Technikum Day 1
15. July 2026
Welcome and Opening TechDays 2026
Technikum
Bianca Sum Bethune
Deputy Head Innovation Network Security, Bayern Innovativ
Bianca Sum Bethune is Deputy Head of the Innovation Network Security at Bayern Innovativ. She is a cybersecurity expert with over ten years of experience in the field.
Kai Hermsen
Programme Director // Co-Founder DECAID Secure and Governance Lead, Security Network Munich // DECAID
Kai is the Programme Director of the Security Network Munich. As Co-Founder and AI Governance Expert at DECAID Secure, he makes professional AI governance accessible for mid-sized enterprises, ensuring secure AI implementation while preserving human oversight.
Previously, he led the "Charter of Trust" at Siemens shaping the Cybersecurity transformation for almost a decade, co-managed "Identity Valley," and founded the "twinds foundation." A lecturer at Frankfurt School and TEC Leadership Institute, he also contributes to the World Economic Forum’s "Digital Trust" working group and co-organizes the Munich Cybersecurity Conference.
An active citizen, husband, and father of two, he advocates for sustainable work-life integration as the foundation for success
Opening Remarks – Why TechDays 2026?
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Rainer Seßner (Bayern Innovativ)
Greatings by the Ministry for the Economy, Bavaria
Technikum
Tobias Gotthard (Secretary of State, Ministry for the Economy, Bavaria)
Keynote and Opening Remarks
Technikum
Gabriel von Mitschke-Collande
Member of the Management Board, Group CDO of Giesecke+Devrient, Giesecke+Devrient
Gabriel von Mitschke-Collande is Chief Digital Officer (CDO) at Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), responsible for digitalization, IT, innovation, ESG, information security, quality management, and G+D Ventures.
He studied business administration and engineering at TU Munich and earned a Master’s degree focused on mechanical engineering, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Before joining G+D in May 2024, he was CDO at BayWa AG and held roles in strategy and innovation.
His focus is the twin transformation of digitalization and sustainability, guided by “Be Digital. Stay Human.”
As a member of G+D’s owner family, he blends technology and business understanding with a people-first mindset and a strong interest in nature’s complex, self-organizing systems.
Space Keynote
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Communicating from Outer Space
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Art
Technikum
Chagall -
Musician, Innovator, Performer, Producer, LoveLace
Chagall is a musician, tech innovator, performer and producer. She combines music and technology in her captivating live performances, which feature sensor-tech instruments, her voice and her movements. In 2014, she joined the music technology start-up MiMU, which developed musical gloves that enable musicians to control sound with hand gestures while performing. In her B.A.B.Y. project (Bionic Assistant for Becoming Yourself), a reactive light art installation, she combines body, voice, light and music to create a breathtaking experience.
Space as Infrastructure – Startups, Sovereignty & the New Space Race
Technikum
Dr. Armel DJEUKOU
Ex SVP Digital Design Manufacturing and Services & Digital Products Ecosystem, AIRBUS
Dr. Armel Djeukou spent 20 years at Airbus leading global engineering and industrial operations, running Airbus drone business unit, steering complex turnarounds as Chairman and board member of multiple subsidiaries, and up until recently he served as Senior Vice President driving one of Europe’s largest digital transformation programme across a work force of tens of thousands and the supply chain. He experienced first-hand what it takes to move a large industrial organisation and its ecosystem toward new technologies and new business models.
He believes that to win the sovereign New Space race, an ecosystem collaboration between academia, governments, investors, startups and established industrial players is of paramount importance. He advises funds and boards navigating that same shift.
TBA
TBA
Dr. Wolfgang Hackenberg
Geschäftsleitung, IABG
Dr. Wolfgang Hackenberg is a member of the IABG Management Team and Director Sovereign Security Solutions. IABG is a Munich-based Defense & Space company serving the space and defense sector (e.g. government and NATO) with classified security services in the land, air, sea, space and cyber domains, such as satellite tests, technology consulting, procurement support, systems analysis and simulation, testing, cyber security and war gaming.
His career includes executive roles as General Manager Nokia Networks Germany and Chief Commercial Officer at quantum computing startup IQM, out of Munich, Shanghai, Paris and Helsinki. He currently serves on the Accenture Strategy Advisory Board.
Wolfgang holds a Physics PhD from the University of Cambridge and lives in Munich, Germany.
Dr. Luisa Buinhas
Co-founder and Chief Program Officer, Vyoma GmbH
Luisa is the co-founder and Chief Program Officer at Vyoma. At the company, she oversees the development and launch of Vyoma's space missions. Luisa holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering (University of the German Federal Armed Forces) and a Master’s degree (TU Delft), also in Aerospace Engineering. She was previously involved in mission studies for satellite constellations for six years for DLR, in Germany, and spent six months at MIT as a researcher. She holds an Amelia Earhart Fellowship from 2016 and is a former member of the Space Traffic Management technical committee of the International Astronautical Federation.
Technikum
Lunch + Networking + Exhibition
—
Sovereign Innovation
Technikum
Dr. Ulrike Tagscherer
Managing Director, China Innovation Consulting
Ulrike Tagscherer is Managing Director of China Innovation Consulting, advising companies and organizations on innovation and/or China strategy.
Until March 2026, she served as Chief Innovation Officer at KUKA SE, leading cross-functional innovation initiatives from idea to market success.
In 2024, the International Federation of Robotics recognized her as one of 10 women advancing the future of robotics. Previously, she held roles at the Fraunhofer Society, the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
She has studied, worked, and lived in China and brings more than 35 years of China experience.
Up in the air: Sovereignity made in Ottobrunn
How to gaslight your LLMs
Technikum
Mirko Ross
CEO, asvin
As the founder and CEO of asvin.io, Mirko Ross is actively shaping the future of cybersecurity - guided by an “AI first” credo. A former teenage hacker, he now shares his experience and expertise to help protect companies, government, and society from cyberattacks.
His expertise has taken him into advisory bodies for the European Commission, the German federal government (BMBF), the Bundestag, and industry (BDI). Organizations benefit from his deep understanding of threat landscapes and solutions spanning cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and a digitally resilient society. Especially in cyber risk analysis, he is setting new standards with innovative approaches that not only uncover hidden risks, but also use AI methods to actively reduce them.
Zero Trust and Trust in Organizations
Technikum
Daniel Holzinger
Founder & Managing Director, colited
As an architect of new ways of working, Daniel Holzinger supports companies and organisations with a holistic, end-to-end consulting and transformation approach. He has over 30 years’ experience in the consultancy sector and in the field of information technology. He has held international management positions as COO, Vice President and Managing Director in the areas of sales, marketing, public relations, partner management, business development, IT and HR. In addition, he worked for several years as a lecturer at FHWien.
Art
Technikum
TBA
Gammon -
Musician, Artist, curated by Blended Art Space
Trusted Computing – Building Resilient Architectures for Sovereignty
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Dr. Victor del Razo
Managing Director, Nubotech Solutions
Dr. Victor del Razo is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Nubotech Solutions, delivering transparent, effective, and sovereign security solutions for Cloud and AI. With over 20 years of international experience, including serving as a Business Unit Senior Manager for Cloud Security at Reply, his profile combines technical expertise, leadership, and a strong research foundation. Dr. del Razo earned his Ph.D. summa cum laude from the Technical University of Munich, an M.Sc. from Helsinki University of Technology, and a B.Sc. from Tec de Monterrey. By blending technical competence with strategic vision, he establishes cybersecurity as an efficient driver of business value.
Daniel Holzinger
Founder & Managing Director, colited
As an architect of new ways of working, Daniel Holzinger supports companies and organisations with a holistic, end-to-end consulting and transformation approach. He has over 30 years’ experience in the consultancy sector and in the field of information technology. He has held international management positions as COO, Vice President and Managing Director in the areas of sales, marketing, public relations, partner management, business development, IT and HR. In addition, he worked for several years as a lecturer at FHWien.
Julia Dudenko
Chief Information Security Officer (CSIO), Hapag-Lloyd AG
Julia Dudenko is Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Hapag-Lloyd AG, appointed effective April 1, 2026. She leads the company’s global cybersecurity strategy and resilience agenda, drawing on more than 20 years of international experience across cybersecurity, digital transformation, and responsible AI. Prior to joining Hapag-Lloyd, Julia served as Group CISO and Group AI Community Chair at Haniel, overseeing security for ten portfolio companies worldwide and advancing governance, compliance, and security performance. Earlier, she held senior leadership roles at Deutsche Post DHL Group, where she led global security programs and helped deliver large-scale digital initiatives.
Letitia Combes
Managing Director, BxC GmbH & Co. KG
Létitia Combes is Co-founder and Managing Director of BxC Security, a boutique cybersecurity firm specializing in OT security and machine identity management. At BxC, she co-founded IDIAL, a solution for automating machine identity lifecycle in industrial environments, now available on the Siemens Xcelerator Marketplace. Before founding BxC, she built her expertise at Deloitte and IBM across large-scale IT and OT transformation programs in Europe.
With experience across more than 200 industrial sites, she is known for making complex subjects — from certificate lifecycle to NIDS rollout in OT — accessible for mixed audiences of CISOs, OT engineers, and business leaders.
Roberta Walser
Head of Partnering & Strategic Development, Security Network Munich
Roberta Walser is an expert in cybersecurity, digital policy, and the societal impact of emerging technologies. As Head of Partnering and Strategic Development at Security Network Munich, she connects industry, policy and research to foster collaboration on security and digital transformation. A political scientist by training, she specializes in technology governance, AI policy, and stakeholder engagement. She regularly moderates and organizes expert panels and conference discussions on technology, AI governance, and digital infrastructure.
Post-Quantum Readiness: Crypto Inventory, Migration & Crypto-Agility
Dr. Alexander Löw
CEO, Data-Warehouse GmbH
Dr. Alexander Löw is Managing Director of Data-Warehouse GmbH, a Senator in the German Economic Senate, and Vice President of the German Cyber Security Council.
He has worked in cybersecurity since the 1980s with a strong focus on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and brings 25+ years of experience as a Data Protection Officer.
Since 2001, he has helped design and evolve industrial and public certification authorities (e.g., Macao, the German Air Force, BMW). He has lectured on PKI and cybersecurity since 2024 and has delivered PKI trainings for the BSI Alliance for Cyber Security since 2015.
In 2024, he joined the NIST Post-Quantum Migration Working Group.
How to successfully build Cybersecurity from Europe
TBA
TBA
CEO & Co-Founder, Build38 GmbH
Christian is a serial entrepreneur and mobile cybersecurity expert who co-founded Build38, a Munich-based deep tech company protecting over 300 million users across banking, digital identity, and automotive applications. Under his leadership as CEO, Build38 became a trusted security partner for institutions like T-Systems, CaixaBank, AOK, BARMER, Deutschland App, before being acquired by OneSpan — marking a successful exit to a NASDAQ listed US company and the next chapter in his journey.
Now at OneSpan, Christian drives the strategic evolution of mobile app security, combining his founder's instinct with deep technical expertise in runtime protection, threat intelligence, and mobile compliance frameworks such as PSD3, PCI-MPoC and eIDAS 2. He brings insights as founder and exiteer.
From Canvas to Code - how art inspires innovation
Technikum
Mathis Nitschke
Founder, Composer, Sounddesigner, Director, Producer, Sofilab
Ralf Schmid
Pianist, Composer, Producer, Professor, curated by Blended Art Space
Chagall -
Musician, Innovator, Performer, Producer, LoveLace
Chagall is a musician, tech innovator, performer and producer. She combines music and technology in her captivating live performances, which feature sensor-tech instruments, her voice and her movements. In 2014, she joined the music technology start-up MiMU, which developed musical gloves that enable musicians to control sound with hand gestures while performing. In her B.A.B.Y. project (Bionic Assistant for Becoming Yourself), a reactive light art installation, she combines body, voice, light and music to create a breathtaking experience.
Matthias Strobel
President, Dot-Connector, MusicTech Germany
As the president of MusicTech Germany, Matthias Strobel is Germany´s main point of contact for music technology innovation. He is also co-founder of Music Tech Europe and serves as Vice-President of this European umbrella association for national music technology associations across Europe. Strobel works at independet consultant, mentor, manager, to help accelerate avant-garde approaches from startups. He is a lecturer at Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU and curates the program of international music conferences. Since 2024, Matthias Strobel organizes MUSIC FRONTIERS, a solution-focused music conference in the heart of Berlin that promotes innovation for the music ecosystem and fosters knowledge transfer between visionaries from all intersections of the creative industries.
Alla Kolpakova
Strategy and Growth Lead, govar GmbH
Technikum
The Deep Debate: Four Models, One Panel, Zero Filter (World Premiere)
For the first time, the superpowers of Artificial Intelligence clash live on stage. Watch some of the large models engage in an unscripted, real-time verbal battle about the future of labor and EU regulation—using their own synthetic voices and distinct cultural philosophies. No scripts. No safety nets. Just raw algorithmic debate, followed by a live audience Q&A.
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To be anounced
—
Closing Day 1
Technikum
Bianca Sum Bethune
Deputy Head Innovation Network Security, Bayern Innovativ
Bianca Sum Bethune is Deputy Head of the Innovation Network Security at Bayern Innovativ. She is a cybersecurity expert with over ten years of experience in the field.
Kai Hermsen
Programme Director // Co-Founder DECAID Secure and Governance Lead, Security Network Munich // DECAID
Kai is the Programme Director of the Security Network Munich. As Co-Founder and AI Governance Expert at DECAID Secure, he makes professional AI governance accessible for mid-sized enterprises, ensuring secure AI implementation while preserving human oversight.
Previously, he led the "Charter of Trust" at Siemens shaping the Cybersecurity transformation for almost a decade, co-managed "Identity Valley," and founded the "twinds foundation." A lecturer at Frankfurt School and TEC Leadership Institute, he also contributes to the World Economic Forum’s "Digital Trust" working group and co-organizes the Munich Cybersecurity Conference.
An active citizen, husband, and father of two, he advocates for sustainable work-life integration as the foundation for success
Technikum Day 2
16. July 2026
Welcome Back & Recap Tag 1
Technikum
Bianca Sum Bethune
Deputy Head Innovation Network Security, Bayern Innovativ
Bianca Sum Bethune is Deputy Head of the Innovation Network Security at Bayern Innovativ. She is a cybersecurity expert with over ten years of experience in the field.
Kai Hermsen
Programme Director // Co-Founder DECAID Secure and Governance Lead, Security Network Munich // DECAID
Kai is the Programme Director of the Security Network Munich. As Co-Founder and AI Governance Expert at DECAID Secure, he makes professional AI governance accessible for mid-sized enterprises, ensuring secure AI implementation while preserving human oversight.
Previously, he led the "Charter of Trust" at Siemens shaping the Cybersecurity transformation for almost a decade, co-managed "Identity Valley," and founded the "twinds foundation." A lecturer at Frankfurt School and TEC Leadership Institute, he also contributes to the World Economic Forum’s "Digital Trust" working group and co-organizes the Munich Cybersecurity Conference.
An active citizen, husband, and father of two, he advocates for sustainable work-life integration as the foundation for success
TBD
Technikum
TBA
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Anitra Eggler
CEO, Anitra Eggler GmbH
Journalist. Digital pioneer. Digital detox pioneer. AI enthusiast with a critical edge. And one of the few people who loves cat videos while simultaneously warning about brain melt.
Anitra Eggler has been at the forefront of digitalization since 1998.
As a startup manager during the first internet wave, she pioneered digital business long before it became mainstream.
A decade before “digital detox” became a buzzword, she was among the first speakers and authors to address email overload, constant distraction, smartphone addiction, and digital stress.
Today, her work focuses on screen-life balance and artificial intelligence.
Keynote - AI uncensored
While others explain, hype, or demonize technology, Anitra Eggler asks the more important question: What does technology do to people? To our attention, relationships, thinking, productivity, judgment — and our sense of reality?
That’s why she brings ChatGPT on stage and publishes AI dialogues in her book series AI Uncensored – The ChatGPT Interviews.
Today, she joins us together with ChatGPT for her keynote AI Uncensored – Humans. AI. Big Questions.
Technikum
Larissa Mikolaschek
Head of Tech, SESTdigital
Understanding algorithms, enabling people: With her background in mathematics and computer science as well as years of practical experience as an AI developer, she speaks both languages: That of technology and of the user. As Head of Tech at SESTdigital, she has guided over 50 companies on their path to AI integration and equipped over 1,500 people with the skills they need to confidently use AI systems. Her involvement on the Bitkom board for the working groups "Artificial Intelligence" and "Women in the Digital Economy" emphasizes: Here, technical expertise merges with the ability to bring others along on the path to AI integration.
Agentic AI
Multi-Agent Systems in the Wild: 5 Lessons from Real Projects
Abstract
Most organizations are still debating whether AI agents are real. This keynote skips that debate. Drawing on live production deployments across manufacturing and enterprise environments, this session unpacks what multi-agent systems actually are, what they can do today, and what the gap between a working prototype and a trustworthy system at scale really looks like. Expect concrete examples, honest failures, and the architectural thinking behind systems that hold up under real conditions.
Key Takeaways
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Multi-agent systems are not a future technology - they are running in production today, and the gap between organizations that have figured out the fundamentals and those still experimenting is widening fast.
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The bottleneck is rarely the AI itself. Governance, infrastructure, and observability determine whether an agentic system delivers value or quietly breaks under enterprise conditions.
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Reliability at scale is an architectural problem, not a model problem — and the decisions that matter most are made before a single prompt is written.
Art
Technikum
Sven Meyer
Founder, Producer, Artist, Festival Producer, KYMAT
The Future of AI Brand Experience
Technikum
Mike Jaeger
Chief Creative Officer, MCI Germany GmbH
Mike Jaeger is Chief Creative Officer at MCI Germany and a leading voice in brand experience design. Working at the intersection of strategy, creativity, technology, and cultural transformation, he helps organizations turn communication into meaningful experiences.
His work focuses on how artificial intelligence, immersive media, and creative technology are reshaping engagement, trust, and brand relevance. Mike believes experience design is not about staging moments, but about creating lasting connections between brands and people.
He is the initiator of the Future Playbook “Brand Experiences 2030 – Immersive. Intelligent. Human.”, exploring how brands and organizations must evolve in an increasingly AI-driven Experience Economy.
Energizing the Transition with AI
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TBA
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Antonius Gress
CEO, Blockbrain GmbH
Antonius Gress is the founder and CEO of Blockbrain and a pioneer of digital sovereignty in the enterprise AI sector. During his more than a decade at Bosch, he shaped the digital transformation of the supply chain and global services divisions and gained deep expertise in AI, data analytics, and knowledge management.
Today, he is applying this experience to a new mission: to give German companies sovereign control over their AI transformation. Blockbrain’s European AI platform runs on German cloud infrastructure, transforms institutional knowledge into GDPR-compliant competitive advantages, and stands for open architectures and compliance by design. Innovation and data sovereignty are not mutually exclusive.
Operationalizing AI: Controls, Reliability, and Accountability
Implementing AI systems in companies is one thing—operating them reliably, controllably, and responsibly is quite another. The real challenges begin after the go-live: Who is responsible for the decisions made by algorithms? How can we ensure that outputs are reliable and traceable? This presentation demonstrates how companies can not only implement AI but also manage it in a structured manner: with clear control mechanisms, transparent decision-making logic, and governance that builds trust. After all, AI that cannot be explained or controlled will not be accepted in everyday business operations and will ultimately fail. The result is a practical roadmap for responsible AI operations in an enterprise environment.
Takeaways:
1. Controls Before Capabilities
Before AI can be scaled up, clear guidelines are needed: Who is authorized to make which decisions? Which outputs are validated? Without a control architecture, sustainable operations cannot be achieved.
2. Reliability Is No Accident
Reliable AI systems are built through iterative testing, a clear culture of accountability, and structured monitoring—not through blind trust in models.
3. Accountability Requires People, Not Just Systems
Responsibility cannot be delegated to algorithms. Clear ownership, transparent processes, and an open culture of accountability are the foundation for AI that organizations can truly trust.
PANEL: Sovereign Intelligence - Building AI in Europe
Technikum
Sarah Afshari
Founder, DISS-CO GmbH
Sarah has founded DISS-CO with 20 years of compliance and Investigation experience. Together with a team of experts she developed the Smart Integrity Platform to help companies to automate Compliance risk and Governance processes. Saving up to 70% time with agentic AI and workflow automations.
TBA
Dr. Fabian Heil
Group Lead Operations, WERK1.Bayern GmbH
Dr. Fabian Heil is an ecosystem architect dedicated to the intersection of culture, technology, and human behavior. As the Group Lead for Operations at WERK1, he bridges the gap between digital innovation and physical community. He oversees a comprehensive startup hub that integrates digital networks with physical co-living, event spaces, and offices, creating the foundational infrastructure necessary for a high-impact ecosystem. With a background in EdTech and a doctorate in the ritual dynamics of ancient cultures, Dr. Heil brings a unique perspective to the "human element" of technology. Having supported hundreds of AI startups, he combines deep technical insights with an understanding of how social structures drive organizational change.
Antonius Gress
CEO, Blockbrain GmbH
Antonius Gress is the founder and CEO of Blockbrain and a pioneer of digital sovereignty in the enterprise AI sector. During his more than a decade at Bosch, he shaped the digital transformation of the supply chain and global services divisions and gained deep expertise in AI, data analytics, and knowledge management.
Today, he is applying this experience to a new mission: to give German companies sovereign control over their AI transformation. Blockbrain’s European AI platform runs on German cloud infrastructure, transforms institutional knowledge into GDPR-compliant competitive advantages, and stands for open architectures and compliance by design. Innovation and data sovereignty are not mutually exclusive.
Mike Jaeger
Chief Creative Officer, MCI Germany GmbH
Mike Jaeger is Chief Creative Officer at MCI Germany and a leading voice in brand experience design. Working at the intersection of strategy, creativity, technology, and cultural transformation, he helps organizations turn communication into meaningful experiences.
His work focuses on how artificial intelligence, immersive media, and creative technology are reshaping engagement, trust, and brand relevance. Mike believes experience design is not about staging moments, but about creating lasting connections between brands and people.
He is the initiator of the Future Playbook “Brand Experiences 2030 – Immersive. Intelligent. Human.”, exploring how brands and organizations must evolve in an increasingly AI-driven Experience Economy.
Lunch + Networking + Exhibition
Technikum
Embodied AI – Giving Machines a Physical Sense of the World
Technikum
TBA
Neuromorphic Computing: Project SpikingBody
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Michael Neumaier (fortiss)
Impulse Robotics - TBA
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Panel Robotics
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Art
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TBA
Sven Meyer
Founder, Producer, Artist, Festival Producer, KYMAT
Robotics Impuls tbd
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Quantum
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Impulse
CLOSING Stage Talk - TBA
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Venture perspective: where to invest
Closing Remarks & Outlook TechDays 2027
Bianca Sum Bethune
Deputy Head Innovation Network Security, Bayern Innovativ
Bianca Sum Bethune is Deputy Head of the Innovation Network Security at Bayern Innovativ. She is a cybersecurity expert with over ten years of experience in the field.
Kai Hermsen
Programme Director // Co-Founder DECAID Secure and Governance Lead, Security Network Munich // DECAID
Kai is the Programme Director of the Security Network Munich. As Co-Founder and AI Governance Expert at DECAID Secure, he makes professional AI governance accessible for mid-sized enterprises, ensuring secure AI implementation while preserving human oversight.
Previously, he led the "Charter of Trust" at Siemens shaping the Cybersecurity transformation for almost a decade, co-managed "Identity Valley," and founded the "twinds foundation." A lecturer at Frankfurt School and TEC Leadership Institute, he also contributes to the World Economic Forum’s "Digital Trust" working group and co-organizes the Munich Cybersecurity Conference.
An active citizen, husband, and father of two, he advocates for sustainable work-life integration as the foundation for success
Technikum Day 1
15. July 2026
Welcome and Opening TechDays 2026
Technikum
Bianca Sum Bethune
Deputy Head Innovation Network Security, Bayern Innovativ
Bianca Sum Bethune is Deputy Head of the Innovation Network Security at Bayern Innovativ. She is a cybersecurity expert with over ten years of experience in the field.
Kai Hermsen
Programme Director // Co-Founder DECAID Secure and Governance Lead, Security Network Munich // DECAID
Kai is the Programme Director of the Security Network Munich. As Co-Founder and AI Governance Expert at DECAID Secure, he makes professional AI governance accessible for mid-sized enterprises, ensuring secure AI implementation while preserving human oversight.
Previously, he led the "Charter of Trust" at Siemens shaping the Cybersecurity transformation for almost a decade, co-managed "Identity Valley," and founded the "twinds foundation." A lecturer at Frankfurt School and TEC Leadership Institute, he also contributes to the World Economic Forum’s "Digital Trust" working group and co-organizes the Munich Cybersecurity Conference.
An active citizen, husband, and father of two, he advocates for sustainable work-life integration as the foundation for success
Opening Remarks – Why TechDays 2026?
Technikum
Rainer Seßner (Bayern Innovativ)
Greatings by the Ministry for the Economy, Bavaria
Technikum
Tobias Gotthard (Secretary of State, Ministry for the Economy, Bavaria)
Keynote and Opening Remarks
Technikum
Gabriel von Mitschke-Collande
Member of the Management Board, Group CDO of Giesecke+Devrient, Giesecke+Devrient
Gabriel von Mitschke-Collande is Chief Digital Officer (CDO) at Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), responsible for digitalization, IT, innovation, ESG, information security, quality management, and G+D Ventures.
He studied business administration and engineering at TU Munich and earned a Master’s degree focused on mechanical engineering, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Before joining G+D in May 2024, he was CDO at BayWa AG and held roles in strategy and innovation.
His focus is the twin transformation of digitalization and sustainability, guided by “Be Digital. Stay Human.”
As a member of G+D’s owner family, he blends technology and business understanding with a people-first mindset and a strong interest in nature’s complex, self-organizing systems.
Space Keynote
Technikum
Communicating from Outer Space
Technikum
Art
Technikum
Chagall -
Musician, Innovator, Performer, Producer, LoveLace
Chagall is a musician, tech innovator, performer and producer. She combines music and technology in her captivating live performances, which feature sensor-tech instruments, her voice and her movements. In 2014, she joined the music technology start-up MiMU, which developed musical gloves that enable musicians to control sound with hand gestures while performing. In her B.A.B.Y. project (Bionic Assistant for Becoming Yourself), a reactive light art installation, she combines body, voice, light and music to create a breathtaking experience.
Space as Infrastructure – Startups, Sovereignty & the New Space Race
Technikum
Dr. Armel DJEUKOU
Ex SVP Digital Design Manufacturing and Services & Digital Products Ecosystem, AIRBUS
Dr. Armel Djeukou spent 20 years at Airbus leading global engineering and industrial operations, running Airbus drone business unit, steering complex turnarounds as Chairman and board member of multiple subsidiaries, and up until recently he served as Senior Vice President driving one of Europe’s largest digital transformation programme across a work force of tens of thousands and the supply chain. He experienced first-hand what it takes to move a large industrial organisation and its ecosystem toward new technologies and new business models.
He believes that to win the sovereign New Space race, an ecosystem collaboration between academia, governments, investors, startups and established industrial players is of paramount importance. He advises funds and boards navigating that same shift.
TBA
TBA
Dr. Wolfgang Hackenberg
Geschäftsleitung, IABG
Dr. Wolfgang Hackenberg is a member of the IABG Management Team and Director Sovereign Security Solutions. IABG is a Munich-based Defense & Space company serving the space and defense sector (e.g. government and NATO) with classified security services in the land, air, sea, space and cyber domains, such as satellite tests, technology consulting, procurement support, systems analysis and simulation, testing, cyber security and war gaming.
His career includes executive roles as General Manager Nokia Networks Germany and Chief Commercial Officer at quantum computing startup IQM, out of Munich, Shanghai, Paris and Helsinki. He currently serves on the Accenture Strategy Advisory Board.
Wolfgang holds a Physics PhD from the University of Cambridge and lives in Munich, Germany.
Dr. Luisa Buinhas
Co-founder and Chief Program Officer, Vyoma GmbH
Luisa is the co-founder and Chief Program Officer at Vyoma. At the company, she oversees the development and launch of Vyoma's space missions. Luisa holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering (University of the German Federal Armed Forces) and a Master’s degree (TU Delft), also in Aerospace Engineering. She was previously involved in mission studies for satellite constellations for six years for DLR, in Germany, and spent six months at MIT as a researcher. She holds an Amelia Earhart Fellowship from 2016 and is a former member of the Space Traffic Management technical committee of the International Astronautical Federation.
Technikum
Lunch + Networking + Exhibition
—
Sovereign Innovation
Technikum
Dr. Ulrike Tagscherer
Managing Director, China Innovation Consulting
Ulrike Tagscherer is Managing Director of China Innovation Consulting, advising companies and organizations on innovation and/or China strategy.
Until March 2026, she served as Chief Innovation Officer at KUKA SE, leading cross-functional innovation initiatives from idea to market success.
In 2024, the International Federation of Robotics recognized her as one of 10 women advancing the future of robotics. Previously, she held roles at the Fraunhofer Society, the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
She has studied, worked, and lived in China and brings more than 35 years of China experience.
Up in the air: Sovereignity made in Ottobrunn
How to gaslight your LLMs
Technikum
Mirko Ross
CEO, asvin
As the founder and CEO of asvin.io, Mirko Ross is actively shaping the future of cybersecurity - guided by an “AI first” credo. A former teenage hacker, he now shares his experience and expertise to help protect companies, government, and society from cyberattacks.
His expertise has taken him into advisory bodies for the European Commission, the German federal government (BMBF), the Bundestag, and industry (BDI). Organizations benefit from his deep understanding of threat landscapes and solutions spanning cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and a digitally resilient society. Especially in cyber risk analysis, he is setting new standards with innovative approaches that not only uncover hidden risks, but also use AI methods to actively reduce them.
Zero Trust and Trust in Organizations
Technikum
Daniel Holzinger
Founder & Managing Director, colited
As an architect of new ways of working, Daniel Holzinger supports companies and organisations with a holistic, end-to-end consulting and transformation approach. He has over 30 years’ experience in the consultancy sector and in the field of information technology. He has held international management positions as COO, Vice President and Managing Director in the areas of sales, marketing, public relations, partner management, business development, IT and HR. In addition, he worked for several years as a lecturer at FHWien.
Art
Technikum
TBA
Gammon -
Musician, Artist, curated by Blended Art Space
Trusted Computing – Building Resilient Architectures for Sovereignty
Technikum
Dr. Victor del Razo
Managing Director, Nubotech Solutions
Dr. Victor del Razo is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Nubotech Solutions, delivering transparent, effective, and sovereign security solutions for Cloud and AI. With over 20 years of international experience, including serving as a Business Unit Senior Manager for Cloud Security at Reply, his profile combines technical expertise, leadership, and a strong research foundation. Dr. del Razo earned his Ph.D. summa cum laude from the Technical University of Munich, an M.Sc. from Helsinki University of Technology, and a B.Sc. from Tec de Monterrey. By blending technical competence with strategic vision, he establishes cybersecurity as an efficient driver of business value.
Daniel Holzinger
Founder & Managing Director, colited
As an architect of new ways of working, Daniel Holzinger supports companies and organisations with a holistic, end-to-end consulting and transformation approach. He has over 30 years’ experience in the consultancy sector and in the field of information technology. He has held international management positions as COO, Vice President and Managing Director in the areas of sales, marketing, public relations, partner management, business development, IT and HR. In addition, he worked for several years as a lecturer at FHWien.
Julia Dudenko
Chief Information Security Officer (CSIO), Hapag-Lloyd AG
Julia Dudenko is Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Hapag-Lloyd AG, appointed effective April 1, 2026. She leads the company’s global cybersecurity strategy and resilience agenda, drawing on more than 20 years of international experience across cybersecurity, digital transformation, and responsible AI. Prior to joining Hapag-Lloyd, Julia served as Group CISO and Group AI Community Chair at Haniel, overseeing security for ten portfolio companies worldwide and advancing governance, compliance, and security performance. Earlier, she held senior leadership roles at Deutsche Post DHL Group, where she led global security programs and helped deliver large-scale digital initiatives.
Letitia Combes
Managing Director, BxC GmbH & Co. KG
Létitia Combes is Co-founder and Managing Director of BxC Security, a boutique cybersecurity firm specializing in OT security and machine identity management. At BxC, she co-founded IDIAL, a solution for automating machine identity lifecycle in industrial environments, now available on the Siemens Xcelerator Marketplace. Before founding BxC, she built her expertise at Deloitte and IBM across large-scale IT and OT transformation programs in Europe.
With experience across more than 200 industrial sites, she is known for making complex subjects — from certificate lifecycle to NIDS rollout in OT — accessible for mixed audiences of CISOs, OT engineers, and business leaders.
Roberta Walser
Head of Partnering & Strategic Development, Security Network Munich
Roberta Walser is an expert in cybersecurity, digital policy, and the societal impact of emerging technologies. As Head of Partnering and Strategic Development at Security Network Munich, she connects industry, policy and research to foster collaboration on security and digital transformation. A political scientist by training, she specializes in technology governance, AI policy, and stakeholder engagement. She regularly moderates and organizes expert panels and conference discussions on technology, AI governance, and digital infrastructure.
Post-Quantum Readiness: Crypto Inventory, Migration & Crypto-Agility
Dr. Alexander Löw
CEO, Data-Warehouse GmbH
Dr. Alexander Löw is Managing Director of Data-Warehouse GmbH, a Senator in the German Economic Senate, and Vice President of the German Cyber Security Council.
He has worked in cybersecurity since the 1980s with a strong focus on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and brings 25+ years of experience as a Data Protection Officer.
Since 2001, he has helped design and evolve industrial and public certification authorities (e.g., Macao, the German Air Force, BMW). He has lectured on PKI and cybersecurity since 2024 and has delivered PKI trainings for the BSI Alliance for Cyber Security since 2015.
In 2024, he joined the NIST Post-Quantum Migration Working Group.
How to successfully build Cybersecurity from Europe
TBA
TBA
CEO & Co-Founder, Build38 GmbH
Christian is a serial entrepreneur and mobile cybersecurity expert who co-founded Build38, a Munich-based deep tech company protecting over 300 million users across banking, digital identity, and automotive applications. Under his leadership as CEO, Build38 became a trusted security partner for institutions like T-Systems, CaixaBank, AOK, BARMER, Deutschland App, before being acquired by OneSpan — marking a successful exit to a NASDAQ listed US company and the next chapter in his journey.
Now at OneSpan, Christian drives the strategic evolution of mobile app security, combining his founder's instinct with deep technical expertise in runtime protection, threat intelligence, and mobile compliance frameworks such as PSD3, PCI-MPoC and eIDAS 2. He brings insights as founder and exiteer.
From Canvas to Code - how art inspires innovation
Technikum
Mathis Nitschke
Founder, Composer, Sounddesigner, Director, Producer, Sofilab
Ralf Schmid
Pianist, Composer, Producer, Professor, curated by Blended Art Space
Chagall -
Musician, Innovator, Performer, Producer, LoveLace
Chagall is a musician, tech innovator, performer and producer. She combines music and technology in her captivating live performances, which feature sensor-tech instruments, her voice and her movements. In 2014, she joined the music technology start-up MiMU, which developed musical gloves that enable musicians to control sound with hand gestures while performing. In her B.A.B.Y. project (Bionic Assistant for Becoming Yourself), a reactive light art installation, she combines body, voice, light and music to create a breathtaking experience.
Matthias Strobel
President, Dot-Connector, MusicTech Germany
As the president of MusicTech Germany, Matthias Strobel is Germany´s main point of contact for music technology innovation. He is also co-founder of Music Tech Europe and serves as Vice-President of this European umbrella association for national music technology associations across Europe. Strobel works at independet consultant, mentor, manager, to help accelerate avant-garde approaches from startups. He is a lecturer at Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYU and curates the program of international music conferences. Since 2024, Matthias Strobel organizes MUSIC FRONTIERS, a solution-focused music conference in the heart of Berlin that promotes innovation for the music ecosystem and fosters knowledge transfer between visionaries from all intersections of the creative industries.
Alla Kolpakova
Strategy and Growth Lead, govar GmbH
Technikum
The Deep Debate: Four Models, One Panel, Zero Filter (World Premiere)
For the first time, the superpowers of Artificial Intelligence clash live on stage. Watch some of the large models engage in an unscripted, real-time verbal battle about the future of labor and EU regulation—using their own synthetic voices and distinct cultural philosophies. No scripts. No safety nets. Just raw algorithmic debate, followed by a live audience Q&A.
Technikum
To be anounced
—
Closing Day 1
Technikum
Bianca Sum Bethune
Deputy Head Innovation Network Security, Bayern Innovativ
Bianca Sum Bethune is Deputy Head of the Innovation Network Security at Bayern Innovativ. She is a cybersecurity expert with over ten years of experience in the field.
Kai Hermsen
Programme Director // Co-Founder DECAID Secure and Governance Lead, Security Network Munich // DECAID
Kai is the Programme Director of the Security Network Munich. As Co-Founder and AI Governance Expert at DECAID Secure, he makes professional AI governance accessible for mid-sized enterprises, ensuring secure AI implementation while preserving human oversight.
Previously, he led the "Charter of Trust" at Siemens shaping the Cybersecurity transformation for almost a decade, co-managed "Identity Valley," and founded the "twinds foundation." A lecturer at Frankfurt School and TEC Leadership Institute, he also contributes to the World Economic Forum’s "Digital Trust" working group and co-organizes the Munich Cybersecurity Conference.
An active citizen, husband, and father of two, he advocates for sustainable work-life integration as the foundation for success
Technikum Day 2
16. July 2026
Welcome Back & Recap Tag 1
Technikum
Bianca Sum Bethune
Deputy Head Innovation Network Security, Bayern Innovativ
Bianca Sum Bethune is Deputy Head of the Innovation Network Security at Bayern Innovativ. She is a cybersecurity expert with over ten years of experience in the field.
Kai Hermsen
Programme Director // Co-Founder DECAID Secure and Governance Lead, Security Network Munich // DECAID
Kai is the Programme Director of the Security Network Munich. As Co-Founder and AI Governance Expert at DECAID Secure, he makes professional AI governance accessible for mid-sized enterprises, ensuring secure AI implementation while preserving human oversight.
Previously, he led the "Charter of Trust" at Siemens shaping the Cybersecurity transformation for almost a decade, co-managed "Identity Valley," and founded the "twinds foundation." A lecturer at Frankfurt School and TEC Leadership Institute, he also contributes to the World Economic Forum’s "Digital Trust" working group and co-organizes the Munich Cybersecurity Conference.
An active citizen, husband, and father of two, he advocates for sustainable work-life integration as the foundation for success
TBD
Technikum
TBA
Technikum
Anitra Eggler
CEO, Anitra Eggler GmbH
Journalist. Digital pioneer. Digital detox pioneer. AI enthusiast with a critical edge. And one of the few people who loves cat videos while simultaneously warning about brain melt.
Anitra Eggler has been at the forefront of digitalization since 1998.
As a startup manager during the first internet wave, she pioneered digital business long before it became mainstream.
A decade before “digital detox” became a buzzword, she was among the first speakers and authors to address email overload, constant distraction, smartphone addiction, and digital stress.
Today, her work focuses on screen-life balance and artificial intelligence.
Keynote - AI uncensored
While others explain, hype, or demonize technology, Anitra Eggler asks the more important question: What does technology do to people? To our attention, relationships, thinking, productivity, judgment — and our sense of reality?
That’s why she brings ChatGPT on stage and publishes AI dialogues in her book series AI Uncensored – The ChatGPT Interviews.
Today, she joins us together with ChatGPT for her keynote AI Uncensored – Humans. AI. Big Questions.
Technikum
Larissa Mikolaschek
Head of Tech, SESTdigital
Understanding algorithms, enabling people: With her background in mathematics and computer science as well as years of practical experience as an AI developer, she speaks both languages: That of technology and of the user. As Head of Tech at SESTdigital, she has guided over 50 companies on their path to AI integration and equipped over 1,500 people with the skills they need to confidently use AI systems. Her involvement on the Bitkom board for the working groups "Artificial Intelligence" and "Women in the Digital Economy" emphasizes: Here, technical expertise merges with the ability to bring others along on the path to AI integration.
Agentic AI
Multi-Agent Systems in the Wild: 5 Lessons from Real Projects
Abstract
Most organizations are still debating whether AI agents are real. This keynote skips that debate. Drawing on live production deployments across manufacturing and enterprise environments, this session unpacks what multi-agent systems actually are, what they can do today, and what the gap between a working prototype and a trustworthy system at scale really looks like. Expect concrete examples, honest failures, and the architectural thinking behind systems that hold up under real conditions.
Key Takeaways
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Multi-agent systems are not a future technology - they are running in production today, and the gap between organizations that have figured out the fundamentals and those still experimenting is widening fast.
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The bottleneck is rarely the AI itself. Governance, infrastructure, and observability determine whether an agentic system delivers value or quietly breaks under enterprise conditions.
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Reliability at scale is an architectural problem, not a model problem — and the decisions that matter most are made before a single prompt is written.
Art
Technikum
Sven Meyer
Founder, Producer, Artist, Festival Producer, KYMAT
The Future of AI Brand Experience
Technikum
Mike Jaeger
Chief Creative Officer, MCI Germany GmbH
Mike Jaeger is Chief Creative Officer at MCI Germany and a leading voice in brand experience design. Working at the intersection of strategy, creativity, technology, and cultural transformation, he helps organizations turn communication into meaningful experiences.
His work focuses on how artificial intelligence, immersive media, and creative technology are reshaping engagement, trust, and brand relevance. Mike believes experience design is not about staging moments, but about creating lasting connections between brands and people.
He is the initiator of the Future Playbook “Brand Experiences 2030 – Immersive. Intelligent. Human.”, exploring how brands and organizations must evolve in an increasingly AI-driven Experience Economy.
Energizing the Transition with AI
Technikum
TBA
Technikum
Antonius Gress
CEO, Blockbrain GmbH
Antonius Gress is the founder and CEO of Blockbrain and a pioneer of digital sovereignty in the enterprise AI sector. During his more than a decade at Bosch, he shaped the digital transformation of the supply chain and global services divisions and gained deep expertise in AI, data analytics, and knowledge management.
Today, he is applying this experience to a new mission: to give German companies sovereign control over their AI transformation. Blockbrain’s European AI platform runs on German cloud infrastructure, transforms institutional knowledge into GDPR-compliant competitive advantages, and stands for open architectures and compliance by design. Innovation and data sovereignty are not mutually exclusive.
Operationalizing AI: Controls, Reliability, and Accountability
Implementing AI systems in companies is one thing—operating them reliably, controllably, and responsibly is quite another. The real challenges begin after the go-live: Who is responsible for the decisions made by algorithms? How can we ensure that outputs are reliable and traceable? This presentation demonstrates how companies can not only implement AI but also manage it in a structured manner: with clear control mechanisms, transparent decision-making logic, and governance that builds trust. After all, AI that cannot be explained or controlled will not be accepted in everyday business operations and will ultimately fail. The result is a practical roadmap for responsible AI operations in an enterprise environment.
Takeaways:
1. Controls Before Capabilities
Before AI can be scaled up, clear guidelines are needed: Who is authorized to make which decisions? Which outputs are validated? Without a control architecture, sustainable operations cannot be achieved.
2. Reliability Is No Accident
Reliable AI systems are built through iterative testing, a clear culture of accountability, and structured monitoring—not through blind trust in models.
3. Accountability Requires People, Not Just Systems
Responsibility cannot be delegated to algorithms. Clear ownership, transparent processes, and an open culture of accountability are the foundation for AI that organizations can truly trust.
PANEL: Sovereign Intelligence - Building AI in Europe
Technikum
Sarah Afshari
Founder, DISS-CO GmbH
Sarah has founded DISS-CO with 20 years of compliance and Investigation experience. Together with a team of experts she developed the Smart Integrity Platform to help companies to automate Compliance risk and Governance processes. Saving up to 70% time with agentic AI and workflow automations.
TBA
Dr. Fabian Heil
Group Lead Operations, WERK1.Bayern GmbH
Dr. Fabian Heil is an ecosystem architect dedicated to the intersection of culture, technology, and human behavior. As the Group Lead for Operations at WERK1, he bridges the gap between digital innovation and physical community. He oversees a comprehensive startup hub that integrates digital networks with physical co-living, event spaces, and offices, creating the foundational infrastructure necessary for a high-impact ecosystem. With a background in EdTech and a doctorate in the ritual dynamics of ancient cultures, Dr. Heil brings a unique perspective to the "human element" of technology. Having supported hundreds of AI startups, he combines deep technical insights with an understanding of how social structures drive organizational change.
Antonius Gress
CEO, Blockbrain GmbH
Antonius Gress is the founder and CEO of Blockbrain and a pioneer of digital sovereignty in the enterprise AI sector. During his more than a decade at Bosch, he shaped the digital transformation of the supply chain and global services divisions and gained deep expertise in AI, data analytics, and knowledge management.
Today, he is applying this experience to a new mission: to give German companies sovereign control over their AI transformation. Blockbrain’s European AI platform runs on German cloud infrastructure, transforms institutional knowledge into GDPR-compliant competitive advantages, and stands for open architectures and compliance by design. Innovation and data sovereignty are not mutually exclusive.
Mike Jaeger
Chief Creative Officer, MCI Germany GmbH
Mike Jaeger is Chief Creative Officer at MCI Germany and a leading voice in brand experience design. Working at the intersection of strategy, creativity, technology, and cultural transformation, he helps organizations turn communication into meaningful experiences.
His work focuses on how artificial intelligence, immersive media, and creative technology are reshaping engagement, trust, and brand relevance. Mike believes experience design is not about staging moments, but about creating lasting connections between brands and people.
He is the initiator of the Future Playbook “Brand Experiences 2030 – Immersive. Intelligent. Human.”, exploring how brands and organizations must evolve in an increasingly AI-driven Experience Economy.
Lunch + Networking + Exhibition
Technikum
Embodied AI – Giving Machines a Physical Sense of the World
Technikum
TBA
Neuromorphic Computing: Project SpikingBody
Technikum
Michael Neumaier (fortiss)
Impulse Robotics - TBA
Technikum
Panel Robotics
Technikum
Art
Technikum
TBA
Sven Meyer
Founder, Producer, Artist, Festival Producer, KYMAT
Robotics Impuls tbd
Technikum
Quantum
Technikum
Impulse
CLOSING Stage Talk - TBA
Technikum
Venture perspective: where to invest
Closing Remarks & Outlook TechDays 2027
Bianca Sum Bethune
Deputy Head Innovation Network Security, Bayern Innovativ
Bianca Sum Bethune is Deputy Head of the Innovation Network Security at Bayern Innovativ. She is a cybersecurity expert with over ten years of experience in the field.
Kai Hermsen
Programme Director // Co-Founder DECAID Secure and Governance Lead, Security Network Munich // DECAID
Kai is the Programme Director of the Security Network Munich. As Co-Founder and AI Governance Expert at DECAID Secure, he makes professional AI governance accessible for mid-sized enterprises, ensuring secure AI implementation while preserving human oversight.
Previously, he led the "Charter of Trust" at Siemens shaping the Cybersecurity transformation for almost a decade, co-managed "Identity Valley," and founded the "twinds foundation." A lecturer at Frankfurt School and TEC Leadership Institute, he also contributes to the World Economic Forum’s "Digital Trust" working group and co-organizes the Munich Cybersecurity Conference.
An active citizen, husband, and father of two, he advocates for sustainable work-life integration as the foundation for success