Europe 2026 Agenda

Please note: The program remains dynamic and may be adjusted as speakers are confirmed. Unlike a traditional conference, the Summit is built around active dialogue, executive working sessions, and continued collaboration beyond the event. We therefore ask all participants to plan for full participation on September 3 and 4 and to contribute actively throughout both days. The working sessions are central to the Summit experience and to the cross-industry exchange and collaboration it is designed to enable.

EUROPE 2026 AGENDA

From Insight to Execution

Wednesday, September 2, 2026 – Welcome Dinner

Location: Bonvivant, Berlin (Goltzstraße 32, 10781 Berlin-Bezirk Tempelhof-Schöneberg)

18:00 | Leadership Reception & Dinner

Official greetings from the City of Berlin, set the tone for the Summit and highlight Berlin’s role as a hub for innovation and collaboration.

Welcome by Dr. Rainer Seider - President, Asia Berlin Forum

Dinner and informal discussions among participants. No panels, just an open dialogue and connection.

Thursday, September 3, 2026

Location: Messe Berlin

08:30 | Arrival & Coffee

09:00 | Opening Welcome

Welcome and framing from the CVC | Open Innovation Summit Co-Hosts.

09:15 | Opening Keynote: Europe in Transition – Competitiveness, Innovation & Strategic Autonomy

A keynote setting the global context for the Summit and asking what Europe must do over the next five years to become a global builder again.

Theme: Strategic Autonomy: What Must Europe Build Next?

Dr. Parag Khanna, Global Strategy Advisor and Internationally Bestselling Author

09:40 | Session 1: Building Europe’s Next Industrial Advantage

What must Europe build, fund, and change in the next five years to regain industrial leadership?

Axel Deniz – Chief Executive Officer, Bosch Business Innovations
Yvonne Lim – Director, Digital Industry Singapore (DISG)
Jérôme Brouillet - Minister Counsellor for Economic Affairs, Embassy of France in Germany
Brigitte Zypries - Former Minister for Economics and Energy, Supervisory Board Member Expo Berlin 2035

Moderator: Daniel Kennel - Product Line Director, Borgwarner

10:30 | Coffee Break & Networking

IFA by Leif Lindner – Chief Executive Officer, IFA Berlin

11:00 | Session 2: Rebuilding Europe’s Tech Leadership

Which technologies must Europe build, own, and scale to remain sovereign and competitive?

Dr. Markus Schillo – Representative for Germany, European Investment Fund (EIF)
Moritz Jungmann – Investment Partner, Future Energy Ventures – E.ON
Karina Frille – Partner, RSM Ebner Stolz
Nora Oberländer – Chief Digital Officer, HÜBNER GmbH & Co. KG

Moderator: Bernhard Mohr – Managing Director, Evonik Venture Capital

11:45 | Session 3: Building the AI-Driven Enterprise

What has to change inside the company for AI to deliver a measurable business impact?

Prof. Dr. Philipp Slusallek – Scientific Director and Member of the Executive Board, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz (DFKI)
Jan Beger - Global Head of AI Advocacy, GE HealthCare
Corinna Erken - Head of Innovationhub, SIGNAL IDUNA Group

Moderator: Hannah Bug von Stocki – Partner (IP/Data/Tech), Dentons

12:30 | Working Session Introduction

12:45 | Networking Lunch

13:30 | Executive Working Sessions

The working sessions are the core of the Summit. In moderated peer groups, participants will move beyond presentations to explore shared challenges, exchange practical experience, and identify opportunities for collaboration.Discussions will focus on a small number of strategic themes aligned with the Summit agenda. Insights from each group will be shared on Day 2 and form the basis for post-Summit white papers, follow-up working groups, and future cross-corporate initiatives.

Indicative themes include:

Funding Transformation Under Structural Pressure
From AI Pilots to Enterprise Reinvention
Workforce Resilience, Leadership & Demographic Reality

16:00 | Session 4: Workforce Resilience, Human Potential & Productivity

Winning the Global Talent Race in an Aging Europe

Dr. Sarah J. Becker – Lead Partner, AI Transformation and Governance, Deloitte
Jil Hammerschmidt – Senior Director AI & People Transformation, Lufthansa
Prof. Dr. Katharina Janus - CEO & Founder, FourthQuarterLife

Moderator: Philipp Willigmann – Co-founder and co-host, CVC | Open Innovation Summit

16:45 | Closing Reflection: Europe's Capacity to Transform

Closing reflections from the core Summit day, including key tensions, shared strategic bottlenecks, and opportunities for continued collaboration.

Dr. Maja Goepel – German political economist, transformation researcher, and sustainability scientist with a focus on transdisciplinarity.

17:00 | Closing Remarks by the CVC | Open Innovation Summit Co-Hosts

17:30 | Break / Location Shift

18:00 | Leadership Reception

Light dinner and drinks at Enjoy Rooftop (Rognitzstraße 8, 14057 Berlin-Bezirk Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf). No panels, just open dialogue and connection.

A special experience following the reception will be announced in the coming weeks.

Friday, September 4, 2026

Location: Messe Berlin

08:30 | Welcome and Framing for Day 2

09:00 | Political Fireside Chat: Building Europe's Next Decade

A Fireside Chat on Competitiveness, Innovation & Execution. What must Europe build now, and how should government, capital, and corporates align to secure the capabilities that define its competitiveness and resilience?

Thomas Jarzombek – Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation

Moderator: Dr. Tanja Emmerling – Head of HTGF Berlin

09:30 | Break & Networking

09:45 | Working Group Report-Outs

The working groups report back with a focus on action design, concrete next steps, future working groups and white papers, and potential cross-corporate projects.

10:45 | Board & CEO Dialogue: Governing Transformation in an Age of Fragmentation

A senior leadership conversation focused not on further diagnosis, but on the decisions that must now be made.

How should boards and CEOs allocate capital under uncertainty? Which investments cannot be delayed? How must governance, leadership, and organizational models evolve? And what can the strategy, innovation, and venture leaders in the room take back into their organizations and implement?

Dr. Ferri Abolhassan, Chief Executive Officer, T-Systems, and Member of the Board of Management, Deutsche Telekom AG
Additional CEO, board, and capital perspectives to be announced

11:45 | Transition & Break

12:00 | Government Fireside Chat with IFA

Karsten Wildberger – Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation

12:30 | VIP IFA Tour

A private guided tour of selected IFA programming and technology showcases, including AI, robotics, industrial systems, mobility, and consumer technology.

13:30 | Close

Please note: The program remains dynamic and may be adjusted as speakers are confirmed. Unlike a traditional conference, the Summit is built around active dialogue, executive working sessions, and continued collaboration beyond the event. We therefore ask all participants to plan for full participation on September 3 and 4 and to contribute actively throughout both days. The working sessions are central to the Summit experience and to the cross-industry exchange and collaboration it is designed to enable.

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Please note: The program remains dynamic and may be adjusted as speakers are confirmed. Unlike a traditional conference, the Summit is built around active dialogue, executive working sessions, and continued collaboration beyond the event. We therefore ask all participants to plan for full participation on September 3 and 4 and to contribute actively throughout both days. The working sessions are central to the Summit experience and to the cross-industry exchange and collaboration it is designed to enable.