Last year’s Speakers

Baur is a Senior Partner at the Munich office of McKinsey & Company, has been with the company since 1990 and has been heading the German & Austrian office since 2014. He is a member of the Shareholders Council and the Partnership Service Team. Baur is also a member of the global Technology, Knowledge, & Capabilities Committee. Furthermore, Baur is leading the McKinsey co-founded initiative "Chefsache" under the patronage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a network of executives from the economy, academia, the public sector, and the media who are personally committed to equal opportunities for women and men.

Baur received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) as part of a three-year joint research program between LMU and BMW AG.

Horst von Buttlar has been editor-in-chief of the German edition of the monthly business magazine Capital since 2013. In 2011, he became a Bucerius Fellow at Harvard University in Cambridge, USA.

Born in 1975 in Hamburg, Horst von Buttlar studied History and Politics at Ruprecht-Karls University Heidelberg, the University of Saint Petersburg, and Humboldt-University Berlin. In 2004, he started his career as a journalist at the Financial Times in Germany. Furthermore, he is a member of the curatorship of the Johanna-Quandt Foundation.

Armin von Falkenhayn is country executive for Germany and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Prior to joining Bank of America Merrill Lynch in June 2015, von Falkenhayn was at Deutsche Bank for over 25 years, where he worked in various departments with a focus on global corporates. From 1997 to 1999 he was executive assistant to Dr. Josef Ackermann.

In 2012, von Falkenhayn became Co-Head of Corporate Banking & Securities Germany, which included the whole Investment Banking and Coverage for approximately 1400 German large cap companies and the public sector. In addition to his membership of the Global Corporate Finance Executive Committee, von Falkenhayn joined the German Management Committee chaired by Jürgen Fitschen. Von Falkenhayn studied Business Management at Mannheim University (“summa cum laude”).

Geike is a Mathematician with over six years of experience as an Investment Banker for J.P. Morgan. He has led teams of Data Scientists and has been involved with Distributed Ledger Technology. As a student, Geike earned his MSc in Mathematics at Imperial College London. He then spent several years in the Financial Industry, as a VP for the IB Branch of J.P. Morgan in London. After his experience there, Geike left for Zalando, where he managed a team of Data Scientists and Mathematicians. In 2012, he started immersing himself with cryptocurrency, mining bitcoin, altcoins, scripting altcoin protocols, and invested in early ICOs. At Advanced Blockchain AG, he’s now channeling his comprehensive experience into shaping the future of businesses, markets, and economies.

Hamprecht studied Business Administration at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1996, he started his career at BCG. After 4 years at the firm, he joined the Pecunet GmbH as CFO. In 2002, he finally joined Accenture as a Senior Manager of Financial Services.

Today, Hamprecht is leading the Financial Services Practice of Accenture, where he interacts with banks, insurances, and capital markets institutions in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (ASG).

In this position, Hamprecht is responsible for the P&L, the Business Development, and overall Project Portfolio in ASG. Next to this, he is personally advising multinational clients ranging from banks to capital markets institutions, where he primarily drives strategy development, on- and offshore system integrations, as well as offshore-sourcing.

Hofmann gained in-depth experience in corporate finance, particularly M&A and Debt Advisory during his time at KPMG and Apax Partners. In 2003, Hofmann co-founded “First Capital Partners”, a corporate finance firm for M&A and debt advisory focusing on retail, consumer goods, and real estate.

In 2016, Hofmann merged First Capital Partners into the ACXIT Group and is heading the Real Estate Team as a Managing Partner.

His deal track record comprises a variety of both successful M&A and debt transactions. Hofmann has advised large stock listed companies as well as multi-national high net worth individuals in various situations. Hofmann graduated with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Otto-Friedrich-University in Bamberg.

Kemper, born 1980, has been Chief Financial Officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE since June 1, 2017. In this role, he assumes executive responsibility for Group Finance & Investor Relations, Group Controlling, Accounting & Taxes, Internal Audit, Corporate Procurement, Mergers & Acquisitions, and the Transformation Office. Since February 23, 2018, he has also been heading the commerce segment of the Group. From December 2010 to May 2017, Kemper was Senior Vice President in Finance at online retailer Zalando SE, where he oversaw the company's IPO.

Before that, Kemper had worked as an investment banker for Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley. He studied Business Administration at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar, holds a Master's Degree from KEDGE Business School in Bordeaux, and earned his Doctorate at RWTH Aachen.

Kilian is the Chief Representative and General Counsel of N26 responsible for Legal, Compliance, Internal Audit, Risk, and Public Affairs. Previously, Kilian worked at various law firms in Germany and the US in their Corporate, M&A, and Litigation practices. Kilian was educated in Germany, the US, and Switzerland and holds a PhD in Law from University of Cologne, Germany. He is a visiting lecturer for Financial Technology and Entrepreneurship at Humboldt University in Berlin.

Klug heads the Institutional Clients Division at BlackRock in Germany and Austria. He joined BlackRock in 2016 as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the region of Germany, Austria, and Eastern Europe. Previously, he was a senior member of PIMCO's Executive Office in Newport Beach, where he was responsible for strategic, financial, and operational initiatives. Prior to that, Klug was responsible for institutional clients in Germany for PIMCO and worked as Assistant to the Executive Board in the Asset Management Division of the Allianz Group.

He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in London as a Consultant for Risk Management in the financial sector.

Klug holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BBA Degree from Lancaster University. He is CFA Charterholder.

Koch is the CEO and Founder of Inside Wirtschaft. Until early 2014, the journalist, presenter, and media trainer reported on the world-famous Wall Street in New York as US Chief Correspondent for the news channel N24 and Handelsblatt. He appeared in over 3,000 live broadcasts and 500 talk shows. He met business giants and celebrities from all over the world.

Koch was born in Berlin in 1982. He studied German studies and Literature, Political Science, and Public Law and graduated with a Magister Artium from the University of Mainz in 2006. In 2017, Koch founded his own company Inside Wirtschaft and now focuses on delivering the news online. He is strongly committed to financial education in Germany.

Dr. Markus Krall is Managing Director at goetzpartners in the Frankfurt office and heads the group of Financial Institutions and Risk Management.

During his career, he has successfully managed a global portfolio of projects in risk management and strategy for banks and insurance companies across the whole world.

Prior to joining goetzpartners, he was a Senior Partner at Roland Berger. Dr. Markus Krall has a PhD in Economics and wrote his thesis at the Imperial University in Nagoya as a recipient of the Japanese government’s Monbusho Scholarship.

Markus E. Krüger, partner at Latham & Watkins, specializes in complex M&A transactions (with a particular focus on financial industry and on FinTech transactions) and financial regulatory advice. Markus is a member of Latham’s Brexit Task Force. His clients include domestic and international banks, and FinTech companies, as well as private equity sponsors. He currently advises a number of clients on Brexit related structurings. Recent work highlights also include advice to Toscafund regarding an investment in Liqid Asset management and Deutsche Bank’s cooperation with, and investment in, award-winning FinTech Start-up Dwins. Mr. Krüger is a member of various industry groups, including an expert group on Brexit matters.

Jans Meckel is a member of the EMEA Financing Group and heads the Risk Management effort for the German-speaking region at Goldman Sachs. Previously, he worked in the Securities Division in London and Frankfurt.

Jans Meckel joined Goldman Sachs in 2002 and was named Managing Director in 2011. He earned a degree in Business Administration from WHU –Otto Beisheim School of Management in 2002.

Navidi is the Founder and CEO of BeyondGlobal, a Strategy Consultancy. In the past, she worked closely with the well-known economist Nouriel Roubini at Roubini Global Economics. Previously, Navidi was an investment banker at Scarsdale Equities, general counsel at Muzinich & Co., and a consultant at Deloitte. Navidi holds a Law Degree from the University of Cologne and a Master of Law Degree in Corporate Banking and Finance Law from Fordham University. She currently serves as a counsel to the international law firm Urban Thier & Federer. She is also the author of the bestseller $uperHubs: How the Financial Elite and their Networks Rule Our World, and is currently writing her second book on how to become a superhub in the age of disruption. Most recently, she produced the three-part documentary “Wie tickt Amerika” which is about the political polarization in the United States.

Alexander Roos joined The Boston Consulting Group in 1998 and since then worked with clients ranging from global corporations and international private-equity investors to sovereign wealth funds covering a wide range of industries.

Alexander’s extensive expertise includes global portfolio and strategy reviews, acquisition strategies and divesture programs, as well as investor management and capital market studies. Prior Alexander held positions in consulting, financial advisory services, and corporate controlling.

Alongside his Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Stuttgart, Alexander Roos holds a MBA from the University of Connecticut.

Since October 2018, Salsano is Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking of HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG. This area is comprised of Corporate Banking, parts of Transaction Banking, and Advisory for Corporations and Institutional Clients on Acquisition and Capital Market Financing. From 2013 to 2017, Salsano led Credit Suisse's IB department in Germany and Austria, being in charge of M&A, stock market placements, and corporate financing. Most recently, he was Executive Director and CIO EMEA at Anbang Group.

His career began at Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank. For more than 17 years he consulted various companies for Credit Suisse. Further responsibilities brought him to London and Hong Kong as Managing Director of the Financial Institution Group Division of Credit Suisse, where he held leading positions in Capital Market Advisory of Financial Service Providers.

Sandner is Head of the Blockchain Center at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. The expertise of Sandner includes Blockchain Technology, Crypto Assets, ICOs, Digital Transformation, and Entrepreneurship.

Sandner is a member of the FinTechRat of the Ministry of Finance and founding member of the German Blockchain Association e.V. and the Multichain Asset Managers Association. Before joining Frankfurt School, he co-founded a consulting company specialized in Innovation Strategy, IP, and Technology Transfer. He has been research fellow at the TU Munich, the LMU Munich, and the Berkeley Centre for Law & Technology. Previously, he studied Business Administration at the University Mannheim. Prof. Sandner has been published in international peer-reviewed journals such as Research Policy, the Journal of Marketing Research, and the Journal of Business Venturing.

Scheer was born in Darmstadt, Germany in 1957. He completed his commercial training at Deutsche Bank Hanover and studied Business Administration at the University of Munich. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Kiel. In 1985 he joined Bayerische Vereinsbank in Munich and later Dresdner Bank in 1990 where he worked on the conceptual phase of a disruptive new strategic orientation in the Domestic Banking. Afterwards, he was responsible for the Germany-wide implementation process on the Retail Banking side. After working at HypoVereinsbank AG, he joined zeb in 2001 where he is currently holding the position of Partner and Member of the Management Board.

Joachim von Schorlemer is a Member of the Board of ING, responsible for ING Wholesale Banking in Germany and Austria and the ING Direktbank Austria.

He started his professional career in 1983 at J.P. Morgan and spent time in Treasury, Fixed Income, and M&A. After six more years with Deutsche Bank, he joined Credit Suisse as Co-Head Investment Banking Germany. In 2004, he joined BNP Paribas where he became Country Head, responsible for building up the market position of BNP Paribas in Germany.

From 2013 to 2015, he was responsible for Wholesale Banking in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for The Royal Bank of Scotland Group.

Prof. Markus Rudolf is Dean of WHU and, since 1998, has been full Allianz Professor of Finance at the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. He earned his PhD degree in fall 1994 and his habilitation degree in May 1999, both at the University St. Gallen, Switzerland. His recent publications focus on Banking and Private Banking, on the sovereign risk crises, on asset and risk management, and on derivatives pricing. He is Co-Editor of the journal "Financial Markets and Portfolio Management" and acts as Academic Director for the Campus for Finance – WHU New Year's Conference. He holds a supervisory board position at Boeker & Paul.

Teyssen studied Law and Economics in Freiburg, Göttingen, and Boston. After finishing his studies, he worked at the University of Göttingen for several years and received a Doctorate in law. He began his professional career at E.ON in 1989. In 2010, Teyssen was appointed to his current role as CEO of E.ON SE. He has also played a leading role in various other associations. He was President of Eurelectric, the European Umbrella Organization of the Electricity Sector (from 2013 to 2015) as well as the World Energy Council’s Vice Chair responsible for Europe (from 2006 to 2012); and since 2010, he has been a Member of the Presidential Board of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). Since June 2017, he is a Member of the Shareholders’ Committee of NordStream AG.

Vater is a Partner at Bain & Company in the Frankfurt office and joined the firm in 2004. Prior, Vater was a Partner with The Boston Consulting Group. He has more than 25 years consultancy experience working with Financial Services Institutions around the globe. He is the Global Head of Retail Banking and is heading the banking practice in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Vater has significant expertise in large transformation programs and strategy development in financial institutions and SME banking. Especially in the last ten years, Vater has focused his assignments around the globe on digitization projects.

He is a graduate of the University of Mannheim, where he received a Degree in Business Administration and earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Chemnitz.

Vorlaufer joined ACXIT in 2018. Amongst other, he is responsible for business development and research as well as for establishing ACXIT’s footprint in new business areas and regions. He worked for ABN AMRO in Amsterdam where he was responsible for developing and setting up their CFD trading platform “Marketindex” as one of the early products in this category. Later, he managed investment funds for Valartis Group in Switzerland and was responsible for the Financial Due Diligence of the Private Equity Department of the bank. As a Senior Portfolio Manager at DEKA Investment, Vorlaufer managed funds in global and emerging market equities as well as commodity markets, derivatives, and foreign currencies.

He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Economics in Vienna.

Wuensch joined Raymond James in 2016 in connection with the acquisition of Mummert & Company. Previously, Wuensch served as a Director for Mummert & Company where he was Head of the hosting and IT-infrastructure advisory practice. Prior to Mummert & Company, Wuensch worked for Berenberg, advising on M&A and capital market transactions across Europe. Wuensch started his career at Adidas, where he worked in Corporate Controlling and Investor Relations. Wuensch earned a Bachelor of Science Degree with first-class honors in Business Administration from Oxford Brookes University, UK, and an MBA from ESADE Business School, Spain, and the University of St. Gallen (HSG), Switzerland, where he received the Omega Award for graduating at the top of his class.

Zoeller has more than 25 years of experience in banking. He joined Société Générale in April 2010. Before that, he had worked at Merrill Lynch (later Bank of America Merrill Lynch) for four years as Managing Director of Investment Banking and Member of the German Executive Committee.

Between 1996 and 2006 he held various Investment Banking positions within Deutsche Bank (Bankers Trust before acquisition). In his last position as Senior Investment Banker, he was responsible for Strategic and Capital Markets Transactions with German large cap companies. During the period 1991 - 1996, he was appointed to various positions at Commerzbank and had held his last position for three years at Commerzbank London in Corporate Finance. He has significant expertise in process optimization, organizational restructuring, turnaround management as well as strategic development. Mr. Sinn studied at the University of Mannheim and at ESSEC Paris, where he obtained a Diploma in Business Administration. Afterwards, he started his career at Deutsche Bank.