Kasia Hartwig is a seasoned consultant with expertise in strategy and market intelligence. With experience managing projects in international settings, she specializes in market sizing, competitive intelligence, customer insights, and both primary and secondary research. Since 2023 she has been with Valona Intelligence. Prior to this she worked across various industries, including automotive, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, financial services, and consumer electronics.

Uwe Schnetzer developed business expertise working in agencies, consultancies and global manufacturing. His focus responsibilities were brand management, consumer research, market intelligence, and digital transformation. As a Professor of Marketing and Strategic Management at CBS International Business School, Cologne, Germany his research is focused on the topic of data-driven decisions. Combining behavioral sciences and technology, he examines the determinants of optimal marketing and strategy decisions

Dr Markus Busold is Head of Strategic Marketing for Consumer and Industrial Polymers at Wacker. He is passionate about Digitalization in Marketing & Sales and works on Topics like Digital Price Management, Market Intelligence, Business Analytics, CRM, Digital Channel Management and many more.

Martin Ratcliffe is Senior Manager – IoT Strategy & Market Insights at Vodafone IoT, where he leads the Market Insights team. With extensive experience across the Internet of Things (IoT) landscape, he specializes in strategy, market analysis, forecasting, and competitor intelligence. Martin has held corporate, consultancy, and advisory roles with leading global organizations, including Vodafone, Telefonica O2, Deutsche Telekom, Microsoft, KPMG Consulting, and DHL. His expertise spans IoT connectivity, hardware, software, platforms, and end-to-end solutions, as well as partner management, M&A, product design, and innovation. Beyond his strategic leadership role at Vodafone, Martin also works part-time as a professional coach, advising and mentoring individuals, teams, and start-ups. Martin is recognized for his ability to translate complex market dynamics into actionable business insights, combining deep industry knowledge with strong communication skills. His sector experience includes telecommunications, IT and information services, logistics, and consultancy.

Valona Intelligence is the recognized leader in the market and competitive intelligence since 1999, formally known as M-Brain*. Combining the power of generative AI and analyst expertise, Valona provides businesses with the most crucial insights and to enable insights-driven decisions. Valona sends over 200,000 news alerts serving over 350,000 business users every day, with insights from hundreds of thousands of trusted industry-specific sources globally in over 100 languages. All translated into clean business summaries in English and presented in clear formats easy to share.

The Cologne Business School (CBS) is a internationally orientated, state-recognised university of applied sciences and counts as one of Germany's top Business Schools. Moreover, the CBS study programs are regularly checked by the tri-national accreditation agency, FIBAA (Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation) as regards content, topicality and academic feasibility. As a consequence the CBS placed fourth among the top-ranked universities of applied sciences in Germany in the category: Business Administration (survey of „Wirtschaftswoche“ (Business Weekly). Cologne Business School's mission statement is to design the study organisation and contents of the degree courses in accordance with the students'​ employability. International lecturers and rigid organisation enable efficient, forwardlooking studying. Small study groups and intense student support by the professors are the hallmark of the learning atmosphere at CBS and the reason for the considerable assessment in the current CHE Ranking. A network of partner universities in several countries and intense contacts to the economy already provide the opportunity of gaining international study and work experience during studies. In addition to management courses and the classic business administration subjects, CBS also offers the best possible transfer of practical experience by way of business simulations and practical projects. In addition, possible overseas stays, courses in personal skills and presentation techniques round off your qualification profile and prepare you competently for the requirements of internationally based companies.

At IBM, we do more than work. We create. We create as technologists, developers, and engineers. We create with our partners. We create with our competitors. If you're searching for ways to make the world work better through technology and infrastructure, software and consulting, then we want to work with you. We're here to help every creator turn their "what if" into what is. Let's create something that will change everything.

We are a leading player and one of the world’s most research-intensive chemical companies. Our range of highly developed specialty products extends from silicones and polymeric binders and additives for a number of different industrial sectors, to bio-engineered pharmaceutical actives (biologics), and hyperpure silicon for semiconductor and solar applications. As a technology leader focused on sustainability, we promote innovations with high value-added potential. Our goal is to ensure a better quality of life for you and future generations – through health care, energy efficiency and protection of the climate and environment.

Sixt SE with its registered office in Pullach near Munich, is a leading international provider of high-quality mobility services. With its products SIXT rent, SIXT share, SIXT ride and SIXT+ the company offers a uniquely integrated premium mobility service across the fields of vehicle and commercial vehicle rental, car sharing, ride hailing and car subscriptions. The products can be booked, among others, through the SIXT App, which also contains the services of its renowned mobility partners. SIXT has a presence in more than 100 countries around the globe. The company offers its customers experiences that inspire and exceed their expectations – through a lived culture of innovation, a consistent premium offering in terms of fleet and service, and an attractive price-performance ratio.

Diehl Aviation is a global partner for the entire aviation industry. We are pioneers, drivers of innovation, and enablers. We have set ourselves the goals of making travel increasingly more comfortable and safer, saving valuable resources, and presenting ground-breaking solutions to our customers in all business areas. Diehl Aviation is part of a successful family business and is synonymous with the mobility of the future.

Built on over 40 years of innovation, Vodafone IoT powers 200 million connections worldwide, transforming industries from healthcare and transportation to energy and manufacturing. Our advanced solutions enable connected cars, medical equipment, and smart energy grids, enhancing efficiency and sustainability. With expertise in low-power cellular technology and 5G, we provide seamless connectivity across 760 networks in 180+ countries, shaping the future of intelligent, connected solutions.