Kai Althoff
chairman of the board BVL & CEO 4flow

Kai Althoff is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of 4flow, a provider of supply chain consulting, software and supply chain services.
From 2000 to 2020, Kai Althoff was Chief Operating Officer (COO) and responsible for the company's global operations.
He is also Honorary Chairman of the Board of the Bundesvereinigung Logistik (BVL).

Prof. Dr. Julia Arlinghaus
Director - Institute for Production and Supply Chain Management,
Universität St. Gallen

Since 2019, Prof. Dr. Julia Arlinghaus has held the Chair of Production Systems and
-Automation at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and also heads the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg.
-Automation IFF in Magdeburg.
Prof. Dr. Julia Arlinghaus studied industrial engineering with a focus on production technology and process engineering at the University of Bremen and at Tokyo University, Japan.
She received her doctorate in business innovation from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland in 2011.
She worked as a consultant for operational excellence at Porsche Consulting until she was appointed Professor for the Optimization of Production and Logistics Networks at Jacobs University Bremen in 2013. From 2017 to 2019, she held the Chair of Management for Industry 4.0 at RWTH Aachen University.
In February 2021, Professor Arlinghaus was appointed to the German Science Council. She has been Chair of the Scientific Commission there since February 2024.

Eva Beck
Chief Commercial Officer (CCO),
Embotech

As Chief Commercial Officer at Embotech, Eva is driving the go-to-market strategy for industrial logistics automation and strengthening Embotech's commercial expansion as well as market positioning. With a strong background in business development and sales, she has built a proven track record in the B2B deep tech and mobility sector, including experience at Lilium and BCG. Eva holds a Master’s degree in International Management.

Dr.-Ing. Marcus Bollig
Managing Director,
Verband der Automobilindustrie e. V. (VDA)

Dr. Marcus Bollig, born in 1967, has been Managing Director of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) since May 2022.
He is responsible for the “Product and Value Creation” division.
After studying mechanical engineering and completing his doctorate at RWTH Aachen University, the Bonn native joined BMW AG in 1998.
There, Dr. Marcus Bollig dedicated himself to drive development, and from 2011 he was initially responsible for the “New Technologies and Electrification” project as Head of Department.
In the following years, he headed various other technical areas, such as “Efficient Dynamics”, “Complete Vehicle Research” and most recently “Powertrain Process”.
At the VDA, Dr. Marcus Bollig uses his drive and complete vehicle expertise to mediate between the interests of politicians, authorities and manufacturers when defining technical regulations.
His technological focus is on the transformation to climate-neutral mobility and digitalization.

Dr. Christian Hort
Senior Vice President Automotive,
T-Systems

Christian Hort is responsible for the Automotive segment at T-Systems International GmbH. Its customers include leading OEMs and suppliers. In the first nine years of his career, Christian held various positions in development, corporate strategy and sales at the Liechtenstein-based fastening specialist Hilti AG. The economics graduate then moved to the automotive supply industry at Harman International. There he held various management positions in global sales for over nine years. In his last position, he was responsible for Harman’s cross-divisional global business.

Dr. Christoph Kilger
CEO,
aioneers

Christoph Kilger is the CEO and Co-Founder of aioneers and a seasoned expert for Supply Chain Management, Digitalization and AI. Christoph serves as a Member of the Supervisory Board for Döhler Group SE and he held significant leadership roles at EY, including Leader of Performance Improvement in GSA and Leader of Supply Chain & Operations in EMEIA, focusing on strategy, supply chain transformation, and operational excellence. Prior experience includes being a Member of the Executive Board at J&M Management Consulting AG and a Manager at KPMG, with a strong foundation in supply chain management and advanced planning systems. Christoph holds a doctorate and a diploma in Computer Science from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

Maximilian Krane
CEO,
btv technologies

Maximilian Krane is Managing Director and CEO of btv technologies, the specialist for component logistics as a service in the automotive industry. The 39-year-old has over 15 years of experience in the electronics industry.
He began his career at btv technologies in 2011 as a key account manager, where he gained deep insights into the complex requirements of component logistics. In the following years, he gained valuable experience in various areas of the supply chain – in distribution and at an American semiconductor manufacturer. This 360-degree perspective on the electronics industry gives him a nuanced view of challenges and solutions.
In 2023, he returned to btv technologies in a management position with a clear goal: to make btv technologies the number one component logistics provider in the automotive industry – as a progressive partner for resilient supply chains, with a service-based approach instead of traditional trade logic.

Simon Motter
Chairman of the Management Board,
Volkswagen Konzernlogistik GmbH & Co. OHG

Simon Motter has been Head of Volkswagen Group Logistics and Chairman of the Board of Management since January 2021.
As the central logistics unit of one of the world's largest car manufacturers, Volkswagen Group Logistics plans and manages material logistics between suppliers, logistics service providers and the Volkswagen Group's production sites on the one hand, and global and cross-brand vehicle logistics from the plants to dealers or importers on the other.
In short: around 250,000 containers per year and, in Europe alone, around 75 million cubic meters of car parts to the Volkswagen Group plants and 5.6 million vehicles from the plants to the customers.
The Berlin-born industrial engineer comes from Audi, where he was Head of Supply Chain at the Ingolstadt plant before moving to Wolfsburg.
Prior to this, he was Head of International Logistics at Audi, Head of Operations Logistics at the Audi engine plant in Györ, Hungary, Head of Process and Concept Development in Audi Brand Logistics and was also involved in logistics optimization at SEAT in Martorell, Spain.

Hildegard Müller
President,
German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA)

Hildegard Müller, born in 1967, has been President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) since February 1, 2020.
Before studying business administration at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, she trained as a bank clerk at Dresdner Bank.
Most recently, she worked at Dresdner Bank as a department director.
She was a member of the German Bundestag from October 2002 to October 2008.
She was also Minister of State to the Federal Chancellor from 2005 to 2008.
In October 2008, Ms. Müller took over as Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries in Berlin.
From May 2016, she was a member of the Executive Board of innogy SE and was responsible for the Grid & Infrastructure division and the coordination of digitalization projects.

Simon Schütz
Head of Department Press & Digital Affairs,
Verband der Automobilindustrie e. V. (VDA)

Simon Schütz is Head of the Press and Digital Department at the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).
He previously worked in political journalism for many years - both nationally and internationally.

Helmut Schweighofer
CEO,
DSV Road

Simon Schütz is Head of the Press and Digital Department at the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).
He previously worked in political journalism for many years - both nationally and internationally.