Ü:MO 2025

Keynote Speaker - Overview

A big thank you to our five keynote speakers for their inspiring insights and presentations!
On this page you will find detailed information about the speakers, the content of their presentations and the full video recordings of the individual contributions.

Prof. Dr. Peter Middendorf

Rector of the University of Stuttgart

Short biography

After completing his studies and doctorate in aerospace engineering at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich, Prof. Dr. Peter Middendorf held various positions at EADS and Eurocopter Germany before moving to the University of Stuttgart in 2012 as Managing Director of the Institute of Aircraft Design. He was Vice Rector for Knowledge and Technology Transfer there from 2018 to 2024. He has been Rector of the University of Stuttgart since October 2024. He is also Chairman of the Board of the ARENA2036 research campus and was active as coordinator for Baden-Württemberg's aerospace strategy from 2023-2024.

Lecture title: Research and innovation ecosystems as the basis for modern transfer

Renate Nikolay

Deputy Director General of the EU Commission

Short biography

Renate Nikolay is Deputy Director-General at the European Commission, Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technologies (DG CONNECT). Among other things, she coordinates telecommunications policy, data and media policy and the regulation of digital platforms. She was Head of Cabinet of Vĕra Jourová and deals with topics such as digital markets, rule of law and disinformation. Studied law in Berlin, Washington and Grenoble.

Lecture title: Digital competitiveness in changing geopolitical times - can Europe get it right?

Prof. Dr. Henning Kagermann

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of acatech e.V.

Lecture title: Innovative ability in the turn of the century

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Presentation H. Kagermann

Severine Siebert

Vice President Operations, Strategy & Technology, Nokia Corporation Member of the Supervisory Board, Nokia Solutions and Networks Management GmbH

Short biography

Severine is Vice President and Head of Operations at Nokia Strategy & Technology. In this role, she reports directly to the Chief Strategy and Technology Officer. Strategy & Technology plays a central role in shaping Nokia's technological future. It develops business and technology strategies for the entire Group, creates a sound research base for the development of innovative products and solutions and provides the necessary infrastructure to enable all Nokia business units to implement these strategies efficiently and securely. With her team, Severine is instrumental in achieving the strategic, financial and operational goals of the division. She promotes operational excellence through effective leadership and the implementation of governance structures, processes and strategic initiatives. In addition, she is responsible for the public funding portfolio and coordinates partnerships with universities in the area of Strategy & Technology. At the same time, she ensures the business continuity and research infrastructure of Nokia Bell Labs. Severine joined Nokia in 2015, initially as Head of Commercial Management Operations & Transformation. In 2021, she introduced an updated Nokia Business System and established a new performance management. Prior to joining Nokia, Severine worked in the aviation industry for ten years, where she gained extensive experience in manufacturing, commercial management, joint ventures and digitalization. She studied economics at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg. Today, Severine lives in Munich with her family and enjoys spending time together.

Lecture title: ARENA2036 - Cooperative real-world laboratory for the industrial communication technology of today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow

Dr. Stephen Travers

Head of Technology & System Engineering, Head of IT MBC Operations, Mercedes-Benz AG

Short biography

As Director, Dr. Stephen Travers heads the "Technology & System Engineering" and "IT for Mercedes-Benz Operations" divisions at Mercedes-Benz AG. In these roles, he is responsible for digitalization, automation and control technology as well as IT. With over 16 years of experience in the company, Stephen has held various technical and management positions within Operations and IT. As co-founder of the digital production ecosystem MO360, he is actively shaping the digital transformation at Mercedes-Benz - both on the business and IT side. Stephen holds a degree in computer science and a doctorate from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg.

Lecture title: The digital transformation of production