General Ingo Gerhartz

General Ingo Gerhartz assumed command of NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum in June 2025. He directs a combined NATO staff responsible for planning, conducting, and supporting military operations on land, in the air, at sea, in space, and in cyberspace within his area of responsibility.
From 2018-2025, he served as Chief of the German Air Force. He has held major ministerial staff assignments, incl. as Deputy Spokesperson, Executive Officer to the Chief of Defence, and Deputy Director for Strategy and Operations.
A career fighter pilot with over 3,000 flight hours on the F-4F, MiG-29, Tornado, and Eurofighter, he has held multiple command positions, incl. as Wing Commander during the NATO Mission to Afghanistan.
His distinguished service has earned him numerous awards, incl. the Israeli Chief of Staff Medal of Appreciation. He holds a Master’s degree in Aeronautical Science.

Dr. Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer

Dr. Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer is the inaugural CIO of NATO. His principal responsibility is to realize the Allies’ vision for IT in support of NATO’s purpose to safeguard freedom and security for one billion people in 32 member nations. He also performs the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) function. His main priority is driving forward digital transformation and cybersecurity for 57 entities and 30,000 users in the NATO-Enterprise with a €1B investment budget.
From 2010 until 2021, Dr. Boudreaux-Dehmer directed the global IT for Sierra Wireless in Vancouver, Canada. Prior to that, he spent 20 years at HP and Compaq Computers in Houston, Texas and São Paulo, Brazil. He started his career at Compaq’s European Headquarters in Munich.
Dr. Boudreaux-Dehmer has an MBA from Duke University, North Carolina.
He holds a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Business and Management Research and a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Reading, UK

Sinan Selen

Director General Sinan Selen was born in Istanbul/Türkiye in 1972. He studied law at the University of Cologne. From 2000 to 2006 he held various roles at the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in the fields of state security and VIP protection. In late 2006 he left BKA to join the Federal Ministry of the Interior, where he became head of the Division for Terrorism and Extremism by Foreigners. From 2009 to 2012 he held the position of deputy head of the Department for Combating Crime at the Federal Police Headquarters. From 2012 he was entrusted with the operational aspects of countering terrorism in the Ministry’s Directorate-General for Public Security. In 2016 he left the Federal Ministry of the Interior to take up a job at TUI Group, developing the Group’s security structure. From January 2019 he was Deputy Director General at BfV. On 8 October 2025 Sinan Selen was appointed Director General of BfV.

Holger Münch

• 1978: Served as a police officer in Bremen

• 1987: Bundeskriminalamt, assigned to the Personal Protection Division

• 1991: Investigation and management tasks in various departments of the criminal police in Bremen

• 1993: Studied at the Police Management Academy in Münster

• 1995: Led the project to reorganise Police Inspectorate West, Bremen police

• 1996: Management of the "Bremen Police Reform" at the Ministry of the Interior and Sport, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen

• 1999: Head of the police Controlling, Financial, Strategic Planning Department, Bremen

• 2002: Head of the Presidential Management Staff Division, Bremen police

• 2005: Head of the Criminal Police Directorate/Land Criminal Police Office, Bremen

• 2009: Head of Bremen Police

• 2011: Undersecretary at the Ministry of the Interior and Sport, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen

Since 01.12.2014: President of the Bundeskriminalamt

Carsten Meywirth

Carsten Meywirth has been Director of the Cybercrime Department at the Federal Criminal Police Office in Wiesbaden since April 2020. After completing his police training with the Lower Saxony State Police, he joined the BKA in 1987, where he has held management positions in the areas of organized crime, information technology, and central administration over the past two decades.

Claudia Plattner

Claudia Plattner has been the President of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) since 1 July 2023. Claudia Plattner was born in Mainz in 1973. She has more than 20 years of experience in IT functions for companies and institutions. Most recently, she served as the Director General for Information Systems at the European Central Bank and previously held a senior position as Chief Information Officer (CIO) of DB Systel GmbH, the internal IT service provider of Deutsche Bahn. Claudia Plattner holds a degree in mathematics (TU Darmstadt) and a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Tulane University (USA).

Brigadier General Bernd Stingl

Brigadier General Bernd Stingl joined the German Armed Forces as an officer cadet in 1987. After studying mechanical engineering at the University of the German Armed Forces in Hamburg, training as an army officer, and serving as a maintenance officer and company commander, he began his general staff training at the German Armed Forces Command and Staff College in 2000.
Brigadier General Stingl then joined the IT Office of the German Armed Forces in 2002 during its development phase. This was followed by various assignments in the G6 division of the Army, a leadership position as deputy brigade commander of the Eurocorps Command and Control Brigade, and an assignment to the German delegation to NATO.
Bernd Stingl held several ministerial positions as a consultant and head of division at BMVg CIT before taking up his current position as commander of the Center for Digitalization and Capability Development CIR in August 2024, following a brief interim assignment as head of the Capabil.

Thomas Berger

• 1991: Joined the police force

• 1998: Promotion to senior police service

• 2009: Promotion to the Higher Police Enforcement Service

• 2009: Ministry of the Interior BW – Consultant in the Situation Center

• 2011: Ministry of the Interior BW – Head of the Central Office

• 2016: Police Headquarters Operations – Deputy Head of the Office and Head of the Command and Operations Staff

• 2018: Stuttgart Police Headquarters – Deputy Head of the Office and Head of the Command and Operations Staff

• 2020: Presidium Technology, Logistics, Service of the Police – Head of the office

Lars Kukuk

Lars Kukuk can look back on more than 17 years of professional experience in various positions (engineer, architect, project manager) in IT security. He has been working as a department head and also Information Security Officer (CISO) at the Federal Employment Agency since 2020.
As a computer scientist, he focused on IT security as early as 2004 and was primarily concerned with detecting security gaps in network and application security, penetration testing and IT basic protection.
Today he is responsible for defining the BA's information security strategy and has overall responsibility for the information security management system (ISMS), maintaining the German security certificate for one of the largest information networks and important critical infrastructure in Germany, as well as compliance with the associated legal regulations (BSIG, Kritis -Vo).

Julian Nagelsmann

Julian Nagelsmann is one of the most successful coaches in German soccer and is known for constantly questioning the status quo and pushing boundaries. Having grown up as an enthusiastic soccer player, he had to end his playing career early due to injuries. At just 28, he became the youngest coach in the Bundesliga when he took over at Hoffenheim and was appointed national coach eight years later. His clever and analytical approach and charismatic leadership style established him as a pioneer of modern soccer.

Gerd Chrzanowski

Gerd Chrzanowski is a passionate entrepreneur who places great importance on economic responsibility and values-based action. In his role as General Partner Schwarz Group, he is resolutely committed to the megatrends of digitalization, sustainability and healthy nutrition – acting ahead and serving as a catalyst for the economy in Germany and Europe.
After almost 25 years at the companies of Schwarz Group, Chrzanowski understands the retail industry better than virtually anyone else. In December 2021 he took on the role as General Partner Schwarz Group, including Lidl, Kaufland, Schwarz Produktion, PreZero, Schwarz Digits and Schwarz Corporate Solutions. With roughly 595,000 employees in 32 countries, the companies of Schwarz Group are one of the leading retail groups worldwide, and that calls for responsible corporate management with strategic foresight.

Christian Müller

Christian Müller is Co-CEO of Schwarz Digits, the IT and digital division of Schwarz Group. Schwarz Digits offers digital products and services for cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data, secure communication and sovereign workplace, all meeting Germany’s strict data protection standards and thus guaranteeing the highest possible degree of digital sovereignty.
Christian Müller has also been holding responsibility for the business operations of Schwarz IT KG since January 1, 2018 – initially as Executive Vice President, then as Member of the Executive Board and, since July 1, 2021, as Chief Executive Officer. Schwarz IT KG is a service provider that manages the entire IT infrastructure and all software solutions within the companies of Schwarz Group and provides support for their IT projects. Since joining Schwarz Group on January 1, 2004, Christian Müller has held various positions of responsibility. His career within Schwarz Group started with a role in the IT department at Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG.

Rolf Schumann

Rolf Schumann is Co-CEO of Schwarz Digits, the IT and digital division of Schwarz Group. Schwarz Digits offers digital products and services for cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data, secure communication and sovereign workplace, all meeting Germany’s strict data protection standards and thus guaranteeing the highest possible degree of digital sovereignty.
As a leading entrepreneurial personality in the fields of technology, electronic retailing and digital innovation and with over 30 years of experience in the strategic planning of IT landscapes, SAP integration, technology architecture projects, business development, sales and business model innovation, he drives digital transformation across all Schwarz Group companies. Before joining Schwarz Group, Rolf Schumann was the General Manager of SAP, with global responsibility for the Platform and Innovation business unit.

Dr. Markus Krebber

Markus Krebber has been a member of the RWE AG Executive Board since 2016, becoming Chairman in May 2021. He joined the RWE Group in 2012 and was a member of the management board of RWE Supply & Trading, the Group's trading company. From 2015 to 2017, he held the position of CEO of this business unit.
He is also Vice-President of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) and a member of the Presidium of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
Before joining RWE, Dr Krebber held various management positions at Commerzbank between 2005 and 2012. From 2000 to 2005, he worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co.
Markus Krebber was born in 1973. He trained as a banker at Deutsche Bank and studied Economics and Business administration at the Gerhard Mercator University in Duisburg and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In 2007, he received his doctorate from Humboldt University in Berlin.

Hartmut Jenner

Hartmut Jenner is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Chairman of the Board of Management of Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG. After his studies of both Business Administration and Engineering at the University of Stuttgart, he joined the company in 1991. He was first appointed Assistant to the Director of Finance, Accounting, and HR, before being promoted to the position of Head of Corporate Accounting. In 1994, he became Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Divisional Head of Systems Engineering. In 1997, he took on the role of Vice President of the Home & Garden business unit (end-user products), and from 1998, he was also Chief Executive Officer of Kärcher North America at the same time. In the year 2000, Hartmut Jenner was appointed Managing Director; in 2001, he became CEO of the Kärcher Group and Chairman of the Alfred Kärcher Foundation.

Jens Meier

Jens Meier (59) has been CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) since 2008. The computer science graduate has more than 25 years of experience in ports, logistics, finance, and IT. Previous positions include Fiege Holding, tts Group, and Systematics AG. In 2019, he became Vice President of the IAPH for Europe, temporarily took over Africa as well, and has been President of the IAPH since 2023, re-elected for a second term starting in October 2025. Meier is a sought-after speaker on the future of maritime transport and digitalization. He is a founding member of the Hamburg Informatics Forum e.V. and serves on several supervisory and curatorial boards. From 2015 to 2018, he was president of Hamburger SV.

Oliver Dörre

Oliver Dörre took up his position on the Management Board of HENSOLDT AG in January 2024 and took over the Management from Thomas Müller on 1st of April 2024. Oliver Dörre, born in 1969, holds a degree in computer science and was CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Thales Germany from 1st of January 2021 to 31st December 2023, where he previously worked as VP Sales & Marketing/Key Account Executive of the Sales team from the end of 2016 to 2020.
Before joining Thales in 2015, he worked at Frequentis AG for around five years, where he held various management positions. As Head of the Defence business unit, he was responsible for international military sales, project and product management as well as development in the Defence sector. From 1988 to 2010, he worked as a General Staff Officer in the German Air Force, most recently as a Policy Officer and deputy Head of Division with the rank of lieutenant colonel i.G. in the planning department of the Ministry of Defence.

Bernie Wagner

Bernie Wagner is Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Schwarz Digits and CEO of STACKIT GmbH & Co. KG, the cloud and colocation provider of Schwarz Digits. Before taking up his position at Schwarz Digits, Bernie Wagner was Managing Director Google Cloud Germany. From 2013 to 2021, Bernie Wagner was responsible for German sales as Senior Vice President Sales at T-Systems International. Prior to 2013, Bernie Wagner held various management positions, including CEO of the Leipzig-based consulting company Softline AG, CEO of Fujitsu Technology Solutions, Managing Director of EDS Global Field Services and Member of the Management Board of USU AG. In his more than 20-year career in the IT industry, he has built up a broad network in the areas of cloud, cyber security, applications for the Internet of Things and healthcare as well as modern telecommunications technologies such as SD-WAN.

Prof. Dr. Achim Kempf

Professor Achim Kempf holds the Dieter Schwarz Chair in the Physics of Information and AI at the University of Waterloo, located near Toronto, Canada. He is also an Associate Member at both the Institute for Quantum Computing and at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Previously, Professor Kempf held the Canada Research Chair in the Physics of Information at Waterloo, chaired the International Society for Relativistic Quantum Information, and served as a Research Fellow at Cambridge University. He completed his studies at the Universities of Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, and Munich.

Dr. Alexander Schellong

Dr. Alexander Schellong is Managing Director (GL ) / Member of the Executive Board for Cybersecurity at Schwarz digits, the 5th division of Europe’s largest retailer and fourth largest retailer in the world with offerings in Cloud, AI, retail media, workspace or Cybersecurity. Alexander has extensive experience in strategic consulting, general management, business unit leadership and mission critical international project and operations management in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia for the U.S. government, German government, European Commission, NATO and other commercial clients. In 2019, Alexander founded the non-profit initiative CYBERWOMEN to support networking among and growth of female information security experts from student to CxO across Germany. He studied and taught at Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, Harvard Kennedy School, The University of Tokyo, Tec de Monterrey, Brandt School of Public Policy, Zeppelin University, Salzburg Management Business School, and Stanford University.