Speakers
Top cybersecurity experts and thought leaders are set to deliver invaluable knowledge
Keynote Speakers
As part of the CSO Conference, each speaker brings a wealth of experience, innovative ideas, and unique perspectives that will be instrumental in shaping the future of our industry. Click on a speaker to view their full bio.
Anja Lange
Moderator
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Anja Lange
Anja Lange is a moderator who lives in Stuttgart and has been working successfully as a freelance moderator for several years. She completed a moderator training course at the Institute for Moderation at SWR/Hochschule der Medien and has been regularly on stage or in front of cameras since then. In addition to events, she also presents conferences, trade fairs and film festivals. Her focus topics are digitization, IT, media and marketing. Due to long term stays abroad, she also moderates in English. Her second mother tongue is Dutch. She holds a master degree in cooperate communications.
Event Sessions
Tuesday, October 28 2025 4:45 pm | Location:
Summary & Key Takeaways
Tuesday, October 28 2025 9:00 am | Location:
Welcome and intro
Carla Arend
Associate Vice President, Research, Cloud in Europe
IDC
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Carla Arend
Carla Arend is a senior program director with the European software and infrastructure research team, and heads up IDC’s European cloud research. Arend provides industry clients with key insight into market dynamics, vendor activities, and end-user adoption trends in the European cloud market. As part of her research, she covers topics such as how European organizations are adopting cloud, how cloud drivers and inhibitors are evolving, cloud management, cloud security, data management in the cloud, IoT and cloud, AI and cloud, Devops and cloud, as well as GDPR impact on cloud and cloud code of conduct.
In addition to syndicated research, Arend has worked on many custom consulting projects identifying opportunities in the European cloud market and has authored white papers on subjects such as cloud management, cloud security, data management in the cloud.
Arend is regularly asked to speak at industry events, strategy workshops, sales kick-offs and training, partner events, and end-user events.
Arend holds a BA in business administration from University of Mannheim and an MSc in business administration and management of technology from Copenhagen Business School, in addition to course work at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Bangkok.
Event Sessions
Tuesday, October 28 2025 9:10 am | Location:
IDC Keynote: How to Build the Future on Cloud
Cloud is the foundation for the AI-fuelled digital enterprise, but to realize the full value of cloud and be ready for AI, organizations need to invest in application and infrastructure modernization. In this session, Carla will discuss key hybrid and multicloud decisions that you need to make to future-proof your infrastructure and how you can use cloud to build your AI success.
Marcus Gilg
Head of IT Management Group Functions
Deutsche Bahn AG
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Marcus Gilg
Event Sessions
Tuesday, October 28 2025 9:30 am | Location:
User Keynote: Cloud Transformation – Success through disruptive change
The presentation highlights how technological changes can be used to promote a culture of innovation and master the path of disruptive change.
Christian Meyer
Leiter Digitalisierung und IT
Rhenus Lub GmbH & Co KG
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Christian Meyer
Event Sessions
Tuesday, October 28 2025 9:50 am | Location:
User keynote: A manufacturing company’s journey to cloud-based and data-driven operations
The presentation describes the following milestones:
- From taking stock of the existing environment with an analysis of what needs to be implemented in advance
- The path to the Azure cloud – how do we get there?
- From the idea to the prototype to implementation
Benjamin Benning
Global IT Director
Gerresheimer AG
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Benjamin Benning
Event Sessions
Tuesday, October 28 2025 10:10 am | Location:
User Keynote: The Future of Industry: Hybrid Cloud as the Foundation for Integration and Sovereignty
Gerresheimer is transforming its IT landscape with a hybrid cloud model that intelligently combines edge, private and public clouds. The presentation will show how this approach effectively combines production proximity, global integration and digital sovereignty, creating a scalable and future-proof infrastructure for industry.
Andreas Polak
Group CIO
Flender GmbH
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Andreas Polak
Event Sessions
Tuesday, October 28 2025 4:05 pm | Location:
User keynote: Strategic management of IT organisations in times of cloud transformation and AI
IT organisations ranging from upper mid-sized companies to large corporations are facing enormous challenges in the digital age. On the one hand, technological leaps from AI and robotics to process-oriented SAP S/4HANA require new IT skills. On the other hand, costs must be reduced and external service providers often eliminated. In this keynote speech, Andreas Polak shows how he achieved true cost transparency at Flender GmbH’s global IT organisation and how he realigned resource management – in terms of skills, systems and costs – using an innovative methodology.
Dr. Nikolaus Schmidt
Global Head of Technology & Innovation
Commerz Real AG
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Dr. Nikolaus Schmidt
Event Sessions
Tuesday, October 28 2025 11:50 am | Location:
User keynote: Reinventing the cloud in times of geopolitical uncertainty – sovereign and hybrid solutions for European companies
Geopolitical risks and uncertainties are increasing. At the same time, many people want a stronger and more independent Europe. For IT decision-makers, these issues are playing a greater role in redefining their own cloud strategy than they did a few years ago. In addition to using global, well-known cloud service providers, the implementation of hybrid and sovereign solutions must be a fundamental part of the cloud strategy. In his keynote speech, Dr. Nikolaus Schmidt will explain how the cloud is changing and what a cost-effective and efficient solution model could look like, especially for regulated companies in Europe.
Andre Sauer
Interims CIO/CDO-Advisor
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Andre Sauer
Event Sessions
Tuesday, October 28 2025 4:25 pm | Location:
Closing User Keynote: Beyond Migration: How to catapult your cloud strategy to digital transformation
The keynote address is aimed at executives and IT decision-makers and aims to present cloud usage beyond mere migration as a driver of digital transformation. It will highlight the challenges of the current cloud reality, develop a vision of the cloud as a catalyst for innovation, and present practical solutions for implementing this vision. The overarching goal is to inspire companies to view the cloud not just as a cost factor, but as a strategic foundation for future competitiveness.
Michael Hachenberg
Leiter IT Basis & Architektur
GIRA Giersiepen
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Michael Hachenberg
Marc Fischer
Managing Director & Vice President Global Sales Germany
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
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Marc Fischer
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