Speaker

Alex Adamopoulos
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Emergn

Alex, a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience, is a proven leader in driving organizational transformation through innovative business practices and technology adoption.

Throughout his career, Alex has navigated diverse landscapes, including high-growth startups, private equity, venture capital, and established enterprises. This multifaceted experience has equipped him with a unique blend of entrepreneurial spirit and deep industry knowledge.

His leadership journey includes senior executive roles at prominent organizations such as EMC and ISC (an Accenture joint venture). In 2009, he founded Emergn, a global digital business firm that has successfully guided hundreds of Fortune and FTSE companies on their transformative journeys.

Under Alex's leadership, Emergn has established itself as a trusted partner, empowering organizations to accelerate change, enhance their capabilities, and achieve sustainable business outcomes.

A recognized thought leader, Alex actively contributes to industry discourse through his writing for Forbes and his role as a Board member of the Drucker Society. He is a sought-after speaker, author, and mentor, inspiring and guiding the next generation of business leaders.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aadamopoulos/

https://www.emergn.com

Speaker

Asheesh Advani
President and CEO of JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide

Asheesh is the President and CEO of JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide, one of the largest youth-serving NGOs in the world focused on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness. During his tenure leading JA Worldwide since 2015, the organization has been recognized as one of the ten most impactful NGOs in the world in annual rankings and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Prior to joining JA, Asheesh was a technology entrepreneur and led two businesses successfully from start-up to acquisition. His entrepreneurial endeavors have been profiled in case studies at Harvard Business School and Babson College. Asheesh is actively involved in the World Economic Forum (WEF) and has been an annual speaker in Davos for the last seven years, co-chaired the Civil Society Advisory Council, and served on the Global Agenda Council for the Future of Education, Gender, and Work. He started his career as a consultant at Monitor Company (now Monitor Deloitte) and at the World Bank.

In 2021, Asheesh received The Tony Hsieh Award as recognition for his leadership of JA Worldwide. In 2022, Asheesh was selected as an honoree from the United States for the YPO Global Social Impact Award. Asheesh is the author of Modern Achievement (forthcoming in 2024) with celebrated leadership expert Marshall Goldsmith, a book that reconsiders the definition of achievement for aspiring leaders. He is a sought-after keynote speaker with experience speaking at Fortune 500 corporate gatherings, the Great Hall of the People in China, the United Nations, technology conferences such as Collision and Web Summit, and at major universities including Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Penn, Tufts, and Yale.

Asheesh holds degrees from the Wharton School and Oxford University, where he was a Commonwealth Scholar. He lives in the Boston-area with his wife, Helen Rosenfeld, and twin sons.

Speaker

Bhuwan Agrawal
Head for Central Europe Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Bhuwan Agrawal leads TCS Central Europe, driving growth, transformation, and customer-centric innovation across the German and Austrian markets. Since 2020, he has overseen strategy, operations, and management, positioning TCS as a trusted partner for leading enterprises in the region.

Under his leadership, TCS Central Europe has strengthened its culture of customer centricity, expanded its portfolio in cloud, data, and AI, and built a reputation for delivering high-quality, innovation-driven solutions that help clients accelerate their transformation journeys.

Bhuwan brings over 20 years of international experience, partnering with Fortune 500 companies across Europe and North America. He spent over 15 years in Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods, leading market strategy, sector planning, client acquisition, and large-scale transformation programs, including multi-year outsourcing deals, while building and nurturing long-term C-level relationships.

Since joining TCS in 2003, Bhuwan has held leadership roles across India, the UK, the US, and Europe, including Head of Retail, North America and Head of Retail & CPG Sales, UK & Ireland, consistently driving growth, operational excellence, and purposeful client impact.

Speaker

Feryal Ahmadi
Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer, DMCC

Feryal Ahmadi is Deputy CEO and COO of DMCC, where she drives the organisation’s long-term growth, innovation, and ecosystem development across industries. She has been instrumental in positioning DMCC’s district as home to over 26,000 companies, contributing 7% of Dubai’s GDP and 15% of annual FDI, and in establishing Dubai as a global hub for trade.

Feryal is a passionate advocate for sustainability and women in leadership, she serves as UAE Chairperson of the BRICS Women’s Business Alliance and is a member of the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles. She leads DMCC’s Smart and Sustainable District Strategy and has forged key partnerships empowering women entrepreneurs.

Recognised among Forbes Middle East’s Top 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen and Arabian Business’s Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in 2025, Feryal is a leading voice on trade and global commerce in international forums and media.

Speaker

Alexander Alonso
Chief Data & Analytics Officer at SHRM

Alexander Alonso, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, is SHRM's Chief Data & Analytics Officer, leading the organization’s intelligence, insights, and innovation divisions. As leader of SHRM’s Thought Leadership & Business Intelligence operations, his total career portfolio has been based upon practical thought leadership designed to make better workplaces and grow revenue across industry.

Alonso’s thought leadership has been featured in numerous media outlets including USA Today, NBC News, BBC, CNN, and more. He has served as a member of several speakers bureaus with more than 400 speaking engagements on human capital topics and driving productivity over the last decade.

His works have been acknowledged for their contributions to real-world human capital issues. This includes being recognized with the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP’s) 2007 M. Scott Myers Award for Applied Research in the Workplace for developing the federal standard for learning and development of healthcare providers; a 2009 Presidential Citation for Innovative Practice by the American Psychological Association for designing performance management systems; and the 2013 SIOP Distinguished Early Career Contributions for Practice Award for extensive applied research on the link between human resource management and organizational sustainability.

Throughout his career, Alonso has published works in peer-reviewed journals, authored several chapters on community-based change initiatives in workforce readiness, and authored books such as The Price of Pettiness, Talking Taboo: Making the Most of Polarizing Topics, and Defining HR Success: A Guide to the SHRM Competency Model in Practice. He has served on several advisory boards including The Secretary of Defense’s Defense Business Board (DBB) and the Zeal Capital Investor Advisory board. He is a Fellow of SIOP, Division 14, of the American Psychological Association.

Speaker

Teresa Amabile
Professor of Business Administration, Emerita at HBS.

Teresa M. Amabile is the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration, Emerita, at Harvard Business School. Her most recent book, Retiring: Creating a Life That Works for You, presents insights from a decade of research on the psychological, social, and life restructuring challenges of retiring. Before turning her research interests to the retirement transition, Teresa devoted over 40 years to researching creativity and innovation. She was instrumental in establishing the social psychology of creativity – the study of how the social environment can influence creative behavior, primarily by influencing motivation. Her research on creativity appears in her books, Creativity in Context and Growing Up Creative, as well as numerous articles for scholars and practitioners. Extending that research, Teresa next studied how everyday life inside organizations can influence people and their creativity, productivity, commitment, and collegiality, by affecting inner work life – the confluence of motivation, emotions, and perceptions. The findings of that research appear in her book, The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work.

Teresa’s work has appeared in over 100 scholarly journal articles and many other outlets, including Harvard Business Review, as well as several edited books. She has presented her work to audiences in a variety of settings, including Pixar, Genentech, TEDx Atlanta, Apple, Pfizer, and The World Economic Forum in Davos. She has consulted to companies and nonprofits and served on a number of boards. Her honors include the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Management’s Organizational Behavior Division, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Israel Organizational Behavior Conference, and an honorary doctorate from BI Norwegian Business School. In 2024, she was named to the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame.

LinkedIn

Speaker

Silvia Angelo
Executive Board Member, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG

Silvia Angelo is an economist and has been a Member of the Management Board of ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG since January 2017. In this capacity, she is responsible for the portfolios of Finance, Services and Real Estate. Prior to joining the Management Board, she had already been a Member of the Supervisory Board for two years. She has also been a Member of the Supervisory Board at Infineon Technologies Austria AG since 2021 as well as a Member of the General Council of the OeNB since 2023. In 2021, she was named Manager of the Year by the Vienna University of Economics and Business; she also received the SHEconomy Minerva Award for her efforts in supporting the advancement of women and improving the conditions for the reconciliation of family and work at ÖBB.

Speaker

Carla Arellano
Partner, InTandem Capital Partners

Carla is a serial business builder and incessant problem solver – constantly exploring how people and organization come together to achieve enduring growth that transforms industries. A strong believer that people build companies, Carla partners with leaders to shape and execute bold strategies by getting people and organization side of business building right.

At Greyhound Capital she builds on her experience with McKinsey growing two businesses and counseling leaders to assess prospective CEOs, leadership teams and their organization for markers of Enduring Growth to inform investment go-no-go decisions.  Post investment, she partners with management teams to achieve successive S-curves of growth by embedding bold aspirations, resilience and adaptability into the organization’s fabric. This may include designing organization structure and roles, getting the right people into these, developing leadership skills, aligning culture and operating model to the strategy and/or developing pivotal growth capabilities such as product management or strategy.   

She continuously evolves the Greyhound playbook with qualitative and quantitative research into markers and drivers of enduring growth, with the aim of increasing the odds of success for each portfolio company. 

Speaker

Eva Asselmann
Professor of Differential and Personality Psychology at HMU Health and Medical University in Potsdam

Eva Asselmann is a Professor of Differential and Personality Psychology at HMU Health and Medical University in Potsdam and a Visiting Professor at UCLA. Her research explores how personality develops and adapts in response to major life and career transitions, with a special focus on resilience, leadership, and change. She investigates key questions such as: How does personality shape professional success? How do leadership experiences transform who we are? What psychological skills do we need to navigate today’s fast-changing work environment—and how can we strengthen them? As a keynote speaker, she translates cutting-edge science into actionable insights, equipping individuals and organizations with the tools to foster growth, adaptability, and long-term success. Her expertise makes her one of the most sought-after voices in the field.

Speaker

Thomas Alexander Baader
Senior Vice President Marketing and Business Strategy - Partnering Strategy, Robert Bosch Powertools GmbH

Thomas is responsible for strategic industry alliances and the private label business at Bosch Powertools.

After graduating with a degree in business administration from LMU Munich, Thomas has 35 years of experience in the consumer durables industry. He has held a wide variety of roles within the Bosch Group, from controlling to internal auditing, business operations, and turnaround projects. For many years, his focus has been on marketing, sales, and general management.

As Managing Director, he was responsible for subsidiaries and managed large sales regions, as well as several business units. Thomas has done business in more than 40 countries and spent almost 10 years of his working life in three countries abroad. In his free time, Thomas gives lectures on business ethics and the role of faith in management and leadership.

Thomas is married and has a 20-year-old daughter.

Speaker

Arvind Balaji
Managing Director, Lucas TVS Limited

Arvind Balaji is currently engaged as Managing Director of Lucas TVS Limited and India Nippon Electricals Limited and Director of Lucas Indian Service Limited, Delphi-TVS Technologies Limited, TVS Training & Services Limited, Schaeffler India Limited and Blue Star Engineering & Electronics Ltd. 

Arvind is the Past President (2015-16) of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and led the Technology, Safety and Regulatory (TSR) Committee of ACMA (2017-18). Arvind continues to play an active role in all ACMA Technology and Regulatory Committees.

Prior to joining Lucas-TVS, Arvind worked in the investment banking division of Bank of America in the General Industrials group where he focused on helping automotive companies in financing and M&A transactions. Arvind also worked at Oracle Corporation in their consulting division.

Arvind has an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania as well as a Masters degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University and Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from BITS - Pilani, Rajasthan, India.

Chair

Stephan Balzer
CEO Red Onion GmbH, Strategic Advisor, Curator, Futurist

Stephan Balzer is a Berlin-based entrepreneur, curator, and thought leader at the intersection of culture, innovation, and leadership. As CEO of Red Onion GmbH, a strategic creative consultancy, he has spent more than 20 years helping corporations, institutions, and changemakers navigate transformation in times of exponential change.

A trailblazer in bringing global formats like TEDx and the Singularity University Summits to Germany, Stephan has curated and hosted over 80 international conferences and collaborated with more than 750 speakers across the world. His work focuses on activating new leadership paradigms, building innovation-driven ecosystems, and advancing purpose-led business models.

As a keynote speaker and moderator, Stephan inspires leaders with insights on exponential thinking, cultural transformation, and the future of leadership. His approach combines strategic clarity, narrative excellence, and a powerful international network across business, science, and the arts.

“I believe in bold visions rooted in substance, empathy, and systemic impact.”

Speaker

Caroline Barth
CHRO, Syngenta

Caroline Barth joined Syngenta Group as Chief Human Resources Officer in January 2024. She is responsible for leading the Group's people strategy, talent development, and organizational culture.

Caroline brings over 25 years of international experience in driving culture transformation and growth. Prior to joining Syngenta, she was the Chief Human Resources Officer and Member of the Executive Committee at Lonza Group. She also held leadership roles at Novartis, including Global Head of Human Resources, Pharma division, interim Global Head of Pharma Strategy, and Head of Human Resources for central and eastern Europe.

Caroline has a successful track record in driving change and growth, translating business strategy into operational and financial results, and fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity. She eceived a Master of Business Administration from the Open University, Brussels, in 2003 and a Bachelor in European Business from the University of Sunderland in 1995.

Speaker

Helen Bevan
Expert on large scale change in health care

Helen Bevan is Professor of Practice in Health and Care Improvement at Warwick Business School, England and Senior Fellow of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, USA. She acts as a strategic advisor to many organisations and systems in the English National Health Service and to leaders and policymakers in health and care systems globally.

She has more than three decades experience as an internal change agent, leading large scale change initiatives in one of the biggest organisations in the world.  Helen has been instrumental in leading numerous improvement initiatives that have significantly impacted patient care and healthcare systems. Early in her career, she led the Leicester Royal Improvement Re-engineering Programme, which won the Hewlett Packard Golden Helix Award for the best healthcare innovation initiative in Europe. She founded NHS Change Day with a group of young clinical and managerial leaders from the NHS. It was the largest day of voluntary collective action to improve healthcare services in the history of the NHS and spread to 21 other countries and territories around the world. NHS Change Day won a global “Leaders Everywhere” award from Gary Hamel’s Management Innovation Exchange.
She also established the School for Change Agents, a virtual school for people in healthcare and beyond to build their skills for change. It is the largest online learning community based within the NHS, with more than 100,000 people from 60 countries having taken part. Helen was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for Services to Healthcare.

Helen is known for her innovative approach to change, blending new ideas with a deep understanding of complex systems. Her work has been featured in various publications, including the Harvard Business Review and best-selling books like "Humanocracy: how to create an organisation as amazing as the people in it" and "New Power." Helen is one of the top social influencers in healthcare leadership globally, with more than a million interactions each month through her thought leadership social media activities, virtual presentations, commentaries and blogs.

Speaker

Sabine Bothe
Global Head of People and Culture, Erste Group Bank

Dr. Sabine Bothe is Global Head of People and Culture at Erste Group Bank AG and Erste Bank for Austria in Vienna since January 2023. Born in Germany, she holds a doctorate in law and lives with her family in Vienna. She has many years of HR experience and expertise in various companies such as Deutsche Telekom AG – as SVP Employee Journey Group and as management board member of Magenta Telekom-, in A1 Telekom Austria, Compass Group and Lufthansa AG. In 2018 she was elected as “HR Person of the year” in Austria, in 2024 as “Employer Branding Manager of the year”.

Founded as “Erste oesterreichische Spar-Casse” in 1819, Erste is the leading financial institute in Central and Eastern Europe.

www.linkedin.com/in/sabine-bothe
 

Speaker

Eduardo P. Braun
Leadership expert, consultant and author

Eduardo Braun is a leadership expert and consultant, keynote speaker, and author. For more than 15 years Eduardo has traveled the globe and interviewed -both on-stage and before cameras- world-renowned management leaders, heads of state, and top academics and entrepreneurs, including personalities such as Pope Francis, Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Jack Welch, among others. His new book "People First Leadership" is the result of these many conversations, where he shares intimate stories and practical life lessons of successful leaders who use culture and emotion to drive unprecedented results, and introduces a new vision of leadership where The New CEO -Chief Emotions Officer- establishes stronger connections that get better results and create a culture of inspiration and success. Eduardo is an industrial engineer from the University of Buenos Aires, he has an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He worked in the US, Europe and Latin America for more than two decades in companies such as Booz Allen & Hamilton, Etex Group, and The HSM Group -global multimedia management company and organizer of the World Business Forum. Eduardo lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with his 6 children.

Speaker

Richard Brem
Freelance journalist

Richard Brem is a freelance journalist, working primarily for the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF. He edited a digital "Festschrift" for Peter F. Drucker on the occasion of his 90th birthday in 1999, and has been a senior advisor and the main coordinator for the Peter Drucker Challenge since 2010.

Speaker

Curtis R. Carlson
Professor of Practice, Northeastern University; Former CEO, SRI International; Former Chairman, Sarnoff Corporation

Curtis Carlson is a Professor of Practice at Northeastern University in Silicon Valley, California. He is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to teach value creation using the Innovation for Impact (i4i) methodology he developed that transformed SRI International when he was CEO.

Carlson was SRI International’s CEO from 1998 to 2014. During his time, its revenue tripled, and SRI became a global model for the systematic creation of high-value innovations, such as HDTV, Intuitive Surgical, Siri, and other world-changing advances. He has helped create over 20 new companies. These innovations created many tens of billions of dollars of new economic value. Mayfield Ventures partner David Ladd said, “SRI is now the best enterprise at turning its technology into economic value.”

Before joining SRI, Carlson worked at RCA, GE, and the Sarnoff Corporation. He started and helped lead the high-definition television (HDTV) that won an Emmy Award. Another team started by Carlson won an Emmy for optimizing satellite broadcast image quality.

Carlson was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in 2012. In 2017, he became a Worcester Polytechnic Institute “Luminary.” At the time, there were only 11 people with this honor in the 150-year history of the university. In 2006, Carlson won the Otto Schade Prize for Display Performance and Image Quality from the Society for Information Display.

He was selected to serve on President Obama’s National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He was also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Singapore National Research Foundation, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Engineering Board, and the National Science and Technology Board of Taiwan.

Carlson is a passionate evangelist for improving innovation, education, and economic development. He has advised U.S. governors, prime ministers, and economic ministers from countries including the United States, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brazil.

He has received honorary degrees from the Malaysian Technical University, Stevens Institute, Kettering University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

With co-author William Wilmot, Curtis Carlson wrote Innovation: The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want, selected by BusinessWeek as a Top-10 Business Books.

Carlson received his B.S. degree in physics from WPI as a member of Tau Beta Pi and Skull. His M.S. and Ph.D. degrees were from Rutgers University. Carlson has published or presented numerous business and technical publications and holds fundamental patents in the fields of image quality, image coding, and computer vision. At 15, he was a professional violinist in the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.

Speaker

Mike Carson
Partner, McKinsey (London) and Founding Partner, Aberkyn

download Biography

Speaker

Sapthagiri Chapalapalli
Head of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Europe

Sapthagiri “Saptha” Chapalapalli leads TCS Europe, overseeing the company’s growth and transformation across the region while collaborating with global enterprises to explore new possibilities and business models grounded in the principles of the perpetually adaptive enterprise.

With more than 30 years of global experience across India, Europe, and North America, Saptha brings practical expertise and strategic vision. He has guided organizations through transformative journeys, modernizing their cloud and data ecosystems, strengthening cybersecurity foundations, and unlocking new business models powered by AI. Central to his approach is the design and execution of next‑generation operating models that embody the perpetually adaptive enterprise, enabling organizations to become more adaptive, resilient, and purpose‑driven in the face of rapid disruption. He co‑creates with customers to deliver inclusive, sustainable growth and efficiency.

Beyond business, Saptha is actively involved with academia, bringing industry insights to help shape the leaders of tomorrow. He serves on the advisory boards of the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) Berlin, T.A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sirmaur in India.

Speaker

Niren Chaudhary
Former CEO of Panera Brands. Non-profit & Philanthropy Leader

Niren Chaudhary was the Chairman of the Board of Panera Brands 2023-2024, one of the world’s largest fast casual restaurant companies with nearly 4,000 locations in 10 countries. Panera Brands is comprised of Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros Bagels.

Prior to becoming Chairman in 2023, Niren served as CEO of Panera Brands and Panera Bread. During his four-year tenure, Panera Brands strengthened its leadership in the fast casual segment by expanding its leading digital capabilities, which as of 2023 account for 51% of total sales at Panera Bread, while increasing its loyalty base to more than 53 million members and launching an innovative loyalty subscription model that resulted in 25% of all Panera transactions coming from Unlimited Sip Club members. Panera also increased its pace of innovation, strengthened franchisee partnerships and led the creation of a strong, people-first culture, resulting in industry-leading retention rates for GMs and associates, earning Black Box Intelligence’s Employer of Choice Award in 2022. Under his leadership Panera was also voted the Most Innovative Company by Fast Company in 2021 and rated as amongst the Top 20 Most purpose driven companies and Top 10 most sustainable companies in 2022.

Previously, Niren served as Chief Operating Officer and President of Krispy Kreme where he implemented a new operating model to elevate consistency across the global brand and created a path for enterprise value growth of 3x over 5 years. Prior to that, he spent 23 years at Yum! Brands serving in global leadership positions including Global President of KFC and President of Yum! India. KFC India and Pizza Hut India were rated as the most trusted brands during his tenure and the company also received the President of India’s award for their work on equal opportunity for hearing and speech impaired employees.

Niren is guided by his deep passion for serving others and building future leaders. He spends his personal time sharing his personal and professional journey with students and professionals, often wielding a guitar to sing about his life or even a new Panera menu item. He was on the Board of DKMS, a leading non-profit with the world’s largest stem cell donor registry form 2023-2024 and also on the Board of Tufts Hospital 2022-2023. He is an Executive in Residence at the Columbia Business school and a frequent guest lecturer at top Ivy league schools. Go forward Nien’s mission is to “to help unlock human potential “as a coach / mentor / academic / book writer and investor. He is now Founder CEO at RA Inspired Leadership LLC , an Executive Coach at ExCo, Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School at the Strategy Unit , Board Member at SIG Group and Advisor to 6th Street , Fireside Ventures and ChrysCapital.

Niren has faced some significant personal challenges with the loss of 2 of his daughters which has shaped him profoundly as a human and as a leader and deepened his commitment to live a life of service. The story of his family has been captured in a movie called “The Sky is Pink” and a documentary called “Black sunshine baby” on Netflix.

As a lifelong learner, Niren focuses on both formal and informal education. Formally, Niren holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, an MBA in marketing from the University of Delhi, Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and is also a fellow at Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative. Niren is International Coaching Federation Accredited, Certified on Constellation Systemic Coaching and  also Certified by Team Coaching International. Informally, Niren speaks 4 languages – Hindi, English, Dutch, German and is now learning Spanish. He holds a black belt in Shotokan karate and is an avid golfer, tennis player and musician with his own rock band. Niren is also a passionate and powerful keynote speaker at many corporate leadership events across the country.

Speaker

Laurent Choain
Chief Culture & Partnership Officer of Forvis Mazars Group

Laurent currently serves as Chief Culture & Partnership Officer of Forvis Mazars Group, an international, European originating, integrated and independent organisation in professional services. Forvis Mazars Group can rely on the talent of 40,000 professionals, led by 1200+ partners in 100+ countries over 6 continents.  

Laurent has led a career at the crossroads of leadership in large companies (banking sector, luxury hospitality, consulting), executive coaching, entrepreneurship as well as business schools. A professor of leadership at the University of Paris Pantheon Assas, and senior fellow of ESCP Europe, Laurent sits on the board of EFMD, The Peter Drucker Society of Europe, Bologna Business School, Festival de Ramatuelle among others, and has founded and chaired several think tanks on leadership and the future of work.

As part of his expertise in leadership and executive education, Laurent has been serving as an executive coach for the past 30 years.

Laurent holds a post-doctoral qualification for PhD supervision (habilitation), a Phd in Management Science, a MsC in business administration as well as a Master degree in Human Resources Management and OD. He speaks English, French, German and tries his best in Italian.

Moderator

Esther Clark
Contributor to Forbes, America Economia, WEF. Global Head of Communications at Inspired Education Group

Esther Clark is a writer, contributor, moderator and content creator that talks about business transformation, customer journeys, value propositions and creativity. She is a recognized author and bilingual contributor to Forbes, America Economia, and the World Economic Forum, sharing insights on business strategy and leadership and their applications in a globally connected and dynamic world. Esther is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM), and a winner of the Global Peter Drucker Challenge in the Entrepreneur/Manager category. Esther was recognized last year as one of Think Global’s top 40 global women.

She works for the leading international schools group, Inspired Education, and co-created the pilot of the world’s first fully online International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme. She holds an MBA from York University and a BA in Literature from the University of British Columbia.

Speaker

Bob Cowlard
CEO of Haier Europe HVACS

Bob Cowlard brings to the forum a wealth of leadership experience within the HVAC sector, with a career spanning nearly 40 years. Having served in a number of senior commercial and director roles across major organisations including Daikin Applied and Sanyo, Bob now heads Haier’s European HVAC operations. In his current role, Bob is guiding Haier HVAC Europe’s strategic growth across diverse and evolving markets. Under his leadership, the company has made ambitious moves including expanding into Central and Eastern Europe through acquisition as well as organic activities. Bob’s success so far with Haier HVAC Europe is there for all to see handling more mature markets such as Italy and Spain whose operations have grown exponentially over the last 5 years, however, Bob holds ambitious goals for the business in the coming years and as one of the most recognised and well respected voices of the European HVAC industry, the future of the Haier HVAC Europe is a bright one.

Speaker

Julia Culen
Co-Founder Conscious Consulting Group

Julia Culen is the Co-Founder of the Conscious Consulting Group (CCG), a global consulting platform dedicated to creating meaningful personal and organizational transformation. Her work bridges wisdom traditions and business, helping leaders and organizations navigate change with clarity, integrity, and purpose.

After studying International Business Administration in Vienna and Los Angeles, Julia began her career with The Boston Consulting Group and went on to hold senior leadership roles at UniCredit Bank Austria and Beratergruppe Neuwaldegg, leading projects in change, leadership, and strategy for international large clients.

Julia is a podcast host, author, speaker and also guest teacher at Universities including the University of Vienna, ABBS Business School Bangalore, and ESSEC Business School Paris. 

Since 2023 she serves as Chair of the Board at Carl Suchy & Söhne, Austria’s iconic watchmaker.

Her new book „Conscious Consulting: Consulting with wisdom, compassion and presence in a complex and uncertain world“  with Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie Publishers/Cambridge/UK wil be published by the end of this year. 

She currently lives in Austria and Spain and works internationally.

Speaker

Martin Curley
Professor of Innovation, Maynooth University

Martin Curley is Professor of Innovation at Maynooth University and Director of the Digital Health Ecosystem at the Innovation Value Institute at Maynooth University, Ireland. Most recently Martin was Chief Information Officer and Director of Digital Transformation for Ireland’s National Health Service (HSE) and was founder of the National Digital Academy and is co-Director of a National MSc in Digital Health Transformation in Ireland. Immediately prior to this Martin was Senior Vice President at Mastercard and head of Global Digital Practice. Martin is chair of the UNGA Digital Health Symposium and has previously been Vice President, Senior Principal Engineer and Director of Intel Labs Europe as well as Global Director of IT Innovation at Intel Corporation.

As chair of the European Commission OISPG he led the development of the new Open Innovation 2.0 paradigm, and he is the co-founder of the Innovation Value Institute in Maynooth University where he led the development of the IT Capability Maturity Framework used by over eight hundred organizations globally to improve the value created from their IT/Digital capability. He has also held engineering management positions at Philips and General Electronic. Martin has been identified as a top 10 global influential, inspiring and impactful health leader/educator by several international publications and was awarded European Chief Technology Officer of the year in 2015. He is the author of nine books on Innovation, Digital and Entrepreneurship and has keynoted and led executive education across the world from Boston to Beijing and Sydney to Sao Paolo.  He was awarded Irish National Digital Leader of the Year award in 2024 and the world Public Sector Innovation award with HSE in 2020. 

You can find more information on Martin at www.MartinCurley.eu 

Speaker

Matthias Daub
Founder SCTY.AI - „serving society through technology“ and Philanthropist

biography upcoming soon.

Speaker

Veit Dengler
Member of the Austrian Parliament

Veit Dengler is an Austrian executive, social entrepreneur and politician. Since October 2024, he is a Member of Parliament in Austria, for the centrist NEOS party he co-founded in 2012.

Previously, Veit was the Chief Operating Officer of Bauer Media Group from 2018-2021, and the CEO of NZZ Mediengruppe, the media house built around the flagship Swiss brand Neue Zürcher Zeitung (a broadsheet newspaper). Veit holds a Master in Commerce from the Vienna University of Economics, where he won the Chamber of Commerce prize for best graduate, and a Master in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University, where he was a Kennedy Fellow, a Schumpeter Fellow and a Julius Raab Scholar. In 2022, he was a visiting fellow at Oxford University.

Speaker

Steve Denning
Senior Contributor at Forbes.com, author and educator

Steve Denning is a former executive of the World Bank, where he held many senior management positions and led a major change in strategy to prioritize knowledge management. Since 2000, he has been giving workshops to many firms in the Fortune 500 on leadership and storytelling. He is the author of eight books on leadership, innovation, storytelling, and Agile management, including The Age of Agie (2018) and Reinventing Capitalism In The Digital Age (2022), as well as a novel and a volume of poems. Since 2011, he has been writing a popular leadership column for Forbes.com, where he is a Senior Contributor. He has published nearly a thousand Forbes articles, with more than 10 million visitors and 20 million pageviews. (http://blogs.forbes.com/stevedenning/) In 2017-2023, he was a director of the SD Learning Consortium, which performed many visits to leading firms in the U.S. and Europe. He was the leader of the Management Summit in Lisbon in September 2025, which introduced "the Lisbon Principles", a set of evidence-based principles which showed how creating value for customers and other stakeholders makes more money than firms that prioritize making money. 

Speaker

Emily M. Dickens
Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs and Corporate Secretary for SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management

Emily M. Dickens, J.D., is a 2025 Top Lobbyist honoree recognized by the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics for her leadership in shaping workplace and workforce policy. She serves as Chief of Staff, Head of Government Affairs, and Corporate Secretary for SHRM—the world’s largest HR trade association and the fourth largest trade association globally. As a member of SHRM’s executive leadership team, she drives organizational effectiveness and impact across governance, public affairs, global policy, legal, real estate, and philanthropy, while serving as a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board of Directors.

In her role, Dickens oversees SHRM’s advocacy and policy agenda, guiding the work of the “A-Team,” a 300,000-member grassroots network of HR professionals who shape workplace policy nationwide. She has executive oversight for four divisions: corporate governance, government affairs and policy, legal and administrative affairs, and the SHRM Foundation. 

A sought-after thought leader on workplace trends, HR leadership, and business policy, Dickens is frequently featured in top media outlets including CNN, CBS News, NBC News, AP News, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg Law, Crain’s, Marketplace, WTOP, and Yahoo Finance. She has testified before Congress and the EEOC on topics such as artificial intelligence, gender bias, and paid leave, bringing SHRM’s expertise directly to policymakers.

Dickens amplifies SHRM’s voice on key global, national, and local platforms by holding influential roles as Co-Chair of the B20 Brazil Women in Business Action Council, Governance Committee Member for the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), and Board Member of The Bryce Harlow Foundation, Skill-Up, and the National Foundation for Women Legislators.

She has also served in advisory roles for Strategic Education, Inc.’s HIRE Advisory Board, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Advisory Council, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Equity in Energy Ambassador program, and the Advisory Board for North Carolina Central University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Before joining SHRM in 2018, Dickens built a distinguished career in higher education and nonprofit leadership. Her prior roles include General Counsel and Head of Policy for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Vice President of Public Policy for the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities, and Assistant Vice President for Federal Affairs at the University of North Carolina System. She also held administrative and external affairs positions at Duke University and Fayetteville State University.

A three-time graduate of North Carolina Central University (B.A., M.A., and J.D.), Dickens is the Immediate Past Chair of the university’s Board of Trustees. She is Co-Chair of the HR Committee for the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) Board of Directors and a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, where she has served as Chairman of the International HBCU Task Force and on the Education Advancement Foundation Board of Directors.

Chair

Yves Doz
Professor Emeritus of Strategic Management, INSEAD

Through his research, teaching and consulting over many years, Yves Doz has helped executives and their companies to develop and implement effective strategies that transcend inherent tensions and contradictions: Global vs. local in multinational innovations, value capture vs. value creation in alliances, and continuity vs. agility when facing external disruptions. Among other corporates, he has helped Airbus (and its precursors Aerospatiale, DASA, and British Aerospace), Avery Dennison, GSK, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Nokia, P&G, Teva, Timken, Toyota, and Xerox navigate through these tensions. 

Yves’ publications and research have won numerous awards, including the first CK Prahalad Scholar-Practitioner Award from the Strategic Management Society for bringing research findings to management practice, and a Lifetime Distinguished Scholar award from the Academy of Management. He has written numerous articles and several books – most recently “Escaping the Growth Curse” focusing on how boards can improve corporate governance. An earlier book “Ringtone: The Rise and Fall of Nokia in Mobile Phones”, with Keeley Wilson, published in 2018 by Oxford University Press, won of the 2018 George R. Terry Book Award for his outstanding contribution to the global advancement of management. 

Speaker

Amy Edmondson
Professor of Leadership & Management, Harvard Business School

Amy C. Edmondson, PhD is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, a chair established to support the study of human interactions that lead to the creation of successful enterprises that contribute to the betterment of society.

Edmondson has been ranked by the biannual Thinkers50 global list of top management thinkers since 2011 (most recently #1). She teaches and writes on leadership, teams and organizational learning.  Her most recent book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety for Learning, Innovation, and Growth offers practical guidance for leaders who are serious about building a thriving organization in the today’s uncertain environment. Her prior books, Teaming: How Organizations Learn, Innovate and Compete in the Knowledge Economy and Teaming to Innovate (Jossey-Bass, 2012, 2103) and Building the Future: Big Teaming for Audacious Innovation (Berrett-Koehler, 2016) explore teamwork in dynamic, unpredictable work environments.

Before her academic career, she was Director of Research at Pecos River Learning Centers, where she worked on the design and implementation of transformational change in large companies. In the early 1980s, she worked as Chief Engineer for architect/inventor Buckminster Fuller, and her book A Fuller Explanation: The Synergetic Geometry of R. Buckminster Fuller (Birkauser Boston, 1987) clarifies Fuller's mathematical contributions for a non-technical audience. Edmondson received her PhD in organizational behavior, AM in psychology, and AB in engineering and design, all from Harvard University.

She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband, George Daley, a physician-scientist and Dean of Harvard Medical School, with their two college-age sons.

Speaker

Tamara J. Erickson
Leadership Advisor; top ranked management thinker, T50

Tamara J. Erickson is a McKinsey Award-winning author and a widely-respected authority on new approaches to leadership, the changing workforce, collaboration and innovation, and the nature of work in intelligent organizations.  At London Business School, Erickson has designed and directs the school’s leadership programme for senior-most executives, Leading Businesses into the Future, works with executives in a number of custom programmes, and teaches in the School’s Masters programmes.

She has five times been named one of the 50 most influential living management thinkers in the world by Thinkers50, the respected ranking of global business thinkers. Her leading-edge work is consistently showcased in the prestigious Global Drucker Forum, an international conference of prominent business leaders. She has authored five books and numerous widely-cited articles.

An experienced executive and global advisor, Erickson has also served on the Board of Directors of two Fortune 500 corporations, where she served on Governance, Audit, and Compensation Committees and as the Lead Independent Director.

Erickson holds a BA degree from the University of Chicago and an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, where she was the recipient of the James Thomas Chirurg Fellowship.

Speaker

Claudio Fernández-Aráoz
Executive Fellow for Executive Education, Harvard Business School

Claudio Fernández-Aráoz is a top global expert on leadership and talent, family businesses, and personal growth. He was ranked by Bloomberg as one of the most influential executive search consultants in the world and selected by Thinkers50 as one of the world’s leading thinkers on talent.

SEE FULL BIO

Speaker

Katy George
Corporate Vice President, Workforce Transformation, Microsoft

Katy George is Corporate Vice President of Workforce Transformation at Microsoft. She leads a team focused on understanding AI’s impact on labor markets and shaping Microsoft’s workforce strategy. Previously, she was Chief People Officer and a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where she led global operations and workforce research. Katy holds a Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard and a B.A. from Oberlin College. Her work bridges technology, labor economics, and organizational design to prepare for the future of work.

Katy George | LinkedIn

Speaker

Andrea Gerosa
Founder, ThinkYoung

Entrepreneur, working with and for startups and young people since 2002, starting at university when he joined the Junior Enterprises network. Today he is the founder of a think-tank on young people (www.thinkyoung.org), a series of schools for young entrepreneurs and a consulting company focused on Student Housing. He served for 4 years as Advisory Board member of INTA, the New York based International Trademark Association (www.inta.org) to advise them on youth related issues and he currently sits on the Board of Rentxpress, a portal for plug-and-play accommodations across Europe.

Speaker

Elisabeth Geyer-Schall
Head of RBI Group Core IT, Data & Platforms

Elisabeth Geyer-Schall is a distinguished senior leader with over 20 years of experience in the banking sector, including more than a decade in leadership roles and eight years specializing in IT and Agile transformation at the Board-1 level. Currently, she serves as the Head of Division for Group Core IT, Data & Platforms at Raiffeisen Bank International AG, leading a team of over 300 professionals. Her primary objective is to enable RBI’s vision for digitization and modernization, steering the organization toward becoming data-driven. She drives transformation initiatives in agility, engineering, and technology while dedicating her efforts to restructuring IT, enhancing governance frameworks, and evolving platforms into robust business enablers, all under a shared Group responsibility.

Previously, as Head of Division for Group IT Delivery, Elisabeth managed a team of over 500, where she established a high-performing Agile IT delivery environment. She championed technology renewal and fostered continuous innovation through engineering excellence and automation.

Elisabeth began her career at Raiffeisen ZentralbankAG, where she held various roles, including leading Product Management & Development in Corporate Cash Management. She also brings over six years of governance experience through her positions on the supervisory boards of multiple banks and companies.

An authentic leader with a passion for people, agility, and technology, Elisabeth excels in building high-performing teams and driving impactful change through collaboration between business and IT. Her leadership style is characterized by humility, vision, and trust, complemented by a commitment to continuous self-reflection and personal development. Building a strong team is instrumental for Elisabeth in her leadership roles.

Elisabeth holds a Master's degree from the Vienna University of Business Administration and Economics. Fluent in both German and English, she resides in Austria with her family. Her professional journey reflects a steadfast dedication to innovation, excellence, and transformative leadership in the financial industry.

Speaker

Rick Goings
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Rollins College; Chairman Emeritus, Tupperware Brands

After college and service in the US Navy, as a navigator, Goings was an entrepreneur creating several companies. He came to the attention of Avon Cosmetics and was recruited in 1986. At Avon, he held several senior management positions in Europe, Asia, and, eventually, as President of the flagship business Avon USA. Joining Tupperware in 1992 he served as Chairman & CEO for over two decades where the company, under his leadership, was recognized as a Fortune World’s Most Admired Company for eight consecutive years.

Goings was an early advocate for redefining the role and purpose of business, shifting the focus from shareholder value to accepting responsibility for all stakeholders, and the communities they serve.

Rick Goings’ humanitarian and philanthropic leadership is a fundamental component of his career as a leader in women’s empowerment and helping global youth. He was chosen as an inaugural Champion with the United Nations’ HeforShe initiative. After serving three decades on the National Board of Governors for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, serving twice as Chairman, he co-founded World Youth Clubs. WYC has Affiliates in 45+ countries, serving over 400,000 youth.

He serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees - Rollins College, on the Advisory Board - Global Peter Drucker Forum, and is  25-year member of Yale’s Chief Executive Leadership Institute.

Goings has been recognized with the “Chevalier (Knight) de la Légion d’Honneur” by France in 2010, 2024 Medal for Distinguished Achievement - American Society French Legion of Honor, 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award - Direct Selling Association, the Marco Polo Award - People’s Republic of China, the Herbert Hoover Humanitarian Award - Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the Holmes Group -CEO of the Year.

Speaker

Isabelle Grosmaitre
Founder & CEO of Goodness & Co

Founder & CEO of Goodness & Co, a new kind of change management consultancy to serve CEOs, leaders and organizations on a mission to shift purpose into practice.

She is the Author of "Business as a Force for Good – how courageous leaders shift purpose into practice”.

As Catalyst of Change, Isabelle is at the heart of leadership movements, acting for better futures. Steward of the For Good Leaders movement, Co-founder of the “Board Member Program” of ChangeNOW, Chairwoman of the Advisory Board of the Value Balancing Alliance (VBA), and Co-founder of Generation Glasgow. She has joined the 100 Women @Davos, the global community of impactful women leaders of the World Economic Forum.

Speaker

Jyoti Guptara
Bestselling Author, Storytelling Expert, MD momenta Europe

Leaders turn to Jyoti when they need to deliver mission-critical change and want to unlock the most overlooked dimension of leadership: narrative. Most organisations have strategies, visions and values that sound impressive but don’t connect. When strategic communication isn’t actionable, it becomes a liability that sabotages engagement and execution. To fix this, Jyoti created The S.T.O.R.Y. Method – a practical framework that helps leaders align people and accelerate execution through stories that drive belief and behaviour.

Jyoti is the bestselling author of several books (fiction and nonfiction). Business Storytelling from Hype to Hack: Unlock the Software of the Mind was praised by the Honorary President of IMD Business School and the CEO of the world’s largest company.

He has been widely featured in the media including BBC World and Business Standard. Jyoti has written for IMD and The Wall Street Journal. A sought-after keynote speaker, consultant and trainer, he has contributed to UEFA and United Nations summits, and to programs at Cornell, MIT, and Oxford.

Jyoti is Managing Director for Europe at momenta Group, a performance improvement firm that delivers measurable gains in leadership and sales serving over 200 top global organisations. Clients include AXA, Google, HSBC, LEGO, Roche, TikTok and UBS.

Speaker

Kate Handy
Osteopath

Kate Handy has trained as an architect, an osteopath, a naturopath and a pilates teacher. She currently runs a multi-disciplinary clinic with her husband in London. Kate moved back to Putney 20 years ago to live next door to Liz and Charles Handy to explore the idea of 3 generational living. Her start ups have ranged from ‘Twinkle Toes’ a shoe-shining partnership dressed as Nell Gwyn to ‘Back to Back’ a business providing on-site educational/treatment teams for Work Related Upper Limb Disorders.

Speaker

Lisa Hehenberger
Associate Professor at ESADE Bus. School; Founding Director of ESADE Center for Social Impact

Dr. Lisa Hehenberger is an Associate Professor at ESADE Business School and Founding Director of its Center for Social Impact. She is a renowned expert on social entrepreneurship, venture philanthropy, impact investment, and impact measurement. Lisa is actively contributing to building the social impact field through her participation in expert groups set up by the European Commission, the OECD and the G8 and through advisory board seats in impact funds and foundations. Notably she is a member of the Board of Directors of the GSMA Foundation, and sits on the impact committees of Rubio Impact Ventures, Suma Capital and Impact Shakers, and is a member of the Purpose Board of GHO Capital. She is a member of the independent expert panel advising COFIDES FIS, Spain's first fund of funds investing in Spanish impact funds. She is on the Scientific Board of the OECD Global Action "Promoting Social and Solidarity Economy Ecosystems" and is a member of CNBC's Disruptor 50 Advisory Council, a group of leading thinkers in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship. She is the academic partner of the Spanish National Advisory Board on Impact Investing (Spain NAB) and served on the French National Advisory Board and the Impact Measurement Working Group of the Social Impact Investment Task Force established by the G8 (now GSG). Lisa is the author of numerous books, policy papers, and practitioner reports and has published in the most prestigious academic peer-reviewed journals in management, such as the Academy of Management Journal, as well as in practitioner-oriented publications, such as Stanford Social Innovation Review and MIT Sloan Management Review.

Lisa has a PhD in management from IESE Business School and a master's degree in business and economics from Stockholm School of Economics and HEC (CEMS). Previously, she worked in investment banking at Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) in London and at GB Investment Banking in Madrid and Barcelona.

Speaker

Annastiina Hintsa
Chief Operating Officer at Hintsa Performance

Annastiina Hintsa is an entrepreneur, leader, and keynote speaker with over two decades at Hintsa Performance, the pioneering wellbeing and performance company founded by her father, Dr. Aki Hintsa. She draws on personal experience, science, and practical strategies to help leaders and organisations achieve sustainable high performance.

Having worked in management consulting, banking, and micro-finance, Annastiina experienced burnout early in her career and embraced her father’s philosophy that better life leads to better performance - a journey that included completing 250km ultra-races. Today, she works with clients from Formula 1 drivers and global CEOs to politicians and entrepreneurs, speaking at leading platforms including TEDx and the World Economic Forum.

Speaker

Zabeen Hirji
Executive Advisor; Former Chief Human Resources Officer, RBC; Corporate and Not-for-Profit Director

Zabeen is one of Canada’s most influential HR leaders with expertise in leadership, purpose, the future of work, culture, and inclusive prosperity. A seasoned CHRO, she is a strategic advisor to public and private sector leaders, a board director, speaker, and content creator.  She works at the intersection of thought leadership, strategy, and practical execution.

She pioneered Purposeful Third Act – a call to action for leaders post their full-time careers to make meaningful social and economic impact. Her mission is to scale it, by inspiring and enabling third actors to pursue impact, learning, and joy. She advances her purpose—to unlock human potential and build inclusive prosperity—through advisory, academic, and board roles across all the private and public sectors.

As Chief Human Resources Officer until 2017 at RBC, one of the world’s largest banks, she served on the Group Executive for over a decade and oversaw brand, communications, and social impact. Under her leadership, RBC was consistently recognized as a top employer and corporate citizen.

Based in Toronto, she is Executive Advisor, Future of Work at Deloitte where she convenes a forum of CHROs from leading business and public sector organizations. They focus on workforce transformation, leadership, culture, and AI, work and skills, as well as on building a more skilled, adaptable and inclusive workforce. 

She serves as Special Advisor on public service renewal, and values and ethics to Canada’s Clerk of the Privy Council, and on the Mayor of Toronto’s Economic Advisory Group. She is Executive-in-Residence at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business, her alma mater, and on the boards of Junior Achievement Worldwide, and Public Policy Forum. 

Her contributions have been recognized with the Human Resources Director Canada Lifetime Achievement Award, the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal, the Catalyst Canada Honour, the SFU Outstanding Alumni Award, induction into the Women’s Executive Network Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame, Canada's Who's Who citation and LinkedIn Top Voice. 

www.zabeenhirji.com

Chair

Werner H. Hoffmann
Head of Institute of Strategic Management, WU Vienna

Werner H. Hoffmann is head of the Institute of Strategic Management at WU Vienna, one of Europe´s largest and most prestigious business universities, and academic director of WU´s master program on Strategy, Innovation, and Management Control that ranks among the world´s 10 best master programs in general management according to QS-ranking. His research focuses on business networks and ecosystems, business model innovation and open strategy and has been published in leading academic and business journals like Strategic Management Journal, Long Rang Planning, Journal of Management Studies and Research Policy. In addition to his academic work Werner Hoffmann is a senior partner at EY-Parthenon, one of the world´s leading top-management consultancies, a sought-after corporate advisor and angel investor.

Speaker

Raymond Hofmann
Gospel Minister and Management consultant

Raymond is based in Switzerland and has over 20 years of experience in leadership and management, both as an executive and as a management consultant. His consulting work focuses on strategy, management models, and developing leadership teams. All in service of building organizations where human beings can thrive, where everyone works towards the same goals, and where customer value takes center stage. 

Ten years ago, Raymond’s life was completely changed when he got to know Jesus Christ. He discovered that truth exists and that there are answers to some of the most important questions humanity has pondered since time began: Why is there something rather than nothing? Who are we? Why is the world as it is? Is there any hope? 

As a result, Raymond studied theology and a few years ago was ordained as a gospel minister. Raymond still does consulting work, yet more and more of his time is dedicated to sharing, teaching, and applying the Word of God in this world. 

Raymond’s management career included roles such as COO at Avaloq Evolution AG and Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company. He holds an MSc in Computer Science from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) and an MBA from INSEAD. He is a graduate of Reformation Seminary and is currently undergoing further training in expository preaching at the European Bible Training Center (EBTC). 

www.salz-und-licht.org 
www.raymondhofmann.com 

Speaker

Rasmus Hougaard
Founder, CEO Potential Project

Rasmus is the Founder and CEO of Potential Project. He leads the firm’s pioneering work at the intersection of science-backed research and wisdom traditions to transform the way leaders and organizations operate. Rasmus was nominated by Thinkers 50 as one of the eight most important leadership thinkers in the world today.

Rasmus has partnered with forward-thinking organizations like IKEA, Deutsche Telekom, Unilever, Accenture and Cisco to create a more human world of work by helping individuals, leaders, and teams to unlock the full potential of the mind. Rasmus is an experienced and engaging speaker, having led more than 1,500 keynotes and workshops. He is a sought-after leadership developer who coaches and supports C-suite executives at global organizations. Rasmus is also the co-author of the ground-breaking books by Harvard Business Review Press, Compassionate Leadership – How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way (HBR Press, 2022) and The Mind of the Leader – How to Lead Yourself, Your People and Your Organization for Extraordinary Results (HBR Press, 2018). His new book, More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead, will be published in March 2025 by Harvard Business Review Press.

Speaker

Xavier Huillard
Chairman of the Board of Directors of VINCI

Xavier Huillard is a graduate of the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (now known as the École des Ponts ParisTech). He has spent most of his working life in the construction industry in France and abroad. Mr Huillard joined Sogea in December 1996 as Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of international activities and specific projects, and then became its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1998. He was appointed Deputy General Manager of VINCI in March 1998 and was Chairman of VINCI Construction from 2000 to 2002.

He was appointed Co-Chief Operating Officer of VINCI and was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Energies from 2002 to 2004, then Chairman of VINCI Energies from 2004 to 2005. Mr Huillard became Director and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI in 2006 and was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of VINCI on 6 May 2010.

He served as Chairman of the Institut de l’Entreprise from January 2011 until January 2017, and Chairman of VINCI Concessions SAS from 2016 to 2024. Mr Huillard became Chairman of the Board of Directors of VINCI on 1st May 2025.

Speaker

Edward Huizenga
Professor of Strategy and Change, Maastricht University Managing Partner Benthurst Consulting

Prof. Dr. Edward Huizenga is one of Europe’s most renowned strategy advisors and a leading academic in the field of strategy and behavioral change. He is Endowed Professor of Strategy and Change at Maastricht University’s School of Business and Economics | UMIO. Edward is Managing Partner at Benthurst, a strategy consulting firm working from Amsterdam, Brussels and Zurich. He advises clients including Roche, DSM-Firmenich, Randstad, Allianz and Solanis, supporting them in leadership development, strategic transformation, and purpose-led execution. Edward Huizenga stands at the intersection of business and academia, combining deep behavioral insight with strategic rigor. His work empowers leaders to navigate complexity with clarity, human-centered leadership, and purposeful execution. Beyond academia and consultancy, Edward is the founder of social impact initiatives like Handwashing Angels, a global social impact initiative aimed at improving child hygiene behavior in Kenya, Uganda, India and Vietnam through school-based education programs. 

Edward is the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Business Achievement Award from Beta Gamma Sigma for his accomplishment in ethical business leadership and respective impact on society and community. Edward is a teacher in various Executive MBA and Leadership programs like the MBA at Maastricht University, NTU Singapore and the University of Amsterdam and senior executive programs with Randstad Goldschmeding Academy, INSEAD and TIAS. Edward has authored seven management books on strategy, innovation and transformation, including The Knowledge Enterprise (2nd edition, 2014) and Strategy Meets Behavior (2020). His forthcoming book “Change for Good – Strategy for The Better” by World Scientific builds around the powerful trio of strategy, purpose, and psychology.

Speaker

John Kay
Founding Dean of Oxford University‘s Said Business School

Sir John Kay is one of Britain’s leading economists with wide practical experience in business and finance. He has served as director of several public companies, founded his own business, and managed investment portfolios. A Fellow of the British Academy and Royal Society of Edinburgh, he was the founding dean of Oxford University’s Saïd Business School and held chairs at London Business School and the London School of Economics.

He is a winner of the Senior Wincott Award for Financial Journalism for his Financial Times columns. Other People’s Money won the Saltire Prize for non-fiction and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing. His recent books include Obliquity, The Long and Short of It, Greed is Dead (written with Paul Collier) and Radical Uncertainty (with Mervyn King).His lates book, The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century, is published on August 29th.

Speaker

Mark Kennedy
Chief Clients/Markets Officer, Forvis Mazars Group

Mark Kennedy is a member of the Group Executive, and Governing Board of Forvis Mazars Group, where he is responsible for the development of the global Clients and Markets portfolio.

In that role Mark leads a team of international partners who are responsible for the management of growth strategies and client experience in international business sectors and in all global markets other than the United States.

Mark became a partner at Forvis Mazars in 2004. He is a career auditor, specialising in working with clients in the Financial Services sector.  He was Managing Partner of Forvis Mazars in Ireland from 2014 to 2021.  He joined the Executive Board of Forvis Mazars UK in 2021. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

Chair

Oriane Kets de Vries
Managing Director and Owner, KDVI

Oriane Kets de Vries is the Managing Director and Owner of KDVI where she has played a role in the development of the Institute since its inception. Oriane is responsible for key client management, programme design, partnerships, organisational culture, driving strategic company growth, and oversight of the management and consulting team at KDVI.

Alongside her leadership responsibilities, Oriane is a certified coach providing individual and group coaching for executives both in an organisational context and on an individual basis. She has been involved as a coach, facilitator or programme director in company specific programmes for clients such as Prudential, Pictet, Deutsche Bank, DWS, Mishcon de Reya, Merck, Henkel, UBS, Ashoka, Atradius, Engie, Barclays, Hays, and Yildiz. She has also coached on open enrolment programmes in collaboration with academic institutions including the Cambridge Judge School of Business, Oxford Saïd Business School, ESCP, ESMT, INSEAD, and CEDEP.

Oriane is particularly interested in the human side of entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. She works with entrepreneurial ventures such as Tentsile, Greendream architecture, Small Steps children's charity and has lectured about her entrepreneurial experiences at INSEAD. She also is keenly focused on diversity and in particular gender diversity and female leadership. She helped to found Circle, an organisation focused on the empowerment of women entrepreneurs.

Oriane’s previous professional experience spans 13 years in the creative, media and marketing industries. She was founder/director for M.O. Creatives for 7 years, a London-based design and advertising agency. She worked as an international marketing and product development manager at L’Oréal, and as a creative director and a producer in the New York fashion and music industries.

Oriane is married to an entrepreneur and has two daughters.

Chair

Julia Kirby
Senior Editor, Harvard University Press

Julia Kirby has been with Harvard Business Review for over a decade and in that time worked with hundreds of expert authors to bring their ideas to the magazine’s managerial audience. Marketing management and strategy are particular areas of interest; she stays on top of the issues facing marketers in leading firms and seeks out new academic research with important managerial implications. She is also the author of a book (with Christopher Meyer) on how the rules of capitalism will change as the center of gravity of global commerce shifts to emerging economies: “Standing on the Sun: How the Explosion of Capitalism Abroad Will Change Business Everywhere“ and Only Humans Need Apply: Winners and Losers in the Age of Smart Machines (with Thomas H. Davenport)

Speaker

Kathrine Kirk Muff
Head of LEGO Location-based Experiences, the LEGO Group

Kathrine Kirk Muff is a senior executive at the LEGO Group with over 17 years of experience across leadership, brand experiences, corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. As of October 1, 2025, she leads LEGO Location-Based Experiences, setting the strategic direction for  LEGO House and future location-based LEGO experiences.

Previously, she served as Managing Director of LEGO House, guiding its growth into a world-class bucket list destination for LEGO fans rooted in creativity and Learning Through Play. Earlier in her career, Kathrine was Head of the Family Office and Personal Assistant to owner and then Chairman Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, an experience that gave her a deep understanding of the company’s purpose, heritage, and core values.

She has also held key roles within KIRKBI and as Head of Ole Kirk’s Foundation. As former Vice President of Social Responsibility, she led global partnerships and initiatives to support children’s rights and wellbeing.
Kathrine holds a Master of Laws from Aarhus University and an Executive MBA from IMD, and has served on several boards, including the Danish Red Cross and Blue Water Foundation.

Speaker

Thomas Kirste
Director at Bosch Management Consulting Innovation for Business & Digital Strategy

Thomas is Director at Bosch Management Consulting Innovation for Business & Digital Strategy. He works for more than 7 years "hands-on" on Business Model Innovation and especially Ecosystem approaches. Thomas had been Co-Founder of 2 Bosch Ecosystem approaches  (NEVONEX and Susteco) and had been responsible  - as part of the leadership team - for the business model & biz development as well as for partner acquisition and orchestration. Currently, he is deeply involved in Catena-X, an Ecosystem for the automotive supply chain. Furthermore, he is the initiator and lead of Ecosys@Bosch. Ecosys@Bosch is an internal Ecosystem approach that helps to unleash the power of ecosystems for Bosch's business.
In previous "lifes", Thomas orchestrated over 5 years the strategy development process of major Bosch Divisions (w/ board members) , worked in responsible roles on M&A, as head of Strategy & biz development of a biz unit and around 5 years in sales for Japanese customers. Furthermore, he has 5 years experience in SW development. On his journey, he deeply dived into many biz domains (esp. mobility, telecommunications, real estate, agriculture (chemistry & food), (intra-)logistics). Thomas contributed to many standard bodies (e.g. FSAN), associations (e.g. Bitkom, GIF) and working groups and has a degree as Dipl.-Ing. Telecommunications.

Speaker

Christoph Kletzer
Professor of Law and Senior Lecturer in Legal Philosophy at King’s College London

Christoph Kletzer is a distinguished legal scholar and thought leader at the intersection of law, philosophy, and public policy. Serving as Professor of Law and Vice Dean International at King's College London, he also holds the position of Global Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame. His academic journey spans esteemed institutions, including prior appointments at the University of Cambridge and the University of Durham. Holding dual MAs in Law and Philosophy from the University of Vienna, along with an LLM and PhD from Cambridge, Professor Kletzer bridges continental and Anglo-American legal traditions. His research bridges classical legal theory and modern technological challenges, focusing the evolving intersections of law and decentralised technologies. Professor Kletzer contributes to global discourse on legal legitimacy, institutional trust, and the philosophical underpinnings of governance in the digital age.

Speaker

Georg Kopetz
co-founder and member of the executive board at TTTech

Georg Kopetz is co-founder and member of the executive board at TTTech, a leading high-tech company in Central Europe.

He is responsible for the overall strategy of the corporation marketing, sales, finance, human resources, the business units aerospace and industrial solutions.

He studied law at the University of Vienna and Paris II. Since 2023, he is also a member of FORWIT, the Austrian Council for Sciences, Technology and Innovation, providing independent advice to the federal government of Austria.

Speaker

Wendy Korthuis-Smith
Executive Director, Virginia Mason Institute

Dr. Wendy Korthuis-Smith is an accomplished executive leader with over 30 years of experience driving large-scale transformation across healthcare, government, and corporate sectors. As Executive Director of the Virginia Mason Institute, she leads global efforts in working with executives and board leadership to embed bespoke management systems that empower teams, foster engagement, and improve performance. As an international presenter and thought leader, Wendy is certified in leadership coaching through Leadershape Global, Advanced Virginia Mason Production System® Training, Advanced Lean Training, and the Japan Genba Kaizen Training. With a doctorate in Educational Leadership focused on Organizational Development and a master’s in Human Performance, Wendy is uniquely positioned to support individuals and organizations in aligning vision, strategy, and culture for meaningful, lasting impact.

Speaker

Janka Krings-Klebe
Cofounder and Managing Partner, co-shift GmbH

Dr.-Ing. Janka Krings-Klebe is recognised as a leading expert in digital transformation, organisational development, and business ecosystem strategy. As co-founder of co-shift GmbH, she works internationally as a trusted advisor, trainer, and executive coach, supporting leaders and organisations in navigating complex transformative journeys. Her corporate experience, including leadership roles at Robert Bosch GmbH, underpins her deep understanding of large-scale, high-stakes transformation in global enterprises.

Janka’s work centers on the dynamics of business ecosystems, equipping organisations to thrive in rapidly changing markets. She is co-author of several books, most recently The Antifragile Organization: From Hierarchies to Ecosystems (2025), which explores how organisations can evolve from rigid structures to adaptive, collaborative ecosystems, capable of flourishing amidst uncertainty. For this groundbreaking work, Janka and her co-author Jörg Schreiner were shortlisted for the 2025 Thinkers50 Strategy Award, recognising their contributions to rethinking strategy and leadership in an age of perpetual change.

In addition to her advisory practice, Janka lectures at WBS Academy/University of Applied Sciences Burgenland and the Steinbeis School of International Business and Entrepreneurship. She is a founding member of the Business Ecosystem Alliance and an active contributor to the global dialogue on ecosystem-driven strategies and leadership for the digital age.

Janka is a frequent keynote speaker and thought leader at international management conferences, including the Global Peter Drucker Forum in Vienna, the Management Summit in Lisbon, and the Global Conference on Creating Value. Janka’s articles and co-authored works offer actionable insights on antifragility, organisational adaptability, and governance in a digital world. Her practical experience informs her approach to coaching and training, enabling organisations to embrace innovation and create sustainable value in dynamic environments.

Speaker

Thomas Lange
Managing Director, Achleitner Ventures

Thomas operates where strategy, innovation, and capital, collide. Trained as an economist, he began his career at the ifo Institute for Economic Research before stepping into a leadership role at acatech, Germany’s National Academy of Science and Engineering. He later played a key role in establishing the German Cyber Agency as its founding Chief Strategy Officer, helping shape a new model for defense innovation inspired by DARPA. Thomas served as Sherpa to the Federal Chancellor’s Future Council and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network. At Achleitner Ventures, he focuses on investments in high-impact technology startups. He holds a PhD in Economics, and is certified as both a Private Equity Analyst and an Independent Board Director.

Chair

Wolfgang Lassl
Member of the Drucker Team and Managing Partner, Qwinnt Management Institute

Wolfgang Lassl is a member of the Drucker Forum Team and the managing partner at the Qwinnt Management Institute. He works as a management consultant, author, and researcher specializing in strategy, organizational transformation processes, and leadership. Wolfgang Lassl advises organizations in the private, public, and non-profit sector. He has published a series of three books on organizational viability, diagnosis, and design (The Viability of Organizations published with Springer Nature). Apart from his passion for management issues, his second main area of interest is philosophy. He holds a Master’s degree in Theology and International Relations (as a Fulbright scholar), and has worked and lived in Western Europe, North America, and South Africa.

Speaker

Michael Y. Lee
Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD

Michael Y Lee is an Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD, where he teaches and writes on leadership, organisational design, and the future of work. His research explores how organizations can unlock collective potential by designing for collaboration, autonomy, and human dignity.
 
Lee's scholarship challenges conventional assumptions about hierarchy and decentralization. Through field experiments, qualitative case studies, and large-scale survey experiments, he investigates the benefits as well as the implementation challenges and contingencies of radical forms of decentralization. His work appears in leading academic journals and in practitioner outlets like the Harvard Business Review.
 
At INSEAD, Lee directs the Collaborative Leadership Programme, a flagship course for executives seeking to lead and organize for the future. He also works closely with companies experimenting with new models of organizing—including self-managing organizations, dynamic role structures, and participatory governance.
 
Before entering academia, Lee was an engagement leader at a global management consulting firm advising clients across corporate and nonprofit sector clients. He earned his DBA in Management from Harvard Business School, his MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, and his AB in Social Studies from Harvard College.

Moderator

Zoë Leuhusen-Straub
Artist

Zoë Leuhusen-Straub, known artistically as ZOË, is an Austrian singer, songwriter, and actress celebrated for her multilingual and genre-fluid approach to music.

Educated at the Lycée Français de Vienne, she began performing at a young age and developed her artistic voice early on. Her debut album Debut (2015), sung entirely in French, achieved gold status in Austria.

Zoë represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with “Loin d’ici,” placing 13th in the final. Beyond music, she has built a notable presence in acting, appearing in Austrian television series such as Vorstadtweiber and the German Netflix film Isi & Ossi.

Her artistic expression emphasizes emotional depth, cross-cultural dialogue, and a dedication to bridging genres and languages — qualities that make her an engaging and dynamic host

Speaker

Christian Lüdtke
CEO, Bryck

Christian Lüdtke grew up in the Ruhr area and graduated in Economics. After his first position in the logistics sector, he joined the Media giant Bertelsmann in 2000. In his approximately ten years at Bertelsmann where he held various leading management positions, he acquired comprehensive knowledge and experience in the area of innovation management.

His further professional career led him to the American education Publishing House Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Here he was responsible for the implementation of internal innovation ideas.

He then co-founded the startup incubator and digital service company etventure - based in Munich and Berlin. The focus of his work was the digital transformation of medium sized and large companies as well as the establishment of own startups in the B2B area. After the successful sale of etventure to the BIG4 Advisory Company EY (Ernst and Young), Christian worked as an equity partner at EY for around four years.

In 2022 Christian co-founded the Startup Accelerator BRYCK, based in Essen. BRYCK`s main shareholder is the RAG-Foundation. The aim of BRYCK is to build a leading accelerator in Europe with an Industry focus.

Speaker

Michael Lurie
Chief Catalyst, Bayer

Michael Lurie is Chief Catalyst (Chief Transformation Officer) for Bayer, where he is leading the organization’s extraordinary journey to Dynamic Shared Ownership (DSO). DSO is a fundamental evolution of our global life sciences company into a highly collaborative and continually learning network of thousands of entrepreneurial businesses, focused individually and collectively on maximizing value for the millions of farmers, patients, consumers, and other stakeholders we serve.

Over the past thirty years, Michael has worked with over 200 organizations across many sectors around the world, as an entrepreneur and as a partner with McKinsey. Through this work he has led the evolution of a powerful and practical approach to transition organizations from traditional management systems to thriving value creation systems, to unleash their full potential and deliver new levels of performance for stakeholders and society.

Speaker

Christopher Maclay
Mercy Corps‘ Program Director at the Jobtech Alliance, Kenya

Chris leads the Jobtech Alliance, an ecosystem-building initiative bringing together start-ups, support organizations, and investors working on the future of work and the platform economy in Africa. He has spent over a decade working in the youth employment and economic development space in Africa, Asia, and his native UK, working with NGOs, donors, and the private sector. Most recently, he was Chief Operating Officer at Lynk, then Africa's largest gig matching platform for informal workers.

Speaker

Kirstan Marnane
Leadership coach and consultant, Marnane Consulting Limited

Kirstan is an independent leadership coach and consultant who has worked for over 20 years with CEOs, Boards, top management teams, and leaders at all levels in organizations. She is a senior consultant to Mobius Executive Leadership and teaches coaching to senior executives on the faculty of Meyler Campbell’s selective ‘Mastered’ program, and leadership at the British Army Staff College.

Kirstan has led 100s of top team and leadership programs aimed at helping leaders drive change as they grow, using techniques to sustain their energy and realistic optimism. She coaches leaders at transition points in their careers.

Kirstan worked for 16 years at McKinsey & Co. in their Leadership and Organization practice. While there, she led their flagship Remarkable Women Program for groups of senior women leaders in global organizations. She teaches leadership to new British Army Colonels and Generals and is on the Army’s Gender Advisory Council. Kirstan is also a founding member of the Institute of Coaching professional association affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

She has a Masters from Boston University and a BA from Smith College. Kirstan has lived and worked in China, Italy, Germany and France. She is American, British and Italian and today lives between London and West Cork, Ireland.

Speaker

Karen Massey
COO argenx

Assuming the role of Chief Operating Officer of argenx in March 2023, Karen Massey brings more than two decades of expertise in the biopharmaceutical sector. With a diverse background spanning commercial leadership, product development, corporate strategy, and innovation, Karen has established herself as a dynamic leader in the industry.

As a COO one of the fastest growing companies in biotech, her impact extends beyond traditional metrics of success. Her innovative mindset is characterized by a willingness to push the boundaries of tradition and redefine the way argenx can impact patients beyond its transformative science. Karen’s eschewing of traditional organizational hierarchies empowers her teams and peers to challenge conventional thinking, dismantling bureaucracy and outdated business models that stifle agility and the freedom to innovate.

Before joining argenx, she held prominent positions at Genentech (Roche Group) for nearly nine years. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President of Product Development and Global Clinical Operations, overseeing a global team of over 2,000 professionals across 24 countries and managing the operational execution of more than 300 clinical trials in areas such as oncology, neuroscience, infectious diseases, immunology, and ophthalmology.

She holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney and a MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business.

Speaker

Rita McGrath
Professor of strategy, Columbia Business School

Rita McGrath, one of the world’s top experts on strategy and innovation, is consistently ranked among the top 10 management thinkers in the world by the prestigious Thinkers50 and won their #1 award in strategy. She is a trusted partner and strategic advisor in the C-suites of many of the country’s biggest and most well-known companies - especially as they work to grow, evolve, reinvent themselves and see around corners.

She is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on strategic inflection points, the topic of her most recent book -  Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019). She is the author of 4 other books on leadership, business and organizational management including the best-selling The End of Competitive Advantage (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013). Her work on discovery-driven growth was praised by the late legendary management thinker Clayton Christensen as offering “some of the most important ideas of management and strategy that have ever been developed.” She is currently working on a book full of humor and insight for business leaders aimed at helping organizations become ‘2% less stupid’ by adopting permissionless structures.

Rita regularly sits down for in-depth conversations with high level authors and leaders in business for her popular podcastThought Sparks. She also writes a regular Thought Sparks newsletter and shares insights across social media platforms, including LinkedIn, where she has more than 45,000 followers. 

Rita is known for her energy, positivity, storytelling, and ability to connect with audiences. She is also a sought-after corporate speaker, a long-time educator at Columbia Business School, the author and host of the popular podcast and newsletter Thought Sparks, available on Youtube.

Connect with her on LinkedIn. Learn more at RitaMcGrath.com and Valize.com. 

Chair

Mary Meaney Haynes
Social Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

Mary is a Board member of GBL (Groupe Bruxelles Lambert), Syensqo, Imperial College London and an angel investor and Board member of a range of Tech companies (e.g., Beamery, V-Nova etc). Mary also serves on the Advisory Board of Imperial College Business School and is an Ambassador to the International Peter Drucker Forum. She leads Solidarite Ukraine, a non-profit organization in France which supports hundreds of Ukrainian women and children displaced by the war.

Previously, she was a Senior Partner at McKinsey where she served on McKinsey’s Shareholder’s Council (global Board of Directors) and led McKinsey’s global Organization practice. She co-authored a book, Leading Organizations, as well as the McKinsey Global Institute report on The Future of Work after Covid-19. She was a Trustee of TeachFirst for almost a decade and has lectured at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, and Tsinghua.

DOWNLOAD CV

Speaker

Antonella Mei-Pochtler
Executive Vice Chair, Pochtler Industrieholding

Antonella Mei-Pochtler is a strategist and investor with deep experience in the global media, technology and consumer sectors, both as advisor and executive.

She studied Business Administration at the LMU Munich and at the Universitá degli Studi di Roma and holds an MBA with the Dean’s List Award of INSEAD.

She worked at the The Boston Consulting Group where she held key management positions in Europe and globally, as Global Executive Committee member. She was recognized by Forbes as Junior Manager of the Year and by Consulting Magazine with the lifetime achievement award.

In 2018 she joined the Austrian government as Special Advisor to the Chancellor and Head of ThinkAustria until 2022. She initiated and continues to serve as Chairwoman of the KofiAnnanAward for Innovation in Africa, a joint initiative of the African and European Union.

Dr. Mei-Pochtler currently serves as Executive Vice-Chairwoman of Pochtler Industrieholding and as Non-Executive Director of Generali Group S.p.A., Publicis SA, Westwing SE, and DEAG.
Her involvement in a range of social causes, particularly in education, led to the co-founding of the award-winning project Business@School and of the Phorms School Network in Germany, and to an advisory board role at Teach for All.

A strong believer in Europe, Antonella supports various European initiatives to foster tech innovation and sovereignty, among others as scientific board member of the Drucker Forum, as Vice Chairwoman of the European Forum Alpbach and as advisory board member of TUMVentureLabs.

Speaker

Christian Mohr
Managing Director and CCO at UnternehmerTUM

Christian Mohr is Managing Director and CCO at UnternehmerTUM, Europe’s leading Startup Hub. He is an expert in technology driven entrepreneurship. In 2021 he founded FamilienUnternehmerTUM, a platform strengthening the awareness for family businesses, succession and on accompanying medium-sized and family-run companies in the areas of innovation, technology and start-up collaboration. In 2025 he founded the first ETA (Entrepreneurship through acquisition) HUB in Germany for future new leaders in SMEs.

Coming from a family business, the 43-year-old gained over ten years of experience in one of the world's leading consulting companies before joining UnternehmerTUM in 2019. He is chairman of the board of the non-profit family foundation founded with his grandparents, shareholder and serves as advisory board member for other family businesses and institutions (eg. Truma Group, Federal Center for Arts and Creative Industry). In 2025 he has been awarded with the „Europa-Medaille“ for exceptional European an international engagement. He regularly shares his experience as a member of expert committees, author and in lectures eg. at Technical University Munich.

Speaker

James Mountford
Executive coach and editor

James has three decades' experience supporting change across public and private sectors, with focus on healthcare and education. His passion is helping individuals and teams continually learn, improve and hold the gains. Having worked as a doctor and then at McKinsey, James held local and national leadership roles in the English NHS, and been Health Strategy Officer for the Paris-based Galileo Global Education. He is an executive coach and consults with health system, education and other leaders internationally, and is senior advisor at Douglas Knowledge Partners. He also edits BMJLeader, a journal aiming to build better leaders for health systems across the world. During the pandemic he built systematic learning into daily operations at London’s Covid field hospital.

Speaker

Gordon Müller-Eschenbach
McKinsey (Berlin) and Senior Leader Aberkyn

biography upcoming soon.

Speaker

Clas Neumann
Senior Vice President, Head of Global SAP Labs Network

As the Head of SAP Labs Network (SLN), Dr. Neumann is leading the management and operation of SAP labs across the globe in 20 countries. Under his leadership, the SLN organization has grown significantly and is successfully running as the backbone of the entire R&D value chain in SAP. Today, SAP Labs is ranked among the best employers in most countries and has transformed its business to support global, innovative product development and local business growth alike.

Being part of SAP’s Senior Executive Team, Neumann has a 30-year advantageous career in SAP. Neumann has spent years in the fast-growing markets to develop the organization, with more than 20 years in India and China. Dr. Neumann has played an instrumental role in SAP’s entry into China, later being considered as the second home for SAP from the corporate strategy perspective. Before his role as Head of SLN, he was SVP in SAP’s breakthrough innovation group and the President of SAP Labs India. He helped establish the largest R&D Hub of SAP outside of Germany in Bangalore by growing it constantly to its current strength of 10,000+ talented engineers, responsible for various products and solutions of SAP.

Dr. Neumann is recognized for his business achievements in Asia, evident through his many invitations to join high-level business circles and associations. At present, he serves as Chairperson of the German Chamber of Commerce East China, the Vice Chairman of the Board and Member of the Steering Committee in the East Asian Association (OAV), and a Board Member of the Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC). Furthermore, he co-authored several books and articles on innovation and business practice in emerging markets. Dr. Neumann speaks regularly at major conferences (e.g. World Economic Forum, China International Import Expo, Asia Berlin Summit, World Artificial Intelligence Conference) and top universities, such as Tsinghua University, Tongji University, INSEAD, CEIBS, San Jose State University, Seoul National University, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technology University among others.

Dr. Neumann holds a doctoral degree in Business Administration from École des Ponts Paris Tech Business School in France, and an MBA degree from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, and Singapore. Neumann has been appointed as the Adjunct Professor of Tongji University and School of Economics and Management, Dalian University of Technology.

Speaker

Kevin Nolan
President & CEO, GE Appliances, a Haier Company

Kevin Nolan is a seasoned engineer and passionate maker with more than 30 patent awards and a 35-year career at GE and GE Appliances today, including ten years as GE Appliances’ Chief Technology Officer.

He took innovation to a new level when he conceived and co-founded FirstBuild, the first corporate makerspace in the world and a global co-creation community that harnesses the power of the maker movement to change the way home appliances are conceived, designed, and manufactured.

Originally from Stamford, Connecticut, Kevin opened CoCreate in 2023. Part manufacturing facility, makerspace, and design and experience center, CoCreate is an innovative, creative playground for the community, where doors are open for people to make, connect, and be inspired.

Kevin’s leadership and commitment to the communities across the U.S. where GE Appliances does business has been broadly recognized, including being named one of the “Most Admired CEOs” in GE Appliances’ hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. He works directly and through several organizations to attract new businesses to the area, promote STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) programs in public schools and community centers, and mobilize resources to close the digital and educational gap. In 2020, he was recognized by Louisville Business First for exemplary leadership with a focus on employees and the community during the COVID-19 response.

Kevin was inducted into the University of Connecticut Academy of Distinguished Engineers in 2019 and has earned the Kentucky Board of Education’s Kelly Award for outstanding business and public education partnership. In 2022, the University of Louisville presented him with an honorary doctoral Degree of Science.

Kevin is a frequent speaker at international conferences and business schools, where he shares his thoughts and experiences on his passion areas: lean enterprises, entrepreneurship, innovation, and change.

In his spare time, Kevin’s an avid clockmaker, which he builds in his home garage.

Speaker

Ike Nwankwo
MSc, MBA, PMP PMI Board of Directors Chair

Ike Nwankwo, MSc, MBA, PMP, is the Chair of the PMI Board of Directors. He has served on the PMI Board since 2021. He is a long-time PMI volunteer and past president of the PMI chapter in Nigeria, past PMI Region Mentor for Africa and the immediate past Chair of PMI’s Governance Committee.

Nwankwo is the managing director of Distinct Management, Ltd, an independent project management consultancy focusing on information technology, construction, and business transformation. Throughout his more than 25-year career, he has managed portfolios and led the delivery of multi-million-dollar projects and programs across multiple sectors, for a diverse range of multinational organizations across the United Kingdom and Africa.

He is a motivated professional speaker, and he has co-authored a book on global leadership, entitled “Developing Global Leaders: Insights from African Case Studies.”

Nwankwo holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Architecture, both from the University of Nigeria, as well as an MBA from Middlesex University Business School, United Kingdom. He is a graduate of the PMI Leadership Institute Master Class of 2016. 

Speaker

Eugene Nwoke
General Manager, Roche

Professional Summary
Strategic and purpose-driven pharmaceutical executive with over 15 years of experience across Sub-Saharan Africa, leading access, commercial, and ecosystem strategies in complex healthcare systems. Proven track record of aligning commercial excellence with social impact—advancing equitable access to diagnostics and therapeutics in oncology, rare diseases, and chronic conditions. Deep belief in the power of collaboration, human-centric leadership, and innovation to build sustainable health systems and deliver long-term value for patients and society.

Selected Experience

Roche
General Manager, Francophone West & Lusophone Africa
- Led market-shaping initiatives in Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Cape Verde for breast cancer, hemophilia, and liver cancer.
- Negotiated public-private partnerships with Ministries of Health to co-develop national cancer control strategies.
- Drove early pipeline shaping through lifecycle planning and real-world evidence.

GlaxoSmithKline & Nestlé
Various Senior Commercial & Marketing Roles
- Oversaw regional portfolios in Central and West Africa, managing multi-country teams and P&Ls.
- Successfully led product launches and go-to-market strategies that balanced profitability with public health needs.

Education
MBA, Lagos Business School, Nigeria
Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing, University College Plymouth, UK
Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm), University of Ibadan, Nigeria

Speaker

Jesper Bork Olsen
Chief Security Officer EMEA North, Palo Alto Networks

Jesper is the Chief Security Officer for Northern Europe at Palo Alto Networks where he delivers strategic counsel to large organizations, governments and military entities. Joining the company in 2021, he brings more than two decades of experience and knowledge in leading Information Security efforts across software development, systems & security architecture, national security strategies, and government policy. 

Speaker

Alexander Osterwalder
Founder & CEO of Strategyzer, Visiting Professor IMD

Dr. Alexander (Alex) Osterwalder, founder & CEO of Strategyzer, is one of the world’s most influential strategy and innovation experts. A leading author, entrepreneur, and in-demand
speaker, his work has changed how established companies do business and how new ventures get started.

Ranked among the top 10 of the leading 50 management thinkers worldwide and a visiting professor at IMD, Osterwalder is known for simplifying the strategy development process and turning complex concepts into digestible visual models. Together with Yves Pigneur, he invented the Business Model Canvas, Value Proposition Canvas, and Business Portfolio Map - practical tools that are trusted by millions of business practitioners from leading global companies.

Strategyzer provides online courses, applications, and technology-enabled services to help organizations manage strategy, growth, and transformation effectively and systematically.

His books include the international bestseller «Business Model Generation», «Value Proposition Design», «Testing Business Ideas», «The Invincible Company,» and «High-Impact Tools for Teams».

Speaker

Stig Kirk Ørskov
CEO of JP/Politiken Media Group

Stig Ørskov is the CEO of JP/Politiken Media Group, and former editor-in-chief of the Danish newspaper, Politiken. JP/Politiken Media Group is the leading private news publishing company in Denmark and publishes three of the leading national news media brands, Ekstra Bladet, Jyllands-Posten and Politiken. In addition to this it operates a portfolio of BTB news media with activities in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany and UK. Furthermore, JP/Politiken Media Group is the owner of one of Denmark’s biggest book publishing houses with activities in Norway and Sweden. The group operates the leading book e-bookstore in Denmark, Saxo.com, and the country’s leading home distribution company, DAO.

Speaker

Léa Peersman
CEO & co-founder of Lign.ai

Léa Peersman is a builder and an investor, focusing on Human Intelligence (HI) and talent related technologies and solutions. She specializes in the Future of Work, as an entrepreneur, an advisor, a coach, and a lecturer.

She is the founder of Lign, a pioneering AI-native Talent Intelligence System enabling Self-Management and Augmented Collaboration for modern talent. She also collaborates with forward-looking organizations and leaders so they can imagine new ways to attract, nurture and harness human potential (SYPartners, CHANEL, OpenClassrooms, 2050NOW La Maison, Steelcase, Metalsa, Rothschild Foundations, ESSEC Business School, etc.). She teaches Entrepreneurship at Sciences Po Paris and sits on the board of the MIT Club de France as a 2017 Sloan MBA alum.

Originally from Biarritz in the Basque Country, she has worked, studied and traveled around the world to explore the many dimensions of human nature. She now lives in Paris with her husband, Philippe, and two children, Ulysse and Nina. She enjoys running along the Seine pushing a stroller, crafting foresight scenarios, gathering huge tables full of friends and laughter.

Speaker

Deborah Perry Piscione
Chief Future Officer, Work3 Institute and Co-Author of “Employment is Dead”

Deborah Perry Piscione is a renowned futurist and expert in business strategy and growth, specializing in the transformation of work and organizations in the era of AI and web3 technologies. As the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Work3 Institute, she leads cutting-edge research and advisory services on the convergence of AI, blockchain, and emerging technologies, providing strategic insights on their profound impact on business models, organizational structures, and the future of work.

A seasoned Silicon Valley entrepreneur, investor, board director, and New York Times bestselling author, Deborah has established herself as a preeminent thought leader in AI ethics, innovation, and strategic risk-taking in the digital age. Her expertise in business strategy and growth has made her a sought-after advisor to Fortune 500 companies navigating the complexities of technological disruption and organizational transformation.

Her latest book, Employment is Dead! How Disruptive Technologies are Revolutionizing the Way We Work (Harvard Business Review Press, January 28, 2025), explores the transformative potential of AI and distributed ledger technologies on traditional employment models and organizational hierarchies.

Deborah is the architect of Improvisational Innovation, a groundbreaking bottom-up innovation process that creates a safe environment for employees to propose new ideas, particularly those leveraging AI and web3 technologies. The process came out from her New York Times bestselling book, Secrets of Silicon Valley.  This process has been adopted by industry leaders such as McKinsey & Co, Accenture, Tata, and Qualcomm, demonstrating its effectiveness in fostering AI-driven innovation within large enterprises and consulting practices.

As co-creator of WAGMAS, web3summit.xyz, Deborah leads a hype-free, web3 community and summit series, working to educate and transition enterprises and governments on the practical applications of AI, blockchain, and web3 technologies. Her work in this space has positioned her as a key figure in bridging the gap between traditional business models and the AI-augmented, decentralized future of work.

Deborah is a globally sought-after speaker on AI ethics, the future of work, and technological disruption. Her insights and expertise have made her the subject of a Stanford University Graduate School of Business case study, "Deborah Perry Piscione: Finding Opportunity in Silicon Valley."

Prior to her move to Silicon Valley in 2006, Deborah spent 18 years in Washington, DC as a staffer in the U.S. Congress (for US Sen. Connie Mack and US Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen) and the White House (for President George H.W. Bush). She has also served as an on-air commentator for CNN and a guest lecturer at Stanford University, where she discusses the intersection of AI, the Silicon Valley ecosystem, and the evolution of enterprise growth through AI-driven innovation and entrepreneurship.

Through her multifaceted career, Deborah continues to shape the discourse on how AI and web3 technologies are reshaping the global business landscape and the very nature of work itself.

Speaker

Stefan Wolfgang Pickl
Chair of Operations Research, University of Federal Armed Forces, Germany

Stefan Wolfgang Pickl was born in Darmstadt, Germany on 29th September, 1967. He studied mathematics, electrical engineering and philosophy at the Technical University of Darmstadt (Diploma in 1993; ERASMUS-scholarship at the EPF Lausanne); doctor’s degree at the TU Darmstadt in 1998, followed by his habilitation at the University of Cologne in 2005.

From the years 2000 to 2005 Mr Pickl was scientific assistant and project manager at the Center for applied Computer Sciences in Cologne (ZAIK); among various other functions he was holding main responsibility in the field of “Modelling, simulation and optimizing conflicts involving resources - analysis of complex systems”. Since July 2005 Mr Pickl holds a chair for Operations Research at the UBw Munich.     

In 2000 Mr. Pickl received the phd-thesis award by the German Society for Operations Research; followed by international “best-paper awards” in the years 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2015. He is co-leading the working group “Simulation and Optimization of Complex Systems” of the German Society for Operations Research (GOR). 

He is counsellor to the “Center for the Advanced Studies of Algorithms (CASA)” at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to the “Center for Applied Optimization (CAO)” at University of Florida, as well as an associated member of the “Center for Network Innovation and Experimentation (CENETIX)” of the Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, CA (USA).

During the years 2004 to 2024 Mr. Pickl was invited for assignments as visiting- professor in the States, Asia and Europe such as with the Center for Homeland Defense and Security, CHDS. As a guest scientist Mr Pickl was a “Visiting Scientist” in Los Alamos National Labs, in the SANDIA Laboratory, at the MIT as well as at the Santa Fe Institute for complex systems. Mr Pickl was one of the first mathematicians who developed a model for the simulation and optimization of the CO2 -conflict. 

Respectively Mr Pickl was a member of the Excellence-Cluster “Energy” at the RWTH Aachen. He released more than 300 publications.

Since 2008 Mr Pickl is Vice-Chair of the international Committee for Controlling Theory in the range of IFAC (International Federation on Optimal Control Section: Technical Committee on Optimal Control). Since 2010 he is chair of the advisory board of the German Society for Operations Research. 

Furthermore he is Honorary Professor at University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus.

Since 2019, Mr Pickl is Vice-President of the German Committee for Desaster Reduction DKKV. He is member of the counselling-board of the BBK in Germany. 

Since 2022 he is PI of the Topic Leadership Circle TLC in cooperation with Peter Drucker Forum. In 2023 he was nominated as honorary member of the German Society for Operations Research. Since 2024 he is member of the German Academy of Technology acatech. In 2025 he was nominated as member of the Club of Rome.

Speaker

Lenka Pincot
PMP, PMI-ACP, PfMP, PMI-PBA, CAPM Chief of Staff to the CEO, Project Management Institute

Lenka is PMI’s Chief of Staff to the CEO, an executive leader, and PMI’s representative on the Agile Alliance Board of Directors. She oversees PMI’s Transformation Management Office, Enterprise Program Management Office, CEO & Board communications, and Thought Leadership teams. Her role is to drive the execution of strategic change initiatives and foster a culture of innovation and excellence across all levels.

In her capacity, she collaborates closely with the CEO, other executive leaders, and the Board of Directors to align strategic goals with operational execution. By leading cross-functional teams and spearheading critical projects, Lenka ensures that transformation efforts are on track and deliver impactful results. Her focus on effective communication and thought leadership helps position PMI at the forefront of project management trends and innovations, reinforcing PMI's commitment to the new purpose: to maximize project success to elevate our world.

Lenka has extensive international experience driving digital and agile transformations, innovation, and business growth across multiple industries. Most recently, Lenka served as the Head of Agile Transformation at a key European bank, where she defined the organization’s transformation vision and strategy, built a high-performing transformation team, and executed the roadmap while onboarding business and IT talent. Lenka promoted customer centricity and contributed to their digital leadership in the market.

Lenka holds a Master's degree in Computer Sciences, Software Engineering from Charles University. She has earned a Digital Excellence Diploma from the IMD Business School of Switzerland and completed the European Women in Boards C-Level Program. She holds international certifications in project management, agile practices, and business analysis, including the following PMI Credentials: PMP, PfMP, PMI-PBA, CAPM, and PMI-ACP.

Speaker

Juergen Reiner
Co-Head of Europe, Managing Partner, Uvance Wayfinders, Fujitsu

Dr. Juergen Reiner co-heads Uvance Wayfinders in Europe. He has over two decades of experience leading digital transformation for customers across industry sectors and regions.

Prior to joining Fujitsu, he held leadership roles at McKinsey & Company, Oliver Wyman, and in the Professional Services units of AWS and Siemens. Across these roles, he built global advisory practices and drove innovation in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. His work has spanned professional services, digital strategy, and sector leadership, with a focus on innovation and ecosystem collaboration.

In his current role, Juergen focuses on expanding the customer network in Europe, building and implementing the business model strategy, as well as developing innovative, scalable service offerings with and for clients.

He holds a Ph.D. in Information Economics from WU Vienna and an engineering diploma from ETH Zürich.

Speaker

Marie Ringler
Leadership Group Member, Ashoka Europe Leader

Marie Ringler is leading Ashoka‘s work in Europe. She founded Ashoka‘s Austrian office in 2011 and soon took over Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe. In 2015 she became one of Ashoka‘s Europe Directors, in 2018 she was appointed European Leader of Ashoka. She was born in Vienna, studied Sociology, Political Science and Women`s Studies at the University of Vienna, and holds a degree from ESADE Business School, Spain and an MBA from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

In her role as Director of Ashoka in Central and Eastern Europe she led Ashoka’s relaunch efforts in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Israel. As Europe Leader Ringler is advancing Ashoka’s work in over 26 country offices who support more than 570 Social Entrepreneurs (“Ashoka Fellows”).

Ashoka is the world`s largest network of 3.600 Social Entrepreneurs, spanning across more than 90 countries, who are solving some of the world`s toughest social problems. Ashoka works to identify, elect and support leading social entrepreneurs financially and professionally.

Speaker

Enrique Rodriguez
Head of GTM Strategy EMEA, Palo Alto Networks

Enrique Rodríguez is the Head of Strategy for EMEA and a member of the regional Leadership Team at Palo Alto Networks, the global AI and cybersecurity leader, based in London. His professional career, with engagements spanning five continents, has consistently focused on the intersection of business, policy, and law, with a more recent emphasis on the world of Enterprise Technology.

Before joining Palo Alto Networks in 2023, Enrique developed and implemented global Go-To-Market initiatives for Google EMEA's largest customers (GCAS, Global Client & Agency Solutions). He started his career at Bain & Company, out of the Madrid and New York offices, where he focused on complex, multi-country transformations and served Private Equity clients, earning him recognition as one of Spain's ‘Top 10 Management Consultants under 35’ in 2021.

Enrique holds a Master in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with Distinction from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also an Attorney at Law, with a JD from the University of Navarra in Spain, where he graduated as Valedictorian of his class. He was a Rafael del Pino & Real Colegio Complutense, Ramón Areces, and María Cristina Masaveu Peterson scholar, respectively.

Speaker

Johan Roos
Exec. Director, Vienna Center for Management Innovation (VCMI) think tank; Presidential Advisor, Hult Internat. Business School

Dr. Johan Roos drive transformation in leadership and business education, working at the intersection of strategy, AI, and experiential learning to reshape management practice and business education. 

As Executive Director at Peter Drucker Society Europe, he is the lead architect of The Next Management initiative to help advance management practices and thinking globally. Previously, as Chief Academic Officer at Hult (2016-2024), he initiated and led one of the earliest large-scale AI adoption efforts in business education. Prior to this, his leadership roles at Jönköping International Business School, Copenhagen Business School, Stockholm School of Economics, and Swiss-based Imagination Lab Foundation reflects a commitment to the highest levels of quality, modernizing institutions, and realigning strategy and incentives for real-world impact.

 Johan is the originator co-inventor of LEGO Serious Play, a globally recognized methodology that has redefined leadership development, innovation, and management practices across industries globally. 

Chair

Monika Rosen
Vice President Austro-American-Society

Over 30 years of experience in financial markets, formerly Head of Research, now Vice President of the Austro-American Society; degrees from the University of Vienna and Georgia State, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Speaker

Hans Rusinek
Consultant, Researcher, award-winning Author & Speaker on the Future of Work, Lecturer University St. Gallen, Fellow tt30 Club of Rome, LinkedIn Top Voice ’24, Ex-BCG Brighthouse

Dr. Hans Rusinek researches and teaches on the transformation of work at the University of St. Gallen besides working as an independent management consultant. He is on the supervisory board of a Swiss stock corporation and a Fellow of the Club of Rome Germany. His bestselling book "Work-Survival-Balance" was published by Herder Verlag in 2023 and was shortlisted for the "Das politische Buch" literary prize by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. In 2024, HR magazine named him one of "Germany's Top 10 HR Influencers". In previous years, he helped establish the transformation consultancy Brighthouse, part of the Boston Consulting Group, and led it as Associate Strategy Director. He studied economics, philosophy, and international relations at the London School of Economics and the University of Bayreuth, as well as design thinking at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam.

Speaker

Thomas Sattelberger
Former State Secretary for Research and Member of the German Bundestag; Author and Angel Investor

Thomas Sattelberger (1949) has served from 2017-2022 as Member of Deutscher Bundestag and was appointed 2021 Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Prior to his political career he has been on the Executive Board of Deutsche Telekom AG as Chief Human Resources Officer from 2007 – 2012. Before, he had held operational as well as HR positions on the Executive Boards of Lufthansa German Airlines (1999 – 2004) and Continental AG (2004 – 2007). He was longtime Vice President of the European Foundation for Management Development (Brussels) and is Fellow of the International Academy of Management.

Thomas has published and authored over ten books as well as numerous articles on corporate transformation, leadership and strategic human resources management. His book on Democratic Organizations has been named Management Book of the Year 2015 in Germany. In 2023 he published his latest book “Radikal Neu -Gegen Mittelmass und Abstieg in Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft”(Radically New – Against Mediocracy and Decline in Economy and Politics”). Thomas is active as investor and business angel. He also is serving on several advisory boards

Speaker

Rupert Sausgruber
Rector of WU Vienna University of Economics and Business

In October 2023, Rupert Sausgruber took office as Rector of WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, where he has been Professor of Public Economics since 2013. From 2018 until being elected as Rector, Rupert Sausgruber chaired WU’s Department of Economics. 

Rupert Sausgruber studied economics at the University of Innsbruck and at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) in Vienna and has been a visiting scholar at various institutions abroad (including the Max Planck Institute for Economic Research in Jena and the universities of Copenhagen, Michigan, Bremen, Adelaide, Amsterdam, and Arizona). He has published numerous papers in renowned international journals, including the Journal of the European Economic Association, the Journal of Public Economics, and the European Economic Review. 

Speaker

Marcus du Sautoy
Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford

Marcus du Sautoy is the Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal Society. He is author of nine books including his most recent book Blueprints: how mathematics shapes creativity (Fourth Estate 2025). He is author of two plays including I is a Strange Loop (Faber 2021) which was performed at the Barbican in London in which he was also lead actor. He has presented numerous radio and TV series including a four part landmark TV series for the BBC called The Story of Maths. He works extensively with a range of arts organisations bringing science alive for the public from The Royal Opera House to the Glastonbury Festival. He received an OBE for services to science in the 2010 New Year’s Honours List.

Speaker

Christina Schulte-Kutsch
Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) / Global Head of Human Resources – Siemens Energy AG

Christina Schulte-Kutsch is CHRO of Siemens Energy AG, where she leads the global people agenda and partners with the business to translate strategy into human impact. She drives Siemens Energy’s people strategy with a strong focus on building a people-centric culture as a key for business success and growth, driven by people and leadership excellence and future-ready skills. With this, she positions HR as a catalyst for the energy transition – for more than 100,000 employees in over 90 countries.

Before joining Siemens Energy, she held senior HR leadership roles across industries and geographies, including automotive and telecommunications, consistently advancing innovation in the workforce, leadership and organization development. Recognized as a strategic thought leader in Human Resources, she believes that empowered people and strong teams are the drivers of a successful energy transition. 

Christina holds degrees in Human Resources Development and International Business. She has lived and worked in the UK, Spain, Japan, Brazil, India and Germany. 

Speaker

Jean-Dominique Senard
Chairman of the Board, Renault Group

Jean-Dominique Senard, HEC alumnus and holder of a master’s degree in law, began his career with various financial and operational responsibilities within the Total Group from 1979 to 1987, then at Saint Gobain from 1987 to 1996.

He served as Chief Financial Officer and an Executive Committee member of the Pechiney Group from 1996 to 2001, then headed its Primary Aluminium segment until 2005.

Jean-Dominique Senard joined Michelin in March 2005 as Chief Financial Officer and an Executive Committee member.

He became Managing Partner of the Michelin Group in 2007, then Managing General Partner on 13 May 2011. He then took over from Michel Rollier as Chief Executive Officer of Michelin, holding the position until 17 May 2019.
He was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of Renault Group on 24 January 2019, then Chairman of the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance Operating Board on 1 March of the same year.
In March 2018, he presented the French government with a report he co-wrote with Nicole Notat on the role of “a company as an object of collective interest”.

In April 2023, following a national forum on work, he presented the French government with a report he co-wrote and co-sponsored with Sophie Thiery entitled “Reconsidering work”.
He serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Committee for the FIVES Group and as director of the La Montagne–Centre France press group. He was Lead Independent Director of Saint-Gobain (until 2024).

He is a Commander of the Legion of Honour.

Speaker

Shin Shuda
Global CEO & Senior Managing Partner, Uvance Wayfinders Global Consulting Group, Fujitsu

Shin Shuda has extensive experience in leading projects from strategy formulation to execution, particularly in the distribution, consumer goods, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and private equity industries across Japan, North America, and Australia. At Accenture North America, he played a pivotal role in enhancing corporate value through business transformation, operational efficiency, and digital transformation (DX), and has led multiple practices. In addition to his consulting expertise, as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for UNIQLO USA, he contributed to the brand's turnaround and the establishment of a growth foundation in Western markets. Leveraging his rich experience in Japan and North America, he drove UNIQLO's growth.

In March 2025, Shinichiro joined Fujitsu, spearheading the global business expansion and organizational transformation of Uvance Wayfinders. He graduated from Brown University (USA) with a B.S. in Engineering.

Speaker

Brian Solis
Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow; Futurist and Digital Anthropologist

Futurist: Forbes heralded Brian Solis as “one of the more creative and brilliant business minds of our time." He was recently named a "top futurist speaker," by ReadWrite. ZDNet called him “one of the 21st century business world’s leading thinkers.”

Brian helps audiences understand the evolving, complex landscape of digital trends and how they impact our work, markets, and business over time. Whether it’s generative AI, AR/VR or and spatial computing, web3, the metaverse, IoT, digital twins, or robotics and autonomous vehicles and systems, Brian humanizes each wave of emergent disruption to help audiences understand trends and see themselves productively shaping the future. He helps shift people’s mindsets from being overwhelmed, confused, or intimidated to moving forward with curiosity, excitement, and imagination.

Digital Anthropologist: Brian is one of the industry’s first digital anthropologists who helped define the practice and humanized the trends. He observes how technology changes people’s behavior as leaders, employees, or customers and understand their aspirations, their values, how they make decisions, and how they want to work.

Through this research, Brian helps audiences empathize with different generations (Gen-Y, Z, Alpha) and understand how technology creates a cross-generational superset of people with similar behaviors, interests, and aspirations. Brian coined these important groups as Generation-Connected and Generation-Novel.

ServiceNow: Currently, Brian serves as the Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow. In his role, he sets the strategic direction and programming for ServiceNow's Innovation and Executive Briefing Centers in Silicon Valley, New York, London, Paris, Sydney, and Singapore. Additionally, Brian designs and delivers engagements with customers to advise on digital and business innovation strategies. He writes for leading publications to help executives and customers understand technology and market trends and inspire business model innovation.

United Nations: Brian serves as a special adviser to the UN global innovation team. He develops workshops and keynotes that explore emergent trends and future scenarios, scenario strategies, skills development, and culture and leadership.

Salesforce: As the leader of Global Innovation at Salesforce, Brian gained a reputation as the “CxO Whisperer” because of his ability to translate shifting technology and market trends into actionable strategies. He also has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing companies and helps leaders think differently about current priorities and investments to future proof their organizations. Brian also partnered with leading

Speaker

Christian Stadler
Professor in Strategic Management, Warwick Business School

Christian Stadler, PhD, is a professor of strategic management at the University of Warwick (U.K.). He helps organizations open up the decision-making process in order to leverage input from all levels of their business, creating successful long-term strategies for internal and external stakeholders. It’s what he calls “open strategy.” Christian is a regular Forbes contributor and Harvard Business Review writer, and has provided commentary for CNN, the BBC, Al Jazeera, the New York Times, the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. Thinkers50 first recognized him as a future thinker in 2013 and in 2021 shortlisted him for the strategy award.

Speaker

Georg Stadlhofer
Board Member, Drees & Sommer Austria

After completing his studies in Facility Management at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein in Tyrol, Georg Stadlhofer began his career as a Facility Manager and later as Global Category Manager FM/Infrastructure at the Novartis subsidiary Sandoz in Germany. He then transitioned into real estate and corporate real estate consulting, working as a consultant and later as a partner at Reality Consult GmbH. During this time, he managed projects in Romania and Luxembourg, was responsible for the consulting business in Germany for around ten years, and served as Interim Head of Global Real Estate at ZF Friedrichshafen AG for two years.

Following the acquisition of Reality Consult GmbH by Drees & Sommer, he joined Drees & Sommer Austria as Senior Project Partner and member of the management team in 2016. Since 2019, he has been Managing Director of Drees & Sommer Austria, where he leads the company’s strategic development and expansion.

Georg Stadlhofer holds a Master’s degree in Real Estate Investment and Finance from Henley Business School at the University of Reading. He is a Certified Management Consultant, a certified project manager, and a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS).

Speaker

Alfred Stern
Chairman of the Executive Board of OMV Aktiengesellschaft Chief Executive Officer

Alfred Stern has been the Chairman of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer of OMV AG since September 2021. Under the purpose of re-inventing essentials for sustainable living, OMV is transitioning to become an integrated sustainable chemicals, fuels and energy company, with a focus on circular economy solutions.

Prior to joining the OMV Group in April 2021 as a Board Member for Chemicals and Materials, he had been the CEO of Borealis since July 2018. During his tenure of 14 years, Stern held a series of other executive positions at Borealis, latterly as a Board Member for Polyolefins and Innovation & Technology.  He started his career at DuPont de Nemours, leading to extensive international experience in Switzerland, Germany, and the US across the spectrum of Research and Development, Sales and Marketing, and Quality and Business Management.

Stern studied at the Montanuniversität Leoben in Austria. He holds a PhD in material science and a Master in polymer engineering and science. 

Chair

Stefan Stern
Journalist, author and Visiting Professor in management practice at Bayes Business School

Stefan Stern is a journalist and author. He has been writing and commenting on business and management for over three decades. His career in journalism has included stints at Euromoney, the BBC, Management Today magazine, and the Financial Times, where he was the management columnist between 2006 and 2010. Since 2009 he has been a regular attendee at the Global Peter Drucker Forum.

In October 2010 Stefan was appointed Visiting Professor in management practice at Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), City St.George’s, University of London. He is a Fellow of the RSA, and continues to write for the FT, The Guardian, Prospect and The Conversation, among other titles. Between 2015 and 2018 he was director of the High Pay Centre, a London-based think-tank which looks at the issue of top pay.

He is the author of three books: “Myths of Management – what people get wrong about being the boss” (with Prof Sir Cary Cooper) (Kogan Page, 2017); “How to be a better leader” (Bluebird – Pan Macmillan, 2019); and most recently “Fair or Foul – the Lady Macbeth Guide to Ambition” (Unbound, 2024).

Speaker

Giuseppe Stigliano
Entrepreneur, Manager, Adjunct Professor at international business schools, President of Spring Studios

His career includes key roles at WPP, notably as Executive Director for Europe at AKQA and CEO of J. Walter Thompson Italy.

Holding a Ph.D. in Marketing and Economics, he has co-authored influential business books with international marketing guru Philip Kotler, including Retail 4.0, Onlife Fashion, and the most recent Redefining Retail.

Beyond Academia, he has achieved three successful business exits and invested in a dozen startups and scale-ups. Giuseppe is currently the President — and former Global CEO — of Spring Studios, a leading international agency with professionals based in London, New York, Los Angeles and Milan. His TEDx talk, How to Become a Marketing Superhero, which draws parallels between ancient Greek ideals and modern marketing, has resonated globally, amassing over a million views.

Recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice, his visionary leadership earned him a place on the Thinkers50 radarnlist in 2024, highlighting the profound impact of his ideas on the future of management. Additionally, he is a regular contributor to Forbes en Español and serves on the Advisory Council of Harvard Business Review.

Speaker

Richard Straub
Founder and President, Global Peter Drucker Forum

Richard Straub has drawn his ample experience of leadership and management from a 32-year career at IBM during which, among other things, he was instrumental in developing IBM’s PC business in Austria and Europe. As IBM Chief Learning Officer he oversaw the initial drive toward e-learning to enhance traditional education programs. Over the past decade, he and his wife Ilse have built up the Global Peter Drucker Forum. Its aim is the continuous improvement of the practice of management in business and in society. Today, the Drucker Forum is recognized globally as a leading management conference, as reflected in strategic partnerships with the likes of the Harvard Business Review, the Financial Times and the City of Vienna.

In 2012 Richard Straub was awarded the Heinz von Foerster Prize for Organizational Cybernetics and in 2019 he received the Grand Decoration of Honor for the Republic of Austria in recognition of the impact and reputation of the Drucker Forum.

Moderator

Bernhard Straub
CEO Robert Bosch Stiftung

Dr. Bernhard Straub was appointed CEO of the Robert Bosch Stiftung on July 1, 2021.
He is a member of the Board of the UWC Robert Bosch College in Freiburg and Co-Chairman of the Bosch Health Campus (BHC). He represents the Robert Bosch Stiftung as a member of the Forum Bildung Digitalisierung e.V. and sits on the board of the Bürgerstiftung Stuttgart. 

Before joining the Foundation, Dr. Bernhard Straub spent seven years as President of the Electrical Drives (ED) Divisional Board of Robert Bosch GmbH and had previously worked for the company across various roles, including in India and Japan. Dr. Bernhard Straub studied business administration and engineering in Karlsruhe before gaining his doctorate in information systems at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He went on to study computer science and sociology there, graduating with a PhD (Econ.). He is married and has two children.

Speaker

Michael Strebl
Chairman of the Management Board of Wien Energie GmbH

The renowned energy expert is CEO of Wien Energie since 2016. Active in the energy sector since 1994, his background includes over two decades in senior roles at Salzburg AG, studies in engineering and business, and international experience at the London School of Economics and with Siemens in Silicon Valley. He also serves as President of the Austrian Association for Energy Economics.

Speaker

Yoshikuni Takashige
Senior Advisor, Ridgelinez Limited

Yoshikuni Takashige worked with Fujitsu for 38 years, taking leadership in various important businesses including major strategic partnerships and joint ventures with global companies. As VP, he led the creation of the Fujitsu Technology and Service Vision, the company’s vision and thought leadership about how technology can help people and organizations to innovate and proactively contribute to a better future. It was first launched in 2013, and has been updated annually. Currently, he is Senior Advisor of Ridgelinez, a digital transformation consulting company, 100% owned by Fujitsu. He is coaching business people to create a purpose-led future vision and communicate it through powerful storytelling. 

He received an MBA degree from the Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University, and a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of Tokyo. 

Speaker

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr.
SHRM-SCP, President & CEO, SHRM

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. With nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally.

As a global leader on the future of employment, culture, and leadership, Mr. Taylor is a sought-after voice on all matters affecting work, workers, and the workplace. Recognized as one of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” for 2024 by Savoy Magazine, on the “Virginia 500: Power List” by Virginia Business, and as one of the “Most Influential People Shaping Public Policy” in our nation’s capital by Washingtonian Magazine, Mr. Taylor is frequently asked to testify before Congress on critical workforce issues and authors the weekly USA Today column, "Ask HR."

Mr. Taylor's career spans more than 20 years as a lawyer, human resources executive, and CEO in both the not-for-profit and for-profit spaces. He has held senior and chief executive roles at IAC/InteractiveCorp, Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, the McGuireWoods law firm, and Compass Group USA. Most recently, Mr. Taylor was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

He is the author of the national bestseller, RESET: A Leader’s Guide to Work in an Age of Upheaval, which immediately upon its release in September 2021, was in the top three of The Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling hardcover business books.

Mr. Taylor serves on the corporate boards of XPO, Inc.; Flores HR; and Guild Education. He previously served on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and as chairman of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the Trump Administration.

In 2020, he received the Distinguished Executive of the Year Award from the Academy of Management, and he was named 2021 ALA Professional Society CEO of the Year by CEO Update.

He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois, and Washington, D.C.

Speaker

Julie Linn Teigland
Global Vice Chair – Alliances & Ecosystems, EY

Julie is EY Global Vice Chair – Alliances & Ecosystems and a member of the EY Global Executive. Julie leads the growth of the global EY organization's strategic alliances business globally, a fundamental part of the EY client proposition, enabling EY to deliver superior business value for clients through award-winning collaboration, co-creation and innovation.

With three decades of experience in professional services, she is responsible for expanding existing EY ecosystems and developing new collaborations, including partnering with the world’s leading and emerging technology and services players.

Before this role Julie was EY EMEIA Area Managing Partner, leading a geographic area comprising member firms across Europe, Middle East, India and Africa. Since joining EY in 2001, she has also served as Senior Advisory Partner for key EY global accounts, as Regional Managing Partner for Germany, Switzerland and Austria, as well as Managing Partner for EMEIA Markets.

Julie is the Chair of the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union and serves on several boards across Europe and the US, such as UN EQUALS, Junior Achievement Europe, Atlantik Brücke and the American Council on Germany. Julie was named one of Fortune magazine’s ‘Most Powerful Women International’.

Julie is a dual citizen of both Germany and the US, and studied business in Heidelberg, Frankfurt and Paris. She is qualified as a US Certified Public Accountant.

Speaker

Takahito Tokita
CEO, Fujitsu Limited

After he joined Fujitsu in 1988, he spent over 30 years of his career as a systems engineer mainly in the financial services sector covering banks, life insurance and other financial institutions. He held various leadership positions in systems integration group, leading application development and delivery of large-scale, mission critical systems.

Prior to becoming CEO, Mr. Tokita was based in London for two years, responsible for the Global Delivery Group which provided service desk and offshore development capabilities across 8 countries with over 14,000 staff at that time.

Since his appointment as CEO in 2019, he has led company-wide purpose-driven transformations in the way all employees work, human resource systems, and the company’s business portfolios.

Mr. Tokita earned a Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering degree from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Speaker

Josée Touchette
Executive Director, OECD

Josée Touchette is Executive Director of the OECD, where she leads all corporate functions: finance, HR, IT, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and conference services, in support of more than 4,000 staff. She manages a team of 500 and has spearheaded major internal reforms to modernise and strengthen the Organisation. 

Her 35-year public service career is driven by a deep commitment to good governance, institutional resilience, and the disciplined implementation of complex reforms. Adaptive by nature, her experience is characterized by a multidisciplinary, integrational approach, serving in strategy, operations and corporate functions, notably in Indigenous Affairs, as Assistant Deputy Minister in Defence, Justice, and International Development in the Government of Canada. She also was Chief Operating Officer of the National Energy Board. 

A lawyer, Chartered Professional Accountant, and MBA graduate, Josée is recognised for leading with clarity, courage, and care across diverse and demanding environments. 

Speaker

Andreas Treichl
Chairman of the Supervisory Board, ERSTE Foundation

Andreas Treichl started his international career in banking at Chase Manhattan Bank. In 1997 he became CEO of the then small Austrian “Erste Bank”, now Erste Group, the largest retail bank in Central Europe. He remained its CEO until 2020. Since then he serves as Chairman of ERSTE Foundation, Erste Group’s core shareholder, that serves the common good with a focus on financial health and strengthening a democratic Europe.

Speaker

Tom Tugendhat
Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom; Former UK Minister

Tom Tugendhat has served the United Kingdom for over 25 years—in the Army, Parliament, and Government. He saw active service in Iraq in 2003 and Afghanistan from 2005, was elected MP for Tonbridge in 2015, chaired Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee in 2017 and was appointed Security Minister in 2022.

Tom modernised laws, oversaw intelligence agencies, and spearheaded initiatives against online child exploitation, fraud, and cybercrime. His work has strengthened Britain’s resilience against Islamist radicalisation, Iranian state-sponsored violence, and hostile activities from Russia and China. Among the first to warn of threats posed by foreign corruption and authoritarian interference, Tom has been sanctioned by Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran.

Before Parliament, Tom served as an intelligence officer and worked for the Foreign Office. He helped establish Afghanistan’s National Security Council and government in Helmand Province. He has also been a journalist, is regularly consulted for geopolitical analysis, and been a successful angel investor.

Speaker

Dave Ulrich
Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

Dave Ulrich has been the Rensis Likert Professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan and a partner at the RBL Group (http://www.rbl.net). He has published over 200 articles and book chapters and over 30 books. He edited Human Resource Management for ten years, served on editorial board of four other journals and on the Board of Directors for Herman Miller (16 years), has spoken to large audiences in 90 countries; performed workshops for over half of the Fortune 200; coached successful business leaders, and is a Distinguished Fellow in the National Academy of Human Resources. He posts weekly and comments daily on LinkedIn (over 350,000 followers and 3,300,000 page views in 2024) and has a free weekly newsletter with over 220,000 subscribers (https://lnkd.in/gbRqJHkW). His work creates ideas with impact about how to deliver stakeholder value through human capability (talent + organization + leadership + HR).

Organization. With co-authors, he has influenced thinking about modern organizations (Reinventing the Organization) by empirically showing how organization delivers four times business results over talent (Victory Through Organization), defined organizations as bundles of capabilities (Organization Capability) and worked to delineate capabilities of talent management (Why of Work; Talent Accelerator), culture change (GE Workout), learning (Learning Organization Capability), and collaboration (Boundaryless Organization).

Leadership. With colleagues, he has also articulated the basics of effective leadership (Leadership Code and Results Based Leadership), connected leadership with customers (Leadership Brand), shown how leadership delivers market value (Why the Bottom Line Isn’t), shapes investor expectations with an ability to measure leadership (Leadership Capital Index), and synthesized ways to ensure that leadership aspirations turn into actions (Leadership Sustainability).

Human Resources. He and his colleagues have shaped the HR profession and he has been called the “father of modern HR” and “HR thought leader of the decade” by focusing on HR outcomes, governance, competencies, and practices (HR Champions; HR Value Added; HR Transformation; HR Competencies; HR Outside In). He spearheaded a “gift” book on the future of HR (The Rise of HR) distributed to over 1,500,000 HR professionals, in which 70 thought leaders freely shared their insights.

VITA 2025

Speaker

Robin Vergeer
CFO Randstad DACH region

Robin Vergeer (45) is a Dutch finance professional. He studied at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, completing a postgraduate program at the Erasmus School of Accounting & Assurance. He holds the title of Executive Master of Finance & Control (EMFC/RC).

Originally from the Utrecht region in the Netherlands, he currently lives in Bad Homburg, (Hessen, Germany), since January 1, 2025. He is married to Viona, and they have three children: Jasmijn (13), Guus (11), and Merel (7). In his free time, he enjoys running, road cycling, and playing tennis, and he has a passion for woodworking.

He has worked for Randstad Global NV since 2003 in a variety of roles. He started his career as a consultant in a local branch and worked for five years in the company's sales/operations. After that, he held a variety of roles in finance & controlling and concept management. He has served as a business controller in the Netherlands, manager of business control for Tempo-Team Netherlands, and global concept manager at Randstad Global. In this role, he worked closely with the company's European and South American operating companies to improve existing concepts and implement new ones.

In 2018, he worked for a year as the finance director for Randstad in China and lived in Shanghai. Since 2020, he has worked for Randstad Germany, currently as CFO. In his role, he is closely involved in the company's transformation processes to become "future-proof." As a finance professional, he believes it is important for the numbers to tell a story and strives to bring his finance department to the next level in co-driving the business.

Speaker

Bart Weetjens
Zen priest and social entrepreneur

Bart Weetjens is a Zen Buddhist monk, internationally celebrated social entrepreneur, and personal growth coach. He holds a Masters in Product Design from Antwerp University, Belgium, and was ordained a Buddhist monk in the Soto Zen tradition (Deshimaru lineage) in 2001.  

Based on his youth passion for pet rats and with a vision of appropriate technologies to empower vulnerable communities of subsistence farmers in post-war countries who are affected by the threat of landmines and unexploded ordinances, he took the initiative to develop detection rats technology (aka HeroRATs) in 1995. In 1998 he founded the Belgian charity APOPO to deploy and disseminate his technology in the South. Bart also initiated the use of his appropriate technology to address other humanitarian detection applications, including Tuberculosis screening, search and rescue operations after structural collapse, and customs applications. Thanks to APOPO’s mine action operations, the Mozambican government was able to declare the country free of landmines in 2015, two and a half years ahead of schedule. In the process, more than a million subsistence farmers were able to return to their villages to lead a life free from fear. When his organization reached a global scale in 2015, Bart transitioned from his executive role in the organization to focus on the practice and dissemination of Zen meditation. In the same year, he joined The Wellbeing Project, a catalyst movement to foster a culture of wellbeing for all changemakers.  

Bart received numerous recognitions for his humanitarian work, a.o. The World Bank Development Marketplace award in 2003 and Ashoka fellowship in 2007. He received the Global Social Entrepreneur of the year award at the World Economic Forum in 2008, and he won the prestigious Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship in 2009.  

Currently, Bart serves as a trusted sounding board for leaders who pursue their noble purpose. He facilitates Zen retreats and inspires various audiences through public speaking and wellbeing workshops.

Speaker

Lothar H. Wieler
Chair of the Digital Health Cluster, Hasso Plattner Institut; Professor of Digital Global Public Health; Former President of Robert Koch Institute

Lothar H. Wieler is Coordinator of the Digital Health Cluster and Chair Digital Global Public Health, Hasso-Plattner-Institute, University Potsdam, and Adjunct Professor at the Hasso-Plattner-Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York.

As a leader in Global Public Health, among others he advised the German government on combating the COVID-19 pandemic in his role as president of the Robert Koch-Institute. He has 40 years experience in infectious disease research, teaching and containment, and nearly 30 years in leadership positions both in the academic and the public sector. A veterinarian by training, he is microbiologist and global public health expert. His research is on pandemics and infectious diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans, known as zoonoses. In his work, initially he concentrated on infections involving antibiotic multi-resistant bacteria (AMR) and investigated transmission mechanisms and microevolution, as well as disease-causing factors and disease control strategies. Focusing his research on the molecular pathogenesis, genomic surveillance and evolution of infectious agents, he extended his work on public and global health, disease prevention and containment of pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential.

Wieler´s goal is to reduce health inequalities by promoting digital public health, at local, national and international levels. Before taking the Chair of Digital Global Public Health at the Hasso-Plattner-Institute at the University of Potsdam in 2023, he has served as president of Germany´s National Public-Health-Institute - the Robert Koch-Institute - for 8 years. Before, he has been full-professor at the Freie University Berlin from 1998 to 2015. He is member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Senator of Leopoldina´s section Global Health, Co-Director of the Digital Health Partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital, and has been member and chair of various national and international commissions and advisory boards, among member others the Strategic and Technical Advisory Board of Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH), WHO, the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (WHO, UNEP, FAO, WHOA)  or the Lancet Commission on 21st Century Global Health Threats, or chair of the International Health Regulations Review Committee (IHR-RC), WHO.

Chair

Peter Williamson
Professor of International Management at the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School and Fellow of Jesus College

Peter Williamson is Professor of International Management at the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School and Fellow of Jesus College.

Peter divides his time between research, teaching, and consulting on internationalisation, M&A, and business ecosystem innovation, and serving as a non-executive director or chairman.

With a first degree in Economics, he began his business career with Merrill Lynch in London. After completing his PhD in Business Economics at Harvard University in 1984, he joined the Boston Consulting Group.

During his subsequent academic a career, he has held professorships at London Business School, Harvard Business School and INSEAD (in Fontainebleau and Singapore). He was elected Fellow of the Academy of International Business in 2018 in recognition of his contribution to the field.

In parallel, Peter has served as a non-executive director of both listed and private companies across a wide variety of industries, including: textiles; whisky; green energy; hedge funds; software; and sales training. He is currently Chairman of the fast-growing, digital process automation cloud services company Bizagi Group Inc.

Peter has also been visiting China regularly since 1983, assisting numerous multinationals, joint ventures, and Chinese companies venturing abroad.

He is the author of ten books, his latest being: Ecosystem Edge: Sustaining Competitiveness in the Face of Disruption. Other books include: The Competitive Advantage of Emerging Market Multinationals; Dragons at Your Door; Winning in Asia; and From Global to Metanational. His more than 60 other articles span Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, and Journal of Industrial Economics, and managerial pieces such as “Ecosystem Advantage: How to successfully harness the power of partners”; “The New Mission for Multinationals”, “Accelerated Innovation”, “Strategies for Competing in a Changed China” and “Is Your Innovation Process Global?” (all in the MIT-Sloan Management Review) and “How China Re-Set Its Global Acquisition Agenda”, “China’s Hidden Dragons”, and “How to Monetize a Business Ecosystem” (all in Harvard Business Review).

Speaker

Avivah Wittenberg-Cox
Founder and CEO, 20-first

 Avivah is CEO, writer, speaker, coach, consultant, change agent – depending on the call and the context. She is a global expert on 21st century leadership, gender and generational balance, longevity and the future of work and careers, helping individuals and organisations manage the transitions and extensions of the 2nd and 3rd Quarters of 100-year lives. Themes summarised in her graphic book Thriving to 100 – Through Life’s 4 Quarters and regularly featured on her longevity-focused podcast 4-Quarter Lives and weekly substack, elderberries.

Avivah is a Visiting Lecturer at OXFORD Said Business School, runs a Thriving To 100 programme for INSEAD alumni, and is co-Director of Catolica Lisbon’s Longevity Leadership executive education programme. She’s an Adjunct Professor at DePaul University in Chicago and has published several LINKED IN Learning courses. She’s also an Ambassador for the Stanford Center on Longevity, and the Global Peter Drucker Forum, and sits on the Boards of the National Innovation Centre on Ageing (NICA) and the Chartered Management Institute’s ‘Everyone Economy’ Board. A Fellow of Harvard’s 2022 Advanced Leadership Program, in 2023, Avivah was inducted into the  Thinkers50 Hall of Fame.

Born in Canada of European parents, she is a bilingual tri-national (French, Swiss and Canadian), now based in London with her British husband after several decades in Paris, and has two very charming, gender-balanced children (a son and daughter) who occasionally visit from Dakar and New York city.

Speaker

Barbara Wittmann
Founder, Digital Wisdom Collective

Barbara Wittmann is an award-winning author, tech pioneer, and founder of the Digital Wisdom Collective. A former member of SAP’s CEO Innovation Team and holder of multiple technology patents, she brings 25+ years of experience at the intersection of IT, leadership, and transformation. After founding two successful IT consulting firms, Barbara now helps global companies make their digital ecosystems thrive—by building the human infrastructure that moves strategy forward. Her focus: Digital Wisdom—a new business sense for a world where mindset leads and technology follows. Originally from Germany, she now lives in Colorado and advises companies worldwide on navigating complexity with clarity.

Speaker

Adrian Wooldridge
Global Business Columnist at Bloomberg Opinion

Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. Before taking up that role, he worked for the Economist for 32 years, writing, at various times, the Lexington, Schumpeter and Bagehot columnists. An Oxford graduate, he is the author or co-author of eleven books, most recently The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World.

Speaker

Howard Yu
Professor of Management & Innovation, IMD

Howard Yu, hailing from Hong Kong, is LEGO® Professor of Management and Innovation at IMD. He leads the Center for Future Readiness, founded in 2020 with support from the LEGO Brand Group, to guide companies through strategic transformation.
Recognized globally for his expertise, in 2023 he was honored with the Thinkers50 Strategy Award, recognizing his substantial contributions to management strategy and future readiness. His additional inclusion into the Thinkers50 list places him among the top global management thinkers.

Today, Yu co-directs the Strategy for Future Readiness program and has delivered tailored training to global companies including ABB, Bosch, the LEGO Group, Novo Nordisk, Electrolux, Heineken, Maersk, Booking.com and many others.

His ongoing work has been published in journals such as Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. His case studies have won several awards from the European Foundation for Management Development and The Case Centre. He regularly appears on media outlets including Bloomberg, CNBC, and the BBC.

His book, LEAP: How to Thrive in a World Where Everything Can Be Copied, published in 2018, has earned multiple awards, including an Axiom Business Book Awards Gold Medal and the strategy+business Best Business Book award. He joined IMD in 2011 after completing a doctoral degree at Harvard Business School. He worked in Hong Kong as a banker at the start of his career.

Speaker

Michele Zanini
Co-founder, Management Lab

Michele Zanini is the cofounder of the Management Lab, a firm dedicated to developing knowledge, technology and tools to support breakthrough management innovation. The goal: to help large organizations become more daring, resilient, creative, and inspiring places to work.  He is co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them (Harvard Business Review Press, 2020; 2nd edition due out in 2025), and his work frequently appears on the pages of the Harvard Business Review, the Financial Times, the McKinsey Quarterly. Fast Company, and Fortune.

As an advisor, Michele has led change initiatives in many of the world’s most admired companies. He helps clients build break-out strategies and enlarge their entrepreneurial and creative edge.

Speaker

Astrid Zöchling
CIO of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation

Astrid Zöchling is the first female CIO of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), leading the organization’s IT, Software Development, and Network divisions. Since 2023, she has been driving ORF’s cloud transformation, the implementation of a company-wide data platform, and the development of ORF’s digital and AI strategy.

Before joining ORF, Astrid held senior leadership roles in IT, UX, and Data within the Austrian financial sector for more than a decade, successfully leading agile transformations and building cross-functional product teams. She combines deep technical understanding with a passion for digital innovation and the human side of technology.

Recognized as Austria’s Confare CIO of the Year 2025, she is also a trainer at the Austrian Leadership Academy, focusing on digital transformation and modern leadership. Astrid holds degrees in political science, economics and law from the University of Vienna and the Economical University of Vienna.
 
www.linkedin.com/in/astridzoechling