Head Analytics (Data & Analytics), Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche, Penzberg, Germany

• Since 2022: Global Head Analytics, Data & Analytics, Pharma Research and Early Development
• 2014-2022: Head Data Science, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Pharma Research and Early Development,
  Penzberg, Deutschland
• May 2013-Dec 2013: Local Area Head Disease and Translational Informatics, Roche Diagnostics, Penzberg,
  Deutschland
• 2011-2013: Postdoctoral researcher, Stanford Center for Biomedical Informatics Research, Stanford
  University, CA, USA
• 2010 – 2011: Postdoctoral researcher, Integrative Biomedical Informatics Laboratory, GRIB -
  IMIM/UPF, Barcelona, Spain, Data mining for drug safety research (EU-project EU-ADR)
• 2007 – 2010: Ph.D. in Bioinformatics/Biomedicine, University Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain

CEO, Anapaya Systems; Chairman, Westhive Coworking Ecosystem; Member of the Board of Directors, Open Systems, Zurich, Switzerland

Martin Bosshardt is the CEO of Anapaya Systems and has 20 years of leadership and entrepreneurial experience in the SD-WAN network and security space. Until 2019 he served as a CEO of Open Systems, a leading SD-WAN provider with a follow-the-sun operation managing a global footprint in over 180 countries and representative offices in the US, Germany, Austria, the UK and Switzerland. Martin is a member of the board of directors at Open Systems and he is also an active Chairman of Westhive Coworking. He works closely with the Swedish Private Equity company EQT. Furthermore, Martin is a recipient of the SVC Entrepreneurs Award 2020.

Group Head of Sustainability, Holcim, Zug, Switzerland

President, Chicago Council on Global Affairs; Former US Ambassador to NATO; Former Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council, Chicago, United States

Ivo H. DAALDER is president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He served as the U.S. ambassador to NATO from 2009-2013. Prior to his appointment as ambassador by President Obama, Ivo was a senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution. He also served as director for European affairs on President Clinton’s National Security Council staff from 1995-1997. Ivo holds a PhD in political science from MIT and he is the author and editor of 10 books, including “The Empty Throne: America's Abdication of Global Leadership” (2018).

Drucker Senior Fellow; Founder and Chairman, Center for the Future of Organization, Drucker School of Management; stars Alumnus, Los Angeles, USA

Roland Deiser is a Drucker Senior Fellow and leads the Center for the Future of Organization (CFFO) at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. His current research focuses on the capability requirements for shaping and leveraging business ecosystems. He is the author of four books and has written numerous articles on 21st century leadership and organization.

CEO and Editor, The Market, Zurich, Switzerland

Mark Dittli is a journalist and author in Zurich, specializing in financial markets and global economics. He is CEO and editor of The Market, a new financial media platform that was launched in April 2019. The Market publishes in-depth analytical and background articles as well as interviews on companies, global industry trends and macroeconomic issues. From 2012 to 2017, Mark was the editor-in-chief of Finanz und Wirtschaft, Switzerland’s leading financial newspaper. Prior to that, he was the editor of the international section of Finanz und Wirtschaft and has spent five years as the U.S. correspondent of the paper in New York, covering economic and monetary policy as well as company issues. Mark has studied business economics in Zurich, journalism in New York and is a CFA charterholder. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree in history at the University of Zurich. Mark is married, has two children and lives in Zurich.

Chief Risk Officer, Zurich Switzerland; stars Alumna, Zurich, Switzerland

Claudia Flury has been Chief Risk Officer of Zurich Switzerland since May 2020. Prior to this, she held various management positions at the Zurich Group, amongst others within the Group Audit and most recently as Head of Planning and Performance Management of Zurich Switzerland. She started her career with PwC in 2002 and worked as an auditor in Switzerland and London before joining the Zurich Group in 2012. Claudia Flury holds a Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management from the Swiss Hospitality Management School in Lausanne (EHL) and is a certified public accountant.

Group Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, Grundfos Holding, Bjerringbro, Denmark

Member of Group Management from 2019, appointed Group Executive Vice President in 2019 with responsibility for Global Segments, Marketing & Communication, and from 2021 with responsibility for Sales & Marketing.

Before joining Grundfos, Ulrik has worked for the LEGO Group (1994-2019) in various innovation and marketing leadership positions in Denmark, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Latest as Executive Vice President and Chief Business Transformation Officer.

Education: M.Sc. Business Administration & Economics, Aarhus Business School, Denmark; Executive leadership programs at IMD, Switzerland and MIT, USA.

Professor Emeritus of Experimental Immunology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) and University Zurich; Co-Founder and Member, stars Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland

• since 2008: Professor Emeritus of Experimental Immunology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) and University Zurich
• 1994 – 2008: Joint Full Professor for Immunology, Medical Faculty University of Zurich, and Department of Biology, ETH Zurich
• 2000 – 2005: Chairman of the Department of Biology, ETH Zurich
• 1989: Associate Professor for Exp. Pathology, Medical Faculty, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich
• 1980: Oberassistent, University Hospital of Zurich, Institute of Pathology, Dept. of Exp. Immunology
• 1975 – 1980: Member, Basel Institute for Immunology
• 1973 – 1975: Postdoctoral Fellow, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England
• 1964 – 1972: Diploma in Biochemistry and Ph.D. Thesis in Molecular Biology, ETH Zurich
• Concurrently: Board Member of biotechnology companies and foundations

Chairman of the Board of Management, Robert Bosch, Stuttgart, Germany

Dr. Stefan Hartung has been chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH and a shareholder of Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG since January 1, 2022. His responsibilities include corporate strategy, corporate communications and governmental affairs, and technology development. He is also responsible for corporate research and advance engineering, corporate quality management, and the corporate department Technology Manufacturing . In addition, he is responsible for the Bosch Healthcare Solutions GmbH subsidiary and Bosch operations in China.

Born in Dortmund on January 13, 1966, Stefan Hartung is married and has two children. He studied mechanical engineering, specializing in manufacturing technology, at RWTH Aachen, where he also submitted his PhD (Dr.-Ing.) in 1993.

He joined Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH in Munich in 2004. Before that, he worked for the Fraunhofer Society and the management consultants McKinsey & Company in Düsseldorf.

Co-Founder and Managing Director, China Macro Group (CMG); Strategic Advisor Europe, Caixin Global; Member, stars Foundation Board, Zurich, Switzerland

Markus is an experienced advisor to corporate and public sector clients on the Chinese market and an expert in China’s economic, trade and S&T policies, political cooperation and government affairs strategies with strong cross-cultural skills. Prior to CMG, Markus worked as Director with Sinolytics, Government Affairs Director with Bayer MaterialScience in China and as Management Consultant with Boston Consulting Group in its Shanghai, Hong Kong and Zurich offices. Markus is a Strategic Advisor Europe to Caixin Global and is engaged in advisory boards with CEIBS Zurich, SCCC, UZH and the Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy.

Markus holds a B.A. and M.A. in Law from the Universities of Geneva, Bern and Fribourg, participated in a Chinese language certificate program at the Peking University and holds a CAS from ETHZ in public policy and a CAS from the University of Zurich in applied ethics.

Co-Founder and Managing Director, China Macro Group (CMG); Strategic Advisor Europe, Caixin Global; Member, stars Foundation Board, Zurich, Switzerland

Markus is an experienced advisor to corporate and public sector clients on the Chinese market and an expert in China’s economic, trade and S&T policies, political cooperation and government affairs strategies with strong cross-cultural skills. Prior to CMG, Markus worked as Director with Sinolytics, Government Affairs Director with Bayer MaterialScience in China and as Management Consultant with Boston Consulting Group in its Shanghai, Hong Kong and Zurich offices. Markus is a Strategic Advisor Europe to Caixin Global and is engaged in advisory boards with CEIBS Zurich, SCCC, UZH and the Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy.

Markus holds a B.A. and M.A. in Law from the Universities of Geneva, Bern and Fribourg, participated in a Chinese language certificate program at the Peking University and holds a CAS from ETHZ in public policy and a CAS from the University of Zurich in applied ethics.

Director and Senior Fellow, Caixin Insight; stars Alumnus, Zurich, Switzerland

Shan has accumulated extensive experience as political analyst and commentator with special focus on China’s foreign and trade policy, geopolitics, decoupling as well as the broader US-China relations. He has had deep exposure to and active engagement in a variety of international programs and dialogue fora to engage in track 2.0 discussions among Chinese and international policymakers, academics and journalists to debate foreign policy. Shan is a frequent speaker on China’s policies and has past working experience with the Eurasia Group in NYC.

Shan holds a B.A. in International Relations from Peking University, a M.A. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame and completed academic fellowships with both the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

Sustainability Manager Global Operations, Buhler Group; Managing Director, One Young World Switzerland, Uzwil, Switzerland

• 2022 - current: Managing Director, One Young World Switzerland, Arosa/CH (50%)
• 2022 - current: Sustainability Manager Global Operations, Bühler AG, St Gallen/CH (50%)
• 2020 - 2022: Project Manager Global Logistics Controlling, Bühler AG, St Gallen/CH
• 2019 - 2020: Project Manager Rice Innovation, Bühler AG, St Gallen/CH
• 2018 - 2019: Program Manager Diversity and Inclusion, Bühler AG, St Gallen/CH
• 2014 - 2018: Masters in Engineering (MEng), Civil Engineering, Loughborough University/UK

Founder and Member of the Board, Alpine AI; Founder and Group CEO, Mindfire; Founder, Starmind; Member, stars Scientific Board, Zurich, Switzerland

In 2012, while at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the University of Zurich Kaufmann initiated and developed a humanoid robot called Roboy, with Prof. Dr. Rolf Pfeifer. Roboy combines the latest insights from the field of embodied intelligence research and the most recent advances in the field of robotics.

Kaufmann takes on a more skeptical view on the current state of AI, in particular about the analogy that the brain is comparable to a computer.

His vision "to think with the power of 1,000 brains" gave rise to the concept of the "Corporate Brain" which is today the core technology of the software company Starmind International which he founded with Marc Vontobel in 2010. The company is based in Zurich, Switzerland and has operations in New York and Frankfurt.

In 2017, Kaufmann initiated the non-profit Mindfire foundation dedicated to progressing AI openly, responsibly and ethically. In 2019, he gave rise to the Mindfire Group. Ultimately, to use the power of human level AI to solve our most pressing global challenges. Kaufmann ist president of the Swiss AI Award dedicated to promoting artificial intelligence.

Pascal Kaufmann was born in Zurich, Switzerland. He joined the Kantonsschule Zürcher Unterland (KZU) with a focus on ancient languages and philosophy. Kaufmann received his master's degree in Neuroscience and Economics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, United States.

Former Group President, GIC; Former Head of Civil Service of Singapore; Member, stars International Board, Singapore

Siong Guan Lim was Group President of GIC from 2007 until the end of 2016, after which he was Advisor to GIC's Group Executive Committee until March 2019. The GIC manages the financial reserves of the Singapore Government. He was Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board from October 2006 to June 2009. The Board is the Singapore government’s lead agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business centre. Much of its work is attracting international corporations to set up manufacturing and services activities in Singapore as critical links in the global supply chain.

Siong Guan was Professor in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore from 2005–2023, instructing on leadership and change management, as well as a Senior Fellow of the Civil Service College from 2006–2023.

He was the Head of the Singapore Civil Service from September 1999 to March 2005. Siong Guan was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense (1981-1994), the Prime Minister’s Office (1994-1998), the Ministry of Education (1997-1999) and the Ministry of Finance (1999-2006). In every appointment he introduced innovative policies and practices which enhanced the drive, capacity, capability and performance of the organization. Siong Guan has chaired the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (2004-2006), the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (2004-2006) and the Central Provident Fund Board (1986-1994), and was a board member of many companies including Temasek, the other sovereign wealth fund manager of Singapore.

Photo: © N.Ackermann-GVA-June2022

Director-General, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Geneva, Switzerland

Robert Mardini was appointed Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in March 2020. As head of the ICRC’s executive body, he is responsible for steering the organisation’s global humanitarian activities and its 20,000 staff in more than 100 countries, with a yearly budget of over USD 2.5 billion.

Holder of a master’s degree in civil engineering and hydraulics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, Robert began his ICRC career in 1997 coordinating programmes in Rwanda and Iraq before going on to lead the Water & Habitat unit.

Since then he has fulfilled a variety of high level positions at the heart of the organisation, notably Deputy Director-General (2010-2012), Regional Director for the Near & Middle East (2012-2018) and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and Head of Delegation in New York (2018-2020).

Robert is a dual Lebanese-Swiss citizen. He is married and has two daughters.

Chairman, Galenica; Vice Chairman, Barry Callebaut; Member of the Boards of Baloise Holding, Orior, Jacobs Holding; Vice Chairman, stars Foundation Board, Zurich, Switzerland

• May 2023 – present: Chairman, Galenica; Vice Chairman, Barry Callebaut; Member of the Boards of Baloise Holding, Orior, Jacobs Holding
• July 2019 – 2023: Vice Chairman, Barry Callebaut; Member of the Boards of Galenica, Baloise Holding, Orior, Jacobs Holding
• 2013 – 2019: Member of the Board of PwC Europe
• 2013 – 2016: Member of the Office of the Global Chairman of PwC
• 2012 – 2019: Chairman of PwC Switzerland
• 2010 – 2013: Member of the PwC Network Executive Team
• 2007 – 2008: Senior Partner PwC Continental Europe and Member of the PwC Global Leadership Team
• 2005 – 2007: Member of the Global Board of PwC
• 2003 – 2012: CEO PwC Switzerland
• 1992: Admission to Partnership
• 1985: Start at PwC
• Concurrently
  – Member of the ETH Foundation Board
  – Vice Chairman of the Board of the Zurich Chamber of Commerce
  – Vice Chairman of the Foundation Board of Avenir Suisse
  – Chairman of the Finance and Tax Committee of économiesuisse

Assistant Professor in Politics, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

Dr Markus Pauli is Lecturer in Political Science in the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University. He teaches modules on Public Policy Analysis and the Politics of Climate Change. Dr Pauli has held positions in the Political Science Department at the National University of Singapore, Yale-NUS , Singapore Management University, and Heidelberg
University, Germany.

His current research focuses on the political economy of decarbonization in Europe and India. He uses experimental research methods to study international perceptions of global governance mechanisms. His earlier research projects focused on financial inclusion, microfinance and sustainable development in India as well as global food value chains in
Southeast Asia.

Markus currently holds a Rising Talent Fellowship at Dublin City University. He previously had scholarships from the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Cluster of Excellence ‘Asia and Europe in a Global Context’, Heidelberg University, where he was rewarded his PhD. Dr Pauli studied at the Free University, Berlin and the London School of Economics and Political
Science (LSE). He has co-authored work on India´s socio-economic development, democracy, citizenship, and human security. Other publications focus on financial inclusion and collaborative governance for the Sustainable Development Goals.

Client Service Partner; Former Chairman, PwC Switzerland; Member, stars Foundation Board, Zurich, Switzerland

Stefan has been a Partner at PwC since 2002 and disposes of extensive experience in the field of reporting under Swiss and international accounting principles (IFRS and US GAAP). He has led a number of special projects such as capital market transactions, due diligence projects, restructurings and reorganisations. In his function as Global Engagement Partner, he is in charge of auditing numerous multi-national groups domiciled in Switzerland, mainly in the industrial sector.

Until 2013, he was responsible for the Industrial Markets segment at PwC Switzerland (manufacturing, chemicals, transport&logistics, and professional services).

Between 2013 – 2015 Stefan was the Head of the Assurance Business Unit Trade, Industry, Services for Zurich and Eastern Switzerland with 6 Offices and 200 People.

From 2015 – 2018, he was leading the Assurance Markets for Trade Industry Services and Member of the Assurance Executive Team. Furthermore, he was a member of PwC Switzerland’s Oversight Board and member of the Audit Committee.

From 2018 to 2022 Stefan has served as Chairman of PwC Switzerland’s Board of Directors.

Concurrently
– Assignments in London, Madagascar, Montreal
– Client Service Partner for listed and non-listed multinationals
– Member of the Swiss Oversight Board, PwC Switzerland, since 2011
– Member of the Board of Trustees of Avenir Suisse
– Member of the Board of the Zurich Chamber of Commerce
– Member of the Advisory Board of the Liechtenstein Dialogue for Development (LDD)
– Member of the Board of the «Zürcher Volkswirtschatliche Gesellschaft»
– Member of the Foundation Board of «Festspiele Zürich»
– Member of the IMD Alumni

Member of the Managing Board, CEO Smart Infrastructure, Siemens, Zug, Switzerland

A graduate of the Department of Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at the University of Applied Science, Trier, Germany, Matthias Rebellius is currently the CEO of Smart Infrastructure as well as of Siemens Switzerland and is responsible for Supply Chain Management. In addition to these duties, he is also a member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG as well as a member of the supervisory boards of Siemens Energy AG, and Siemens Energy Management GmbH.

Having started his career at Siemens AG Industrial Automation Group in Erlangen, Germany as a Development Engineer and Project Leader in 1990, he was appointed as the Head of Hardware Development for the Machine Tool Control business at Siemens AG Automation and Drives Group / Motion Control Business in 1997.

In 2000, he became the Head of Marketing and Product Management for Simatic HMI panels at Siemens AG, A&D in Nuremberg. By 2003, he was the Head of Strategic Marketing for ‘Fire and Security Products’ and the Head of the Business Segment ‘Fire Solutions’ at the Siemens Building Technologies Division in Maennedorf, Switzerland.

He was appointed as the Global CEO of the Business Unit ‘Fire, Safety & Security’ in Zug, Switzerland in 2008. And from 2012 to 2015, he served as the President and CEO of Region Americas (US, Canada, Brazil) in Illinois, USA. Then, until March 2019, he acted as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Siemens Building Technologies Division in Zug.

In April 2019, he assumed the roles of Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Siemens Smart Infrastructure at the Global HQ in Zug, and CEO of Siemens Switzerland in Zurich.

Since October 2020, he is a Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG, Munich, and the CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure, Global HQ Zug.

Rebellius believes in shaping the future through digitalization. Placing great emphasis on developing new ways to empower customers through the integration of digitalization into products and services, and supporting them on their journey of digital transformation toward becoming more sustainable, energy efficient and resilient. He also attaches great importance to building long-term customer relationships.

Vice President; Head of the Department of Education, City of Schaffhausen, Switzerland

Attorney-at-law and Partner, Wenger & Vieli AG, Zurich; Member, stars Foundation Board, Zurich, Switzerland

• 1986 – present: Wenger & Vieli AG, Attorney-at-law; Partner since 1989
• 1985: Arnold & Porter, Foreign Associate, Washington DC
• 1982 – 1984: District Court of Meilen (Zurich)
• 1979 – 1982: Ringier AG, Legal Department
• Concurrently: Member of the Board of various companies and foundations in Switzerland

Founder, Smiling Gecko, Cambodia

Swiss artist Hannes Schmid is most sought after for his extraordinary photo-essays. Born in 1946 to Swiss parents, he was trained as an electrician, but found his true calling in photography while travelling on a work trip in South Africa. Largely self-taught, yet a consummate master of the medium, his decades-spanning works are sans pareil unconventional and recognized in various genres of photography.

Photography is Hannes’s way of bearing witness to his curious eye and unwavering determination to seek out the truth. Some of his most recognized works include the iconic Marlboro Man, Rockstars, For Gods Only, and Human Currents which have been exhibited at various galleries and museums. In recent years, he has delved into a variety of art forms to create a provocative body of work, which includes transforming his Marlboro Man onto the canvas and a social sculpture, taking place in Cambodia.

Despite having earned various nominations and awards (including an Honorary Doctorate bestowed on Hannes by the University of Zurich), Hannes belongs to a category of artists that goes beyond the confines of traditional photography. The larger part of his archive now sits in his atelier, waiting to be discovered.

Executive Chairman, stars Foundation, Weinfelden, Switzerland

• 2014 – present: Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of the stars Foundation Board, Weinfelden, Switzerland
• 2008 – 2014: Chairman and Co-Founder of the stars Foundation Board, Weinfelden, Switzerland
• 1994 – 2016: Member of the Board of UBS Wolfsberg and Congress Hotel Seepark AG
• 1994 – 2014: CEO, UBS Wolfsberg. Emphasis on Business Development, i.e. initiating, supervising, and conducting UBS Briefings, UBS Health Forum, UBS Arts Forum, UBS Study Trips, UBS Think Tanks, Wolfsberg Podium (www.wolfsberg.com)
• 1981 – 1994: Various responsibilities for UBS Management and Executive Development, Member and Chairman of the Board of UBS Art Collection
• Concurrently: Member of the Board of various companies and foundations in Switzerland

Assistant Professor, Dublin City University; Director, Ireland India Institute; stars Alumna, Dublin, Ireland

Dr Jivanta Schoettli is Assistant Professor in Indian Politics and Foreign Policy at Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland and Director of the Ireland India Institute at DCU. Earlier, she was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), Singapore and prior to that, interim professor for Indian politics at the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University in Germany.

Jivanta conducts research on India’s maritime diplomacy, contributions to maritime governance in the Indian Ocean and strategic engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

Her publications include Maritime Governance in South Asia (Ed.) World Scientific, Singapore, 2018 and Power, Politics and Maritime Governance in the Indian Ocean (ed) Routledge, London 2014. Her 2012 book, Vision and Strategy in Indian Politics. Jawaharlal Nehru’s Policy Choices and the Designing of Political Institutions, published by Routledge, London, analysed the position taken by India’s first prime minister on key national debates about secularism, economic development and foreign policy and the implications of his policy choices.

Jivanta has written articles for Asian Survey, India Review, ISAS, Journal of Asian Public Policy, Journal of the Indian Ocean Region and Irish Studies in International Affairs.

She holds a PhD (Summa cum Laude) from Heidelberg University, Germany, and an MSc in Economic History and a BSc in International Relations and History, both from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Member, Board of Directors and Co-Owner, Hinderer Holding; stars Alumnus, Oetwil am See, Switzerland

Michael Schumacher is a member of the board of directors and co-owner of his family’s company Hinderer in the 5th generation. The Group operates the largest private psychiatric clinic group in Switzerland (Clienia) and a real estate business. Before that he has been Group CEO of Forbo, a leading manufacturer of floor coverings, building and construction adhesives, as well as power transmission and conveyor belt solutions. Prior to Forbo he was country CEO of Saint-Gobain Switzerland, which includes a broad portfolio of building material companies (Weber Marmoran, Rigips, Isover, Glassolutions) and building distribution companies (Sanitas Troesch). He was CEO of Sanitas Troesch for 7 years and at the end he was also responsible for the building distribution business of Saint-Gobain (particularly Raab Karcher) in Germany. Before that, he worked at Geberit for 6 years, including 4 years as Head of Asia-Pacific in Shanghai and 2 years as Head of Group Marketing. After graduating from the ETH Zurich with a MSc in Materials Engineering, he worked at McKinsey and completed his MBA at INSEAD in France. He lives in Switzerland, is married and has three daughters.

Professor for Mucosal Immunology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Emma Slack is an Full Professor for Mucosal Immunology in the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health (D-​HEST) ETH Zurich. Her group develops mthodologies to study the within-​host population dynamics of intestinal bacteria and applies these to better understand interactions between diet, the immune system and the intestinal microbiota.

Emma Slack studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, UK. She did her PhD thesis (2003-​2006) with Caetano Reis e Sousa at the London Research Institute (CRUK), studying pattern recognition receptor signaling. From 2007-​2011, she worked in the group of Prof Andrew Macpherson, first at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, and then at the University of Bern, Switzerland. During this time, she focused on host-​microbiota mutualism in conditions of innate immune deficiency in mice and in clinical settings. From 2011-​2018, Emma was an Ambizione fellow (SNF) in the group of Wolf-​Dietrich Hardt at the ETH Zürich. During this time, she focused on the function of adaptive immunity in controlling intestinal bacteria. She received the ETH Latsis prize 2017 for her work on understaning the mechanism of action of intestinal antibodies. Since joining ETH she has also played a large part in establishing germ-​free and gnotobiotic animal facilities. The Mucosal Immunology group works on understanding the mechanistic links between intestinal bacteria, immunity and metabolism, with a major focus on developing new tools and methodologies.

Head of Strategic Development and Innovation, Grundfos; stars Alumnus, Zurich, Switzerland

• 2017 – present: Head of Strategic Development, Grundfos
• 2015 – 2017: Leader Innovation Management, Terex Corporation
• 2012 – 2014: Head of Innovation Management and Strategic Assistant to President & CEO, Sulzer
• 2008 – 2012: Global Integration Concept Manager, Alstom
• Executive MBA (Honours/Distinction) – International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Lausanne
• MEng Chemical Engineering (First Class Honours) – Imperial College London
• CAS SDG Investing – Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva

Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, BioNTech, Mainz, Germany

Dr. Özlem TÜRECI, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of BioNTech, is a highly accomplished physician, immunologist and translational cancer researcher with substantial clinical experience and interdisciplinary knowledge. Dr. Türeci has helped lead the development of mRNA-based vaccine and cancer antigens as well as individualized immunotherapies currently in clinical development, playing a key role in establishing a new class of drugs with the potential to fighting cancer and preventing infectious diseases. She played a crucial role in BioNTech’s “Project Lightspeed,” overseeing the clinical development of the first mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine, an historic achievement completed in less than one year. Dr. Türeci previously served as CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Ganymed Pharmaceuticals AG, which was acquired by Astellas in 2016. She currently serves as President of the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy in Germany. She is a recent recipient of the German Sustainability Award, among other notable recognitions.

Mayor, City of Stein am Rhein; Member, stars Foundation Board, Stein am Rhein, Switzerland

Senior Vice President Global Head Customer Development, Kuehne+Nagel; stars Alumna, Schindellegi, Switzerland

• 2002-2003: International Trainee program, Kuehne + Nagel International AG, Schindellegi Switzerland
  (Switzerland, Spain, Poland, USA)
• 2003 – 2006: Project Manager Contract Logistics, Kuehne + Nagel S.A. de C.V., Mexico City
• 2006 – 2007: Site Manager, Kuehne + Nagel, Cuatitlan, Mexico
• 2007 – 2017: Vice President Global Business Development Automotive , Kuehne + Nagel , Schindellegi Switzerland
• 2018 – 2019: Vice President Global Business Development Automotive & Industrial , Kuehne + Nagel, Schindellegi Switzerland (Governement&Defense as additional responsability as of 2019)
• 2020 – Feb 2021: Vice President Customer Development Autmotive & Industrial, Kuehne + Nagel, Schindellegi Switzerland
• March 2021 – June 2022: Vice President Customer Development Consumer Vertical & eCommerce, Schindellegi, Switzerland
• Since July 2023 – CCO Kuehne + Nagel Contract Logistics Business Unit – SVP Global Customer Development

Education

• 1999 – 2002: Bachelor Business Administration + Logistics, Berufsakademie Mannheim
• 2008 – 2009: Executive Master of Business Administration in Supply Chain Management, ETH Zürich University

Professor, Southeast Asian Studies, International Management Asia, HTWG Konstanz; stars Alumnus, Konstanz, Germany

Christian von Lübke is a political economist with particular interest in democratic governance and socio-economic development in Southeast Asia. While most of his professional and empirical work has focused on Indonesia and the Philippines, research interests increasingly extend to other parts of the region, including Thailand, Malaysia, and other parts of East Asia. His academic and professional work places great emphasis on interdisciplinarity and mixed methods.

Before joining the Arnold-Bergstraesser Institute, Dr. von Lübke was a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University (2008-2011) and Waseda University (2007). He worked as technical advisor for the World Bank and GIZ in various parts of rural Indonesia (2001-2006). In 2007, he joined an international team at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) analyzing effects of public-private action on investment and growth.
Dr. von Lübke’s research has been published in the Journal of Development Studies, Pacific Affairs, Asian Economic Journal, European Journal of East Asian Studies, Contemporary Southeast Asian Affairs, and Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies. He regularly contributes political analyses on Southeast Asia’s contemporary developments to Oxford Analytica.