven analytical skills and sharp commercial acumen to translate opportunities into new business creation.
Juranek delivered multiple strategic B2B/B2C initiatives, digital transformation projects, built high performing cross functional teams.
Amy Blankson
Co-Founder, Digital Wellness Institute
Amy Blankson
Co-Founder, Digital Wellness Institute
Amy Blankson is the CEO Of Fearless Positivity, Co-Founder of the Digital Wellness Institute, and bestselling author of The Future of Happiness. A graduate of Harvard and the Yale School of Management, she’s the only person to receive a Point of Light award from two US Presidents. She is also a member of the UN Global Happiness Council, a Fellow of the World Innovation Organization, a featured professor in Oprah’s happiness e-course, and a regular contributor to Forbes. Her current work focuses on how to cultivate happiness and well-being in the digital era.
Amy Jadesimi
Managing Director, LADOL Free Zone
Amy Jadesimi
Managing Director, LADOL Free Zone
Dr Amy Jadesimi (MBA from Stanford University, MA (OXON) and BMBCh from Oxford University) CEO of LADOL, a $500 million Industrial Free Zone. Amy was a Commissioner for Business & Sustainable Development Commission. Amy got financial training at Goldman Sachs & Stanford Graduate School of Business & medical training at Oxford University. Her accolades include being appointed to UNDP Steering Committee on SDGs (2019) and the UNICEF Advisory Group (2019) and re-appointed to the Prince’s Trust International Advisory Board (2019). Dr. Jadesimi is one of the 275 Global Female Influencers 2020 (Oil and Gas Council), 1000 Rising Women in Africa 2020 (CNBC), Top Transformational Women Leaders 2020 (Industry Wired), Top 50 Women in Technology by (Forbes, 2018), Oil and Gas Leading Woman of the year (Foreign Investment Network, 2018), voted the Young CEO of the Year (African Leadership Forum, 2018), an Archbishop Tutu Fellow, a Young Global Leader – Alumni (WEF), a Rising Talent (Women’s Forum for Economy and Society), one of 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa (Forbes), one of Top 25 Africans to Watch (Financial Times), one of the Most Influential People of African Descent (Under 40) Worldwide (United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (UN IDPAD), 2018), one of 50 most Influential Women in Business (The Africa Report, Jeune Afrique, Africa CEO Forum) and she is a member Advisory Board of Prince’s Trust International and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Advisory Group on Trade Finance (ATF) and contributor to Forbes.
Andreas Bierwirth
CEO of Magenta
Andreas Bierwirth
CEO of Magenta
Dr. Andreas Bierwirth, born 1971, has been CEO of Magenta Telekom (formerly T-Mobile Austria) since September 1, 2012.
Bierwirth is a member of the Supervisory Board of the sister company Telekom Deutschland and was previously Chairman of the Supervisory Board of T-Mobile Poland from 2015 to 2016. After training as a banker, Andreas Bierwirth studied business administration at the University of Münster and received his doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.) from the Institute of Marketing. As Deputy Managing Director of Eurowings, he developed the repositioning and rebranding of the Lufthansa subsidiary Germanwings from 2002, which he headed from 2004. After two years as Vice President Marketing of Deutsche Lufthansa, he was appointed Chief Commercial Officer of Austrian Airlines in 2008 and Chief Financial Officer from 2009 to 2012. Bierwirth is a trained professional pilot and Non-Executive Board Member of EasyJet, London.
Andrii Stepanenko
Board Member Retail, Raiffeisen Bank International AG
Andrii Stepanenko
Board Member Retail, Raiffeisen Bank International AG
Dr. Andrii Stepanenko began his career at the Ukrainian National Bank immediately after completing his studies. His first contact with the Raiffeisen Group was in 1998 when he began his career as a credit analysis expert at Raiffeisenbank Ukraine and was promoted to head of department in less than a year. From 2000 to 2003 he was the deputy department head responsible for the corporate underwriting of international business at Raiffeisen Zentralbank Österreich AG. From 2003-2007 he headed the Risk management division in Raiffeisenbank Russia. In 2007 he was promoted to the Management Board of Raiffeisenbank Russia as Chief Risk Officer. In 2008 he accepted the role of Retail Management Board at Raiffeisenbank Russia, and later in 2011 also as Deputy Chairman of the Management Board. In 2018, Dr. Stepanenko has been appointed to the Management Board of Raiffeisen Bank International AG.
Andreas Hladky
Partner & Head of Digital Consulting, PwC Austria
Andreas Hladky
Partner & Head of Digital Consulting, PwC Austria
Andreas Hladky is a Partner at PwC Austria and Head of Digital Consulting. Prior to that, he founded Austria's first digital transformation consulting firm in 2008, with offices in Vienna, Zurich, San Francisco and Sao Paulo, and is a keynote speaker at numerous conferences such as SXSW in Texas. Hladky is considered an expert in business model transformation. With his team, he supports companies from all industries in the essential steps of digitalization and business model innovation.
Arnim Wahls
CEO of Firstbird
Arnim Wahls
CEO of Firstbird
Arnim loves Recruiting and made it his life mission to connect people with the right jobs. Arnim served in various Recruiting roles across Europe before he founded Firstbird in 2013. As CEO he developed Firstbird to become the leading employee referral program worldwide, serving organisations like SAP, Red Bull, Lidl and VW. Firstbird has opened up new career opportunities to ten thousands of people around the globe through the power of referrals.
Steffi Czerny
Managing Director, DLD Media
Steffi Czerny
Managing Director, DLD Media
Czerny studied political science and at the German School for Journalists in Munich. After that, among others, she worked for the US edition of Playboy as well as for the journal "Architektur und Wohnen" (architecture and living). In 1995 she met editor Hubert Burda in a gondola on the Wallberg mountain in southern Bavaria, for whom she started working as a Digital Scout. Traveling the world, she brought state-of-the-art web ideas to Munich. In 2005, Stephanie Czerny founded DLD as an annual conference scheme. Its main purpose is to connect business, creative and social leaders, opinion formers and investors for crossover conversation and inspiration. Digital Life Design (DLD) is a global conference network, organized by the Munich based DLD Media, a company of Burda Digital.
Christian Kroll
Founder & CEO of Ecosia
Christian Kroll
Founder & CEO of Ecosia
Christian is the founder of Ecosia, the search engine that plants trees. He launched Ecosia in 2009 after a year-long trip around the world to help people in developing countries and to do something about climate change. The Berlin-based search engine now has 90 employees and millions of users, enabling the company to plant a tree every second.
Clare Stephens
D&I Leader EMEA, IBM
Clare Stephens
D&I Leader EMEA, IBM
Clare leads on D&I for IBM in the EMEA region, driving programmes to attract, retain and develop diverse talent into the Hybrid Cloud and AI enterprise space. Clare believes passionately that we should treat people as people, “at IBM we have worked hard to create a culture of openness, collaboration and trust, where everyone has the invitation and expectation of a voice”. Currently she is working on a global campaign to highlight women’s health issues in the workplace.
Constantin Gonzalez
Principal Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services
Constantin Gonzalez
Principal Solutions Architect, Amazon Web Services
Constantin Gonzalez is a Principal Solutions Architect at Amazon Web Services (AWS). He helps customers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland build new and innovative solutions with Cloud technology. Innovation and digital transformation are all about culture and organization: therefore, he frequently talks to customers about these critical topics as well. He joined AWS in 2012 and worked with customers of all sizes and all industries since. He‘s a frequent presenter at AWS and other conferences on a variety of topics like cloud strategy, digital innovation, and machine learning.
Stefan Reuther
Member of the Executive Board and Chief Sales Officer, Copa-Data
Stefan Reuther
Member of the Executive Board and Chief Sales Officer, Copa-Data
Stefan Reuther is an industrial engineer and holds a degree in Law and Economics from the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg. Since the beginning of 2017, he has been part of the Executive Board and Chief Sales Officer at COPA-DATA in Salzburg, Austria. He began his career there as a technical consultant back in 2002. In the years that followed, he was the Area Sales Manager for Austria and, later, also for Slovenia and Croatia. Subsequently, he became International Key Account Manager. In 2010, Stefan Reuther became Sales Manager for Hydro Building System (now part of Norsk Hydro ASA). In 2014, he assumed the role of Head of Business Intelligence at COPA-DATA Germany in Munich. He is now in charge of sales, business development and customer service for the entire COPA-DATA Group. His extensive experience in industrial automation, strategic management and law helps him ensure the company meets its target growth trajectory.
Dejan Jovicevic
Co-Founder & CEO, Der Brutkasten
Dejan Jovicevic
Co-Founder & CEO, Der Brutkasten
Dejan Jovicevic is considered a visionary digital entrepreneur, startup enthusiast and media manager. He is the founder and CEO of brutkasten, the leading German-language media house for startups, innovation and the digital economy, based in Vienna, Munich and Berlin. With his broad network and know-how, Dejan is a sought-after innovation expert. He networks the shapers:inside of the future and is one of the driving figures of the Austrian innovation and startup scene."
Marco Kamiya
Chief, Division of Digital Transformation and AI Strategies, UNIDO
Marco Kamiya
Chief, Division of Digital Transformation and AI Strategies, UNIDO
Marco Kamiya is Chief of the Division of Innovation Strategies and Digitalization at UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization). The Division works on frontier technologies, innovation ecosystems and the digital economy applied to industrial sectors at a territorial level. Smart and Intermediary Cities are an important focus of work.
Marco Kamiya was the Coordinator of the Urban Economy and Finance Branch at UN-HABITAT. He was senior officer at CAF Development Bank for Latin America in Caracas, the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington DC, and senior economist of PADECO Co., Ltd., a development consulting firm in Tokyo.
He has worked in more than 30 cities and countries, and has extensively published academic papers, policy reports and position articles. His recent publications include “The Shenzhen Story: Innovation Policies in Practice (UN-Habitat, 2019), “Economic Foundations for Sustainable Urbanization” (with Serge Salat (2018), UN-Habitat and Morphologie Institute Paris), “Finance for City Leaders handbook (2018, with Le Yin Zhang, UN-Habitat and University College London), the “Global Urban Competitiveness Report” (annual since 2016) with Prof. Ni Pengfei.
Wietse Van Ransbeeck
Co-Founder and CEO, CitizenLab
Wietse Van Ransbeeck
Co-Founder and CEO, CitizenLab
Wietse Van Ransbeeck is the co-founder and CEO of CitizenLab, an e-democracy platform to enable governments for more inclusive, participatory, and data-driven decision-making. Today, the platform is used by more than 300 local governments around the world, from national governments and big cities to the smallest municipalities. Wietse was named by Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in law and policy for his work on bringing local democracies into the digital age.
Edwin Diender
Chief Innovation Officer Global Electric Power Digitalization BU, Huawei
Edwin Diender
Chief Innovation Officer Global Electric Power Digitalization BU, Huawei
Mr. Diender is considered a blue ocean strategist and frequent speaker at events around the world. Adept on a range of subjects, from big data to safe and smart cities, to enterprise solutions. Not a salesman, not a technologist. A Tech strategist, accustomed to larger concepts. Mr. Diender envisioned the Energyverse as digital twin and leadway for Smart Grid+ and Energy Internet (2021). He initiated The Hierarchy of Needs for Connected Cities and Industries, in 2020. End of 2018, Mr. Diender developed and launched the Universal Framework for Smart City Construction visualized via the principle of Rubik’s cube. In 2017, Mr. Diender introduced the Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) as the Brain and Nervous System for Smart Cities. Mr. Diender initiated First Safe Then Smart, as a principle for safe city to smart city transformation in 2016. He developed and launched Secure Converged Communications in Europe in 2005. He pitched and sold one of the 1st IP-communications platforms ‘as a service’ in the Dutch market in 1998. He has been globally involved in several programs and initiatives; scaling from small up to medium and large roll-outs across the value chain. Mr. Diender is experienced in negotiating and bringing to-market concepts and solutions for the digital journey of Smart Cities and digital governments, including Collaboration-enabled Business Process (CEBP), The Future of Work and Industry Transformation. Mr. Diender joined Huawei Technologies at the end of 2011 to help establish Industry Solution Sales practices for the WEU region in education, healthcare, large enterprise, utilities and public services. He became spokesperson to global analyst organizations and international media in 2013. He is a coach and mentor to new recruits and employees and part-time lecturer in Huawei University. Mr. Diender is a contact to non-profit boards and standardization bodies (eg. UN-Habitat, ABAC, WEF). He is advisory board member for Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, sHero China, NPI Preventive Care Thailand and IE Business University in Madrid. In 2015, Mr. Diender was appointed CTO in the UC&C Marketing and Solution Sales department in Huawei head office, Shenzhen. He became Vice President Global Government Business in 2016. He is awarded Most Valued Professional (MVP) in Huawei Enterprise. Since 2018 he is vice-leader of the Marketing & Solution Sales dept., High Level Executive Communications Leadership Team. As Chief Innovation Officer in Huawei Technologies he helps customers and partners with their digital journey. He is the go-to-person for innovation, digital twins, and value-based growth. He will focus on Smart City Economics, The Future of Work and Digital Transformation. He will drive Energy Transition as the Next Wave of Innovation for Digital Transformation, and transform the conventional grid via smart grid+ and intelligent connectivity towards an Energy Internet. Or as he envisions it: an energyverse (a worldwide web of energy). Mr. Diender holds an MBA in International Business & Marketing and a PhD in Economics with a focus on digital economy and sustainable business models.
Adela Mehic-Dzanic
Female Tech Leader, MAVOCO AG
Adela Mehic-Dzanic
Female Tech Leader, MAVOCO AG
Adela Mehic-Dzanic is a Forbes featured female tech leader, speaker, and a mentor. Originally from Bosnia, 9 years ago she moved to Vienna with her husband and started building her career from scratch. Her community often calls her a Networking queen, and she wears the title proudly and is committed to serve her global community and connect and introduce as many people in her network as possible.
Elif Duygu
Slam Poet / Spoken Word Artist / Writer
Elif Duygu
Slam Poet / Spoken Word Artist / Writer
Elif Duygu was born in Istanbul and grew up in Vienna. She participated in her first poetry slam in June 2018, followed by multiple performances not only in Vienna but all across Austria. In April 2019 she became the U20 champion of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. Additionally, in 2019 Elif performed at TEDxVienna and the Danube Island Festival which is one of the biggest open-air music festivals in the world. Elif’s poems have been published in anthologies and literature magazines.
Elisa Aichinger
Partner, Deloitte Consulting GmbH
Elisa Aichinger
Partner, Deloitte Consulting GmbH
Elisa Aichinger is Partner at Deloitte Human Capital Consulting. Over the last fourteen years, Elisa focused on Social Innovation. Through publicly funded consulting projects her and her team support businesses in dealing with current and future labor market challenges. Amongst others, her consulting focus lies on questions and issues concerning gender equality, women’s careers and income equality. Her work on gender equality is particularly reflected in the government-funded consulting project “100% Equality pays off” that helps companies to design transparent remuneration systems and fair career opportunities and provides advice for female employees who want to plan their career.
Eva-Maria Kirschsieper
Director Public Policy, Facebook
Eva-Maria Kirschsieper
Director Public Policy, Facebook
Eva-Maria Kirschsieper joined Facebook in 2011 as the first public policy manager in Germany and since then continuously built Facebook’s policy team for the DACH-region. Since 2014, she has been Head of the DACH policy team and today acts as Director of Public Policy.
In that role, she is responsible for the positioning of the company at the interface of politics, science and civil society. In addition to the management of the policy team Eva-Maria is particularly committed to driving Facebook’s sustainability policy agenda and has added significant impetus in that field. Among others, she is a member of the Leaders for Climate Action, a platform bringing together the world’s leading digital entrepreneurs dedicated to climate affairs.
Prior to joining Facebook, Eva-Maria Kirschsieper worked at the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) as Head of the Telecommunications, New Services, Information Society, Postal Services Unit. From 2007 to 2009, she has been Head of Office to a Member of the European Parliament, following an engagement in the German Bundestag from 2003 to 2007 where she focused on European affairs. Eva-Maria Kirschsieper studied Political Science at the Universities of Regensburg and Erlangen-Nuremberg, the Universitá degli Studi di Padova and the Free University of Berlin.
Madlen Stottmeyer
Journalist, Die Presse
Madlen Stottmeyer
Journalist, Die Presse
Madlen Stottmeyer is a business and finance journalist for the austrian daily "Die Presse". Previous she worked for more than five years as a stock market reporter for the "Austrian Press Agency" (APA).
Lukas Feiler
Partner and Head of IT/IP law practice at Baker McKenzie
Lukas Feiler
Partner and Head of IT/IP law practice at Baker McKenzie
Lukas Feiler is a partner and head of the IT/IP law practice at Baker McKenzie in Vienna. He is a Fellow of the Stanford-Vienna Transatlantic Technology Law Forum (TTLF) and an adjunct professor at the University of Vienna, Sigmund Freud University Vienna and Danube University Krems. He studied law at the University of Vienna and Santa Clara Law School and worked as a software developer and systems administrator in Vienna, Leeds and New York. He holds certifications as a Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) as well as a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E). Feiler is the author of numerous professional publications including the first Austrian commentary on the General Data Protection Regulation.
Christoph Keese
CEO at Axel Springer hy GmbH
Christoph Keese
CEO at Axel Springer hy GmbH
Christoph Keese is one of the best-known pioneers of digital change in Germany, a passionate innovator, multiple founder and business angel, a sought-after speaker and author of bestsellers on digitization and economic policy ("Silicon Valley", "Silicon Germany" and "Disrupt Yourself").
As a journalist and editor-in-chief, he has successfully led Berliner Zeitung, Financial Times Deutschland and the WELT Group into digitization. As a manager, he made a significant contribution to the digital transformation of Axel Springer SE.
What is happening in digital change and how can companies adapt to it as successfully as possible? As CEO of Axel Springer hy, he and his team of 60 digital experts pursue these questions day by day.
Benedikt Franke
Vice-Chairman & CEO of Munich Security Conference
Benedikt Franke
Vice-Chairman & CEO of Munich Security Conference
Benedikt Franke is the Chief Executive Officer of the Munich Security Conference and responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation and the strategic development of its formats and activities. Additionally he serves as the Executive Director of the Munich Security Conference Foundation. Before joining the MSC, he served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Affairs at the Headquarters of the Christian Social Union (CSU) and was part of the inner campaign team for the successful local, state and federal elections in 2013. Before that he worked as Special Assistant for the former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Laureate Kofi Annan. Benedikt Franke holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and a Master's Degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He publishes regularly on foreign affairs.
Wolfgang Geier
Editor in Chief ORF1 Information, ORF
Wolfgang Geier
Editor in Chief ORF1 Information, ORF
Born in Kufstein. After graduating from high school, Geier studied German and History in Innsbruck, graduating in 1990. In the late 80s, Geier gained his first experiences in private radio and print. In April 1996 he was hired by ORF at the first regional studio Tyrol. In May 1999 Geier hired at Vienna Ö1 Radio domestic politics department. From 2001 onward he worked for ZiB2, and in 2006 he switched to ZiB1 and became host of ORF Pressestunde. From 2009-2013 Geier resided in Washington, DC as a correspondent. Then deputy head of department ZiB Innenpolitik/EU. From June 2018 editor-in-chief ORF1 Info. Married to Mirjam Angerer-Geier.
Michaela Ernst
Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, SHEconomy
Michaela Ernst
Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, SHEconomy
Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief and Shareholder of "SHEconomy. Die neuen Seiten der Wirtschaft", founded in 2018.
Study on "How Industry 4.0 is changing the everyday working lives of factory workers" (2016) at Donau Universität Krems.
TEDx Talk: "Guten Morgen, Arbeit" (2016).
Author/Co-Author of several books ("Error 404", 2020).
Journalism since 1983 (profil, trend, Kurier, Falstaff, Wiener...); Editor-in-Chief/Leading Position since 2000. General topics: economy, innovation, food & wine, theatre.
Born in 1962, mother of a son.
Gabriele Tatzberger
Director Startup Services, Vienna Business Agency
Gabriele Tatzberger
Director Startup Services, Vienna Business Agency
Gabriele Tatzberger started at the Vienna Business Agency in 2008 and is now the Director of Startup Services at the Vienna Business Agency, which offers funding, infrastructure, networking and advice for Viennese and international founders and startups. Next to her responsibilities at the Vienna Business Agency, she is also a member of the supervisory board of INITS, one of the “Global Top 25” university high-tech incubators. Since 2010 she is also the Executive Director of Vienna Region Ltd., which deals with regional development, real estates and international location marketing for the region. Gabriele Tatzberger graduated from the University of Technology in Vienna and accomplished her PhD at the University of Delft in the Netherlands. She has a long-term experience in and is passionate about supporting founders, startups, the Vienna startup scene and international networks.
Georg Bak
Digital Art Advisor
Georg Bak
Digital Art Advisor
Georg Bak is an art advisor and curator specialized in digital art, NFTs, vintage computer (1960s) and photography. After graduating as a lawyer he started his professional career in the art market in a senior position at Hauser & Wirth in Zurich and London and subsequently became an art advisor for LGT Bank in Switzerland before he co-founded his own gallery SCHEUBLEIN + BAK in Zurich. In the past years he was working as an independent art advisor for blockchain startups and NFT platforms and at the same time curated seminal NFT art exhibitions such as “Perfect & Priceless. Value Systems on the Blockchain” in 2018 where he showed the worldwide first exhibition of Larva Labs’ Cryptopunks. Recently he has been curating a Cryptopunk sale at Sotheby’s and Ex Machina – A History of Generative Art at PHILLIPS.
Greg Williams
Deputy Global Editorial Director, Wired
Greg Williams
Deputy Global Editorial Director, Wired
Greg Williams is the Editor of WIRED UK, which he joined in 2010 after a decade in publishing in New York. He has held senior editorial positions at Details and Arena and has written for numerous titles, including The Guardian, Newsweek and The Observer. He is currently the British Society of Magazine Editors 'Editor of the Year, Technology', an award he also won in 2017.
Gretchen Andrew
Artist
Gretchen Andrew
Artist
Gretchen Andrew manipulates systems of power with art, glitter and code. She is best known for her playful hacks on major art world and political institutions, including Frieze, The Whitney Biennial, Artforum, The Turner Prize, and The Next American President. In these digital performances she reimagines reality with art and desire. She does this by making assemblage “vision boards” that she programs to become top internet search results. The feminine and trivialized materials of her vision boards purposefully clash with the male-dominated worlds of AI, programming, and political control they also operate within. She trained in London with the artist Billy Childish from 2012-2017. In 2018 the V&A Museum released her book Search Engine Art. Gretchen’s work has recently been featured in Fast Company, Flash Art, The Washington Post, Fortune Magazine, Monopol, Wirtschaftswoche, The Los Angeles Times, and The Financial Times. She is currently the artist in residence at The National Gallery X London.
Hermann Erlach
General Manager, Microsoft Austria
Hermann Erlach
General Manager, Microsoft Austria
Hermann Erlach has been General Manager of Microsoft Austria since May 2021. His goal in this role is to advance the modernization and digitization of the location and to make this a positive experience for all Austrians. Erlach has been a member of the management team at Microsoft Austria since 2015. He joined the company as head of the Enterprise Services division. Most recently, he was Chief Operating Officer, Digital Transformation Lead and spokesperson for innovation. In his role as COO, Erlach linked all business and sales areas with one another to ensure optimal value creation for customers and partners.
Before joining Microsoft, Mr. Erlach held numerous management positions in international management consultancies such as Capgemini Consulting and Booz & Company. After many years in the conception and implementation of successful projects, he switched to SAP in 2008, where he held strategically important management functions at regional, international and local level. A native of East Tyrol, he completed his graduate engineer in engineering and industrial management at the Joanneum in Graz. After several years of work experience as an information technology consultant at Plaut AG, he began in 2003 with a master's degree in business administration at Danube University.
Andreas Hinterberger
Senior Manager Public Policy, Uber
Andreas Hinterberger
Senior Manager Public Policy, Uber
Andreas Hinterberger has been working at Uber since summer 2017 and is responsible for the technology company's Governmental Affairs and Public Policy in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The political scientist initially worked for several years in consulting, where various startup companies and companies with digitalized business models were among his clients.
Horst Fickel
Co-Founder & CTO, FARM.NOW
Horst Fickel
Co-Founder & CTO, FARM.NOW
CO-Founder, CTO at Farmnow GmbH. Developing vertical farming products such as Microfarm (energy self-sufficient, water self-sufficient, wastewater self-sufficient). Director of R&D, national and international research (FFG, Horizon, Comet etc.) in the field of Farm Tech.
Lindsey Huff Breitschädel
Pianist
Lindsey Huff Breitschädel
Pianist
Lindsey’s recent collaborations include singing and playing piano with Peninsula Women’s Chorus, Cantabile Children’s Choirs and Convivium Ensemble in California. Lindsey also worked as a pianist with Just Opera, First Street Opera, Opera on the Lake and was on staff at the US Open Music Competition. In June of 2020, Lindsey and her family returned to Austria after 9 years in the US. Since then, she has collaborated with Take 5 Verein (singing, organ and piano), Opera on Tap Vienna and re-founded her piano studio.
Ingrid Thurnher
Director of Radio, ORF
Ingrid Thurnher
Director of Radio, ORF
Ingrid Thurnher, recently appointed as Director of Radio at ORF, is one of Austria's most awarded journalists and now responsible for the three nationwide ORF radio channels, the RadioKulturhaus and ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien. She is what you may call a "news junkie" and is particularly interested in bringing news and media to younger audiences in the digital age. Ingrid Thurnher was the anchorwoman of the renowned news program "Zeit im Bild 2", and hosted various TV shows in the past like "Sommergespräche", "Zeit im Bild", "Im Zentrum" and many more. Prior to her current role as Director of Radio, Ingrid Thurnher served as Editor in Chief at ORF III and expanded the news coverage at the culture and news channel in the ORF network. Ingrid Thurnher is known for her trustworthiness and is one of the most reliable faces in Austria's news industry. She has been awarded with the "Romy" as "most popular TV host" 7 times.
Alyssa Newcomb
Business and Technology Journalist, Contributing at NBC News and Fortune Magazine
Alyssa Newcomb
Business and Technology Journalist, Contributing at NBC News and Fortune Magazine
Alyssa Newcomb is a business and technology reporter who specializes in translating complex topics for broad audiences across digital media, radio and television. She started her career in the investigative unit of ABC News in New York before working her way to the position of technology editor. After that, Alyssa spent two years as NBC News' technology reporter in San Francisco, before she returned to her beloved New York. She is now a regular contributor to NBC, Fortune Magazine and also works as a media consultant.
Iris Bohnet
Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and Co-Director of the Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School
Iris Bohnet
Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and Co-Director of the Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School
Iris Bohnet is the Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and the co-director of the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School. She is a behavioral economist, combining insights from economics and psychology to improve decision-making in organizations and society, often with a gender or cross-cultural perspective. Her most recent research examines behavioral design to de-bias how we live, learn and work. She is the author of the award-winning book What Works: Gender Equality by Design, and advises governments and companies on the topic around the world. Professor Bohnet served as academic dean of Harvard Kennedy School from 2011-2014 and 2018-2021. She is also the faculty co-chair of the executive program “Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century” for the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. She serves on the boards, advisory boards or as a patron of Credit Suisse Group, Applied, Edge, We Shape Tech, Women in Banking and Finance, and the UK Government’s Equalities Office. She was appointed to the Gender Equality Advisory Council of the G7 in 2021. She was named one of the Most Influential People in Gender Policy by apolitical in 2018 and 2019, a Leading Thinker of Victoria, Australia, 2016-2019, and has received an honorary degree from the University of Lucerne, Switzerland, in 2016. She is married and the mother of two children.
Jivka Ovtcharova
Head of the Institute for Information Management in Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Jivka Ovtcharova
Head of the Institute for Information Management in Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Jivka Ovtcharova has been a professor and head of the Institute for Information Management in Engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology since 2003. Since 2004 she has been also a director for Intelligent Systems and Production Engineering at the Research Center for Computer Science in Karlsruhe. She holds a double doctorate in mechanical engineering as well as in computer science and worked in the Bulgarian Academy of Science, the Fraunhofer Society and in the automotive industry. Her competence lies in the inspiring interplay between engineering, computer sciences and social development. With her credo for “Resourceful Humans” she addresses technical as well as cultural-philosophical aspects of Product Lifecycle Management, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Engineering, Digital Twins and Digital Ecosystems. Prof. Ovtcharova is the founder of a Lifecycle Engineering Solutions Center and a Center for Artificial Intelligence Talents. She has won several awards for her scientific work, is one of the 25 Women for the Digital Future in Germany according to the media platform EDITION F, a peer reviewer and keynote speaker, a Senator in the Senate of Economy Europe, and a member of various supervisory boards.
Joanne Thurlow
Head of IT, Siemens Energy, Industrial Applications Solutions
Joanne Thurlow
Head of IT, Siemens Energy, Industrial Applications Solutions
Canadian born, I have spent 15+ years living in multiple European countries, making Isle of Man home since early 2021. My passion is to educate, inspire and enable transformation – for individuals, teams, organizations and technology.
With 30+ years in Tech, I have an extensive knowledge of IT. Today’s focus is on digital business transformation, IoT, tech-enabled sustainability, agile working, and new organizational models.
Currently Head of IT for Siemens Energy Industrial Application Solutions (SE IA), I partner with business providing strategic, innovative, cost sensitive and engineering-centric IT environments in over 40+ countries. As a leading organization in Energy transformation, SE IA engineers innovative electric, automation, and digital products, solutions and services for multiple vertical markets.
I am committed to providing leadership, inspiration, motivation, strategic consulting, and market insights through various avenues- a Digital Isle of Man Executive board member; Committee member of LOVE TECH (IOM) promoting STEM careers for girls & young women; or as a global speaker at various conferences. I am now working on my first business book ‘Team Management – as learned from the back of a Dog Sled’ to be published early 2022. Recently I have been awarded the recognition of being one of the top 200 Strong Women in IT report.
Johann Pluy
Member of the Board of Directors, ÖBB-Infra
Johann Pluy
Member of the Board of Directors, ÖBB-Infra
Professional career Since 03/2019 Member of the Board for ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, Department Operations & Systems 2016–2019 Managing Director of ÖBB-Business Competence Center GmbH 2014–2016 ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, Railway Systems division manager 2010–2014 ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, Energy division manager 2006–2010 ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG, Power Plants division manager 2005–2006 ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG, Head of Energy Sector, Power Plants division 2001–2004 Österreichische Bundesbahnen (Austrian Federal Railways), Head of Energy Marketing, Sales and Trading, Power Plants division 1997–2001 Österreichische Bundesbahnen, administrator in various functions 1992–1997 Vienna University of Technology, research assistant and then (1993) university assistant at the Institute of Power Systems 1989–1992 Kapsch AG, programmer in the Commercial IT department
Josef Lentsch
Managing Partner, The Innovation in Politics Institute
Josef Lentsch
Managing Partner, The Innovation in Politics Institute
Josef Lentsch is Managing Partner of the Innovation in Politics Institute, a non-partisan organization that works to identify, develop and apply innovations in politics, with offices in Vienna and Berlin, and representations in 18 countries. Until December 2018, he was Founding Director of NEOS Lab, the think and do tank of NEOS, a liberal political party in Austria. In 2012, he was a founding board member of NEOS. Prior to that, he was the Director International for the Royal Society of Arts in London. In 2018, Springer published his book “Political Entrepreneurship – How to Build Successful Centrist Political Start-ups”, which was reviewed in the Financial Times. Currently he is working on his second book “Political Intrapreneurship – How to Innovate Political Parties from within.” Josef holds an MSc in Psychology from the University of Vienna, and an MPA in Public Administration from Harvard University.
Juan Saldivar
Chief Digital, Strategy & Accountability Officer, Entravision
Juan Saldivar
Chief Digital, Strategy & Accountability Officer, Entravision
Juan boasts 30+ years’ experience as an operator, startup founder, consultant, board member, entrepreneur and venture capitalist within leading companies in Mexico, the US and Germany. Today, Juan is Chief Digital, Strategy and Accountability Officer at Entravision, a global marketing services enterprise with presence in 30 countries. Throughout his career, Juan has worked for global companies such as Bertelsmann AG and Televisa, he has build successful companies like the eCommerce player Submarino, a headhunting company People@, the advisory business SWS.Consulting and the venture fund RiseCapital Latam. Other milestones include his presidency of the Mexican chapter of the IAB, Board memberships of publicly traded Entravision (EVC), Travesias Media, Recorcholis, Metro International, Save the Children and ITAM-EPIC among other. Juan offers solid business head experience, entrepreneurship, consulting and operational experience that enables future business planning and exclusion capabilities. Juan holds a BA in economics from Mexico’s ITAM University and an MBA from the IESE Business School in Barcelona.
Kai Herzberger
Group Director Commerce EMEA & DACH, Meta
Kai Herzberger
Group Director Commerce EMEA & DACH, Meta
Kai Herzberger is heading the Commerce team of Facebook for the EMEA and DACH region. He was former CMO of DailyDeal and Head of Marketing at BuyVIP, two startups he sold to Google respectively Amazon. His analytical background in market research gained him the leadership for the International Marketing team of AOL in Dulles, VA. Kai holds a MBA of Kellogg/WHU and is co-founder of ReFuture Digital GmbH and Shops2Stay UG. He holds stakes in Falcon Agency, CineApp and other startups. He created CoronaCare Winsen with his wife, a local non-profit community organization and is a founding member of the Hearing Community and the Cystic Fibrosis run4air organization. He is a founding member of the Spam task force of eco Verband e.V.
Kate Williams
CEO, 1% for the Planet
Kate Williams
CEO, 1% for the Planet
Kate Williams is CEO of 1% for the Planet, a global movement that inspires action and commitment so that our planet and future generations thrive. 1% for the Planet’s global network of thousands of businesses and individuals have given $100s of millions to environmental partners to date. Kate has led significant growth in the community’s scale and impact, as well as deep work on best practices for implementing high impact giving strategies, growing a network brand, and operating as an effective and innovative enterprise. Kate earned a BA at Princeton University and an MS at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and has served on a variety of Boards throughout her career. Kate is a mother, a trail runner, an active dog walker, and a kitchen gardener.
Kathrin Köster
Founder, The Joy Academy
Kathrin Köster
Founder, The Joy Academy
Kathrin Köster is a Professor for Leadership, a Faculty Member at the WU Executive Academy, the founder of the Joy Academy accelerating personal transformation, and the founder of Köster + Partner specialized in organizational transformation. She is the author of many acclaimed books and publications including her most recent one - "Inner Leadership - selbstbewusst und authentisch führen".
Katrin Assenmacher
Head of Monetary Policy Strategy Division, European Central Bank
Katrin Assenmacher
Head of Monetary Policy Strategy Division, European Central Bank
Katrin Assenmacher is Head of the Monetary Policy Strategy Division at the European Central Bank (ECB) since 2016. From 2010 to 2016 she led the Monetary Policy Analysis Unit at the Swiss National Bank (SNB). She holds a Doctorate and a Diploma in economics from the University of Bonn, where she also received her Habilitation. Katrin was a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Banks of St. Louis and Atlanta, the Oesterreichische Nationalbank and the universities of Copenhagen and Southern California. During her tenure at the SNB she lectured courses on monetary policy and macroeconomics at the universities of Zurich and Bern.
Kimberly Marteau Emerson
Board Of Directors, Human Rights Watch
Kimberly Marteau Emerson
Board Of Directors, Human Rights Watch
Kimberly Marteau Emerson is a lawyer, civic leader and human rights advocate. From 2013-2017, she lived in Berlin with her husband, US Ambassador to Germany John B. Emerson (ret.), where she worked both with the US Embassy as well as independently to drive projects on multiple platforms, including promotion of German immigration and integration efforts related to the 2015/2016 refugee crisis; and addressing the issue throughout Germany of bringing women to the economic and political decision-making table. She is currently writing a memoir about her experiences there.
Kimberly worked in the Clinton Administration as a senior political appointee and spokesperson for the U.S. Information Agency (State Department). She has been an election observer in Nigeria, and worked on relief projects in Lesbos, Greece during the 2015 refugee crisis, Sri Lanka post-tsunami and New Orleans post-Katrina. She serves on the Advisory Board of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Pacific Council on International Policy. She serves on the Board of Governors of Bard College Berlin, and the Advisory Boards of the Thomas Mann House, United Way in Germany and KCRW-Berlin. Kimberly has been deeply active in U.S. Presidential politics and actively supported many Democratic candidates on the local, state and federal level. She has also received several awards for her civic engagement. Previously, Kimberly practiced law with Tuttle & Taylor, and worked in Hollywood as a business and creative executive with Savoy Pictures and Sony Entertainment.
She holds degrees from UCLA (B.A.), UC Hastings College of the Law ( J.D.) and l’Université de Droit d’Aix-Marseille (D.E.S.U.). Kimberly serves on the Board of Directors of Human Rights Watch, and the following Board Committees: Council Steering (co-chair emerita); Nominating and Governance; Development and Outreach; and Policy. She also serves on the Europe and Central Asia Advisory Committee, the Berlin and Los Angeles (co-chair emerita) City Committees, and the Germany Executive Committee.
Kerstin Schuster
Corporate Director Human Resources, AGRANA
Kerstin Schuster
Corporate Director Human Resources, AGRANA
Kerstin Schuster studied Business Administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. She has been working in HR expert and management positions for almost 20 years, always in an international environment. Her industry experience ranges from pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics and financial services to the manufacturing industry. She has been with AGRANA since 2019 and took over the role of Corporate Director Human Resources in April 2020. Her passion lies in the fields of personnel and organizational development, sustainable leadership, and people as the real differentiator.
Magnus Brunner
Federal Minister of Finance, Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance
Magnus Brunner
Federal Minister of Finance, Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance
Magnus Brunner has been Federal Minister of Finance since 6th of December 2021. Before that he was State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Mobility, Energy, Innovation and Technology since January 2020. Prior to his position as State Secretary, he was a member of the Board of Directors of OeMAG - Abwicklungsstelle für Ökostrom (OeMAG - Clearing and Settlement Agency for Green Electricity) from January 2007. On May 8, 2009, he also took over the function as Vorarlberg member of the Federal Council.
Mahdis Gharaei
Co-Founder & CEO, the female factor
Mahdis Gharaei
Co-Founder & CEO, the female factor
Mahdis is the co-founder & CEO of the female factor, a career platform dedicated to empowering & developing a new generation of female leaders by providing knowledge-driven experiences around personal & professional development, a global mentoring program and a strong network in over 75 countries.
Before starting the female factor, Mahdis served as one of the youngest and only female general managers of an international airline in Austria and Germany for over 7 years and led cross-border projects and teams in the Middle East, Europe and the US. She co-founded her first business at age 23 and also served in leadership roles at non-profit organisations such as the World Affairs Council, AustrianStartups and Female Founders.
Mahdis is a passionate opportunity maker, diversity advocate, entrepreneur, mentor, podcast host and speaker with a love for business development, sales, negotiations, female leadership and diversity & inclusion.
Mark Dekan
CEO of Ringier Axel Springer Polska
Mark Dekan
CEO of Ringier Axel Springer Polska
In his role as CEO Ringier Axel Springer AG, until the beginning of 2022, Mark Dekan was responsible for the Central Eastern European Joint Venture between Axel Springer and Ringier, the biggest digital media company in CEE. With the sale of all non-Polish activities by Axel Springer to Ringier, he is now leading the Ringier Axel Springer Poland Group, one of the largest media groups in the region, as a new Joint Venture between Axel Springer and Ringier.
Before his appointment as CEO of Ringier Axel Springer Media AG in 2013, Mark Dekan was as the CFO responsible for the establishment and management of the finance function of the Group. Mark Dekan has extensive experience in the media business, including the traditional and digital parts of media, as well as in the management of large and diverse organizations. His experience comes from international and local markets, where he worked on leadership positions in Management Boards and Supervisory Boards.
Markus Müller
Rector, Medical University of Vienna
Markus Müller
Rector, Medical University of Vienna
Markus Müller was born in Klagenfurt in 1967 and in 1993 he graduated “sub auspiciis" at the Medical Faculty of the University of Vienna. He then underwent training in departments of emergency medicine, oncology, endocrinology, infectious diseases and chemotherapy, clinical pharmacology, and angiology in Austria, Sweden, and the USA and gained a doctorate in clinical pharmacology (1998) and internal medicine (2001).
In 2004 he qualified as a professor and became Principal of the University Department of Clinical Pharmacology of MedUni Vienna at Vienna General Hospital. He earned an international reputation through his work on developing clinical microdialysis and his expertise in the clinical development of innovative drugs and vaccines. Amongst other things, he was heavily involved in the clinical development of several vaccines against influenza H5N1, influenza H1N1, borreliosis/Lyme disease, and Alzheimer's disease, to name but a few.
In 2014 he was appointed Chairman of the Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) of the WHO Ebola vaccination program (VEBCON). Markus Müller has published more than 200 original papers in the field of internal medicine and clinical pharmacology and has won several prizes; for example the Tanabe Award of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP) in recognition of his innovative approaches to clinical pharmacology studies. Until 2011 he was Vice-Rector for Research and since 2015 he is the current Rector of MedUni Vienna.
Matthias Moosbrugger
member of the management of Rhomberg Bau GmbH in Bregenz, Rhomberg Bau GmbH
Matthias Moosbrugger
member of the management of Rhomberg Bau GmbH in Bregenz, Rhomberg Bau GmbH
Matthias Moosbrugger is member of the management of Rhomberg Bau in Bregenz, Austria. As Chief Digital Officer (CDO) he is responsible for the areas of Marketing and Communication, Strategy, Digitalization, Sustainability and Innovation as well as the processes and systems summarized in the internal management system (IMS).
Moosbrugger worked in after-sales marketing at BMW AG, as assistant to the management board at Russmedia and as marketing and communications manager at Volksbank Vorarlberg before joining the Rhomberg Group in 2013. Moosbrugger holds a Master's degree in International Economics and Management from the University of Applied Science Kufstein, a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Helsinki Business Polytechnic in Finland and an MBA degree in ""New business development in digital economy"" from the Johannes Kepler University in Linz.
Maurice Beurskens
CEO of gurkerl.at
Maurice Beurskens
CEO of gurkerl.at
Maurice Beurskens has been CEO of gurkerl.at since its founding days in summer 2020. Born in the Netherlands, he has already gained professional experience in various positions. Among other things, he was Global Head of Procurement & Culinary at Marley Spoon, worked for Metro in Vietnam and Poland, and was COO of the bakery Öfferl, where he still works as a consultant. His extensive knowledge has helped gurkerl.at to quickly grow into an online supermarket in the last 2 years, which now employs more than 1,100 people and has already delivered over 1,000,000 orders.
Maximilian Tayenthal
Founder & Co-CEO, N26
Maximilian Tayenthal
Founder & Co-CEO, N26
Maximilian Tayenthal is co-founder and co-CEO of N26. Together with his business partner and friend Valentin Stalf, he has built one of the fastest-growing mobile banks in the world.
Their vision is to create a bank that 100 million people around the world love to use, giving people the power to live and bank their way.
Tayenthal was also Chief Financial Officer of The Mobile Bank before taking on the co-CEO role alongside his co-founder. Previously, he worked in a variety of consulting and financial roles at leading professional services firms, including CMS and Booz & Company. Tayenthal holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics and business administration from the University of Vienna. He also has a master’s degree in economics from the Community of European Management Schools, as well as a law degree from the University of Vienna. Tayenthal is a CFA charterholder.
Michael Strugl
Chairman of the Managing Board, Verbund
Michael Strugl
Chairman of the Managing Board, Verbund
I am the Chairman of the Managing Board of VERBUND AG, Austria´s leading electricity company and one of the largest electricity generators from hydro power in Europe, since January 2021. My department includes energy economy and business management, strategic human resources management, corporate innovation and new business, marketing and communication as well as the operative divisions trading and sales. Additionally, I hold the position of President of Austria´s Energy Industry representative body, Austria´s Energy since June 2020 as well as the position of President of the World Energy Council Austria since October 2020. Prior to my appointment as Chairman, I served as the Deputy Chairman of the Managing Board of VERBUND AG from January 2019 to December 2020.
Nadine Nobile
Co-Founder, CO:X
Nadine Nobile
Co-Founder, CO:X
Nadine Nobile's guiding principle is to "recognise potential and enable development". The founder of CO:X and self-confessed New Work enthusiast accompanies organisations in change. The development of existing potentials, talents and experiences plays a decisive role for her. Her heart beats above all for the topics of compensation leadership and participative organisational development.
Nadine Nobile studied business education at the University of Konstanz with a focus on marketing and corporate management. From 2010 to 2017, she worked for a nationwide foundation in Germany. There she was committed to innovative and strength-oriented educational approaches. As a manager there, she experienced on a daily basis what it takes for people to develop their potential and drive innovation.
The co-author of New Pay has been working intensively on new ways of remuneration since 2017 and is a pioneer for a holistic remuneration model. As a process facilitator, she supports companies in designing remuneration systems in a participatory way and from the midst of the organisation.
Nadine Nobile is a companion of the project "AUGENHÖHE - Film und Dialog" and initiator of the network "New Work Women". The promotion of a future-oriented culture of work is a matter close to her heart.
Nana Siebert
Deputy Editor-in-Chief, DerSTANDARD
Nana Siebert
Deputy Editor-in-Chief, DerSTANDARD
Nana Siebert has been Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the daily newspaper DerSTANDARD since 2018, where she develops elaborate long-term projects and interactive formats. In addition, she is responsible for the STANDARD's magazines. Nana Siebert was most recently Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Woman, where she expanded the digital presence. Before that, she designed the e-magazines for the news titles News and profil.
Rainer Nowak
Chief Editor, Die Presse
Rainer Nowak
Chief Editor, Die Presse
Rainer Nowak (born in 1972 in Innsbruck) has been working as a journalist since 1994. He joined "Die Presse" as an editor in 1996, and in 2012, he became the editor-in-chief of "Die Presse". From 2014 to 2022, he served as the publisher of "Die Presse". As of 2024, he is the head of the domestic politics, foreign affairs, and business sections at Kronen Zeitung.
Paul Baldassari
EVP US & Components, Strategy and Excellence, Flex
Paul Baldassari
EVP US & Components, Strategy and Excellence, Flex
Paul Baldassari is the Executive Vice President of US and Component Operations, Strategy and Excellence at Flex, the global manufacturing partner of choice that helps a diverse customer base design and build products to improve the world. In his capacity, Mr. Baldassari oversees the company’s global Engineering, Quality, Operational Excellence, Asset and Real Estate Teams. Most recently, Mr. Baldassari served as the Executive Vice President Strategic Programs developing Corporate Strategy and implementing key strategic initiatives. He held several positions of increasing responsibility in his career including Chief Human Resource Officer for the company, General Manager and in Operational Excellence. He is also researching Sustainable Human Resource Management and has published articles and presented work on migrant workers, HRM and SDGs and Green HRM.
Paul Klanschek
Co-Founder & CEO, Bitpanda
Paul Klanschek
Co-Founder & CEO, Bitpanda
Paul Klanschek first heard of Bitcoin back in 2010 and has been fascinated by blockchain technology’s implications on the financial sector and other industries ever since. Together with Eric Demuth and Christian Trummer, he co-founded Bitpanda in 2014. He successfully finished his Masters at WU Wien in banking and finance. Paul is well established within the global crypto community and was an advisor for popular cryptocurrency projects like NXT, Waves, Lisk, Komodo, and more.
Peggy Tsai
VP of Data Solutions, BigID
Peggy Tsai
VP of Data Solutions, BigID
Peggy Tsai is Vice President of Data Solutions at BigID where she leads data governance strategy for the product and serves as domain expert for data governance best practices. She has 18 years of practitioner experience in data management, stewardship and quality in the financial services industry. Prior to BigID, Peggy was Vice President at Morgan Stanley where she helped operationalize the data governance program in the Wealth Management division. Peggy was Data Innovation Lead in the Enterprise Data Management group at AIG where she supported Latin America and later she helped design the company’s GDPR privacy compliance solution. In this role, she also led a winning team on an AIG Innovation Bootcamp that identified a solution for streamlining manuscript policies. Peggy also worked at S&P Global Ratings where she held various positions in the Data CoE and Data Services. Peggy has a Masters in Information Systems from New York University and a Bachelors of Arts in Economics from Cornell University. She is an adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University, co-host of a data podcast called The Data Transformers and an advisor to several start-up companies. Peggy speaks on data enablement and is a supporter of women's issues.
Philipp Kalweit
CEO & Founder, Kalweit ITS
Philipp Kalweit
CEO & Founder, Kalweit ITS
Philipp Kalweit (born 2000) is Germany's most sought-after hacker and renowned IT security expert. Since the age of 16, he has been advising companies on IT security issues. His focus is on public relations as well as education, holistic security audits as well as interdisciplinary consulting. In 2017, he founded the consulting company KALWEIT ITS GmbH. His mission: sustainable cybersecurity for a digital world of tomorrow. For his work, he was honored as Hamburger of the Month by ZEIT Hamburg on Jan. 31, 2019, and was named one of the most important young entrepreneurs on the "30 under 30" list by Forbes in the same year.
Philipp Karmires
Vice President & Chief Digital Officer, Linde
Philipp Karmires
Vice President & Chief Digital Officer, Linde
Digital Leader with 16+ years proven track record in developing, growing and transforming global tech startups, digital and technology market leaders in North America, Europe and Asia. Focused on product, productivity and revenue growth.
Pilar Lopez Alvarez
Vice President Sales, Marketing and Operations. Microsoft Western Europe, Microsoft
Pilar Lopez Alvarez
Vice President Sales, Marketing and Operations. Microsoft Western Europe, Microsoft
Pilar López holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Major in Finance from ICADE University (Madrid, Spain). She began working at JP Morgan, the US banking Corporation, in Madrid, London and New York, where she became Vice President. She joined Telefónica in 1999, working in a number of finance and strategy positions across the European and LATAM businesses, including Financial Controller in Telefónica Móviles, Strategy Director in Telefónica de España, Chief Financial Officer of O2 Plc. (London), and Chief Financial Officer for Telefónica Europe (Madrid). Joined Microsoft in 2015 as Country General Manager and was appointed VP SMO for Microsoft Western Europe in 2021.
She is Non-Executive Director of INDITEX and Board member of Club Empresarial ICADE.
Martin Giesswein
Author, WU Executive Academy
Martin Giesswein
Author, WU Executive Academy
Martin Giesswein sees his mission in strengthening the digital literacy of individuals, companies and institutions in Austria. In this role, he works as a start-up coach at www.innovation2company.wien, as the former co-founder of Talent Garden Vienna, as co-initiator of DigitalCity.Wien and as Digital Academic at universities and corporate academies. In 2014 he managed the exit of immobilien.NET to the Scout24 group as CEO. Previously, he was breathing 10 years of corporate air in ICT, including roles as General Manager and Marketing Director CEE e.g. with Nokia
Christoph Kullnig
Head of Group Marketing, Raiffeisen Bank International AG
Christoph Kullnig
Head of Group Marketing, Raiffeisen Bank International AG
Christoph Kullnig is a marketing executive, business leader and purpose-driven innovator from Austria. He is the Head of Group Marketing at Raiffeisen Bank International AG. Together with his teams he is responsible for the strategic brand management, marketing and in the RBI Group, the CEE network banks and the Austrian subsidiaries. With more than 15 years of experience in the field of branding & marketing, Christoph Kullnig held numerous management positions at Paysafe Group, Runtastic GmbH, J.Lindeberg and the Austrian Armed Forces before joining Raiffeisen Bank International. Topics such as brand strategy, digitization, data, leadership, purpose and customer experience excite him most. He passionately passes on his knowledge to students at the Technikum Wien Academy.
Manfred Wachtler
Member of the Executive Board, SÜBA
Manfred Wachtler
Member of the Executive Board, SÜBA
Manfred Wachtler has been a member of the Executive Board at SÜBA AG since 2020. He studied civil engineering at the Leipzig University of Applied Science while working. In his Board function he is responsible for Development, Project Management, Sustainability, Building Innovation, IT & Digitalization. SÜBA AG has been successfully realising affordable residential, commercial and office projects for over 40 years. Against this background, SÜBA is also recognised as a leading user of state-of-the-art technology in the areas of climate-friendly building, energy efficiency and ESG subjects in general. Wachtler has been putting his faith in renewable energies for many years and his objective is to completely stop using fossil energies in both current and future projects. Before joining SÜBA AG Wachtler worked as a Managing Director from Vienna, Moscow, St. Peterburg, Bucarest, Budapest and Amsterdam.
Rasmus Hougaard
Founder & CEO of Potential Project
Rasmus Hougaard
Founder & CEO of Potential Project
Rasmus Hougaard is the Founder & CEO of Potential Project, a global research, leadership development and consulting firm that is on a mission to create a more human world of work. They help leaders and teams to understand and manage their minds and unlock the potential for new behaviours and different outcomes.
Over the past decade, Potential Project has helped more than 350,000 individuals at 500+ organisations to adopt new ways of working and leading. With 250+ facilitators and consultants across 28 countries, they have partnered with global clients including Unilever, IKEA, Cisco, Deloitte and Accenture to enhance performance, resilience and creativity and develop leaders who are more open, wise, compassionate and courageous.
Rasmus is recognized by the Thinkers50 as one of the most important emerging business thinkers and leaders in the world. He is the author of “One Second Ahead” as well as “The Mind of the Leader”, a bestseller published by Harvard Business Review.
He has led more than 1,500 keynotes and workshops and is recognized as the leading global authority on training the mind to be focused, effective and clear for great leadership, performance, innovation and resilience.
Markus Plank
Head of International Premium & Private Banking Division, Raiffeisen Bank International AG
Markus Plank
Head of International Premium & Private Banking Division, Raiffeisen Bank International AG
Born in Styria/Austria, after finishing his studies in 2000 at the University of Applied Science (FH Wiener Neustadt) started the banking career in the Private Banking and Asset Management industry in Vienna and Graz. Moved 2005 to Bosnia Hercegovina to build up Asset Management, Brokerage and Private/Affluent Banking service models. Spent overall 4 years as Expat abroad in SEE. Last 10 years in management functions in Headquarters managing CEE/SEE subsidiaries. Since 2016 in Raiffeisen Bank International, currently responsible for its Premium & Private Banking segments, Bancassurance, Retail Investment Product Management, Retail Liability Management - in 13 RBI subsidiaries with 12,5 Mio Retail clients and ca. 20Bn EUR Assets under Management. In addition, member of the supervisory board of Kathrein Privatbank, Raiffeisen Bank Bosnia Hercegovina and Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo.
Markus Reisner
General Staff Officer, Austrian Armed Forces
Markus Reisner
General Staff Officer, Austrian Armed Forces
Colonel (GS) Dr. Markus Reisner, PhD is a General Staff officer serving in the Austrian Armed Forces. He attended the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt from 1998 to 2002. He then served in the Reconnaissance Battalion 2 in Salzburg until 2004. The following ten years he served in the “Jagdkommando”, the Special Operations Forces unit of the Austrian Armed Forces. He was deployed several times in conflict zones and spent significant time in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Chad, Central Africa, and Mali. He studied history (Dr. phil) and finished a second dissertation (PhD) in “Interdisciplinary Legal Studies” (Faculty of Law/University of Vienna). Since 2017 he has been a member of the Military History Advisory Board of the Scientific Commission of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defense. From 2017 to 2018, he was an adviser in the Cabinet of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration, and Foreign Affairs. From August to December 2018 he served in the Military Policy Division of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defense. He is currently serving at the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt as Head of the Research and Development Department. He is the author of several books and articles covering military history and the future of war.
Sandra Bascha
Head of Communications Austria, New Work SE
Sandra Bascha
Head of Communications Austria, New Work SE
Sandra Bascha is head of communications for NEW WORK SE, which - with its brands such as XING and XING E-Recruiting - wants to shape the future of work in the interests of people. The communication scientist and new work expert believes in a working world in which people can develop their potential and thereby make companies more successful.
As a coach, mentor and organizational consultant, she lives according to the principle of lifelong and curious learning and diversity in professional life. She is convinced that the change in the world of work not only requires new skills, tools and processes, but above all that companies have to do a cultural change in order to be successful in the future.
Sandra Healy
CEO and Founder, inclusio
Sandra Healy
CEO and Founder, inclusio
Sandra is CEO and founder of inclusio. Sandra's career spanned 20 years in the global telecoms industry and five years in higher education. In 2018 she established the DCU Centre of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion. Sandra holds an Honours Degree in Psychology, a First Class Master’s in Organisational Psychology and is an NLP Master Practitioner.
Over the past fourteen years, Sandra has championed and driven diversity and inclusion practice across industry and is considered one of the country’s leading experts. In 2014 Sandra provided critical diversity expertise and sectoral knowledge establishing the EU Diversity Charter Ireland. In 2018 and 2020 Sandra delivered keynote presentations at the International Academic Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Communities & Nations. Sandra was a member of the Expert Advisory Group for Ireland’s Citizens Assembly on Gender Equality 2019-2021, and in 2020 she joined the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council for An Garda Síochána.
In 2020, Sandra launched the University spin-out inclusio; a first of its kind software, developed through combining ethical AI, psychology and behavioural science, to deliver a scientific approach to workplace culture, diversity and inclusion.
Saruul Krause-Jentsch
Head of Studios, Spotify
Saruul Krause-Jentsch
Head of Studios, Spotify
Since April 2020, Saruul Krause-Jentsch is responsible for podcasts at Spotify. As 'Head of Studios' for Germany, Austria and Switzerland she leads the podcast team which is split in to Content Development of new Spotify Originals & Exclusives, Podcast Partnerships and the Podcast Experience on platform. Before her role in podcasting, she joined Spotify as Manager for Strategy and Operations in the GSA region.
Before her time at Spotify, among others she worked as Digital Business Strategist for various Condé Nast brands and was Director in the Bertelsmann Corporate Network at Bertelsmann. Lastly, she has founded a podcast production and consulting company where she supported various clients in the development of their podcast strategies.
Arun Sundararajan
Harold Price Professor of Entrepreneurship and Technology, New York University
Arun Sundararajan
Harold Price Professor of Entrepreneurship and Technology, New York University
Arun Sundararajan is the Harold Price Professor of Entrepreneurship and Technology at New York University’s Stern School of Business. His bestselling and award-winning book, “The Sharing Economy,” published by the MIT Press, has been translated into Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and Portuguese. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed scientific papers, published over 40 op-eds, and has given hundreds of keynote talks. His scholarship has been recognized by nine Best Paper awards, two Google Faculty awards, an Axiom Best Business Books Award and a Thinkers50 Radar Thinker Award. He serves on the Carnegie Council’s board for AI and Equality, has served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Councils on the New Economic Agenda and Technology, Values & Policy, and is an advisor or board member of organizations that include the City of Seoul, Rally, bitsofstock, U-Booker, Walmart, the Female Founders Fund, the Internet Society of China, OuiShare and the National League of Cities. He has provided expert testimony about the digital economy to the United States Congress, the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Federal Trade Commission, the White House and a range of government agencies and regulators globally. He is a frequent angel investor.
Sasha Lipman
Founder, tech2impact
Sasha Lipman
Founder, tech2impact
Sasha Lipman is the Founder of tech2impact - the global digital hub for the impact tech ecosystem. It is an ecosystem of more than 500+ founders, accelerators and investors located all the way from the USA to Australia. Her main passions are impact tech and connecting people. Previously she has launched the IMPACT growth hacking accelerator and organized the Global Pitch competition. Based in Vienna, Austria and connected globally!
Shelly Marc
Civic Engagement and Racial Justice Public Policy Manager, Instagram
Shelly Marc
Civic Engagement and Racial Justice Public Policy Manager, Instagram
Shelly is the Civic Engagement and Racial Justice Public Policy Manager at Instagram. Working on developing civic engagement and racial justice partnerships, as well as supporting stakeholders in those communities who use Instagram to further their goals.
She is the former U.S House of Representatives staffer, where she served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) managing strategic engagement and policy reform on criminal justice reform, civil and voting rights, small/minority businesses, and technology. She was responsible for developing and advancing a proactive legislative agenda on racial equity and judiciary policy and working closely with outside stakeholders/constituents.
Prior to that she consulted clients on national social impact campaigns addressing climate change, criminal justice reform, voting rights, racial equity and more. Shelly worked as the Deputy Director of African American Outreach for When We All Vote. She also previously served as a Policy Advisor in the White House Office of Public Engagement, focusing on projects built to empower African-American communities while supporting criminal justice reform and the 21st Century Policing Task Force. Prior to her role at the White House, she worked as an aide to the U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY).
Shelly is a Central Florida native with a degree in Political Science and Criminology from the University of South Florida, and a proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Stefan Krause
Chairman & CEO, B-On
Stefan Krause
Chairman & CEO, B-On
Stefan Krause is an entrepreneur in the electric vehicle and new mobility pace. He is the Co- Founder, Chairman and CEO of Electric Vehicle Company B-ON. B-ON is a full electrification technology
company for the last mile delivery business. He is CFO and CIO of Levere Holdings a Nasdaq listed European mobility focused SPAC. Previously he successfully founded and managed an electric car startup in California (Canoo). He was CFO and member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank and BMW Group. Prior to this, he had a dynamic career building tenure at BMW Group that began in 1987.
He currently serves on several boards (GoFor, Member of the Board, Canada / Velo3D, Member of the Board, USA / RockTech Lithium, Vice Chairman, Canada / Niiio, Chairman of the Advisory Board, Germany / Wiesmann, Non-Executive Director, UK) Having lived in Colombia, the US, Japan, Germany and the UK, he has a deep global cultural experience. He has a proven track record as manager, corporate leader and startup entrepreneur. He has extensive M&A, fundraising and public company experience.
Stephen Murphy
ClimaTech Consultant
Stephen Murphy
ClimaTech Consultant
Stephen is the former founder of the ClimateTech community and Chairman of the ClimateTech Council; which he launched out of Founders Forum, in partnership with London Tech Week.
Stephen grew a global community of 1,000+ founders, investors and government officials; connecting the fastest-growing and most exciting climate tech companies with VCs and family offices. Stephen launched the Ocean Innovator partnership with the Prince Albert II Foundation in Monaco, with events in Monaco and at the UN Oceans Summit in Lisbon.
Prior to ClimateTech, Stephen held commercial strategy roles with global publishing houses including the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg & National Geographic.
Ralf Stutzki
Founder, Engineering Life Ethics Think Tank
Ralf Stutzki
Founder, Engineering Life Ethics Think Tank
Ralf Stutzki was educated in the United States and Europe. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Theology and a Master’s degree in Religious Studies (both in the U.S.), a Master’s degree in Bioethics (University of Padova, Italy) and a doctorate degree (PhD) in Medical Ethics at the University of Basel in Switzerland. In 2015, Stutzki was appointed and still serves as Head Ethics of the Swiss National Center of Competence in Research Molecular Systems Engineering (NCCR MSE), a research consortium funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF ) and headed by the University of Basel and ETH Zurich. Ralf Stutzki is founder of the Engineering Life Ethics Think Tank together with the Pontifical Academy for Life in Rome and has developed the Art of Molecule (AoM) Framework for Societal Discourse which addresses the ethical challenges of Molecular Systems Engineering. He initiated and organized the 1st International Conference Ethics of Engineering Life (ICEEL) which was held in the Vatican in September 2022.
Tatjana Oppitz
Vice Rector for Infrastructure and Digitization, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien
Tatjana Oppitz
Vice Rector for Infrastructure and Digitization, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien
Tatjana Oppitz grew up with a multilingual background, attended international schools and studied economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business from 1981-1985. After graduation, she gained many years of corporate experience at Kodak and subsequently at IBM, where she worked for almost 30 years in national and international functions with assignments abroad. Tatjana Oppitz has extensive management and leadership experience as an IBM executive. Prior to her position as Vice Rector for Infrastructure and Digitization at the University of Economics and Business, she served as General Manager of IBM Austria from 2011 – until the end of 2017. In October 2018, she joined the University of Economics and Business as a consulting expert for digitization with the goal to develop a digitization strategy for the university. In addition to her professional career, Tatjana areas of interest lie in the field of innovation and diversity. She has a strong focus on mentoring young professionals especially women.
Nadia Weiss
Journalist & Co-Founder, SHEconomy Media
Nadia Weiss
Journalist & Co-Founder, SHEconomy Media
Nadia Weiss is a Vienna-based journalist and filmmaker. In her work, she deals primarily with socio-politically relevant issues, such as access to culture and education, diversity and the development of a fairer society. In this sense, she co-founded the media platform SHEconomy in 2019, followed by the media project WEconomy in 2022. In this context and in cooperation with the Austrian Television Channel ORF, she initiated Austria's first Gender Equality Award with the "Minerva". The award ceremony was broadcast nationwide on TV in November 2019.
Götz Trillhaas
General Manager for DACH, Snap
Götz Trillhaas
General Manager for DACH, Snap
Goetz Trillhaas is Diplom-Kaufmann (BA) - he studied at Berufsakademie Stuttgart and University of Massachusetts. Götz is an Online-Veteran where he started at Lycos in 1998. After being responsible for Marketing and Business Development at a Dating App, Götz joined Google in 2005 in multiple Leadership Roles. At Google Götz was responsible for the Business with Media-Agencies in Germany, he has built and ramped up the Media-Business in the Middle East (out of Dubai) and he expanded Google`s operations into New Markets in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2020 Goetz joined Snap Inc. as General Manager for DACH.
Martin Winkler
Chairman of the Board, Verkehrsbuero
Martin Winkler
Chairman of the Board, Verkehrsbuero
Martin Winkler, born in 1981, was appointed Spokesman of the Management Board as of October 1, 2017, and Chairman of the Management Board of Österr. Verkehrsbüro AG on December 12, 2019. From 2015, the Vienna native was responsible for Group Finance as a member of the Extended Executive Board. From 2009, he was in charge of Group Marketing, from 2010 Controlling and shortly thereafter he took over the Finance department. Winkler has been with VERKEHRSBUERO since 2001. He is an executive member of the subsidiary Eurotours GmbH and Ruefa GmbH.
Areas of responsibility: Group division "VERKEHRSBUERO HOSPITALITY" with the brands Austria Trend Hotels, Bassena, Palais Events as well as the partner hotels of the Radisson Hotel Group and the joint venture with Motel One. In addition, the Group units Human Resources, Group Strategy, Group Marketing and Communications, Group Finance, Group IT Infrastructure, Group Legal.
Wolfgang Fengler
Lead Economist, World Bank
Wolfgang Fengler
Lead Economist, World Bank
Wolfgang Fengler is a Lead Economist with the World Bank in Africa focusing on economics, innovation and competitiveness. At TEDx Vienna in November 2014, Wolfgang launched his first data machine population.io, which was endorsed by Bill Gates. Aftershock (2020) featured him as one of the world’s 100 leading futurists and the German weekly DER SPIEGEL called him a “big data virtuoso”. His work has been covered by the FT, ECONOMIST, BBC, CNN and CNBC. Wolfgang spent more than 20 years in leading positions with the World Bank during which he lived in the USA, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Previously, he was the CEO of Africa Consulting, LLC, and a Fellow at the Research Institute for International Relations. He received his PhD from the University of Hamburg (Germany). Wolfgang Fengler is married to Petra Fengler; they have three children.
Leif-Nissen Lundbæk
CEO & Co-Founder, Xayn
Leif-Nissen Lundbæk
CEO & Co-Founder, Xayn
Leif - Nissen Lundbæk is Co-Founder and CEO of the privacy tech company Xayn Private News Reader. In 2021, FORBES selected him for their German 30 Under 30 list. His work focuses on algorithms and applications for privacy-preserving artificial intelligence. In 2017, he founded the privacy tech company together with Professor Michael Huth and Felix Hahmann. With the Xayn Private News Reader, the Berlin-based company offers users a private gateway to the Internet – based on decentralised edge AI. Winner of the first Porsche Innovation Contest, Xayn has already worked successfully with Porsche, Daimler, Deutsche Bahn, and Siemens. Before founding the AI company, Leif-Nissen Lundbæk has worked with Daimler AG and IBM. He studied Economics at the Humboldt University in Berlin, received his M.Sc in Mathematics at Heidelberg University, an M.Sc. with distinction in Software Engineering at The University of Oxford and obtained his PhD in Computing at the Imperial College London.
Lisz Hirn
Philosopher, Verein für praxisnahe Philosophie
Lisz Hirn
Philosopher, Verein für praxisnahe Philosophie
Making philosophy and art visible in daily life, that’s my aim. I try to do so by creating and developing local and international multidisciplinary projects. Working single-handedly or within a competent team, I have designed programs for schools, universities, associations, businesses, and individuals in Austria and abroad since 2011.
Mark Kroese
General Manager, Sustainability Solutions, Microsoft
Mark Kroese
General Manager, Sustainability Solutions, Microsoft
Mark Kroese serves as the General Manager for Sustainability Solutions on Microsoft’s Environmental Sustainability team. Mark is a 21-year Microsoft veteran and has held a variety of general management roles in Microsoft’s commercial business, including M365, Bing, MSN, Xbox and eCommerce. Mark’s dedication to environmental sustainability stems from his passion as an avid climber and mountaineer, where he has personally witnessed significant deforestation, glacial recession, and loss of critical biodiversity during his travels. Mark’s team focuses on aligning the whole of Microsoft’s resources to provide customers and partners with technology-based solutions to delivering on net zero targets. When he’s not at work, Mark will likely be off the grid, exploring the planet’s remaining high and wild places.
Lukas Windler
Public Affairs Senior Manager, Lime
Lukas Windler
Public Affairs Senior Manager, Lime
Lukas Windler is a Public Affairs Senior Manager for Lime in the DACH region. At Lime, the world's largest shared electric vehicle company, his mission is to partner with cities and communities to help them transition to zero-emission urban mobility. He began his career as a strategy and lobbying consultant in Berlin, where the largest technology and industrial companies from the US were among his clients. Later, he was responsible for sustainability and environmental policy at the ALDI Nord Group.
Martina Ernst
CEO & Founder, SalaryNegotiations
Martina Ernst
CEO & Founder, SalaryNegotiations
Experienced HR manager, consultant, coach, trainer & networker focusing on salary negotiations, equal pay, new pay, careers and feMale leadership
Martina’s corporate mission:
Earn your worth and get the salary and career you deserve. You are worth it!
Earn your worth and provide the salary and career your employees deserve. They are worth it!
Martina has 25+ years of experience in international senior management (Board -1) in the financial and language services industry:
Her positions as Head of HR of Erste Bank Österreich and Managing Director of Berlitz Southeast & Central Europe and President of the Supervisory Board at Berlitz Germany laid the foundation of her businesses in consulting/coaching/training corporates and individuals on their way to equal and transparent pay structures respectively to higher salaries and careers.
www.salarynegotiations.at
www.colourfulcareer.com
Close cooperation with WU Executive Academy (the business school of Vienna University of Economics): President of Female Leaders Network (1500 alumnae), vice president of the International Advisory Board (4500 alumni), lecturer of a masters’ program as well as member of the Board of Learners;
Nina Strassner
Head of Diversity & People Programs, SAP SE
Nina Strassner
Head of Diversity & People Programs, SAP SE
Employment Law Specialist and HR Manager at SAP
Rosa Markarian
Digital Business and Marketing Pioneer
Rosa Markarian
Digital Business and Marketing Pioneer
I am an experienced global digital business leader with an excellent track record of leading teams through change. I have built global digital marketing, product, sales and training strategies, scaled businesses and managed post-merger integrations. I excel at turning technology and complicated processes into easy and agile business operations that are embraced by everyone. My deep understanding and ability to build bridges between different stakeholders like engineering, product, marketing and sales is one of the keys to my success. I have successfully implemented this approach in different industries: start-ups, digital advertising and technology businesses, health and digital health industry, Amazon. As a manager I have built up and successfully led local, global and remote teams through an inclusive and cooperative management style. I was one of the top 3 nominees of the Digital Female Leader awards 2017 and have built up several DEI initiatives. As a leading expert, I am a regular speaker at industry events and a published author.
Stacey Gordon
CEO and Chief Diversity Strategist, Rework Work
Stacey Gordon
CEO and Chief Diversity Strategist, Rework Work
Leading at the intersection of diversity, inclusion, and workplace culture, in her role as Executive Advisor and Diversity Strategist, Stacey Gordon coaches and counsels executive leaders on DEI strategies for the business, while offering a no-nonsense approach to education for the broader employee population.
Stacey’s book, UNBIAS: Addressing Unconscious Bias at Work debuted at #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Release list and is also available at Barnes & Nobles, and wherever books are sold. Stacey is the creator of the second most viewed course across the LinkedIn learning platform, surpassing more than 1 million unique learners, which also includes her popular resume course. Her unconscious bias course has been translated into at least four languages and she has worked with people managers and executive leaders from companies such as American Express, ADP, Kia Motors, Hewlett Packard, Walmart, GE and many others to deliver notable sessions that support their D&I efforts. She earned her MBA from Pepperdine University Business School and her SHRM-SCP certification, as well as the SHRM Inclusive Workplace Culture Credential.
Nic Marks
Creator, Happy Planet Index
Nic Marks
Creator, Happy Planet Index
Nic Marks - Happiness Expert, Statistician and CEO of Friday Pulse™ • Founder of Centre of Wellbeing, NEF (2001-2012) – As a result of Nic’s work, the UK was the first nation to create an official national measure of wellbeing. • Founder and CEO of Friday Pulse™ - The organisation which uses a Happiness KPI™ to help teams, organisations and nations build a better future. • Science of wellbeing specialist – Nic combines psychology and economic statistics to measure happiness at a systemic level. • Statistician and trained therapist – Both an experienced statistician and a trained therapist, Nic combines two areas of his career to track workplace wellbeing. • TED speaker – Nic presented his Happy Planet Index (HPI) at TED in 2010, a metric which shows good lives don’t have to cost the earth.
Introducing Nic Marks, statistician, author, TED speaker, and founder and CEO of Friday Pulse™. Nic specialises in using the science of wellbeing to help businesses track workplace happiness. His research has proven how much of a hit workplace wellbeing has taken in the last two years, and Nic is now working to help companies rebuild employee happiness and productivity.
Stefan Lenglinger
Journalist and Presenter, ORF
Stefan Lenglinger
Journalist and Presenter, ORF
As Journalist and Host at ORF, Stefan Lenglinger hosts various news updates, including political interviews, and has previously reported abroad from Washington, Hong Kong, as well as Ghana. With his international experience, he has also been part of conferences and discussions on various societal subjects.
Tilo Bonow
CEO, Piabo
Tilo Bonow
CEO, Piabo
With PIABO PR, Europe's leading full-service PR partner for the digital economy based in Berlin, he is a key driver of success, an ambitious entrepreneur in global markets and a proven expert in the start-up scene. He is also one of the best-known personal brands in his field and was recently named PR Pope by the renowned weekly magazine Stern. He created PIABO to support tech entrepreneurs in marketing their potential through the media in the best possible way, achieving growth targets and taking over market leadership. Customers include European technology companies and global digital brands such as Stripe, Samsung, Silicon Valley Bank, GitHub and Shopify. With his international network, in-depth expertise in media brand building and his active commitment as an investor, he is the ideal partner for founders with innovative ideas that have a positive impact.
Stefan Pollach
Head of Main Department for Online and New Media, ORF
Stefan Pollach
Head of Main Department for Online and New Media, ORF
Stefan Pollach is currently entrusted with the interim management of the "ORF Player" project and has been working on the implementation of new streaming offers for ORF since 2020. Prior to that, the certified project manager headed the product management of ORF Online in 2018/19, was responsible for the further development of news.ORF.at and oesterreich.ORF.at and coordinated the product development of the Radiothek. In 2015, he was responsible for the online and social media presence of the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. Pollach teaches project management at FHWien der WKW and at FH Joanneum in Graz. A political science graduate, he has been a communications consultant since 2008, initially at Media Consult and later independently. He joined the editorial team of FM4 in 1995, shortly after the station was founded, and worked there as a reporter and chief of staff. At the same time, he helped develop ORF's online and community offerings as a concept developer and programmer.
Eva-Maria Ségur-Cabanac
Partner, Baker McKenzie
Eva-Maria Ségur-Cabanac
Partner, Baker McKenzie
Biography
Eva-Maria Ségur-Cabanac heads Baker McKenzie's capital markets practice in Austria and is a member of the Firm's EMEA Steering Committee for Capital Markets. She is also Global Lead Sustainability Partner for our Financial Institutions Industry Group and a member of Baker McKenzie's global Sustainable Finance Service Line. Eva-Maria is a dual-qualified lawyer, admitted to practice in Austria and New York. Prior to joining Baker McKenzie's Vienna office in 2008, Eva-Maria worked in the New York, Paris and Frankfurt offices of a well-known US law firm.
Practice Focus
Eva-Maria focuses her practice on cross-border transactional work. She also advises clients on ongoing capital markets and corporate compliance issues and represents clients in related disputes. She is a regular speaker and author of articles related to Sustainable Finance and the European regulatory framework regarding ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) factors. She also acts as independent expert in Austrian publicly listed oil & gas company OMV's climate and new energy solutions advisory board.
Michel Comte
Photographer & Artist
Michel Comte
Photographer & Artist
Michel Comte was born in Zurich, Switzerland. He studied in France and England and started his career in art restoration, specializing in contemporary art. His restoration works include Andy Warhol, Yves Klein and Miro. In 1979, he met Karl Lagerfeld who gave him his first commercial assignment for Chloe and later Chanel. Since his beginnings, he collaborated with Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair and Interview, and connected with brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Gianfranco Ferre, Calvin Klein, BMW, Ferrari, LVMH and many others. Comte divided his time traveling into conflict zones to raise funds for humanitarian projects such as People and Places with No Name. In 2008, Comte met Ayako Yoshida. He dedicated more time into art and personal projects. Together they produced their first 3D feature film “The Girl From Nagasaki”. Comte opened Neoclassic exhibition at the National Gallery in Parma in Fall 2016. Neoclassic is Comte’s take on rise and fall of neoclassicism. He completed four solo exhibitions from Light series. First at Musemo Maxxi in Rome and La Triennale in Milan, Galerie Urs Meile in Beijing, Dirimart in Istanbul and Grieder Contemporary in Zurich. Comte explores the impact of environmental decline on the glaciers and glacial landscapes of the world. Light is a study of natural landscapes through large-scale sculptures, photography, video installations and projections.
Sven Bieber
Head of Ad Sales Germany, Spotify
Sven Bieber
Head of Ad Sales Germany, Spotify
In February 2016, Sven Bieber joined Spotify and currently serves as Director of Sales for Spotify in Germany and Austria. The trained business graduate learned his trade at OMD in Düsseldorf, where he started his professional career, most recently as Group Manager Planning. He then worked for three years in strategic marketing at Vaillant before he was drawn back to the media industry in 2006, this time to the sales side. His expert knowledge of the (online) audio advertising market comes, among other things, from his many years of experience at RMS (Radio Marketing Service). His positions there ranged from Sales manager and Regional Director to Head of the Digital Media Division and Member of the Executive Board. In 2015 he set up his own consultant business before joining Spotify.
Laura-Marie Geissler
Racer Driver
Laura-Marie Geissler
Racer Driver
Laura-Marie Geissler is a 23 year old race driver from Munich. After starting in Kart races at the age of 10, she quickly found her way into professional racing. In 2021 she started her season with a 1st and a 3rd place at the Porsche Sprint Challenge and is currently driving in the GT4 European Series. The first NFT funded racing Team - A NFT community to break the boundaries of sports - sponsoring. A NFT community to break the boundaries of sports sponsoring. It aims at utilizing a decentralized, NFT based sponsorship model to eliminate the external cues that unjustly influence the racing business. In motorsports, most athletes are dependent on external sponsors to pursue a career in racing. Especially for female drivers, finding the necessary funding has proven to be a difficult task. Together with brand partners, German racer Laura-Marie Geissler is setting out to launch the first NFT-funded racing club. No more looking pretty for the press, no more bowing to sponsors – pure, self empowered, female racing. All proceeds of the NFT sales are used to fund Laura-Marie’s racing season.
Christoph Huber
Co-Founder & Non-Executive Member Of The Board, Biontech
Christoph Huber
Co-Founder & Non-Executive Member Of The Board, Biontech
Christoph Huber is a renowned professor emeritus of medicine and co-founder of BioNTech, CIMT, CI3, TRON and various other institutions and platforms. He is an international leader and famous contributor in basic and translational tumor immunology.
Prof. Huber studied medicine at the Leopold Franzens University in Innsbruck, where he received his habilitation in internal medicine in 1976. Research and educational stays in immunology and stem cell transplantation led him to the Karolinska Institute of Tumor Biology in Stockholm, the Department of Immunology of the Wallenberg Institute in Uppsala and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle under the later Nobel Laureate Prof. Don Thomas. In 1984, he was appointed professor of clinical immunology and stem cell transplantation and head of the department of the same name at the Leopold-Franzens-University in Innsbruck. From 1990 to 2009, Huber was head of the 3rd Medical Clinic with a focus on hematology, oncology and stem cell transplantation at the University Medical Center of the Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz.
As a clinician, Huber first established an innovative stem cell transplantation and immunotherapy program in Innsbruck and then developed Mainz University Medicine into an internationally leading center for immuno-oncology and stem cell transplantation. He also founded a successful medical school with numerous ordinariates in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden.
As a researcher, Huber focused on the investigation of mechanisms of tumor defense or stem cell transplantation and their therapeutic influence. He has published more than 500 original papers, most of them in leading medical journals, and is an international leader in the development of these promising areas.
As a research manager, Huber was on the one hand the founder of academic research structures such as the Collaborative Research Center 432 "Tumor Defense" and the clinical research group 410 "Lymphocyte Defense" of the German Research Foundation, the now leading research network in Europe "Cancer Immunotherapy" (CIMT), the translational Oncology Institute TRON and the advanced technology cluster "Individualized Immune Intervention- CI3" of the German Federal Government. On the other hand, he was editor of international journals, of teaching and handbooks, as reviewer or functionaries of national and international research funding organizations and scientific advisor of large research institutions.
In the last 20 years, Huber has also been involved as an entrepreneur in research transfer and the founding and consulting of biotech companies. In 2001 he founded Ganymed Pharmaceuticals AG with his partners Prof. Ugur Sahin and PD Dr Özlem Türeci, in 2008 BioNTech AG and in 2008 the translational research institute of TRON. Ganymed has developed clinically successfully validated monoclonal antibodies against tumor antigens discovered by them, thereby doubling the life expectancy of tumors of the upper gastrointestinal tract and was purchased by the big pharma group Astellas for $1.4 billion in 2016. BioNTech is now a NASDAQ-listed biotech company with >2000 employees and a market cap of $25 billion. BioNtech is one of the global leaders in the development of highly innovative mRNA-based immunotherapeutics against cancer and infectious diseases. BioNTech was the first European company to develop mRNA-based COVID19 vaccines and expects conditional approval by the end of 2020. These and other highly innovative drugs are currently being developed further in large scale collaborative deals with leading pharmaceutical companies (Genenthech, Roche, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Bayer, Genmab, Fosum, etc.).In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Huber is a member of several Scientific Advisory Boards of pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms and strategic investors in Germany, UK, France, Austria, Norway and the USA.
Alexander Wrabetz
Director General, ORF
Alexander Wrabetz
Director General, ORF
Alexander Wrabetz is Director General of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF since 2007.
After completing his law studies and obtaining his doctor’s degree in law in 1983, Wrabetz continued with his court internship. He then worked at the Erste Bank from 1984 to 1987. In 1987, he went on to become Assistant to the Board of Directors at the Österreichische Industrieverwaltungs-AG (ÖIAG), was Managing Director of Voest Alpine Intertrading GmbH in Linz from 1992, and subsequently Member of the Board of VAMED in Vienna, also part of the ÖIAG Group, from 1995 to 1998. He served as member of the Supervisory Board in several companies of ÖIAG and, as of 1995, he was appointed member of the ORF Board of Trustees. From 1998 to 2006 Wrabetz was Commercial Director of the ORF.
Alexander Cotte
Group CEO, LivingPackets Group
Alexander Cotte
Group CEO, LivingPackets Group
Alexander Cotte is a serial entrepreneur with 10 years of experience in e-commerce, startups, green-tech, and finance. Today, he and his father, Pierre-Alain Cotte, are challenging the status-quo of the packaging industry with LivingPackets, while simultaneously bringing cutting-edge technology into the luxury world with PA.Cotte. At LivingPackets, Alexander has been able to combine all of his passions into one company that enables him to contribute with innovation and technology to a more sustainable world. Today, LivingPackets employs more than 70 people and is currently building its underlying blockchain software, another big passion project of Alexander. Therefore, he and his team are working and frequently exchanging with some of the most renowned experts in blockchain and cryptocurrencies to expand its use cases and real-world applications.
Alexander Windbichler
Founder & CEO, Anexia
Alexander Windbichler
Founder & CEO, Anexia
In 2006 Alexander Windbichler finished the HTL Mössingerstraße in Klagenfurt. Halfway between the written and the oral exams he founded Anexia on the foundation of his diploma project as a one-man business.
In 2007 the company has been transformed to the ANEXIA Internetdiensleistungs GmbH. Since the foundation in 2006 Alexander Windbichler is the sole CEO of the Anexia group, which also includes a German and an US American subsidiary as well as the internet provider Telematica and the mass hoster netcup. 2018 Anexia has been awarded the Austrian coat of arms.
Alexander Schönegger
Managing Director, Philip Morris Austria
Alexander Schönegger
Managing Director, Philip Morris Austria
After studying business administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration and the Rotterdam School of Management, Alexander Schönegger gained professional experience in numerous international positions. From 2005 to 2018, he worked for Nespresso in Europe and Asia, most recently as President and Representative Director at Nespresso in Tokyo, Japan. Since May 2020, Alexander Schönegger joined Philip Morris Austria in the position of the Managing Director.
Beth Blauer
Co-Founder & Executive Director of Center for Civic Impact, John Hopkins University
Beth Blauer
Co-Founder & Executive Director of Center for Civic Impact, John Hopkins University
Beth Blauer is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Centers for Civic Impact at Johns Hopkins University.
As a dedicated public servant and international expert on government performance programs for more than fifteen years, Beth spent her career working to improve people’s lives by bringing data into governments’ decision-making processes. Since launching Civic Impact, originally as the Center for Government Excellence, in 2015, CCI has successfully worked with over 140 mayors from around the globe to advance the use of data and evidence. She has built the organization to be a leader in data-driven insights for city leaders and public sector practitioners across the country and around the world.
Having entered public service as a juvenile probation officer in Maryland, Blauer was quickly promoted within the department, quickly becoming the Chief of Staff. It was in this capacity she began working on the creation and implementation of “StateStat.” In 2008, then Governor Martin O’Malley asked Blauer to lead his nationally recognized StateStat program.
Blauer graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maryland and holds a JD from New York Law School. She is a recipient of the 2012 CAP award for her work on Maryland’s StateStat.
Carolina Aguilar
CEO, INBRAIN Neuroelectronics
Carolina Aguilar
CEO, INBRAIN Neuroelectronics
Carolina Aguilar is co-founder and CEO of INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, a bioelectronics startup using graphene to develop the most intelligent interface in neuroelectronic therapies to treat brain related disorders.
Carolina studied Neurosciences in US and after several business degrees she worked in Medtronic for more than 13 years as Business Director in Deep Brain Stimulation and lately as Global Business Director of the first Medtronic's Value Based Healthcare (VBHC) provider model, helping winning the VBHC European Prize in 2018 upon which the model was featured in a Harvard Business School Case. Combining materials sience innovation, AI driven-signal processing theory and VBHC principles the company aims to decode brain signals into sustainable medical solutions to treat and empower millions of patients around the world.
Catherine Du
Director of TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Program, Huawei
Catherine Du
Director of TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Program, Huawei
Ms. Catherine Du is currently the director of Huawei's TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Program Office. She is responsible for Huawei's global digital inclusion projects, including cooperation with UN organizations, NGOs, and research institutes for projects’ operation and communication.
Ms. Catherine Du has rich experience in the information and communications field and has extensive experience in marketing and solution sales. She has worked in multiple countries and has professional knowledge of next-generation networks, cloud computing, core network, and IT, as well as an understanding of industry informatization construction in the enterprise business domain.
Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort
Member Of Global Executive Committee, Baker McKenzie
Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort
Member Of Global Executive Committee, Baker McKenzie
Dr. Constanze Ulmer-Eilfort is a member of Baker McKenzie's Global Executive Committee.
Constanze has more than 20 years experience in advising high technology, pharmaceutical and media companies on the protection and commercialization of intellectual property rights. She advises on a broad range of agreements such as collaboration and license agreements, R&D agreements and agreements with academic institutions.
Furthermore, she is also seasoned in the field of copyright. Constanze is ranked by JUVE, Legal 500 and Chambers as a leading lawyer in life sciences transactions and in copyright and has been awarded with the "Overall Outstanding Female Practitioner Award" at the 2016 Euromoney European Women in Business Law Awards.
Constanze advises on a broad range of agreements such as collaboration and license agreements, R&D agreements and agreements with academic institutions. She is knowledgeable on related issues of Patent Law, European Competition Law and the German Law on Employee Inventions.
Daisy Zhu
Vice President, Wireless Marketing, Huawei
Daisy Zhu
Vice President, Wireless Marketing, Huawei
Daisy Zhu currently serves as VP of Wireless Marketing at Huawei Technologies Co.
She leads the company’s marketing strategy and operations, program development and execution, new product launches, and regional business development across Huawei Wireless products and solutions.
Previously, Ms. Zhu worked as 5G Chief Marketing Officer at Huawei and was responsible for 5G standardization, solution design, and market promotion between 2014 and 2019.
Daisy Zhu has worked in the telecommunications industry for over 18 years, with extensive experience and has a deep understanding of the industry.
Jan Wörner
Director General, esa
Jan Wörner
Director General, esa
Johann-Dietrich “Jan” Woerner was born in Kassel, Germany, in 1954. He studied civil engineering at the Technical University (TU) Berlin and TU Darmstadt, from where he graduated in 1985. In 1982, as part of his studies, he spent one year in Japan, investigating earthquake safety of nuclear power plants. Until 1990, Mr Woerner worked for consulting civil engineers Koenig und Heunisch.
In 1990 he returned to TU Darmstadt as a professor of Civil Engineering and took over as Head of the Test and Research Institute. Before being elected as President of TU Darmstadt in 1995, he held the position of Dean of the Civil Engineering Faculty. Jan Woerner headed the university from 1995 to 2007 and succeeded in making it the first autonomous university in Germany.
Before joining ESA as Director General in July 2015, Jan Woerner was Chairman Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) from March 2007 onwards. He was head of the German delegation to ESA from 2007 to 2015 and served as ESA’s Council Chairman from 2012 to 2014.
Jan Woerner was a member of the administrative boards of École Centrale Paris, École Centrale de Lyon, TU Berlin, the Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, the Arts and Music University in Frankfurt.
Jessica Lennard
Senior Direactor, Global Data & AI Initiatives, VISA
Jessica Lennard
Senior Direactor, Global Data & AI Initiatives, VISA
Jessica Lennard is a Senior Director in Visa’s Global Strategic Initiatives team, leading on Data and Artificial Intelligence.
Her work focuses on AI (policy, regulation and ethics); privacy, data protection and data sharing; and consumer empowerment. She has over ten years’ corporate affairs experience across highly regulated, technology-driven sectors including digital and cyber, data and AI, telecoms, cleantech and fintech. During this time, Jessica has advised political parties, businesses (start-up to large scale global enterprises), consultancies, trade bodies, think tanks, and NGOs.
Jessica sits on the Board of TechUK, is a member of the Bank of England/Financial Conduct Authority Public-Private AI Forum, and an Ambassador for the Microsoft National Council for AI. She is a passionate advocate for ethics, diversity and inclusion across data science. She previously trained as a capital markets solicitor at Linklaters, having completed an undergraduate degree in Law from Oxford University and a Masters degree in Political Theory from the LSE.
Jochen Borenich
Member of the Executive Board, K-Businesscom
Jochen Borenich
Member of the Executive Board, K-Businesscom
Jochen Borenich (49) has been a member of the Management Board of K-Businesscom AG (formerly Kapsch BusinessCom AG) since 2010. He studied commercial sciences at the Vienna University of Economics and completed his Executive MBA at the Vienna University of Economics and Carlson School of Management (University of Minnesota). He has also completed postgraduate training at London Business School, Insead, Harvard and Stanford. He began his professional career at debis Systemhaus (DaimlerChrysler AG). From 2002 to 2010, Borenich was responsible for sales in Austria and CEE at T-Systems Austria, from 2006 as a member of the management board. He is the initiator and president of ICT Austria, an initiative to generate ICT value creation and development competence in Austria and then scale it internationally. At the IT Security Hub, a platform in the field of cybersecurity, Jochen Borenich is actively involved in developing European competence and young talent for the topic of IT security. K-Businesscom also operates its own Cyber Defense Center for its customers in Vienna. As a digital visionary and mastermind, Jochen Borenich has not only been able to significantly shape the success of K-Businesscom in recent years, but he is also a sought-after expert, source of inspiration and discussant on the subject of digital transformation, data economy, cyber security and digital sovereignty.
Jochen Maas
Managing Director R&D, Sanofi
Jochen Maas
Managing Director R&D, Sanofi
Prof. Dr. Jochen Maas has been Managing Director Research & Development at Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH since October 2010. He also heads the German R&D Hub, one of three integrated research and development centers worldwide, and is a member of the global management team. In addition to his work in industry, Jochen Maas holds lectures on pharmacokinetics and drug delivery systems as a professor at the Technical University of Central Hesse.
Jochen Maas is a biologist and veterinarian. He began his industrial career in research in the pharmaceutical division of Hoechst AG in Frankfurt as head of the animal pharmacokinetics laboratory. After his function as a group leader and assistant to the executive board, he became head of the Drug Metabolism & Pharmacokinetics department in Frankfurt, followed by similar areas of responsibility for the successor company Aventis in Paris and throughout Europe. At the same time, he was responsible for the entire development department in Germany before finally taking on responsibility for both research and development in Germany as managing director.
Jon Addison
Vice President, EMEA Enterprise Sales, LinkedIn
Jon Addison
Vice President, EMEA Enterprise Sales, LinkedIn
In his current role as Vice President of Talent Solutions EMEA, Jon is responsible for the strategic direction of LinkedIn EMEA’s Talent Solutions business and works with staffing and recruitment firms to help them find the talent they need to succeed.
Prior to joining LinkedIn in 2016, Jon was Vice President of Sales at Oracle Managed Cloud Services where he was responsible for leading the sales organization across EMEA. Prior to this, he worked in consulting and sales roles in technology businesses such as Cap Gemini, Misys and OpenText.
Josef Penninger
Director of Life Sciences Institute, The University of British Columbia
Josef Penninger
Director of Life Sciences Institute, The University of British Columbia
Josef Penninger, MD was formerly a lead researcher at the Amgen Research Institute in Toronto. Since 2002 Josef Penninger was the founding and scientific director of the newly established Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, Austria. In 2018 he accepted the appointment as Director of the Life Sciences Institute (LSI) at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada.
As a trained immunologist, Dr. Penninger’s research has had a huge impact in many disease areas, and in some cases opened entirely new fields of research. With particular relevance to the current pandemic, Dr. Penninger, has played a singular role at essentially all stages of Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) research, from its discovery to a rapid fundamental understanding of COVID-19 pathology and, translation of an ACE2 based drug to a highly promising, rational treatment for COVID-19.
Josef Penninger’s major awards include the Descartes Prize, the Wittgenstein Prize of the Austrian Federal Government, the Ernst Jung Prize for medical excellence, an AAAS Award, the Innovator Award from Era of Hope/U.S. Department of Defense and a second ERC Advanced grant.
Katrin Suder
Former State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of Defense
Katrin Suder
Former State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of Defense
At the heart of Katrin Suder's career is the understanding of technologies and their impact on companies, societies and individuals.
In 2000 she received her doctorate in theoretical physics. Afterward, she worked for McKinsey & Company from 2000 to 2014 with a focus on the telecommunications, IT and public sector. From 2014 to 2018, Suder was the Permanent State Secretary for Planning, Armaments, IT & Cyber at the German Federal Ministry of Defence.
She took over the chairmanship of the Digital Council of the German Federal Government in 2018. Since 2019, she has served as Senior Advisor to EQT and MacroAdvisoryPartners and acts as a supervisory board member.
Kome Emuh
Vice President, Goldman Sachs
Kome Emuh
Vice President, Goldman Sachs
Kome is Vice President - COO of Global Markets Operations Engineering at Goldman Sachs. Prior to her current role, Kome led the technology risk regulatory governance program, focused on cybersecurity policy.
Kome has assumed a number of executive management and strategy roles, working as Chief Of Staff for European Technology at Goldman Sachs and Chief Of Staff for Global Operations at J.P. Morgan in London. Kome is a motivated, values-driven executive leader with a recognized international track record of delivering results working with C-Suite executives in identifying new business opportunities and creating solutions to achieve objectives in competitive, global environments. Kome graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in International Business, Finance and Economics from the University of Manchester.
Kome is an advisory board member of The L8Bloomers. Kome’s passion lies in mentoring young black and ethnically diverse professionals in Fintech.
Leonore Gewessler
Federal Minister, Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology
Leonore Gewessler
Federal Minister, Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology
Leonore Gewessler is the Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.
In her prior position, she worked from 2014 on as Political Director of Global 2000 – Friends of the Earth Austria back in Austria. In addition to her professional activities, she was also a member of the board of Friends of the Earth Europe. Leonore Gewessler holds a Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Vienna.
Lubomila Jordanova
CEO & Co-Founder, Plan A
Lubomila Jordanova
CEO & Co-Founder, Plan A
Lubomila Jordanova is the founder and CEO of PlanA.Earth, a Berlin-based startup developing an end-to-end platform that enables companies to measure, monitor and reduce their environmental footprint and improve their ESG performance. She is also the co-founder of the Greentech Alliance, a community of 500+ startups which are connected to over 350+ advisors from VC, media and business, who help them monthly with advice and feedback. Prior to Plan A, she worked in investment banking, venture capital and fintech in Asia and Europe. She was recently announced as Marshall Fund Fellow for 2021 and 100 Top Women in Germany 2020.
Marko Berković
Regional Director, South EMEA, DACH, GitHub
Marko Berković
Regional Director, South EMEA, DACH, GitHub
Marko Berković is passionate about the power of software, how it is improving lives and reshaping businesses. At GitHub, Marko is Regional Director South EMEA, helping large businesses drive innovation through better software, leveraging the power of open-source software development.
Before joining GitHub, Marko held sales and management roles at leading technology companies, including DELL EMC and Alfresco Software. Marko holds a Master’s Degree in Management Studies from the University of Aberdeen. He has fifteen years of experience in the IT industry and lives in Vienna.
Nikolay „Niki“ Kolev
Managing Director, Northern and Central Europe, WeWork
Nikolay „Niki“ Kolev
Managing Director, Northern and Central Europe, WeWork
Nikolay "Niki" Kolev is Managing Director for Northern and Central Eastern Europe at WeWork, overseeing the company's operations in these markets. WeWork is a global leader in flexible space, providing businesses of all sizes with the space, community, and services they need to run and grow their business. Prior to his role at WeWork, Niki spent five years at Deloitte Digital as a member of the consulting management team and a partner in the field of digital transformation. As co-founder and Managing Director of Deloitte Digital GmbH, he advised large companies and the public sector on all topics related to digital change and the development of new business models. Niki also co-founded two early stage mutual funds that focus on B2B tech start-ups. Previously, he built A.T. Kearney in EMEA and was part of the executive team at Skrill, an eWallet and digital payments company based in London.
Nora Blum
Founder & CEO, Selfapy
Nora Blum
Founder & CEO, Selfapy
Nora Blum is CEO and co-founder of Selfapy, which offers online therapy for people with mental illness.
She studied psychology at the University of Cambridge and gained clinical practice during her work in various psychiatric and psychotherapeutic practices, before working for the company builder Rocket Internet. With Selfapy, she is pursuing her goal of helping people with the support of digitization.
Philippe Sahli
Co-Founder & CEO, Yokoy
Philippe Sahli
Co-Founder & CEO, Yokoy
Philippe Sahli is the CEO of Yokoy, a company, which he co-founded in 2019. What started as a solution for automating expense processes has since grown rapidly in scope: With its AI-based platform, Yokoy now addresses company expenditures as a whole – from handling expenses and supplier invoices to managing smart corporate cards. Philippe has extensive experience in the finance sector. Before founding Yokoy, he served as CFO for the Swiss scaleup Beekeeper and held management positions at Credit Suisse and UBS. In 2021, Philippe was listed in Forbes 30 under 30, honoring him as an entrepreneur who brings together innovative ideas, entrepreneurial thinking, and an ambitious vision.
Małgorzata Pawłowicz
Industry Solution Director, Huawei
Małgorzata Pawłowicz
Industry Solution Director, Huawei
Małgorzata Pawłowicz keeps the position of the Industry Solution Director in Huawei CEE&Nordic Region since 2018. She drives digital transformation initiatives, helping governments, cities and municipalities to meet rising public safety challenges. Malgorzata is Polish. She has gained 20 year experience in complex ICT projects organization and deployment countrywide at the position of the Deputy Director of the ICT Department in the Polish Police. In 2015, based on engineering education and scientific approach she decided to run her own business to focus on consultancy services for private sector, supporting organizations in building compliance with IT Governance frameworks to improve the overall management of IT. She has profound understanding of ICT enterprise solutions, Information Security aspects, Project Management methods as well as practical knowledge in IT activities alignment with business objectives.
Margarete Schramböck
Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs, Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs
Margarete Schramböck
Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs, Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs
Margarete Schramböck was born 1970 in Tyrol, Austria. She studied Business Administration at the University of Economics and Business in Vienna (WU), where she obtained her Doctorate in Social and Economic Sciences in 1997.
Before Ms Schramböck started her career in 2002 as CEO of NextiraOne, an IT communications company based in Paris, she was occupying a management position at Alcatel. From December 2008 to December 2011 she became Managing Director of NextiraOne Germany. In 2014 Ms Schramböck began working as CEO of Dimension Data Austria, which is a globally leading provider of network and communications technologies and IT services, in particular in the fields of network and computer centres, cloud services, IT security, voice and video communications as well as application integration. Between 2016 and 2017 she was CEO of A1 Telekom Austria.
On 18 December 2017 Margarete Schramböck was appointed Federal Minister of Science, Research and Economy and from 8 January 2018 to 3 June 2019 she was Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs.
Ms Schramböck remains deeply attached to her Alma Mater and is a member of the WU's Center of Excellence. In 2017 she was elected both Tyrolean of the Year and University of Economics and Business in Vienna WU Manager of 2017.
Margarete was a Member of the National Council from 23 October 2019 to 7 January 2020.
Margarete Schramböck was appointed as Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs on 7 January 2020.
Martin Kreutner
International Council, Dean Emeritus IACA, IACA
Martin Kreutner
International Council, Dean Emeritus IACA, IACA
Martin Kreutner is a renowned International Counsel in Compliance, Anti-Corruption & the International System. He is the spiritus rector and Dean Emeritus of the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA) and its former Executive Secretary of IACA’s Assembly of Parties.
He holds a law degree from the University of Innsbruck and a Master’s degree in Policing and Public Order Studies from the University of Leicester (UK). He was a commissioned officer in the armed forces including a total of five years with different international field missions. After his transfer to the MoI, he was entrusted to build up and head the Austrian anti-corruption authority.
From 2004 to 2012, he was founder and President of the (Council of Europe and EU) EPAC/EACN network, an association of the European Anti-Corruption Authorities. Mr. Kreutner is/was a senior anti-corruption evaluator for, inter alia, the UN, the Council of Europe, the EU, OSCE, and World Bank.
Both in 2014 and 2015, Mr. Kreutner was recognized by Ethisphere (USA) as one of 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics for his efforts to combat corruption with IACA, as well as his efforts to improve human welfare worldwide through his work with the United Nations and other global organizations.
Maxine Room
Advisory Board Member I Head of People & Culture, UNYTED
Maxine Room
Advisory Board Member I Head of People & Culture, UNYTED
Dr Maxine Room (CBE MEd BEd(Hons)CertEd) is Head of People and Culture at Unyted Group. In her capacity as a member of the Advisory Board, she ensures the implementation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and ensures that these aspects are taken into account in the Unyted team, in leadership, in marketing and above all, she uses her skills in innovation, design and product development. With her support, Unyted will make the avatar experience and 3D world more colourful, fairer, inclusive and diverse. Maxine has held CEO leadership, senior management and consulting roles in mergers, turnaround, transformation and innovation. This has spanned various public, private and not-for-profit industries, including education, estate development, and tech industry development. She is a highly experienced, internationally respected and motivated strategic manager. In 2012 she was awarded the Commander of the British Empire Medal in the UK for her commitment to leadership, equality, diversity and inclusion. She has worked with startups, large and small companies, research programmes and also further higher education institutions. As an entrepreneur, she has undertaken various roles; consultant, mentor, coach, lecturer, trainer and interim manager. Her motivation lies in the drive for quantified transformation into a better state. She is well known nationally and internationally for leading and improving colleges and supporting explicit government policy on the challenge of DEI. With a relentless commitment across cultures and groups to enhancing the competence, quality and sustainability through mergers, business development, effective strategy and leadership success, she makes a difference through action with impact. Her voluntary work includes being Vice President of Northern Ballet, Trustee of the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, Chair of the Board for Strive Training, and Black Leadership Group lead for Mentoring and coaching. In addition, she has been awarded the 'Freedom of the City of London'
Newton Howard
Professor at the University of Oxford
Newton Howard
Professor at the University of Oxford
Dr. Newton Howard’s career spans academia, the U.S. military, and the private sector. As a prolific scientist and inventor, he has developed technology such as Siri, Wi-Fi hot spots, Skype, Google Earth, and Google Translate. Dr. Howard is a Professor of Biochemistry at Georgetown University, Computational Neuroscience and Neurosurgery at the University of Oxford and the former Director of the Synthetic Intelligence Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dr. Howard holds advanced degrees in Mathematics (Oxford), Cognitive Informatics (Sorbonne), Neurosurgery (Oxford), and a Doctorate of Medical Sciences (Sorbonne). He has made significant contributions to the fields of neuroscience, linguistics, and national defense, including the Physics of Cognition, Intention Awareness, Mood State Indicators, the Functional Code Unit, and most recently, the Brain Code.
Dr. Newton Howard is the founder of ni2o, Inc., which is developing a novel, artificial-intelligence driven brain-computer interface to treat neurological disorders and improve cognitive performance. He also founded and sits on the board of two nonprofits: the Howard Brain Sciences Foundation, which funds innovative research initiatives to improve our understanding of the human brain; and C4ADS, which is dedicated to providing data-driven analysis and evidence-based reporting on global conflict and transnational security issues.
Mette Lykke
CEO of Too Good To Go
Mette Lykke
CEO of Too Good To Go
Mette is CEO of Too Good To Go, a global social impact company addressing the challenge of food waste which accounts for 10% of all CO2e emissions, and is the most impactful action we can take to fight climate change, according to Project Drawdown.
Too Good To Go provides solutions to people, businesses, in education, and in collaboration with local government, and is best known for its app, which is now the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food.
The app is available in 14 European countries, New York and Boston, with expansion across the US and Canada scheduled for 2021. It has more than 31 million users who have collectively saved more than 59 million meals.
A founder in her own right, Mette co-founded fitness and training community Endomondo in 2007, selling to Under Armour in 2015, and staying on as VP Connected Fitness for two years. In 2017 she joined Too Good To Go, jumping back into an entrepreneurial environment to lead her second purpose-led tech company.
Mette grew up in the rural west of Denmark and is driven by purpose-led ventures. She regularly speaks about what she and the company have learned since embarking on this journey, and why we need to rethink the purpose that companies play in tackling the world’s social challenges.
Radosław Kędzia
SVP of Huawei European Region
Radosław Kędzia
SVP of Huawei European Region
Radosław Kędzia was appointed as Regional Vice President of Central Eastern Europe and Nordic Region in H2 of 2019. He was the first European manager to be appointed as Huawei General Manager. He has been working for Huawei since 2008. Mr. Kedzia began his career in Huawei Kenya as Chief Operating Officer, then as a Regional Technical Director for the Eastern and Southern Africa Region, in 2013 he became a Chief Executive Officer in Uganda Representative Office and in 2015 was appointed as the CEO of Czech Representative office. Before his career in Huawei, Mr. Kedzia worked in Poland for PTC and TPSA and later, since 1999 in international, technical and managerial posts for Ericsson, Safaricom and Siemens in various countries.
Sabine Herlitschka
CEO & CTO, infineon
Sabine Herlitschka
CEO & CTO, infineon
Sabine Herlitschka is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer of Infineon Technologies Austria AG.
Her professional career includes industrial biotechnology research, international cooperation and financing in technology and innovation, Internships at leading organizations in the USA, Fulbright Scholar at George Washington University and Johns Hopkins University, as well as founding Vice-Rector for Research Management and International Cooperation at the Medical University of Graz/Austria.
Before joining Infineon Technologies Austria, Herlitschka was Director of European and International Programmes in the Austrian Research Promotion Agency. For almost 20 years she has been frequently involved in European Research as advisor, project coordinator and evaluator, as well as participant and Chairperson in strategic European & international expert groups. In Febr. 2018 she has been elected Chair of the Governing Board of the 5 bn Euro European Public Private Partnership ECSEL-Electronic Components and Systems for Electronic Leadership.
Herlitschka holds a Ph.D. in Food- and Biotechnology and a Master of Business Administration. Amongst others, she is member of the Austrian Council for Research & Technology Cooperation, member of the Senate of the German Fraunhofer Society."
Kristina Knezevic
Country Manager Austria, XING
Kristina Knezevic
Country Manager Austria, XING
Kristina Knezevic is Country Manager XING Austria.
Since April 2019 Kristina Knezevic is the Country Manager for XING in Austria and has many years of strategic and operational experience in marketing and sales. She embodies the principle of 'New Work', which XING stands for, and drives the vision of a better working life internally and externally.
XING is the leading social network for professional contacts in German-speaking countries and accompanies its members through the paradigm shift in the world of work. In an environment of skills shortages, digitization, and change of values, XING supports its 16 million members in harmonizing work and life as harmoniously as possible.
Wolfgang Kaps
Managing Director Austria, Sanofi
Wolfgang Kaps
Managing Director Austria, Sanofi
Dkfm. Wolfgang Kaps is the General Manager for the Specialty Care Business Unit Rare Diseases, Oncology, Immunology, Multiple Sclerosis. Kaps has many years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
In 2003 he joined the Sanofi Group and initially held several positions with growing management responsibility in Germany and Austria. Since March 1 2019 he has taken on the role of Sanofi Austria's General Manager and represents one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in Austria with around 150 employees and a broad portfolio of prescription-only products, vaccines, and OTC products for self-medication. Wolfgang Kaps is Vice President of Forum of Pharma Industry (FOPI) / Trade Organisation of R&D Pharma industry and Member of the Board at Pharmig (Association of the Austrian Pharmaceutical Industry).
Kilian Kaminski
Co-Founder & CEO, Refurbed
Kilian Kaminski
Co-Founder & CEO, Refurbed
Kilian Kaminski is one of the three founders of refurbed. Prior to founding the company, Kaminski served as the Head of the Amazon Certified Refurbished Program and as the New Key Account Manager for the largest electronics retailers at Amazon Germany. He studied Communication and Business Administration in Hamburg, Shanghai, and London. In 2019, he was selected, along with Co-Founder Peter Windischhofer, for the Forbes "30 under 30 Europe" list. Additionally, he was recognized as "Capital Top 40 under 40" in 2020 and 2021, and in 2023, he received the “EY Entrepreneur of the Year” award. Kaminski is also a board member of the European Refurbishment Association and serves as the Chair of the Communication and Membership Working Group. He regularly speaks at conferences, panels, and other events, addressing legislative foundations of the electronics industry, opportunities and impact of the circular economy, and his mission to establish refurbishment as a third consumption category between "New" and "Used.”
Maja Göpel
System transformation expert & author, Leuphana University of Lüneburg
Maja Göpel
System transformation expert & author, Leuphana University of Lüneburg
Prof. Dr. Maja Göpel is a political economist and an important voice for a sustainable transformation of society, working at the intersection of economy, politics and society. From 2017 to 2020, the bestselling author (“Unsere Welt neu denken” Ullstein Buchverlage 2020) and the sought-after speaker was Secretary-General of the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), until July 2021 she was Director of Research at The New Institute, Hamburg. In 2019, Maja Göpel was appointed honorary professor at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg. She is a member of the Club of Rome, the World Future Council, the Balaton Group, the Bioeconomy Council of the German Federal Government and a co-initiator of the “Scientists for Future” network.
Annemarie Lombard Puntschart
Yoga & meditation teacher, VENUSfrequency
Annemarie Lombard Puntschart
Yoga & meditation teacher, VENUSfrequency
Annemarie Lombard Puntschart is an Austro-American, dual & global citizen. She is a Yoga & Meditation Teacher, Reiki Master, Sound Healer, Public and accomplished TEDx Vienna Speaker, Artist and Radio | Podcast Host of „VENUSfrequency yogic edition“ and currently calls Vienna, Austria her home. She is a 20+ year veteran of the International meetings & convention industry with sales, marketing and operations experiences and expertise from the CVB and tourist office; to the hotel, resort and DMC side of the spectrum.
Annemarie has been practicing and studying yoga, meditation and mindfulness for 25 years now and started teaching and sharing her knowledge in 2013 in Denver, Colorado. She currently teaches on-line and in-person public, private and corporate classes and facilitates workshops, seminars and keynote speeches on these subjects worldwide. She is a sustainable world traveler, photo storyteller, musical playlist curator, passionate networker, cyclist, optimist, nature lover and farm-to-table vegetarian food enthusiast.