Tech Conference at Deutsche Bank Park

Block im Park 2026

Spokesman of the Executive Board • Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG

Axel Hellmann, born in Würzburg in 1971, completed his legal training in Würzburg, Bristol, and Berlin. After working as a lawyer and law firm partner, he joined Eintracht Frankfurt in 2001, holding various positions. He has been a member of the executive board of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG since June 2012, took on the role of executive board spokesman in May 2021, and has also been managing director of EintrachtTech GmbH since November 2025. Since 2022, he has held various committee positions at the DFL, DFB, UEFA, and ECA, and has taken over the interim management of DFL GmbH. He is a member of various advisory boards, supervisory boards, and boards of trustees of companies, trade associations, foundations, and institutions. In 2023, he was appointed Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Norway in Hesse.

Head of Division, Market Innovation and Integration • European Central Bank

Holger Neuhaus is Head of the European Central Bank's (ECB's) Market Innovation and Integration Division in the Directorate General Market Infrastructure and Payments. His Division develops the ECB/Eurosystem’s approach in relation to innovation and integration/harmonisation in the field of payments and post-trade services. He coordinated the Eurosystem’s DLT exploratory work and leads the Eurosystem’s work aimed at developing a long-term, innovative, efficient and safe ecosystem for wholesale markets in Europe based on DLT and relying also on central bank money (Appia).

CEO • PwC Strategy&

Prof. Dr. Rainer Bernnat is Managing Director of PwC Strategy& (Germany) GmbH in Frankfurt am Main. As PwC Industry Leader Government & Public Sector, he has more than 35 years of experience in advising decision-makers in the public sector, particularly in federal ministries. Prof. Bernnat is a strategic advisor in the field of defense and armaments and has been involved in many pioneering projects in this sector.

Group Treasurer • KfW

Tim Armbruster (born 1980) joined KfW in March 2020. He is Treasurer and Head of Financial Markets department and serves as a member of the Supervisory Board of The Currency Exchange Fund N.V. He began his professional career in 1996 followed by various positions in markets and treasury departments in Germany, Ireland, the US and Luxemburg. Before he joined KfW, he was Treasurer of the Federal Government`s Winddown Institution (FMS-WM) and Aareal Bank AG. Mr. Armbruster is married and has one son.

Publisher • F.A.Z.

Carsten Knop was born in Dortmund in 1969. He studied business administration at the University of Münster. In 1993, he completed an internship at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper. He initially worked as a correspondent in Düsseldorf, then as a business correspondent in New York and subsequently in San Francisco. He returned to Frankfurt in 2003 and has been head of corporate reporting for many years, later also responsible for business news. From early 2018 to March 2020, he was editor-in-chief for digital products and has been publisher since April 2020.

Finance Editor • F.A.Z.

Inken Schönauer was born in Braunschweig. After graduating from high school and spending a year as an exchange student at an American high school in northern Minnesota, she went on to study in Münster. Inken Schönauer also worked as a local reporter for a radio station. In 1999, she startet working at Börsen-Zeitung, a newspaper in Frankfurt and then worked for five years as an editor in the business department. In 2004, she moved to London to work for the daily newspaper Die Welt. In 2006, she returned to the Börsen-Zeitung as a correspondent in Düsseldorf. After a brief stint in the communications industry, she took over as editor-in-chief of Euro Finance magazine in 2014. She has been with the F.A.Z. since August 2019, where she heads the finance section.

Online Business Editor / Digitec • F.A.Z.

Born on March 8, 1982, in Frankfurt-Höchst, he grew up in Hattersheim in the Main-Taunus district. After graduating from high school and completing his civil service, he studied economics in Mainz, specializing in international economic relations and financial markets. During this time, he worked for two years as a student trainee in the equity strategy team of a private bank. In April 2008, he began an internship at F.A.Z. Since April 1, 2010, he has been an economics editor at F.A.Z., first in the financial markets department, then in the online economics editorial department, which he now heads. He is interested in technology, financial markets, and globalization. Responsible for Digitec.

Host & Coach • Moderation

Hannah Klose is a born host! Her authentic and charming presentation style is unique and refreshing. Since 2014, she has focused on events related to tech, digital, innovation, and startups. As a coach, she offers practical stage and communication training for speakers and presenters.

CEO • Frankfurt Main Finance

Hubertus Väth is the Founder of NewMark Finanzkommunikation GmbH, established in 1997 and specialized in business consulting and financial communication. Before founding NewMark Hubertus Väth worked for 12 years at Deutsche Bank, where he held the positions of Analyst, Head of Communications and Chief Economist for Asia and Global Head of Marketing for Wealth Management. In 2008, he was appointed Managing Director of Frankfurt Main Finance, the Financial Centre initiative for Frankfurt. Väth regularly speaks at international conferences on FinTechs and Financial Centre Development.

Founder • Lantyn

Georgia Lewis Anderson is Founder of Dream Captcha and an award-winning AI strategist and prompt engineering specialist, having worked with Meta, Microsoft, and Google. She helped shape Cortana’s British personality, launched Google Assistant in the UK, and contributed to Meta’s Llama 3. As a presenter for Apple Music, Channel 4, Virgin, and the BBC, she makes complex AI topics accessible. A sought-after speaker, she shares insights on AI and human behavior at major events and runs consultancy workshops. Through her content and podcast Open Sauce, she explores the impact of AI on creativity and society.

Public Speaker, Moderator, and Senior Innovation Editor • Wired

Jeremy White works at the influential technology and trends magazine that reports on the innovations and companies of the future.

Co-Founder & CEO • AICONIQ Group

Peter Gentsch has been working with artificial intelligence since the 1990s. As a scientist, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker, Peter Gentsch operates at the intersection of research, technology, and entrepreneurial implementation. He has founded numerous companies in the field of AI and successfully sold five of them. His work is not based on theoretical models, but on real experience and measurable results.
Peter Gentsch helps companies make strategic use of AI—for example, through new business models, data-driven processes, or the introduction of generative AI. In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Peter Gentsch is a professor of international business administration with a focus on AI and digital transformation. He publishes regularly, gives keynote speeches on international stages, conducts international research projects and studies, and is an active member of AI expert circles.

CEO • The Nifty Company

Joel Comm is an internet pioneer who has been building successful technology companies since 1995. A New York Times bestselling author with 15 books, Joel is a sought-after speaker and strategist. As a co-host of two popular cryptocurrency and blockchain podcasts, Joel’s shows have been downloaded over 10 million times in more than 180 countries. He has personally minted over 1.5 million NFTs of original intellectual property and advises Web3 companies specializing in NFTs, Play-to-Earn, Metaverse, and Social Tokens. Joel has worked with major brands like Microsoft, IBM, Twitter, Alibaba, and many others.

Entrepreneur and Business Consultant • Self-employed

Jürgen Alker is an entrepreneur, digital strategist, and Web3 thought leader. His interest in the world of cryptocurrencies began in 2013 and expanded to NFTs in 2018, despite his initial skepticism. Before fully immersing himself in the digital world, he gained experience in business at Eastpak, Jung von Matt, and Dickies. In 2010, he founded the mobile agency "Swipe," which was acquired by SinnerSchrader in 2015. As a member of the management team, he guided the company through a successful merger with Accenture in 2017 and remained on board until early 2021. As a consultant, he has worked with Highsnobiety and other major brands, demonstrating his deep understanding of and interest in innovative business models enabled by these new opportunities.

Jürgen Alker kommt ursprünglich aus der Werbung. Mit Jung von Matt launchte er den Mini in Deutschland, gründete mehrere Startups und war Geschäftsführer bei „SinnerSchrader“, ehe man sich Accenture anschloss. Heute schreibt und spricht er über neue Technologien, setzt sich intensiv mit NFTs und dem „Metaverse“ auseinander und hilft Unternehmen, ihre Strategie zu finden und zu verbessern.

Trendscout for the future of work • vitra.

Raphael Gielgen is Trendscout for the future of work at Vitra and a true globetrotter. Driven by an insatiable curiosity and the question of how knowledge work will evolve in five or ten years, he travels the world. Each year, he visits more than 100 companies, startups, universities, and research institutions across the USA, Europe, and Asia. He generously shares his insights at conferences, festivals, and events in over 20 countries, always offering inspiration. Knowledge work is undergoing its greatest transformation yet, and companies face the challenge of shaping the future while managing the present. Where will we work tomorrow? With whom, how, and on what topics? These are the questions Raphael Gielgen explores every day. His colleagues sometimes see him as a bit eccentric—driven by boundless curiosity, relentless in his search for answers, and unafraid to challenge conventional thinking. When he returns from his travels, he brings back stories that may sound like utopian visions—but often sketch the reality of tomorrow.

Customer Engineering Manager • Google

Michael Dietz is a Customer Engineering Manager at Google, leading a team that empowers startups and scaleups to grow. As a lifelong tech enthusiast, he is deeply engaged in leveraging Artificial Intelligence to solve customer challenges. Michael is also a passionate advocate for sustainability in technology, driving green software practices with the goal of making software even greener than his garden.

Alexander von Humboldt-Professor for Artificial Intelligence • RWTH Aachen

Holger H. Hoos holds an Alexander von Humboldt professorship in AI at RWTH Aachen University (Germany), where he also leads the AI Center, as well as a professorship in machine learning at Universiteit Leiden (the Netherlands) and an adjunct professorship in computer science at the University of British Columbia (Canada). He is a Fellow of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and serves as president of the European AI Association (EurAI); he is also past president of the Canadian Association for Artificial Intelligence and one of initiators of CAIRNE (formerly CLAIRE), an initiative by the European AI community that seeks to strengthen European excellence in AI research and innovation.

General Partner • World Fund

Tim Schumacher is General Partner at World Fund an a German Investor and Entrepreneur, with a focus on Impact and Climate Investments. For over ten years, he was the CEO of publicly traded Sedo.com, which he co-founded. Since 2012, he has founded and/or invested in multiple start-ups like  Eyeo (makers of Adblock Plus), SaaS.group, Zolar, CarbonCloud, Sirplus, Pachama and Ecosia. Ecosia is especially notable. Ten years after its foundation, it's now the largest independent European search engine. It uses all its profits to plant trees, and it has until 2020 planted over 100 million trees. Under the roof of Ecosia, Tim Schumacher also co-founded the 300m€ VC World Fund with a focus on Climate Investments.

CEO • right. based on science GmbH

Hannah Helmke is CEO of right. based on science GmbH, a provider of climate metrics and software. Her focus on economic activity in a world affected by climate change was the result of combining both her academic disciplines: Psychology and International Business. Under her leadership, right. based on science received the prestigious Next Economy Award 2020. She herself was awarded the Digital Female Leader Award 2020 in the category 'Sustainability' as well as the 'Female Founders Award' of AmCham Germany in 2021.

CEO • Indeed Deutschland GmbH

Under the leadership of Frank Hensgens, Indeed has become an indispensable player in German recruiting. Frank has been dealing with the transformation of the labour market for more than 25 years. He is certain that the use of AI will significantly change the world of work and harbours great opportunities for the numerous challenges facing our economy. Artificial intelligence is also playing an increasingly important role in recruitment. Indeed is already using AI in many areas to help employers find suitable staff more efficiently.

Chairman of the Management Board • VR Payment

Carlos Gómez-Sáez is Chairman of the Management Board at VR Payment has been working in transaction banking for more than 20 years, specialising in payments. The business administration graduate has worked at Dresdner Bank, Deutsche Bank, GZS Gesellschaft für Zahlungssysteme, First Data International and Deutsche Telekom. Over the past nine years, he led the strategic repositioning of VR Payment GmbH as the central payment service provider for the cooperative financial network and drove the company's transformation from a downstream transaction processor to a strong business partner for the Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken and the retail sector.

Managing Director • RoboMarkets Deutschland

Vanyo Walter, Managing Director of RoboMarkets Deutschland GmbH since June 2023. From 2004 to 2019, he headed the German branch of Pictet Asset Management. After more than 15 years, Walter left the company and became a partner and advisory board member of the fintech startup FELS Group in Kelkheim. Following a banking apprenticeship and his officer training with the German Air Force, the enthusiastic pilot and graduate business administrator began his professional career as a portfolio manager at Deutsche Bank Luxembourg. He then held management positions at Deutsche Asset Management and Pioneer Investments before moving to Pictet.

CEO • Bullish Europe

Over 20 years in financial services, including 8 years in crypto (Exchange & Custody).

Vice President Financial Services Industry • Aleph Alpha

Peter Heidkamp is an accomplished technology leader with more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He currently serves as Vice President for the Financial Services Industry at Aleph Alpha, where he drives the development of sovereign Generative AI solutions. Prior to that, he was Chief ICT Risk Officer and CISO at Deutsche Börse Group, leading strategic initiatives in IT governance, risk management, and cloud transformation. Before Deutsche Börse, he was Partner and Head of the Technology Center of Excellence at KPMG Germany.

Professor for Digital Finance • European School of Management and Technology

Joachim Würmeling's special focus in his professorship is on advanced applications of digital currencies on blockchains. Previously, he was a member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, and a Member of the European Parliament. He has held various positions in both the public and private sectors. Joachim is a lawyer and Of Counsel at the law firm Allen & Overy in Frankfurt.

Artist and Professor • Städelschule Frankfurt a. M.

Tobias Rehberger was born in 1966 in Esslingen and now lives and works in Frankfurt and Berlin. A recipient of the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale and Professor of Sculpture at the Städelschule in Frankfurt, he is one of the internationally renowned contemporary artists. His works merge architecture, installation, sculpture, design, lighting design, and sociology. He is known for reinterpreting modern art and design classics into atmospheric installations, furniture pieces, landscape interventions, and garments. Tobias Rehberger creates a variety of objects, sculptures, and environments, using everyday items borrowed from mass culture to translate, alter, and expand familiar situations and objects.