Speakers' Panel

António Costa is a Portuguese politician with a long governmental career, having served as Prime Minister of Portugal between 2015 and 2024. In 2025 he was appointed President of the European Council, assuming a central role in high-level European Union political coordination. He is recognized for his political management and negotiation skills, as well as his contribution to European stability.

Economist and political scientist educated at the University of Cologne, Barbara Konner has an international career linked to the German Chambers of Commerce network. She led the AHK in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay and, since 2023, has served as Executive Vice President of AHK São Paulo. She brings extensive experience in economic diplomacy, SME promotion, internationalization, and institutional cooperation between Germany and Latin America.

Carlos Moedas was born in 1970 in Beja, Portugal, and graduated as a civil engineer from Instituto Superior Técnico (Lisbon) in 1993. He was one of the first Erasmus Students in Portugal and attended the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in Paris (1993). In 1998 he graduated with a Master in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School, USA (1998/2000).
He started his career as a civil engineer working for the French conglomerate Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux in France, where he lived for 5 years. After his graduation from Harvard he worked for Goldman Sachs in their Investment Banking division in London. In 2004 he returned to Portugal and became head of Aguirre Newman, where he was also a member of the executive board in Spain. In 2008 he went on to create his own investment management company.
In 2011 he headed the Social Democrat Party's (PSD) economic team and participated on the negotiations for Portugal's 2011 Public Budget.
That same year he was elected a Member of Parliament by the Beja constituency and appointed under-Secretary of State to the Prime Minister of the XIX Constitutional Government of Portugal where he was tasked with coordination of monitoring the adjustment programme structural reforms.
In 2014 he was nominated by the Portuguese Prime-Minister to be the European Commissioner. He is the Commissioner responsible for Research, Science and Innovation, one of the largest science and innovation projects on the planet worth 77 billion euros. He designed the proposal for the future Horizon Europe programme worth 100 billion euros, set to be launched in 2021. He is the 5th Portuguese national to hold this position since Portugal became a EU Member State in 1986.
In 2019 he joined the board of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. He is also vice-president of the Jacques Delors Institute in Paris.
Carlos Moedas co-authored a series of publications in the field of science and innovation. Among these articles, one stands out: 'Open Innovation: Research, Practices and Policies' published in the California Management Review, co-signed by Henry Chesbrough who is known for coining the term 'Open Innovation'.
In 2014, the Commissioner became the youngest member to be elected to the Portuguese Academy of Engineering. He is an honorary fellow from the African Academy of Sciences. In 2016 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Laws by the University of Cork in Ireland and in 2018 an Honorary Doctorate in Management from the ESCP Europe (École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris).
On 26 September 2021 he was elected President of the Lisbon City Council and re-elected for a second term on 12 October 2025.
Since July 2024, he has been a member of the Council of State, elected by the Assembly of the Republic, as a representative of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).
In November 2025, he was elected President of the Lisbon Metropolitan Council.

Dirk Schrödter, born in 1978, has been Head of the State Chancellery of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, since 2017. Since 2022, he has also served as Minister for Digitalization and Media Policy of Schleswig-Holstein. Previously, he worked at the Ministry of Finance, where he was responsible for financial planning, budget planning, and federal financial relations within Germany's federal system.
Dirk Schrödter studied Economics at the University of Potsdam. He is a lecturer in Economics and Public Finance at the University of Applied Sciences for Administration and Services of the state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Dr Volker Treier is Head of Foreign Trade and a Member of the Executive Management Board of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) in Berlin. He is responsible, among other things, for the DIHK's representation in foreign trade and European policy, as well as for the International Department, the European Union and the global network of German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHKs).
Prior to this role, he served as Deputy Managing Director and Head of the International Department. Before that, he held positions including Chief Economist and Deputy Head of the Department for Vocational Education and Education Policy.
Dr. Volker Treier is Member of the Executive Board. As the Chief Executive of Foreign Trade he is responsible for International and European Economic Affairs, the network of bi-national German Chambers, Delegations and Representations of German Industry and Commerce (AHKs) in 93 countries worldwide.

Paulo Portas served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Portugal between 2011-2015. Between 2002-2005, he was also Minister of Defence. Mr. Portas was leader of the CDS-PP for 16 years, Member of Parliament for 7 terms, State Council and National Defence Council member in different periods. He founded Vinciamo Consulting, strategic advisory and business intelligence company. He is Professor of "Geo-Economics and International Relations" in Nova School of Business & Economics and in Universities and Academies of Europe and Asia. He directs seminars of geopolitical trends for multinational companies, and he serves as Deputy Chairman of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce (CCIP), member of the Board of Trustees of Champalimaud Foundation and Non-Executive Member of the Board of Mota-Engil (since January 2023). Mr. Portas is also "Membre d'Honneur" of the L'Académie du Royaume du Maroc and author of the Sunday TV program "Global". He is fluent (written and spoken) in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French and Italian.

Dr. Frank Meyer has been a member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH since February 1, 2024. He is responsible for the Bosch Energy and Building Technology business sector with its Building Technologies and Home Comfort Group divisions and Smart Home subsidiary. He is also responsible for Bosch's business in Japan and for central quality management at Robert Bosch GmbH.
Born in Dorsten, Germany, in 1978, Frank Meyer is married and has two children. In Germany, he studied physics and mathematics at RWTH Aachen University and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He also studied physics in France at the University of Paris-Orsay, and in the U.K. at Imperial College London. In 2006, he earned his doctorate in physics at the Max Planck Institute in Munich. In 2023, Frank Meyer graduated from Harvard Business School after successfully completing the Advanced Management Program.

Prof. Dr. Sabina Jeschke is a manager, entrepreneur, and scientist with extensive international experience in technology, digitalization, and artificial intelligence. After a long academic career, she served as a Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Bahn AG from 2017 to 2021, where she was responsible for the "Digitalization and Technology" division. Her responsibilities included group-wide digital transformation, IT infrastructure, data management, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, 5G/mobile network expansion, and technological innovation in mobility and railway systems.
Since June 2021, she has been serving as Senior Advisor at Deloitte Germany, focusing on technology consulting. In addition, she founded several companies, including Arctic Brains AB in Sweden, specializing in AI consulting and development, and Quantagonia GmbH i.G., which develops solutions for quantum computing environments. She also supports the "KI Park" initiative in Berlin, aimed at becoming Europe's leading accelerator for next-generation AI applications.
Before joining Deutsche Bahn, Sabina Jeschke held professorships at renowned institutions such as RWTH Aachen University, the University of Stuttgart, and TU Berlin. Her academic focus areas include artificial intelligence, data analytics, robotics, automation, cyber-physical systems, and high-performance and quantum computing. Her international research and visiting appointments included collaborations with NASA, as well as institutions in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Sweden.
Alongside her operational roles, she serves on supervisory boards (Rheinmetall and AUMOVIO), scientific committees, and governmental advisory councils, particularly in the fields of digital transformation and high-tech strategy. She has received numerous awards, including recognition as one of "Germany's Digital Minds" and the Nikola Tesla Medal.
Sabina Jeschke is regarded as one of the leading voices for digital innovation and technological transformation in the German-speaking world. She lives in Berlin, Sweden, and Madeira.

Christian Beckmann has served as CEO of the SAERTEX Group and member of the Global Executive Board since April 2024. In this capacity, he oversees the company's strategic direction, with particular emphasis on sales, marketing, global market expansion, and new business development.
With revenues of approximately €350 million, 1,500 employees, and 17 locations across five continents, SAERTEX stands as a global leader in the manufacture of technical textiles from glass and carbon fibres - serving key industries including wind energy, aerospace, and lightweight construction.
Mr. Beckmann´s academic background spans industrial electronics engineering, a university degree in Industrial Engineering, and an MBA in Finance. He brings nearly two decades of international leadership experience spanning Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Prior to joining SAERTEX, he served as CEO of the RELINE Group, as a member of the Executive Board of the Viega Group, and as Vice President at Danfoss. He additionally holds advisory board positions at an investment fund and an AI company.
His core areas of focus include sales and innovation, digitalisation, sustainability, and international corporate leadership - underpinned by a clear commitment to a resource efficient future for the composites industry.

Rui Costa has built his career turning frontier technology into real-world products, from connected vehicles to AI to space. As CTO of Veniam, he led the R&D behind an intelligent networking platform connecting vehicles at city scale (over 150 patents filed) and grew the company's North American footprint in automotive and autonomous vehicles. He went on to serve as Chief Architect at Nexar, an AI vision company for mobility, and as CTO of Indie Campers. He holds 16 international patents, helps organisations accelerate AI adoption and build AI-native products, and teaches AI at Porto Business School.
Now CEO of ICEYE Portugal, Rui leads the Lisbon Center of Excellence, building end-to-end space intelligence through R&D in software, systems integration, and AI.

Tobias Gotthardt was born on June 3, 1977 in Regensburg and grew up in Burglengenfeld and Kallmünz. After completing his high school education and studying political science in Regensburg and Freiburg, he initially worked as a parliamentary assistant and head of office in the European Parliament and the German Bundestag. After his election to the Bavarian State Parliament in 2018, he assumed the chairmanship of the Committee for Federal and European Affairs. In addition, in 2021, he was appointed as deputy and then acting chairman of the Committee of Education and Culture. At the same time, he was the federal, European, education and youth policy spokesman of the FREIE WÄHLER parliamentary group. After his re-election, Tobias Gotthardt was appointed Vice Minister and member of the Bavarian State Government in 2023.

Graduated in Chemical Engineering at the University of Aveiro, João later specialized at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in extraction with supercritical fluids. João also has a postgraduation degree from the Porto Management School (EGP) in Quantitative Management Methods.
João's career has been heavily associated to established companies leading in various industrial areas, from quality, to manufacturing and general management. His experience in the associative world is vast and equally significant having been the President of Portugal's Cork Association (APCOR) between 2012 and 2021. The following years until the start of 2024 João led the European Cork Confederation. He was also president of the Cork Technology Centre, Board member of CINCORK and president of FILCORK (Portuguese cork cluster).
At the State level, João was part of the ''Reflection Group for the Future of Portugal''- an advisory body to the President of the Republic between 2018 and 2022 and coordinated the social and democratic party's ''National Strategic Council'' in all public services and state reform-related matters in 2023.

Robert Jozic is Managing Director of Schwarz Digits - Disruption. In this role, he is responsible for strategic foresight as well as the identification and evaluation of future-oriented technology and business fields within the Schwarz Group (including Lidl, Kaufland, PreZero, and Digits). His focus lies on ensuring the group's long-term competitiveness.
Since joining the group in 2016, he has held several key leadership positions. From 2018, as Managing Director of Schwarz Digital, he was responsible for the group's digitalization strategy as well as the design and scaling of digital ecosystems. With the additional responsibility for Schwarz Media in 2021, he significantly contributed to business development and go-to-market strategies for innovative retail media solutions.
Previously, at Schwarz Business IT, he served as Managing Director leading the BI & Analytics division. In parallel, he supported strategic initiatives such as the IT consolidation between 2017 and 2018, the development of new digital business areas, and initiated the partnership with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), where he has been an active member of the supervisory board for nine years.
Robert Jozic studied Computer Science and Business Administration and has extensive consulting experience. He began his professional career in 2001 at a leading international management consulting firm. In 2005, he founded his own consulting company focused on Business Intelligence, Analytics, and Data Mining. After this entrepreneurial phase, he became Managing Partner in 2011 at an international consulting firm specializing in data-driven solutions and transformation.

Since February 2018 Katja Busch has been responsible for the Sales Organization "DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation" as Chief Commercial Officer & Head of CSI at Deutsche Post DHL Group.
From January 2013 - January 2018 Katja Busch was Chief Sales Officer (CSO) DHL Parcel Germany in the Post - eCommerce - Parcel division. Prior to this she was Divisional Board Member for DHL Parcel for over six years in the Mail division at Deutsche Post AG responsible for domestic sales including customer service for Parcel. Appointed CSO DHL Parcel Germany in 2013, Busch assumed overall responsibility for customer service for both Mail and Parcel business units, including 22 call centers operated by Deutsche Post Customer Service GmbH. From March 2014 - January 2018 she headed international customer service for the Group's Post - eCommerce - Parcel division. In August 2016 she also assumed responsibility for the newly created Global eCom* Key Account Management unit.
Following an education in natural sciences, Busch spent seven years in various sales roles at TNT Express Germany before moving to Deutsche Post DHL Group in 1997. After serving as service branch head and business department head, she was appointed Head of Marketing & Sales in January 2004 at DHL Express Austria based in Vienna. In March 2006 she was appointed Divisional Board Member for DHL Parcel Germany.
Katja Busch was born September 15, 1969.

Till Oberwörder, born on February 1, 1971, is CEO Daimler Buses. He graduated in business administration at the Julius Maximilian University Würzburg in 1998 and joined the interna tional Trainee Group at former DaimlerChrysler AG in Stuttgart. The following year, he took over the position of the Assistant to the Vice President Sales Mer cedes-Benz Trucks and transferred to a management position in Sales Controlling Mercedes Benz Trucks. In the same year he became Senior Manager for Sales and Market Management for Northern and Western Europe in the Mercedes-Benz Truck division. In 2006 he was ap pointed President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Ceská Republika in the Czech Republic. In Feb ruary 2011 Till Oberwörder returned to Stuttgart and became responsible for Sales at Mer cedes-Benz Vans. In April 2012 he was appointed Head of Marketing, Sales and Aftersales at Daimler Buses and Director Sales at EvoBus GmbH. In July 2015 Till Oberwörder was Head of Marketing, Sales and Services Mercedes-Benz Trucks. In this capacity, he is responsible for Mercedes-Benz global Sales and Aftersales activities. Till Oberwörder has been CEO Daimler Buses since April 1, 2018. In this position, he is respon sible for the bus division of Daimler Truck.

Oliver Steil has been CEO of TeamViewer since January 2018 and, following the transformation of TeamViewer AG into a public limited company in 2019, has also served as Chairman of the Management Board. As an internationally experienced executive, he has successfully built and developed several leading technology champions throughout his career. As Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Steil is responsible for TeamViewer's strategic direction, including business development, commercial strategy, and marketing.

Prof. Dr. René Bohnsack is ranked by Stanford University among the top 2% of scientists worldwide in Business and Management. He designs and delivers AI leadership programs for multinationals, SMEs, and governments, and has trained thousands of leaders globally. He is the author of The AI Strategy Playbook: From Zero to 100 and a frequent speaker at venues including TEDx. His work helps organizations move from AI experimentation to scalable adoption and measurable strategic value. He is CEO and co-founder of the AI adoption platform zeroto100.ai.

Fernando Silva is President of Siemens Spain and Portugal and, since December 2024, also CEO of Siemens Spain. A Portuguese national, he holds a degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from the Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL). He subsequently completed further executive education in E-Business, Information Management and Executive Management at Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Fernando Silva has more than 25 years of experience at Siemens. Since joining the company in 1999, he has held various technical, sales and management positions in the energy sector. Among other roles, he led the Energy Management and Smart Infrastructure businesses for Spain and Portugal. In 2023, he was appointed CEO of Siemens Portugal. He currently serves as President of Siemens Spain and Portugal, CEO of Siemens Spain and General Manager of Smart Infrastructure for Spain and Portugal. In addition to his responsibilities at Siemens, Fernando Silva is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Fundación Princesa de Girona, the Board of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain, and the Business Roundtable Portugal (BRP), representing Siemens in Portugal. In November 2024, he was appointed an Honorary Individual Member of the Portuguese Order of Engineers in recognition of his contribution to major infrastructure and economic projects in Portugal.

Stefan Rouenhoff has been Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy since 2025. He has been a Member of the German Bundestag since 2017 and, prior to his appointment as Parliamentary State Secretary, served on the Committee on Economic Affairs and chaired the Africa Working Group of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. Prior to his election to the Bundestag, he worked for three years as Trade Attaché at the Permanent Representation of Germany to the European Union. From 2012 to 2014, he was Spokesperson for the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, and from 2010 to 2012, he served as an adviser on SME policy at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. Previously, Stefan Rouenhoff worked as a research associate in economics, specialising in international economics, at the Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg. In 2010, he also undertook a research stay at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. Stefan Rouenhoff has been a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 1996. From 1999 to 2004, he served as a CDU councillor in the city of Goch and, from 2000 to 2004, as Deputy Chairman of the Young Union in the Kleve district. Within the Young Union, Stefan Rouenhoff also served as Deputy Chairman of the Lower Rhine regional association from 2002 to 2006 and, from 2004 to 2006, as a member of the CDU State Executive Board of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 2016, he has been Chairman of the CDU city association of Goch and, since 2019, Deputy Chairman of the CDU Lower Rhine regional association.

Jordi Sánchez serves as CEO of Bayer Iberia and Country Division Head of Pharmaceuticals for Spain, with overall responsibility for Bayer’s business operations in the Iberian market. He joined Bayer in 2013, bringing with him extensive prior experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he has held positions across clinical operations, medical affairs, market access, and senior sales and marketing leadership roles in a broad range of therapeutic areas. His professional trajectory includes country, regional and global responsibilities of increasing scope, developed through assignments in Spain, Switzerland and Germany. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and a master’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Barcelona. In addition, he completed postgraduate studies in Pharmaceutical Medicine and Pharmacology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, as well as an Executive Development Program at IESE Business School.

Marcin Ratajczak is founder and CEO of Inuru. As a child, he wanted to replace paper with displays to reduce excess waste. Later he learned that display factories cost billions. So, he found a way to print displays instead.
He started out as a building cleaner. That job grew into a family business with around 120 employees. He holds an MBA and studied physics, where he dropped out to found Inuru.
His mission: a display and lighting industry in Europe, for Europe. He serves on the board of INAM, the Innovation Network for Advanced Materials.

Hao Yin received his PhD in materials science from Aarhus University. He joined a company as the first employee, responsible for technical development for 8 years, before becoming owner and CEO. During his management, the company has successfully transferred from a high-tech startup to a fast-growing company with global customers.
Grown up in China and settled in Denmark, now expending business globally, Hao has first-hand observations and experience in maneuvering between EU and China. He believes in multilateralism and communication.