Dr. Frank Welsch
Image: Volkswagen AG
About Dr. Frank Welsch
Dr. Frank Welsch is an engineer with a doctorate and a passion for innovation, efficiency and quality. After completing his doctorate at RWTH Aachen University, he began his career in 1994 in vehicle and concept research at Volkswagen AG. He subsequently held various leadership positions in Europe and Asia. Key roles over the past 15 years include: Head of Development at SAIC-Volkswagen in Shanghai, Global Head of Quality of the Volkswagen Group, Board Member for Technical Development and Design at Skoda Auto a.s. in Prague, Board Member for Technical Development at Volkswagen Passenger Cars.
His driving force was and is to create better products and processes. 30 years of experience in international industry have reinforced his conviction: the combination of technology, human creativity and commitment is the best way to solve problems and shape a progressive future.
Thomas Boermans
Image: Jörg Mettlach
About Thomas Boermans
Thomas Boermans is an experienced expert and manager in the fields of energy and foresight, a sought-after speaker and a passionate networker. As Head of Foresight at E.ON, he has hands-on experience in building strategic foresight capabilities in large organisations.
Before joining E.ON, Thomas Boermans spent 16 years in consulting in the areas of energy efficiency, renewable energy and climate protection, working on client projects for manufacturers, energy companies, industry associations, NGOs, governments across Europe and the European Commission.
Dr. Elizabeth Hofvenschiöld
About Dr. Elizabeth Hofvenschiöld
Dr. Elizabeth Hofvenschiöld is a futurologist and expert in applied ethics, particularly in the field of automated vehicles and human-machine interaction. She has 15 years of experience in the automotive and communications industries and has lived and worked on several continents.
Dr. Elizabeth Hofvenschiöld received her PhD from the University of the West of Scotland on “Understanding Communication in Futures Studies.” She also holds a BSc in Archaeology, an MSc in Bioarchaeology, and an MSc in Human-Computer Interaction from University College London. Elizabeth Hofvenschiöld worked as a manager at Daimler AG, focusing on ethics standards and guidelines for automated systems.
Today, she is a professor at the ESB Business School at Reutlingen University.
Dr. Ewald Böhlke
About Dr. Ewald Böhlke
Dr. Ewald Böhlke is a passionate futurologist with more than 20 years of professional experience. He is particularly interested in the interactions between technological and societal development, with a special focus on Eastern Europe and the Middle East. In 2019, he joined GEPAGroup as a Senior Research Associate. There, he focuses on interactions of technology dynamics and geopolitics in the energy sector. One focus here is new challenges in the hydrogen economy. This was preceded by professional positions such as Senior Researcher at Daimler AG and Head of the Berthold-Beitz-Center for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP).
Dr. Ewald Böhlke also held teaching positions at Humboldt University, Georgetown University in the United States, and Teikyo University Berlin, and is the author of numerous publications on Eastern Europe, such as the book “Russland wieder im Dunkeln” (1992).
Andreas Katzer
About Andreas Katzer
Andreas Katzer is an Executive Advisor who supports company leadership on their path to sustainable success. With more than three decades of management experience, including 12 years at C-level (CEO, COO) in the global automotive supply industry, he brings profound expertise and experience.
Back in the 1990s, Andreas was one of the pioneers in Europe who, with Japanese support, led Lean workshops (Toyota Production System). It was there that he discovered his “passion for excellence”, which has accompanied him ever since.
Over the years, Andreas increasingly recognised that initiatives and method toolkits can only reach their full potential once the foundation for “Management Excellence” has been laid – this is now the core of his advisory work.
In his role as Advisory Board member at Themis Foresight and as a start-up mentor, the future and innovation are his constant companions, further enriching his advisory work.
Dr. Jutta Krienke
About Dr. Jutta Krienke
Dr. Jutta Krienke is a passionate entrepreneur with more than 22 years of experience in the financial services and IT industry. During this time she has worked at companies such as Talanx, Canada Life and Versicherungskammer Bayern in management, executive board and supervisory board positions, as an expert at German insurance and IT companies, and as a member of the executive board at the broker pool BCA AG.
She serves as an advisory board member for various companies and, as an innovator and digitalisation expert, brings the conviction that many years of experience can only be one aspect of shaping the future.
She currently applies her many years of management experience as well as her professional and methodological expertise in areas such as strategy, digitalisation, IT, agility, product development, corporate communications and marketing as Chief Marketing Officer at Syncier, a subsidiary of Allianz that provides software for the insurance industry.
Dr. Marc Achhammer
About Dr. Marc Achhammer
Dr. Marc Achhammer holds a doctorate in physics and a master’s degree in philosophy. The experienced entrepreneur has extensive expertise in all relevant business areas such as sales, logistics, product management, strategy and technology and uses this to successfully develop and expand new business areas.
Dr. Marc Achhammer started his professional career as a management consultant at Siemens Management Consulting and then assumed the position of Director of Strategy at Siemens Home and Office Communications. He later worked as Head of Business Line WiMAX Gigaset Communications before his career path led him to Sagemcom Broadband. After being hired as Senior Vice President Sales Key Accounts at Unify and then as Managing Director at B2X Care, he now works as COO/CHRO at Katek Group. This develops and manufactures smart electronic components for companies in the automotive, solar, connectivity, lifestyle, industrial, smart home and health sectors worldwide.
Dr. Anja Marzuillo
About Dr. Anja Marzuillo
For many years, Dr. Anja Marzuillo has been a sought-after management consultant, lawyer and advisory board member in leadership advisory as well as in the design and implementation of corporate transformations for medium-sized companies and listed groups. During her long corporate career she served as Managing Director of the global logistics group Hapag-Lloyd AG, before that also as Managing Director at the major bank Nord/LB and as a member of the executive board of Postbank Filialvertrieb AG.
Dr. Anja Marzuillo teaches at various universities in Germany, in particular strategic management, international organisational development and business law.
She brings her many years of experience in leadership advisory, in the design and realignment of organisations and corporate structures, and in the digitalisation of HR work in Germany and abroad to international transformation projects across various industries. She also provides impetus to a number of research institutions.
Privately, she is involved in various cultural institutions and acts as a mentor for young leaders.
Dr. Matthias Niedenführ
About Dr. Matthias Niedenführ
Dr. Matthias Niedenführ is an experienced researcher and lecturer specialising in business culture, sustainable entrepreneurship and business ethics in China, and currently focuses on transcultural competence and leadership, primarily from an East Asian perspective.
He is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Leadership Excellence Institute of Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen. Dr. Matthias Niedenführ was Assistant Professor of Chinese Business Ethics and Deputy Director of the China Centre in Tübingen. He lived in Asia for a decade, where, among other things, he headed the European Centre for Chinese Studies at Peking University and co-founded the initiative “ThinkIN China”, a platform for discussing current China affairs.
Dr. Olaf Theiler
About Dr. Olaf Theiler
Dr. Olaf Theiler is a historian, political scientist and futurologist with many years of experience in security and military policy. After working for several years at the Bundeswehr Academy for Information and Communication, most recently as Head of the Information Department, he took up the position of National Expert on NATO’s international staff (Operations Division) in Brussels.
After the subsequent transfer to the Federal Ministry of Defense, he was assigned to the Strategy and Operations Division as Policy Officer NATO and EU. Since 2014, he has held the position as Head of the Future Analysis Unit at the Bundeswehr Planning Office in Berlin.
Carsten Brandes
About Carsten Brandes
Carsten Brandes is the founder and Managing Director of Brandes Consulting GmbH and former Head of the ŠKODA Auto Academy. Carsten Brandes has 30 years of professional experience in industry – including more than 20 years in various leadership and management positions in Germany and internationally. He supports companies in transforming their human resources development. One focus of his work is securing and attracting skilled professionals.
Astrid Freier
About Astrid Freier
A lawyer by training, Astrid Freier looks back on 20 years of professional experience in banking, FinTech and RegTech in Germany, Japan and the USA. Shaped by the Neuer Markt era, Astrid Freier always takes an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to business models at the intersection of IT and regulation for the financial industry. For many years she worked for Deutsche Bank in various leadership roles in Germany and abroad, where, among other things, she supported German DAX corporations and international European companies in Japan, subsequently launched Deutsche Bank’s Innovation Lab in her role as Head of Start-up Co-ordination, and finally led the Regulatory Management Group. Since the 2008 financial crisis she has focused primarily on innovation, in particular on regulatory and security requirements within the banking ecosystem. She therefore founded her own consulting and investment company RegTech Berlin and, as Head of SAP iO Foundry, supported SAP in building a RegTech cohort. Since then, applied IT and security has been a defining topic for her, which she brought to the consulting and software company PPI for the financial industry. To further increase her impact, she is responsible for the ongoing development of IT security at the Association of German Public Banks (VÖB).
Privately, Astrid is involved as a mentor for young entrepreneurs and promotes financial literacy.
Stefan Schmidt
About Stefan Schmidt
Stefan Schmidt is the founder and Managing Director of bizcondi GmbH and supports companies in digital transformation and mobility transition projects. After more than 30 years in leading positions in the automotive industry, he has extensive experience in vehicle development, project management and digital governance. He gained his experience in Germany, the USA and China. His career has included managing a product company, serving as COO of an automotive service provider, founding a digital lab and heading a monitorship. As Managing Director of a consulting firm, he now promotes sustainable corporate strategies in a digital environment. Stefan is an active advisory board and supervisory board member. His passion lies in developing future-proof solutions that revolutionise the mobility sector and systematically support value-oriented corporate management.
Martin Hartmann
About Martin Hartmann
An experienced economist, he started his career in equity trading at JP Morgan in London, as head of the front office risk management function with responsibility for FO risk management architecture and macro hedge issues. He then took on the position of Head of Structuring at Dresdner Kleinwort, the investment banking sector of Dresdner Bank AG, prior to its acquisition by Commerzbank AG.
In 2009, he joined NORD/LB where he is still Head of Markets, the global capital markets business. He is responsible for trading securities with German and international institutional investors and banks, origination of securities of German and international issuers in covered and senior bonds as well as trading in (derivative) financial instruments with all other customers of the bank.
Rolf Christian Kassel
About Rolf Christian Kassel
Rolf Christian Kassel worked for more than 20 years as a managing director for companies in the ICT and media industries. Today, he is Managing Partner of Valuedfriends Deutschland GmbH und Co. KG, Managing Partner of Valuedfriends Venture Ltd. in London, and is involved in a variety of activities as an independent business consultant.
Furthermore, he holds numerous advisory and supervisory board mandates. He is one of the leading consultants for digital transformation and supports companies in the challenges and changes resulting from digitalization. He shows companies how they can tap into new sources of value creation in the future, promote growth and improve their competitiveness through the use of innovative technologies.
Siv Helen Hesjedal
About Siv Helen Hesjedal
Siv Helen Hesjedal is a futurist, sociologist and development planner with almost 20 years of international experience in foresight, public policy and regional development. She has helped numerous public-sector leaders develop future-proof strategies and guided them through organisational change processes. As a passionate and experienced futurist, she uses her ability to ask the right questions and explore alternative futures to successfully shape business models for the next 15 years. After almost two decades in South Africa, she now works in Norway.
Boris Tawakkoli
About Boris Tawakkoli
Boris Tawakkoli has extensive international management and consulting experience at the intersection of industry, technology, and insurance. As an entrepreneur, investor, and executive, he has developed strategic partnerships and built networks across industries. Today, he advises companies on strategic challenges and mentors technology-driven start-ups. He is particularly interested in the interplay between data and risk and its implications for innovation, new business models, and business decision-making.
