Join the tech
Leaders of tomorrow
An exclusive event for tech leaders to navigate AI-driven transformation and emerging IT trends. Join fellow CIOs, CTOs, and HPI experts to shape the future of digital innovation on July 17‑18, 2025 at the Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam-Griebnitzsee.



About the event
Join global tech leaders at this premier conference, “Navigating the Future: AI‑Driven Transformation and Emerging IT Trends.” Explore cutting-edge innovations, engage in meaningful dialogue, and shape the future through collaboration, world-class talks, and exclusive networking opportunities.
Our Speakers
Gain insights from world-renowned experts in technology and innovation. Our speakers – leaders and pioneers in AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation – will share visionary ideas to inspire and empower your leadership journey in a rapidly evolving digital world.

Dr. Julia Reuss
Director Public Policy Central Europa, Meta
Julia joined Meta in February 2021 and leads the company’s regulatory affairs as well as its policy and innovation strategy across 32 countries in Central Europe. Her region of responsibility includes the BeNeLux countries, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, along with 23 nations in Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. Before joining Meta, Julia held various leadership roles within the German federal administration - from the German Bundestag to the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Federal Chancellery.

Jonathan Weiss
Managing Director, Amazon Developement Center Germany
Jonathan is a technology and innovation manager with a focus on cloud computing and software development. He heads the Amazon Development Center Germany in Berlin. Previously, he was Managing Director of several AWS companies and responsible for services such as AWS OpsWorks and the AWS Systems Manager. He began his career as Lead Developer at MeinProf e.V. before founding the cloud startup Peritor, which was acquired by Amazon in 2012. Its product Scalarium was later launched as AWS OpsWorks.

Dr. Thomas Wollmann
CTO, Merantix Momentum
Thomas is an seasoned expert in machine learning, a focus on computer vision, and a PhD in computer science (University of Heidelberg), Thomas combines technological excellence with entrepreneurial thinking. As CTO of Merantix Momentum in Berlin, he is responsible for the delivery of production-ready AI solutions as well as researching the next generation of machine learning methodologies. He is also a Director at the e-learning solution provider PWS and a regular lecturer and speaker on topics such as machine learning, developer experience, and technical leadership.

Prof. Dr. Katja Mombaur
Chair for Optimization and Biomechanics for Human-Centred Robotics, Karlsruhe Institut für Technology (KIT)
Katja is an expert in robotics, biomechanics and motion analysis. She is a professor at the University of Waterloo (Canada) and holds the Canada Excellence Research Chair for Human-Centred Robotics and Machine Intelligence.
Her focus is on the development of intelligent robots that can understand and predict human movements.
She was previously a professor at the University of Heidelberg, where she headed the “Optimization in Robotics and Biomechanics” group and coordinated the Heidelberg Center for Motion Research.

Alois Krtil
CEO, Artificial Intelligence Center Hamburg
Alois is a business information scientist and graduate engineer. He started out as a management consultant in the field of digital technologies. From 2011 to 2022, he headed the Innovations Kontakt Stelle (IKS) Hamburg. Since 2019, he has been Managing Director and founder of the Artificial Intelligence Center (ARIC) Hamburg. He is also CTO at PINKTUM, a lecturer at several universities and active on various committees.

Dr. Marcus Krug
Head of Research and Innovation | AI and Quantum Computing, SAP
Marcus leads a research and innovation team at SAP dedicated to exploring foundational technologies for the next generation of enterprise software with a focus on artificial intelligence, cryptography and quantum computing. Among other things, his team is currently working on multi-modal AI agents for automating complex business tasks, humanoid robotics and a multi-agent framework for complex business decision-support enabling users to make more rational, data-driven and unbiased decisions.

Tuesday N. Porter
Supervisory Board member, TÜV Nord Group
Tuesday is a seasoned executive at TÜV NORD GROUP with over 25 years of experience. She has headed the Group Representative Office in Berlin since 2010 and has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2018. Porter has a background in business law and is strongly committed to diversity and the promotion of women in management positions. She is also active in networks and events that support women in technical professions.

Dr. Rami-Habib Eid-Sabbagh
Director of Product Management, Appian
Rami-Habib is Director of Product Management at Appian and an expert in process mining and digital transformation. He is co-founder and managing director of Lana Labs GmbH, known for its process mining solution LANA. Previously, he was a research assistant at the Hasso Plattner Institute, where he completed his doctorate in IT systems engineering. His dissertation dealt with the analysis of large business process models.

Johann Dornbach
Vice President AI Frontier, Aleph Alpha
Johannn is Vice President AI Frontier at Aleph Alpha and is responsible for the development of innovative AI solutions for complex business and administrative processes. Previously, he was Senior Vice President of Product at Revalize, where he led a global product strategy, successfully integrated PROCAD and launched the SaaS PLM solution PRO.FILE 10. With over 22 years of experience in the enterprise software industry, he is an expert in PLM, CPQ, Variant Configuration and data-driven product development.

Dr. Tammo Rukat
AI Research Engineering Lead, Helsing
Tammo leads an AI research team at Helsing, a new type of defence company with the mission to protect our democracies. Previously, he led research and engineering teams at Amazon and co-founded a startup building AI for data science automation. He holds a PhD in Machine Learning from the University of Oxford.

Daniel Beutel
Co Founder & CEO, Flower Labs
Daniel is one of the creators of Flower, the leading open-source platform and ecosystem for federated AI. A large and growing community of Fortune 500 companies and top universities worldwide use Flower to improve their AI models on sensitive data that is distributed across organizational silos or user devices. Daniel was an AI researcher at the University of Cambridge and is now the Co-Founder & CEO of Flower Labs, a startup backed by Y Combinator, First Spark Ventures and Felicis Ventures (among others).

Prof. Dr. Jürgen Döllner
Professor for Computergraphic Sytems, Hasso Plattner Institute
Jürgen studied mathematics and CS at the Univ. of Siegen, get his PhD and habilitation at the Univ. of Münster. Since 2001, he has been a full professor and C4 chair of Complex Computer Graphics Systems at HPI, where he leads a team of around 20 researchers. His work spans visual computing, visual analytics, 3D maps, 3D point clouds, spatial deep learning and XAI, yielding over 470 papers and BMBF-funded industry projects. He reviews for journals and conferences, and serves on the GraphicsVision.AI board. He has also co-founded several start-ups. Jürgen is fascinated by the idea that the universe is an extremely convincing simulation.

Dr. Martin Grund
Engineering Lead & Principal Engineer, Databricks
Martin is the global tech lead at Databricks for Unity Catalog Governance. He is responsible for providing the foundation of the Data Intelligence Platform, which enables the cataloging and governance of all data and AI assets across all business aspects. Before joining Databricks and founding the German engineering office, he led the development of Amazon Redshift Spectrum in the US and Germany. He holds a PhD from the Hasso Plattner Institute on the topic of In-Memory Database Query Execution.

Prof. Dr. Maxilmilian Kiener
Junior Professor / Head of Institute for Ethics in Technology, Hamburg University of Technology
Maximilian is Junior Professor of Philosophy at the TU Hamburg and heads the Institute for Ethics in Technology. He conducts research on moral and legal philosophy, in particular on consent, responsibility and artificial intelligence. In addition to his research, he advises politicians and industry on ethical issues, particularly in the digital and medical fields.

Swantje Kowarsch
Managing Director, Diconium
Swantje is an experienced leader with over 20 years of expertise in the automotive and financial sectors. She has held important positions at Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG and AUDI AG. For the past seven years, she has headed the Product Development, Customer Experience and Data Management departments at Audi Business Innovation GmbH. Today, she is Managing Director of diconium data, where she combines data-driven topics with entrepreneurial strategies. She stands for a data-oriented management culture and a new way of thinking in business.

Prof. Dr. Patrick Glauner
Professor of Arificial Intelligence, Deggendorf Insitute of Technology
Patrick is a Full Professor of Artificial Intelligence at Deggendorf Institute of Technology (Germany) since age 30. He has been ranked by CDO Magazine among the worldwide academic data leaders. In parallel, he is the Founder & CEO of skyrocket.ai GmbH, an AI consulting firm. As an expert witness, he advised the parliaments of France, Germany, and Luxembourg. Previously, he was Head of Data Academy at Alexander Thamm GmbH, headed the corporate AI competence center at Krones Group, and was Fellow at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). He studied at Imperial College London and is an alumnus of the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des

Dr. Markus Durstewitz
Senior Director Innovation, Airbus
Markus brings over 30 years of experience in aerospace and has held key positions along the entire product lifecycle - from AI research to corporate strategy. As Senior Director of Innovation at Airbus, he guides teams from idea to market launch using platforms such as IdeaSpace. He drives an impact-driven innovation model that combines internal and external open innovation - with regional innovation centers, an internal community, an incubator team and a venture client unit. His focus is on user-centered innovation based on the Design Thinking approach.

Elisabeth L’Orange
Partner AI & Data, Deloitte
Elisabeth L'Orange is a partner at Deloitte for AI & Data and a leading expert in artificial intelligence. She co-founded the AI startup Oxolo and successfully secured Series A financing in 2023. Previously, she worked as CFO and venture capital investor. She is active in the Hamburg startup scene, has received numerous awards and hosts the tech podcast “Tech & Tales”.

Dr. Ulrich Erxleben
Founder & CEO, Hypatos.Ai
Ulrich is the founder and CEO of Hypatos GmbH, which develops AI software for the automation of document processing. The company has offices in Berlin and New York. Erxleben holds degrees in accounting and finance from the University of St. Gallen and a doctorate in finance from TU Darmstadt. He has worked for McKinsey, Rocket Internet and ProSiebenSat.1, among others. Since 2014, he has been active as an entrepreneur in the field of process automation for finance departments.

Jakob Peters
Innovation Manager, Deutsches Elektron Synchrotron (DESY)
Economist with a foundation in physics and astronomy, dedicated to bridging the gap between cutting-edge science and commercial innovation. With experience spanning the commercial and public space sectors, including roles at Airbus Defence & Space and the European Space Agency — Jakob Peters has led socio-economic impact analyses, institutional cooperation strategies, and business case evaluations for technologies. Currently at DESY, Germany’s national research center for fundamental physics, he drives innovation management and fosters industry partnerships. His unique perspective lies in connecting the commercial world with fundamental research, particularly in space and the deep tech sector.
LinkedIn

Dr. Eva-Maria Hempe
Head of Healthcare & Life Science EMEA, NVIDIA
Eva-Maria is the Head of Healthcare & Life Sciences EMEA at NVIDIA. In this role, together with her cross-functional team, she inspires and enables stakeholders across EMEA to unlock the potential of AI in genomics, drug discovery, medical imaging and med tech to transform the industry - because she believes everyone deserves a chance to live a long and healthy life. Eva-Maria has over 15 years of experience in healthcare, strategy, and go-to-market. She has worked for the English NHS, the World Economic Forum and VMware, served on the board of a care software company, and was an Associate Partner at Bain & Company, specializing in healthcare and digital innovation.
Our Host and Moderators
Meet our esteemed host and moderators who will guide you through the event with insight and energy. With deep knowledge in technology and innovation, they’ll foster engaging discussions, connect key ideas, and ensure a dynamic, thought-provoking experience throughout.

Prof. Dr. Falk Uebernickel
Host, Co-Head HPI d-school & Professor
Expert in tech leadership and digital transformation, focusing on sustainable living, CO2-free innovation, and Design Thinking. Leads HPI d-school, coaches executives, and researchers how firms adapt in the digital age. (Co-)Author of 200+ publications and best-selling books.

Dr. Friederike Hoffmann
Moderator, Member Board of Directors, Ivoclar
Friederike is a tech executive with extensive experience in sales, digitization, AI, and business transformation within the telecommunications industry. At Swisscom, she is the Head of B2B telecommunications business and is part of the management board. She also serves as a board member at Ivoclar, a global leader in dental materials based in Liechtenstein. Friederike began her career with the Quandt family foundations, supporting innovation and medtech ventures. She holds a PhD from the University of St. Gallen and lives in Zurich.

Flavia Bleuel
Moderator, Head of Professional Development HPI d-school
With extensive experience at the intersection of human and technology, she brings deep knowledge in leadership, innovation, and communication. Known for guiding high-level dialogues, she creates space for meaningful exchange among leading minds and experts driving technological change.
Agenda
Get a first look at what’s ahead at the Tech Leadership Conference. This preliminary agenda outlines the core schedule.
Thursday, 17 July 2025
11:00 a.m. – Registration
12:00 p.m. – Welcome & Opening
with Prof. Dr. Falk Uebernickel
12:15 p.m. – Opening Talk
with Dr. Julia Reuss and Dr. Friederike Hoffmann
12:45 p.m. – Keynote: “Federated AI: How Europe Could Become the Next AI Superpower”
with Daniel J. Beutel
01:00 p.m. – Town Hall
with Alois Kritl and Prof. Dr. Maximilian Kiener
02:00 p.m. – Coffee & Networking Break
02:45 p.m. – Spotlight Talks
with Johann Dornbach, Dr. Markus Durstewitz and Dr. Rami-Habib Eid-Sabbagh
04:15 p.m. – Keynote: "AI in China and worldwide: What Europe needs to do now"!
with Prof. Dr. Patrick Glauner
04:30 p.m. – Keynote
with Jakob Peters
04:45 p.m. – Keynote: “The Future of German Industry: How AI Forces Transformation”
with Dr. Thomas Wollmann
05:00 p.m. – Keynote: “Agentic AI Systems”
with Patrick Löber
05:30 p.m. – Wrap Up and “Meet the Minds”
06:30 p.m. – Get Together and Networking Dinner
Friday, 18 July 2025
08:00 a.m. – Registration
09:00 a.m. – TLC Breakfast Talk
with Prof. Dr. Jürgen Döllner and Prof. Dr. Falk Uebernickel
09:30 a.m. – Keynote
with Jonathan Weiss
10:00 a.m. – Town Hall
with Elisabeth L'Orange, Dr. Martin Grund, Swantje Kowarsch
11:00 a.m. – Coffee & Networking Break
11:45 a.m. – Spotlight Talks
with Carlo Curino and Alois Kritl
01:00 p.m. – Lunch & Networking Break
02:00 p.m. – Keynote
with Dr. Eva-Marie Hempe
02:15 p.m. – Keynote
with Prof. Dr. Katja Mombaur
02:30 p.m. – Town Hall
with Prof. Dr. Katja Mombaur and Prof. Dr. Jürgen Döllner
03:30 p.m. – Keynote: “Refractions of Intelligence: Unpacking the Complexity and Promise of AI in the Enterprise”
with Dr. Marcus Krug
04:00 p.m. – Closing remarks and transition to HPI Summer Party
Sign up now!
Secure your ticket today to join and exclusive gathering of tech leaders at the Hasso Plattner Institute, Potsdam. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this event!
FAQ
Have questions about the conference? Learn more about registration, event topics, and logistics here. For anything else, our team is happy to assist you directly.
- Who can attend this event?
For the conference’s mission, we would like to welcome C-Level leaders and top executives.
- What is the conference about?
Over the course of two days, the conference will focus on navigating the future of technology, driven by AI innovations and evolving IT trends. This event will foster a collaborative platform where international tech leaders and innovators engage in meaningful dialogue, share insights, and drive forward-thinking solutions to the most pressing technological challenges. We envision a global forum where today‘s pioneers define the future of technology.
- When and where will the conference take place?
The Tech Leadership Conference takes place on the 17th and 18th of July, 2025 at the d-school of Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany.
- Is there a registration fee?
The registration fee is at 190 €. The fee includes access to the conference and covers meals and coffee breaks, the networking dinner on Thursday, and entrance fee to the HPI Summer Party, on Friday from 4pm onwards. Please register here, if you would like to attend.
- How to access agenda and speakers?
At tlc25.de we will publish all information as soon as possible.
- How to get in touch with the team?
Please write an email to tlc2025@hpi.de
Partner
This conference is being held in cooperation with the Hasso Plattner Institute.



