Cyber Security Conference

by Schwarz Digits

March 12 & 13, 2025
experimenta, Heilbronn

Knowledge Transfer at the Highest Level: Exclusive Insights and an Inspiring Setting

Digital sovereignty is now more important than ever. The Cyber Security Conference by Schwarz Digits 2025 brings together entrepreneurs, business leaders and prominent experts from the fields of economics, politics, science and the public sector. Expanding upon the key topic of digital sovereignty, we highlight the importance of independence and expertise when it comes to cloud computing, artificial intelligence and secure communication - from Germany, for Europe.

lightbeam backround

Your host

With 575,000 employees in 32 different countries, the Schwarz Group is among the top retail groups in the world. Based in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, the pillars in food retailing are Lidl and Kaufland. Furthermore the Schwarz Produktion is active in food production and PreZero in the area of environmental services. This makes the Schwarz Group one of only a few retail groups to cover the entire value cycle, from production and retail to disposal and recycling.

The IT and digital division Schwarz Digits offers excellent digital products and services for the cloud, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and secure communication, which meet the high data protection standards in Germany. The Cyber Security Conference by Schwarz Digits allows us, the companies of Schwarz Group, to create a platform for knowledge transfer. By doing so, we are making digital society safer.

Why is cybersecurity so important as a pillar of digital sovereignty?

  • As the world becomes increasingly connected and global dependencies grow, we are forced to maintain control over our digital resources in critical areas.
  • Digital self-determination is no marketing slogan: It is an economical and geostrategic necessity.
  • By recognizing dependencies and eliminating these in business-critical areas, we can gain the independence to act freely and lay the foundation for a digitally sovereign future.
  • Today, the amount of data generated daily is equivalent to the total amount generated from 1970 to 2010.
  • According to a recent survey by Munich RE, 87 percent of managers worldwide doubt that their company is sufficiently protected against cyberattacks.
  • In 2023, misuse of stolen access data increased by 71 percent compared with 2022.
  • On average, at least one German company falls victim to an attempted ransomware attack each day.
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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).

Claudia Plattner

Claudia Plattner

President

German Federal Office for Information Security

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Dr. Ralf Wintergerst

Ralf Wintergerst is Chairman of the Management Board of Giesecke+Devrient. In addition to his duties as Group CEO, he is responsible for the central areas of Information Systems, Group Security, Compliance Management and Auditing, Corporate Communications, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Strategy and Development, Legal and Corporate Governance. In addition to his role at G+D, Wintergerst is President of the digital association Bitkom. He is also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of secunet Security Networks AG (Essen) and Chairman of the Board of Directors of netcetera AG (Zurich).

Ralf Wintergerst

Dr. Ralf Wintergerst

President

Bitkom e.V.

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Gerd Chrzanowski

For more than 20 years, Gerd Chrzanowski has held various positions of responsibility in companies of Schwarz Group, which consists of the discount grocery store Lidl, the retail company Kaufland, several production companies, and the waste and recycling service provider PreZero. Until he assumed the role of General Partner in December 2021, he was Chief Executive Officer of Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG. The native Offenburger was largely responsible for establishing the waste and recycling business unit and for accelerating the digitalization process within the companies of Schwarz Group. Chrzanowski has a degree in business administration and a Bachelor of Arts in business management from Manchester Metropolitan University. Before his studies, he completed an apprenticeship as a car salesman.

Gerd Chrzanowski

Gerd Chrzanowski

General Partner

Schwarz Group

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Andrea Nahles

Andrea Nahles has been Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the Federal Employment Agency since August 1, 2022. From 2020 to 2022 she was President of the Federal Office for Telecommunications. Andrea Nahles previously held various high-ranking political positions. From 2013 to 2017 she was Federal Minister of Labor. From 1998 to 2002 and from 2005 to 2019 she was a member of the German Bundestag and during this time a member of the Committee on Labor and Social Affairs. Andrea Nahles studied German and political science at the University of Bonn. She is Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Reich President Friedrich Ebert Memorial Foundation and is a member of the Friends of Maria Laach Abbey.

Andrea Nahles

Andrea Nahles

Chair of the Executive Board of the Federal Employment Agency

Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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Thomas Berger

Thomas Berger joined the police service of the state of Baden-Württemberg in 1991 as a middle-level officer. In 1998 he was promoted to senior service and in 2009 to higher service as a consultant in the situation center of the BW Interior Ministry. In 2011, Thomas Berger was the first police officer to take on the role of head of the central office, also at the BW Ministry of the Interior.

Thomas Berger

Thomas Berger

President

Chief of Police of the Baden-Württemberg State Police Headquarters for Technology, Logistics and Service

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Carsten Meywirth

Carsten Meywirth is the head of the Cybercrime Division at the Bundeskriminalamt. Mr. Meywirth joined the Bundeskriminalamt in 1987 after completing his training as a police officer at the uniform branch in Lower Saxony. Mr. Meywirth has held various managerial positions in the Central Services Division and Serious and Organised Crime Division since joining the Bundeskriminalamt over 30-years ago.

Carsten Meywirth

Carsten Meywirth

Head of Division Cybercrime

Bundeskriminalamt

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Chris Robbins

Special Agent Chris Robbins is an Assistant Legal Attaché responsible for FBI Cyber matters in Germany. Prior to arriving in Germany, he led the FBI Cyber Division's Advanced Digital Forensics Program. He has been with the FBI since 2005 investigating cyber threats, including nation states, cyber crime, and ransomware. He is an expert in Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) and is a member of the FBI's Cyber Action Team (CAT), a highly trained rapid response team of FBI agents, analysts, and computer forensics and malicious code experts who respond to cyber intrusions.

Chris Robbins

Chris Robbins

Cyber Assistant Legal Attache

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

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Günther H. Oettinger

Günther H. Oettinger was European Commissioner for Budget & Human Resources since January 2017. From November 2014 to December 2016, he held office as European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society after being European Commissioner for Energy from February 2010 to October 2014 and lastly also Vice-President of the European Commission in 2014. From 2005-2010, he was Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg (Germany) and, since 1984, a member of the regional Parliament ("Landtag"). He was the leader of the CDU Landtag group from January 1991 to April 2005. A lawyer by training, Günther H. Oettinger became actively involved in politics during his adolescence.

Günther H. Oettinger

Günther H. Oettinger

Former vice-president and member of the european commission, former Prime-Minister of the state of Baden-Württemberg

Oettinger Consulting GmbH

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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 relating to cyber security, cloud, artificial intelligence and secure communication that meet the high German data protection standards - for the greatest possible digital sovereignty. In addition, Christian Müller has been responsible for the business of Schwarz IT KG since January 1, 2018 - first as a divisional director, then as a board member and since July 1, 2021 as CEO. As a service provider, it manages the entire digital infrastructure and software solutions of Schwarz Group companies and provides support for their IT projects. Since joining Schwarz Group on January 1, 2004, Christian Müller has held various positions of responsibility. He started his career at Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG in the IT department.

Christian Müller

Christian Müller

Co-CEO

Schwarz Digits

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Rolf Schumann

Rolf Schumann is Co-CEO of Schwarz Digits, the IT und digital division of the Schwarz Group. Schwarz Digits offers digital products and services relating to cyber security, cloud and artificial intelligence that meet the high German data protection standards - for the greatest possible digital sovereignty. In addition, Rolf Schumann is responsible for the digital activities of the companies of Schwarz Group with a focus on e-commerce, loyalty, retail media and digital innovations. With over 30 years of experience in the strategic planning of IT projects and digital transformation, he is constantly driving technology and innovation-related topics across all industries. Before joining the Schwarz Group, Rolf Schumann was in charge at SAP as General Manager worldwide for the Platform & Innovation division. From 2008 to 2012, Rolf Schumann dedicated himself to the topic of clean tech and founded the start-up company Better Place, with a focus on electromobility. Prior to that, he was CTO for Europe at SAP. Before joining SAP in 2000, Mr. Schumann spent nine years at Siemens, where he was responsible for data center operations in Europe and the planning of Internet architecture.

Rolf Schumann

Rolf Schumann

Co-CEO

Schwarz Digits

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Dr. Daniela Gerd tom Markotten

Dr. Daniela Gerd tom Markotten is Board Member for Digitalization & Technology at Deutsche Bahn. Together with her team, she is working on a strong rail network for Germany. Her mission: to use digitalization and technology to make Deutsche Bahn the most popular and sustainable mode of transport. Despite her enthusiasm for technology, she makes it clear: digitalization and technology are not an end in themselves. Regardless of whether it is artificial intelligence, connectivity or digital maintenance - Deutsche Bahn customers should feel improvements. Dr. Daniela Gerd tom Markotten has a doctorate in IT security and has held various positions in IT, logistics and production at Daimler AG. Before starting at Deutsche Bahn, she was CEO of the mobility platform moovel and founded a tech startup in 2020 that, among other things, develops a software product for AI/AR-based video calls for remote support.

Daniela Gerd tom Markotten

Dr. Daniela Gerd tom Markotten

Member of the Management Board for Digitalization & Technology

Deutsche Bahn AG

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Oscar Angress

A cybersecurity expert with over 25 years of professional experience in hacking and cracking. Trusted advisor to top corporations like Rheinmetall, VW, Bosch, and Roche. Former member of elite hacker groups (CORE, SkidRow, Phrozen Crew) and developer skilled in Assembler, C++, .NET, and reverse engineering. Once wanted by INTERPOL, now a respected advocate for security.

Oscar Angress

Oscar Angress

CEO

Primary Target GmbH

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Bernd Wagner

Bernd Wagner (Bernie) has been CEO and divisional Board member of Schwarz Digits since November 1st, 2024. He joined from Google Cloud Germany, where he had served as the Managing Director since 2021. From 2013 to 2021, Bernd Wagner worked for T-Systems International as the Senior Vice President Sales for eight years, overseeing sales in Germany. Additionally, he was a member of the supervisory board of Operational Service GmbH, a joint venture between Freeport AG and T-Systems International. Before joining T-Systems Bernd Wagner had already held executive positions, including serving as the CEO of the Leipzig-based consulting firm Softline AG, Senior Vice President of Fujitsu Siemens Computer, CEO of the EDS Global Field Services and as a member of the board at USU AG.

Bernd Wagner

Bernd Wagner

CEO STACKIT & Divisional Board Member of Schwarz Digits

STACKIT & Schwarz Digits

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Dr. Bernd Pichlmayer

Dr. Bernd Pichlmayer is the founder and CEO of FTGG Cyber, a strategic advisory firm specializing in cybersecurity. Previously, he served as the Cybersecurity Advisor to the Federal Chancellor of Austria, where he coordinated federal cybersecurity policies at the political level and represented Austria in international cybersecurity forums. Dr. Pichlmayer holds a PhD in Law from the University of Vienna and an Executive Master of Business Law (E.M.B.L.-HSG) from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Bernd Pichlmayer

Dr. Bernd Pichlmayer

CEO

FTGG Cyber

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Christopher Kränzler

As VP of Product, Christopher Kränzler drives Aleph Alpha’s product vision and strategy, delivering measurable customer value from AI through vertical solutions today while setting a new industry standard for sovereign AI in the future. With over ten years of experience in AI product development, Christopher holds degrees from KIT and Columbia University. In addition to his role at Aleph Alpha, he advocates for the digitization of the economy and the public sector as a member of the board of directors at Bitkom, and speaks on AI topics at international events.

Christopher Kränzler

Christopher Kränzler

VP Product

Aleph Alpha GmbH

Sarah Yvonne Elßer

Moderator, Speaker and Founder

Sarah has specialized as a moderator, speaker and founder on the topic of "tech communication" and has already worked for large companies such as Mercedes, Volkswagen, Schaeffler, SAP, Telekom, Vodafone and Michelin. She studied journalism and worked as a reporter for a science magazine on television for over 5 years. Sarah's goal: to help people overcome their insecurity about new technologies and ensure that nobody is left behind when it comes to understanding innovations. Sarah is the founder of Tech Well Told GmbH and is one of the German influencers on LinkedIn.

Sarah Yvonne Elßer
March 12, 2025 | Exclusive Evening Program
From 05:00 p.m.
Get-Together incl. Digital Sovereignty Exhibition
06:00 p.m.
Official Opening
Sarah Yvonne Elßer
06:15 p.m.
Welcome
Gerd Chrzanowski
06:30 p.m.
360-Degree Full Dome Movie: The White Knight
06:45 p.m.
Digital Shadows: The Threatening Evolution of Cybercriminality – How Cybercriminality is Shaping our Reality
Carsten Meywirth
07:00 p.m.
Digital Sovereignty: Europe’s Key to Values and Competitiveness
Speaker to be named
07:30 p.m.
Dinner
March 13, 2025 | Conference Program
From 07:30 a.m.
Networking Breakfast
08:30 a.m.
Digital Sovereignty – Why Digitalization Requires a Paradigm Shift in a Newly-ordered World
Christian Müller and Rolf Schumann
08:55 a.m.
Europe’s Digital Future: Trust and Cybersecurity as the Foundation of our Networked Society
Speaker to be named
09:15 a.m.
Panel: Cybersecurity in Real Life: Perspectives from Industry, Authorities and Criminal Justice
Thomas Berger, Andrea Nahles, other speakers to be named
09:45 a.m.
Breaking in to Protect: The Story of a Hacker on the Side of the Law
Oscar Angress
10:00 a.m.
Cyber Shield: Securing our Digital Future through Strong Alliances
Speaker to be named
10:15 a.m.
Networking Break
10:45 a.m.
Breakout Sessions I
  1. The Ethical Shift: An Insider’s View into the World of a White-Hat Hacker
    Oscar Angress
  2. An Example of Success DataHub Europe – Illustrating how Digital (Data) Independence Can Succeed
    Dr. Daniela Gerd tom Markotten, Christopher Kränzler and Bernd Wagner
  3. The Thin Line between Freedom and Regulation – Ways to Safeguard Sovereignty
    Günther H. Oettinger
  4. Behind the Scenes: How Do States Protect Themselves from Cybercriminality and How Do they Work together Internationally?
    Chris Robbins, Carsten Meywirth and Dr. Bernd Pichlmayer
11:25 a.m.
Break
11:45 a.m.
Breakout-Session II
  1. The Ethical Shift: An Insider’s View into the World of a White-Hat Hacker
    Oscar Angress
  2. An Example of Success DataHub Europe – Illustrating how Digital (Data) Independence Can Succeed
    Dr. Daniela Gerd tom Markotten, Christopher Kränzler and Bernd Wagner
  3. The Thin Line between Freedom and Regulation – Ways to Safeguard Sovereignty
    Günther H. Oettinger
  4. Behind the Scenes: How Do States Protect Themselves from Cybercriminality and How Do they Work together Internationally?
    Chris Robbins, Carsten Meywirth und Dr. Bernd Pichlmayer
12:35 p.m.
Vision of the Cyber Nation Germany – How Do we Cope with this Transformation Affecting Society as a Whole?
Claudia Plattner
12:50 p.m.
Panel: Digital Sovereignty in Germany: The Key to more Cybersecurity in Companies
Claudia Plattner, Dr. Ralf Wintergerst, other speakers to be named
01:20 p.m.
Hybrid Warfare: The Pressure of International Attacks on Democracy
Speaker to be named
01:50 p.m.
Wrap-Up
Christian Müller and Rolf Schumann
02:00 p.m.
Lunch, Networking and Conclusion

experimenta

Germany's Largest Science Center represents the joy of experimentation, knowledge and innovation in a special way.

Experience creates knowledge - that is experimenta's philosophy. The answers to the great challenges of our time, such as digitalization, mobility, climate change, the energy transition and health, determine the long-term viability of the country. Education and science are crucial to finding solutions and shaping our future.

More information about the experimenta

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Hotels near by

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Map

Address to the car park Bahnhofstraße 6, 74072 Heilbronn, Germany

Coming from the A6 Take exit 37 Heilbronn/Neckarsulm and drive towards Heilbronn-Zentrum.

Coming from the A81 Take exit 11 Heilbronn/Untergruppenbach and follow the L1111 to Heilbronn.

Arrival by public transport If you are travelling by train, get off at the main station in Heilbronn. If you are travelling by tram, get off at the "Kurt-Schumacher-Platz" stop. From there it is only a few steps to the Science Centre in Heilbronn. It is only a 7-minute walk from Heilbronn main station to the experimenta. It is therefore not absolutely necessary to take the tram from the main station to Kurt-Schumacher-Platz.

Rethinking Cybersecurity: Looking Back on Two Extraordinary Events

In a world that is increasingly characterized by digital technologies, the topic of cybersecurity is becoming more and more relevant. Comprehensive security strategies are more important than ever before - not just for companies, but for society as a whole.

Dive into our last two conferences on cybersecurity. Leading experts from the cybersecurity industry, intelligence services, economics, science and politics discussed the most pressing challenges and pioneering solutions together with entrepreneurs and business leaders.

CyberReport

On average, companies have 11,000 security gaps and a cyberattack takes place somewhere around the world every 39 seconds. Private and state actors are becoming increasingly professional and cyberattacks are now available as a service on the dark web. Damage from such cyberattacks is expected to rise to more than 10 trillion euros by 2027.

These developments alone show: Complex digital ecosystems can only be secured through intensive exchange and joint solutions. To this end, we have created a data-based foundation with the Cyber Security Report.

The external attack surface of 213 organizations from the public and private sectors in Germany was analyzed. The report presents a clear and, in some cases, alarming picture of the current threat situation, supplemented by datasets showing the actions of hackers in corporate networks and a sample of identity and access data available on the dark web from board members and their employees at 10 German companies.

In the Cyber Security Report, you will find exclusive insights and practical recommendations for action, including:

  • the current cybersecurity posture: damage, perception, cybercriminal ecosystem, skills shortage, information security spending, and regulatory trends
  • Attackers' methods: including social engineering, ransomware, supply chain attacks
  • Countermeasures for different threats in the cyber space: organizations, technology, executives and employees

Want to learn more? Download the Cyber Security Report and guarantee yourself a personal security advantage. Here you can find all the data in one place, summarized in an understandable way and illustrated with the help of graphics and comprehensible info packs. SEE more!

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