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OUR SPEAKERS
Announcing Our First 2025 Speaker Lineup
Prof. Gabriele Gramelsberger
Professor and Chair for Theory of Science and Technology
RWTH Aachen University
Prof. Dr. Gabriele Gramelsberger holds the Chair for Theory of Science and Technology at RWTH Aachen University, where she co-directs the Master's program in Governance of Technology and Innovation alongside Prof. Dr. Stefan Böschen. In 2018, she founded the CSS Lab, supported by the NRW Digital Fellowship, aiming to develop a conceptual framework for the Philosophy of Computational Sciences and an open science infrastructure for Computational Science Studies.
As a member of the RWTH Human Technology Center and Vice Dean for Research of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Prof. Dr. Gramelsberger is dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary research at the intersection of technology, society, and philosophy. Her work bridges theoretical innovation with practical applications in computational science and technology governance.
Prof. Jeanne Law
Professor of Digital Writing
Kennesaw State University
Dr. Jeanne Beatrix Law is a Professor of digital writing, Director of the First-Year Writing Program, and coordinator of a graduate certificate in AI Writing Technologies at Kennesaw State University. Her research focuses on multimodal languaging, custom GPTs for archival methodologies, and generative AI technologies for professional writers. A leader in digital scholarship, Jeanne has scaled civil rights oral histories as living large language models and explored generative AI for everyday use. She co-authored The Writer’s Loop: A Guide to College Writing (Macmillan) and contributed to Macmillan Education’s Multimodal Mondays and Bits on Bots series.
Jeanne is the lead researcher for the nationally recognized #ATLStudentMovement digital oral history project and has authored eight Coursera courses on generative AI, featuring her Rhetorical Prompt Engineering and Four Qualifiers for Ethical Outputs frameworks. Her work is frequently published in academic and public media, including The Chronicle of Higher Education. Jeanne mentors at AAC&U’s AI Pedagogy Institute and serves on educator leadership councils for Boodle Box and OpenAI, advancing AI technologies in education and writing.
Prof. Julie Wall
Professor of AI & Advanced Computing
University of West London
Julie Wall is a Professor of AI and Advanced Computing at the University of West London and a recognized expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence. As a member of the British Standards Institution (BSI), she contributes to shaping industry standards and best practices in AI. Julie’s research focuses on developing intelligent systems for processing and modeling temporal data, with a strong emphasis on speech and language applications.
Her work bridges the gap between cutting-edge AI technologies and practical solutions, driving advancements in understanding and utilizing temporal data in real-world scenarios. Julie is committed to fostering innovation in AI and its applications, making significant contributions to both academia and industry.
James Liu
Head of MB.OS Customer Experience
Mercedes-Benz
James Liu is the Head of MB.OS Customer Experience at Mercedes-Benz AG, where he leads UX, Speech, and UI Software teams to revolutionize in-car interactions. With over a decade of experience in design, product, and engineering, James is a driving force in creating seamless, user-centered experiences for next-generation vehicles.
Passionate about human-centered design, James focuses on intuitive interfaces and transformative technologies that enhance customer-brand interactions. His innovative approach to mobility solutions reflects a commitment to redefining how users engage with vehicles, delivering cutting-edge experiences that blend functionality with sophistication.
Alexander Schmitt
Head of Speech Technology #HeyMercedes
Mercedes-Benz
Alexander Schmitt has over 15 years of experience in Voice Assistants, Voice AI research, and product development. He began his career at the University of Ulm, joining Germany’s first spoken dialog system research lab in 2007, where he pursued a PhD on AI-driven Speech Dialog Systems in collaboration with New York-based SpeechCycle Inc.
In 2012, Alex joined Mercedes-Benz, contributing to research, advanced engineering, and product development for next-generation in-car voice assistants and emotion AI. A prolific author, Alex has published over 60 international papers in voice assistant-related fields. He currently leads the development of the next-gen #HeyMercedes Voice Assistant, working with a talented team of software developers, data scientists, and product owners to push the boundaries of conversational AI.
Niklas Heidloff
AI Engineer and Developer
IBM
Niklas Heidloff is the CTO Partner Co-Creations EMEA at IBM, where he leads strategic partnerships in building and deploying enterprise AI solutions. With over 15 years at IBM in senior technical roles, he has built extensive expertise in cloud platforms and open-source development, essential components for implementing AI at scale.
A builder and AI engineer at heart, Niklas has served as Developer Advocate for IBM Cloud and consistently contributes to advancing enterprise AI deployment through his technical blog and open-source initiatives. His work focuses on implementing robust AI systems that create tangible business value, sharing practical insights on successfully deploying AI capabilities in enterprise environments.
Christian Hohmann
Head of AI-Assistants & Tech
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
Christian Hohmann is the Head of HCB New Technologies (AI) & IT-Management/-Projects at Henkel Consumer Brands, where he leads global AI initiatives to shape HCB’s digital strategy. With over 20 years at Henkel, Christian has been pivotal in driving innovation, advancing IT management, and delivering digital transformation projects that enhance operational excellence.
Passionate about leveraging advanced AI solutions, Christian focuses on integrating transformative technologies to optimize processes and elevate customer experiences. His forward-thinking approach positions Henkel as a leader in innovation, bridging the gap between cutting-edge technology and practical applications in dynamic consumer markets.
Lauren Schroeter
Head of Digital Innovation Projects
Henkel
Lauren Schroeter is a Global Consumer Brand Creator and Digital Product Innovation Strategist at Henkel, with over a decade of international experience at the intersection of brands and digital innovation in consumer goods. Known for her expertise in creating and executing brand strategies and global rollouts, Lauren combines creative, out-of-the-box thinking with strong analytical skills to deliver highly desirable physical and digital products.
In her current role, Lauren leads transformative digital innovation projects, leveraging consumer insights to develop impactful solutions that drive growth and enhance customer experiences. Her passion for brand management and digital transformation has made her a top performer in the industry, fostering innovation and excellence across Henkel’s global portfolio.
Frank Giroux
Manager Digital Transformation
Bayer
Frank Giroux is the Manager of Digital Transformation in SCM Pharma at Bayer Pharma, where he specializes in driving innovation through chatbot and large language model (LLM) applications. With eight years of experience in digital transformation and a decade managing product supply IT projects, Frank combines technical expertise with a passion for modernizing supply chain processes.
An industrial engineer with roots in Berlin and Toulouse, Frank earned the SCM Management Award for his groundbreaking 2017 Supply Chain Breakthrough project. As a recognized speaker on digital transformation, AI, and innovation methods, he continues to share insights and shape the future of AI-driven solutions in the pharmaceutical industry.
Thomas Neumann
Global Lead on Conversational AI
Vodafone Group
Thomas Neumann is a visionary leader in leveraging new technologies to transform customer experiences, with a focus on digital channels that create the "wow" effect. As a driving force behind global chatbot and voice assistant solutions, he is passionate about innovations that enhance customer satisfaction and boost Net Promoter Scores (NPS).
With over 15 years of experience in the mobile industry, Thomas brings a unique blend of international expertise, diverse roles, and exceptional interpersonal skills to the table. His work bridges the transition from traditional app-based solutions to cutting-edge conversational interfaces, enabling businesses to navigate the evolving digital landscape and deliver impactful, customer-focused results.
Daniel Arnst
Senior Conversational AI Architect
Telefónica Germany
Daniel Arnst is a Senior Conversational AI Architect at Telefónica Germany, where he leads the standardization and automation of Aura, the company’s digital voice assistant and chatbot. With a background in linguistics and phonetics, Daniel bridges the gap between human language and machine understanding, analyzing customer behavior to enhance AI interactions.
Prior to Telefónica, Daniel worked at Amazon Alexa, focusing on text-to-speech, automatic speech recognition (ASR), and natural language understanding (NLU). He was instrumental in quality assurance for NLP models and contributed to building Alexa’s lexicon. With years of experience in computational linguistics, NLU design, and model training, Daniel is now exploring the potential and challenges of large language models for conversational AI innovation.
Daniel Krantz
Division Lead CX & Marketing
Otto Group
Daniel Krantz is Division Lead at Otto Group, where he is part of the senior leadership team, overseeing digital product development and in-house consulting. With a proven track record in building and scaling customer-facing and data-driven digital products, Daniel brings extensive leadership experience across startup, agency, and corporate environments. His expertise spans e-commerce, digital transformation, and innovation management, supported by an agile mindset and a strong affinity for data-driven decision-making.
Passionate about customer experience and technology, Daniel combines a profound understanding of digital ecosystems with a talent for bringing ideas to life. At Otto Group, he leads initiatives to enhance customer satisfaction and drive operational efficiency, leveraging his broad knowledge in product development and digital innovation.
Nils Seele
Partner LEA Partners, Board Member Aleph Alpha
LEA Partners
Nils Seele has been building, investing in, and leveraging deep tech companies for over six years, driving innovation and growth in transformative industries. As a Partner at LEA Partners, he specializes in venture capital and private equity for leading B2B technology companies.
Nils is a visionary leader combining academic expertise with hands-on entrepreneurial experience. He is known for early on investing in Aleph Alpha, a pioneer in generalizable artificial intelligence, and is deeply committed to fostering innovation in deep tech and supporting ventures that redefine industries and shape a sustainable, technology-driven future.
Yoav Barel
Founder & Chairman
Chatbot Summit
Yoav Barel is an Israeli-American technology entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of Chatbot Summit, and a Partner at Sunrize Research, with over 15 years of experience in Conversational AI and customer experience innovation. He began his career at Sun Microsystems, Oracle, and later LivePerson, where he led AI-driven customer engagement solutions.
As the driving force behind Chatbot Summit, Yoav delivers the event’s flagship State of the Bots keynote and curates its agenda, making it the leading global platform for AI innovation. A passionate advocate for Conversational and Agentic AI, as well as a quantum enthusiast, Yoav advises startups and corporations, helping them leverage AI to foster innovation and create lasting impact.
As the driving force behind Chatbot Summit, Yoav delivers the event’s flagship State of the Bots keynote and meticulously curates its agenda, establishing it as the premier global platform for AI innovation. In addition to his leadership roles, Yoav advises startups and provides strategic research services to corporations and investors, helping them harness AI to drive meaningful innovation and create lasting impact.
Denise Holtschulte, Dr.
Partner - Lead ai+
dbeyond ai+
Dr. Denise Holtschulte is a recognized leader in AI and data-driven innovation, known for scaling transformative solutions across industries. With deep expertise in NLP and Generative AI, she combines technical mastery with strategic insight to drive impactful change. Her leadership enables organizations to enhance efficiency, foster innovation, and achieve sustainable growth.
As the former Head of AI and Data Science at MHP – A Porsche Company, Denise spearheaded cutting-edge AI strategies and implemented advanced analytics to deliver measurable results. Now a Partner at dbeyond group and Lead of ai+, she empowers organizations to leverage AI, foster innovation, and navigate the complexities of digital transformation with precision and foresight. Her ability to bridge strategic vision with technical execution positions her as a trusted advisor and thought leader in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Clara Rizzo
Global Customer Service Project Specialist
On AG
Clara Rizzo is a Global Customer Service Project Specialist at On, where she drives transformative AI and automation solutions for customer service teams across EMEA, NA, and APAC regions. Passionate about enhancing customer service experiences, Clara excels in understanding the unique needs of diverse teams and shaping automation strategies that align with customer experience goals.
With a strong focus on innovation, process optimization, and stakeholder collaboration, Clara is dedicated to delivering impactful solutions that improve efficiency and drive business growth. Her expertise in AI automation, project management, and team leadership makes her a valuable force in revolutionizing customer service processes on a global scale.
Aura Hita Losa
CX Automations Specialist
On AG
Aura Hita Losa is a CX Automations Specialist at On, where she leverages over a decade of global digital expertise and more than five years in the Conversational AI industry. As a CX advocate and seasoned marketer, Aura is passionate about advancing Conversational Automation to elevate customer-brand interactions through cutting-edge AI technologies.
Her work focuses on crafting meaningful conversations by understanding user experience (UX) and cross-cultural consumer behavior. Aura’s dedication to fostering impactful and innovative solutions reflects her commitment to transforming the way brands engage with their customers, creating seamless and personalized interactions that leave a lasting impression.
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wunder
Professor of Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence
Freie Universität Berlin
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Gerhard Wunder is a Professor of Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence at Freie Universität Berlin, leading the Cybersecurity and AI (C-AI) Group.
Supported by Bundesdruckerei GmbH, his group focuses on AI with cybersecurity and cybersecurity through AI, hosting the Center for Trustworthy AI at the university. Prof. Wunder's research encompasses generative AI, resilient networks, privacy-preserving synthetic data, explainability and fairness in AI, quantum crypto analysis, AI engines for anomaly detection, cybersecurity architectures in IoT, AI-assisted device biometrics, and low-resource federated learning with blockchains.
His work bridges the gap between advanced AI technologies and practical cybersecurity solutions, driving progress in creating secure and intelligent systems for real-world applications. Prof. Wunder is dedicated to promoting innovation in AI and cybersecurity, making significant contributions to both academic research and industry practices.
Jan Zubíček
Lead Architect - KATE
ČSOB
Jan Zubíček is the Lead Architect for KATE, ČSOB’s virtual assistant, where he has spent the past three years shaping the product vision and driving innovation. With over 18 years of IT experience across enterprises and small businesses, Jan is a seasoned leader in strategic transformation, technological innovation, and cultural change. His expertise spans applied IT, data, AI, and machine learning, with a proven track record of bringing cutting-edge technologies into real-world applications.
As an enterprise architect, Jan focuses on creating a data-driven foundation for Conversational AI while fostering an agile and innovative company culture. Passionate about transforming ideas into impactful solutions, Jan combines deep technical knowledge with leadership skills to advance digital transformation and conversational experiences.
To Be Revealed
To Be Revealed
* Stay tuned! More incredible speakers will be announced each week.
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