Stefan Henkel studied economics at the University of Bamberg, where he also received his PhD. After working as an assistant professor and as a freelance IT consultant, he started his Siemens career in 1996 at Siemens Management Consulting in Munich. In 1997, he became the Director of Supply Chain Consulting at Corporate Procurement and Logistics.

After filling further management positions in other departments, he joined Customer Services at the Healthcare Sector in 2006, where he was responsible for the global “Product Support” and “Siemens Remote Service”. In 2010, he led the Sector Transformation Management Office. In 2011, Stefan Henkel became the Head of Customer Relationship Management Operations. Since January 2014 he assumes the responsibility as Head of Information Technology within Siemens Healthineers. With the IPO of Siemens Healthineers in March 2018 Stefan Henkel has taken the accountability as CIO.

Siemens Healthineers AG is a leading medical technology company headquartered in Erlangen, Germany. Siemens Healthineers and its regional companies are continuously developing their product and service portfolio, with AI-supported applications and digital offerings that play an increasingly important role in the next generation of medical technology.

Image courtesy of Siemens Healthineers

Volker Kratzenstein is CIO Group IT Components at Volkswagen. Prior to this role, he was CIO of Bentley Motors in the UK and CTO of Volkswagen.

Since May 2019 Christian is responsible as Group CIO of GEA, one of the largest suppliers for the food processing industry and a wide range of other industries. GEA generated consolidated revenues of approximately EUR 4.8 billion in 2018.

The international technology group specializes in machinery, and plants as well as process technology and components. GEA provides sustainable energy solutions for sophisticated production processes in various end-user markets and offers a comprehensive service portfolio. The group generates around 70 percent of its revenue in the food and beverages sector that enjoys long-term sustainable growth. As of December 31, 2018, the company employed about 18,500 people worldwide. GEA is a market and technology leader in its business areas.

Dr Gerd Niehage is Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Officer (CTIO) at major Swiss telecommunications provider Swisscom. He has over three decades of experience in executive management, IT and consultancy in global, intercultural and diverse environments. His speciality areas are automotive, retail, healthcare, process industry, medical devices and public administration.

In his previous role as VP Data/AI, Integration, Process Automation, IT Innovation and EAM at engineering firm ZF Group, he supported the company’s transformation from low tech / high labour intensive manufacturing to high tech / low labour intensive plants in Asia Pacific, particularly China. This contributed to ZF Group to become an important industry player enabling the software defined car and with next generation mobility concepts.

Photo credit: Swisscom

Dr.-Ing. Michael Kranz (55) startet his professional career 1996 at the automotive supplier LuK GmbH & Co. in Bühl as IT Project Lead. 1998 he took over the IT Management of LuK with worldwide responsibility at the end.

2004 he moved to Krones AG, a leading worldwide manufacturer of packaging and filling machines, as Senior Vice President Information Management. The most important program in his time at Krones has been kicked-off in 2007 with the goal to industrialize the IT to reach higher process maturity and service orientation. This program was finished successfully early 2011 with the first ISO 20000 certificate of an internal IT organization in the mechanical engineering sector.

Since October 2011 Dr. Michael Kranz leads as CIO the functional area Information Technology Management of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG und is member of the CIO Council of thyssenkrupp AG. He also leads the digitalization initiative of Steel Europe as part of the strategy program “one steel”. With the successful implementation of an integrated and harmonized SAP system, combined with process and organizational change, the most important of five major pillars of the IT strategy has now been materialized.

thyssenkrupp Steel Europe is one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-grade flat steel. With around 27,000 employees, we supply high-quality steel products for innovative and demanding applications in a wide range of industries. Customer-specific material solutions and services associated with the material steel round off our range of services.

Together with our customers we continue to develop the long and successful story of our company, thereby shaping global markets, our region and a large number of powerful industries, including the automotive industry, machinery and plant engineering, the packaging industry and the energy sector.

thyssenkrupp Steel Europe fulfills the increasing demands for ever more efficient lightweight construction and safety standards, researches and develops new high-tech steels and sets standards for surface and processing technologies. Our intensive research and development work secures the basis for our sustained success.

Main focus of the work of Pamela Herget-Wehlitz at MTU Aero Engines to date is the implementation of a group-wide Digitalization strategy. As a part of that MTU recruited several specialists in different business areas to increase the digital competence within the company. Another important part of the Digitalization strategy is also the modernization and standardization of several IT tools.

MTU Aero Engines is Germany’s leading aero engine manufacturer and an established global player in the industry. The company engages in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing and support of commercial and military aircraft engines in all thrust and power categories and stationary gas turbines. Operating affiliates all over the world, MTU has a local presence in major regions and markets.

In the commercial engine business, MTU has content in all thrust and power categories, from propulsion systems for business jets and engines for narrowbody aircraft with geared turbofan technology to the world’s most powerful engines. The company is a valued and trusted partner to all of the big players in the industry: GE, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce.

In the maintenance business, MTU Maintenance is the world’s largest independent provider of commercial engine MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) services in terms of sales. The primary focus is on providing support for engines in which MTU is a risk- and revenue-sharing partner. MTU is the leading global provider of maintenance and repair services for the V2500, the engine powering the current Airbus A320 family of aircraft. MTU Maintenance also offers repair solutions for a wide variety of different engine types.

In the military arena, MTU Aero Engines is Germany’s industrial lead company for practically all engines flown by the country’s military. The company delivers the enabling technologies, develops and manufactures engines and engine components, and provides logistics support.

STADA is a globally active, independent health care company and one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality and low-cost generics as well as well-known branded products for more than 120 years.

Focus of Angela Weissenberger’s work at STADA to date were the development and implementation of a group-wide IT strategy, the introduction of an IT Service Management according to ITIL and the set-up of a Requirement Management as well as the execution of numerous international IT projects such as SAP implementations, roll-outs, introduction of new software solutions, projects for harmonizations, optimizations, integrations and digitalization, mergers after acquisitions, carve outs, etc.

Furthermore, Angela together with her team successfully conducted various outsourcing projects also in relation to changes of providers and complex transitions.

One key aspect within the scope of the IT strategy was for Angela the elaboration of a new IT sourcing strategy. As a result and in agreement with the Executive Board of STADA, the set-up of an internal IT Shared Service Center “STADA IT SOLUTIONS” was established successfully in Serbia in 2014.

In addition to her responsibility as Senior Vice President IT / CIO of STADA, Angela took over the General Management of “STADA IT SOLUTIONS” which provides IT services as well as IT solutions and carries out IT operations and IT projects as a partner of the business units for the STADA Group internationally.

Angela was awarded several times in the category of Major Enterprises at the election of “CIO of the Year” in the German speaking countries. – She is one of the influential women in the IT sector.