Matthias Afting wurde 1969 in Freiburg / Breisgau geboren. Er studierte von 1989 bis 1996 Humanmedizin an der Universität des Saarlandes in Homburg/Saar und an der Université René Descartes in Paris, Frankreich. Er schloss sein Studium mit der Dissertation „ Charakterisierung der env-Gen Region des Humanen Endogenen Retrovirus Herv K10“ ab. Von 1991 bis 1996 wurde er von der Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes gefördert.

Von 1996 bis 1998 arbeitete Dr. Matthias Afting als Assistenzarzt an der Universitätsklinik Freiburg in der Abteilung Innere Medizin – Hämatologie und Onkologie.

Von 1998 trat er eine Stelle als Research Fellow an der Harvard Medical School in Boston über Gen Therapie und Immunologie an.

Im Jahre 2000 wechselte Dr. Matthias Afting als Berater zu McKinsey & Company nach München, wo er sich auf Projekte im Bereich Life Science und Transport/Logistik konzentrierte. Im Herbst 2003 wurde er zum Engagement Manager (Projektleiter) und im Januar 2006 zum Associate Principal (Associate Partner) gewählt.

Im April 2006 wechselte Dr. Matthias Afting zur Deutschen Bahn AG, wo er die Leitung der Personalstrategie übernahm. Er gehört dem HR-Führungskreis der Deutschen Bahn AG an.

Andreas founded Germany's first mobile service provider (ABC Telekom) at age 20 in his parent's garage in 1987, together with his friend and partner Rene R Obermann. Within four years he successfully sold the business to Li Kashing, Hong Kong's wealthiest entrepreneur, and was instrumental in integrating the business into Hutchison's European telecom operations, which included the Orange Group, third-largest mobile-phone operator in the UK (Orange plc has meanwhile been sold to France Telecom). Growing restless, Andreas then founded ABC Telecommunications Consultants, which assisted major national telecom players in establishing their multi-billion dollar international operations. He advised telecom power brokers, such as the Dutch PTT and Telefonica of Spain, on investment decisions in mobile communications.Based on his extensive experience and professional business network in Asia, Andreas was a chosen advisor, facilitating, negotiating and supporting investment decisions by Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile in the region.

Andreas is an active member of Rotary International and the World Entrepreneurs' Organization. He co-founded the pan-European Business Incubation Association (BIA Europe) that focuses on promoting business incubators as the key platform for next-generation entrepreneurship in Europe and globally. Moreover, Andreas is an advisor to Europe's leading business schools and universities, including the renowned European Business School. In August 1999, Andreas was nominated as a new member by the distinguished World Technology Network, an international think tank focused on networking new ideas, new relationships, and new business opportunities. In 2001, he was one of the seven winners of the European Award "Elite of the Future" (Elite der Zukunft), the nominators of which include Egon Zehnder International, BMW, Deutsche Bank and Bertelsmann. Andreas is also a sought-after speaker on Entrepreneurship and TIME (Telecommunications, IT, Media, E-commerce). In 2003, Andreas co-founded the non-profit foundation Startup Malta that boosts entrepreneurship within young people. Andreas has also been prominently featured in the Financial Times publication "101Leaders of the New Economy." Andreas is a qualified Master in NLP, an art collector & sponsor, a collector of classic cars and loves to travel the cultures and continents of the world. Andreas is a passionate father of two boys, Maximilian and Alexander.

David L. Kaput is senior vice president of Global HR Practices & Governance at SAP AG, reporting to Claus Heinrich, member of the SAP Executive Board and head of the Human Resources, Processes & Production Board area. David joined SAP in 2001 as HR Business Partner for several SAP organizations (Global Marketing, Corporate Consulting Team, Global Intellectual Property, and International Human Resources).

Prior to SAP, David was chief human resources officer at Vectant, a Japanese IT service provider. Previous to that, he held senior HR executive and consulting positions at U.S. media company PRIMEDIA, Canadian consulting giant William M. Mercer, and All Nippon Airways. David also founded Venture Dynamics, an international business consulting firm in Japan .

David holds a master's degree in international relations, business, and management from the International University of Japan, a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Minnesota in the United States , and a diploma in international business and law from Kansai University of Foreign Studies in Japan . He has earned certifications "Senior Professional of Human Resources" (SPHR) and "Global Professional of Human Resources" (GPHR) from the Society of Human Resources Management, and most recently, graduated from the Chief HR Officer Academy sponsored by the National Academy of Human Resources. David publicly speaks in various global conferences and forums, including most recently at the Stanford Graduate Business School HR Executive Program, the European Chief HR Officer Roundtable Brussels, and CEEHR Budapest.

Martin Koehler gilt als der Einzige bei BCG, der am Motorengeräusch eine Boeing 737 von einem Airbus 320 unterscheiden kann. Seine Begeisterung für alles, was fliegt, hat er zum Mittelpunkt seines Beraterberufs gemacht: Er gilt als der BCG-Experte für die Luftfahrt- und Tourismusindustrie - angefangen von Billigfliegern bis hin zu Airline-Allianzen. Daneben hat er für Industrie-konglomerate, aber auch für internationale Familienunternehmen Wertmanagement- und Portfoliostrategien entwickelt.

Als jüngster Spross einer schwäbischen Unternehmerfamilie mit zahlreichen Ingenieuren in ihren Reihen war auch Martin Koehler früh (und anhaltend) von Technik begeistert und studierte Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen an der TU Berlin. Nach seinem Diplom arbeitete er für verschiedene Automobilzulieferer, sammelte aber auch erste Erfahrungen im Marketing. Bei Procter & Gamble leitete er als sein erstes Projekt den deutschen Einführungstest mit 40.000 Müttern für die wiederverschließbare Windel "dem" (Codename "Pampers Q"). Nach einem MBA-Studium an der Stanford Graduate School of Business in Kalifornien kam Martin Koehler 1986 zu BCG - er war "der Letzte", der noch von BCG-Gründer Bruce D. Henderson höchstpersönlich getestet und eingestellt wurde. 1993 wurde er zum Partner gewählt, 2001 zum Senior Partner und Director.

Seit 2001 ist Martin Koehler Mitglied des fünfköpfigen Management-Teams von BCG, das die operativen Geschäfte in Deutschland führt. Sozusagen im Nebenberuf - der Kunde hat immer Vorrang - ist er in Personalunion Pressechef und als oberster Hüter der Marke BCG für den Außenauftritt des Unternehmens verantwortlich. Auch für die fast 800 BCG-Alumni in Deutschland ist er die erste Anlaufstelle. Zuvor war Martin Koehler zwölf Jahre lang als Recruiting-Chef für die Suche und Auswahl neuer Mitarbeiter zunächst in Deutschland und später weltweit verantwortlich. Unter seiner Ägide rekrutierte BCG verstärkt Nichtökonomen, intern liebevoll "Exoten" genannt.

Privat pendelt Martin Koehler zwischen München und Berlin. Sein Sohn, mit dem er früher Hausaufgaben per Fax erledigte, wusste schon sehr früh, dass er beruflich auf keinen Fall dem Vater nacheifern wollte. Die Leidenschaft für Flugzeuge wurde indes offenbar vererbt: Er ist Nachwuchsflugzeugführer bei der Lufthansa.

Norbert Kuls wurde am 17. Februar 1965 in Frankfurt am Main geboren und ist in Rödermark in der Nähe von Frankfurt aufgewachsen. Nach dem Abitur am Ludwig-Georgs-Gymnasium in Darmstadt reiste er durch Europa und Amerika und machte Zivildienst bei der Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe in Frankfurt. Danach Studium der Amerikanistik, Lateinamerikanistik und Politik an der Universität Frankfurt. Mit einem Stipendium des DAAD studierte er zwei Semester an der University of Texas in Austin. Während des Studiums freier Mitarbeiter beim "Börsenbrief" und Nachrichtendienst eines Brokerhauses. Nach Abschluß des Studiums absolvierte er ein Trainee-Programm bei der Deutschen Bank in München und beriet ein Jahr lang vermögende Privatkunden in Starnberg. Es folgte ein Volontariat auf der Georg von Holtzbrinck-Schule für Wirtschaftjournalisten in Düsseldorf. Ab Anfang 1998 berichtete er über amerikanische Unternehmen aus New York, zunächst für das "Handelsblatt" und seit Juli 2001 für die F.A.Z. Seit Ende 2002 ist er Finanzmarkt-Korrespondent in New York.

Markus Launer is founder and managing director of Transatlantic Investor Relations LLC, representing and advising European corporations in IR, PR, and public affairs for over twelve years. Markus holds a degree in Business Administration (Diplom Kaufmann) from the University of Mannheim and a Ph.D. degree from Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia (thesis title: "The Coordination of Foreign Subsidiaries of German Multinational Companies"). While being experienced in Venture Capital and M&A, his special expertise is in investor and public relations, capital market transactions, crisis management and US public affairs.

He completed his professional corporate career within the Hoechst Group. During its reorganization in 1993/94 he was responsible for the domestic subsidiaries and operative planning within the Corporate Controlling department of Hoechst AG. For the first spin-off, he was sent to the subsidiary SGL Carbon Group where he supported the initial public offering and listing on the NYSE as head of corporate communications in 1995/96. Subsequently, he managed the US Investor Relations and graphite by-product sales for the subsidiary SGL Carbon Corp., USA from 1997 until 1998 before he was called back to head up the headquarters Corporate Communications department in 1999.

In 1999 he founded his own company as Investor Relations consultant and interims manager in Germany and USA. His first assignments were for SGL Carbon, iXOS, Philip Holzmann, Media!, and Altana in New York. In 2004 he merged his activities with partners in the legal entity Transatlantic Investor Relations LLC.

Dr. Michael Niessen was born in Cologne, Germany. He attended University Cologne Jurisprudence, District Court Aachen and Rigorosa University Cologne where he received a Doctorate degree.

He worked as an Attorney in Paris before embarking on his career with Deutsche Postbank AG in 1989 as Head of Project Marketing Credit and Debit Cards Operations. He continued his career with Deutsche Postbank AG and went on to become Head of Department Procurement consulting, Fleet, Cards, and ERP Systems and Chief Procurement Officer.

In 2000, Dr. Niessen started working at DPWN as Head of Procurement Department, Productions Systems, Process Equipment, Logistics, working his way to Head of Procurement Germany and his present role, Americas Chief Procurement Officer.

In his spare time, Michael enjoys soccer, playing the drums, and spending quality time with his family.

Professor Schmitt is widely recognized for his major contribution to branding, marketing, and management through his unique focus on the customer experience. He teaches the course Managing Brands, Identity and Experiences at Columbia Business School, and won an award for innovation in the classroom for the course Corporate Creativity. He has also taught several other courses including Consumer Behavior and Advertising, as well as the Marketing core course. He has held visiting appointments in China, Germany and Poland. As the Executive Director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership, Mr. Schmitt organizes research and conferences on branding, and has established a network of associated schools in Germany, Spain, Korea and Hong Kong.

Professor Schmitt's research focuses on experiential marketing, brand management and international business. Schmitt has authored or coauthored several books which have been translated into 15 languages. He has also published more than 50 articles in marketing, management and psychology journals.

Academically, Professor Schmitt is best known for his research on language in a cross-cultural context (co-authored with former Columbia students Shi Zhang, Nader Tavassoli and Yigang Pan). The work examines how phonological, scriptural, grammatical and semantic aspects of languages affect consumer information processing and choice.

Professor Schmitt is the conceptual inventor of two applied marketing frameworks, "Experiential Marketing" and "Customer Experience Management." The concepts and methodologies of these frameworks are described in his best-selling books and articles and used by companies worldwide.

Thomas Schweppe holds a law degree from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin where he studied from 1994 to 1998. After university Thomas worked for A.T. Kearney as a management consultant. Thomas joined Goldman Sachs in 2000 and works in the Investment Banking Division where he advises clients in M&A situations and on financing transactions. Thomas has currently the role of Business Unit Manager for Goldman Sachs' German, Austrian, Swiss and Russian teams and is based in Frankfurt Germany. He is married and has two children.

Dr. Michael Terhoeven is Partner USA at DPWN Inhouse Consulting (IC). DPWN IC is the top management consultancy to Deutsche Post World Net, a $75b+Rev., ~500k employee global conglomerate with the world’s most extensive mail and logistics network.

Dr. Terhoeven spent much of his career abroad in top management consulting with The Boston Consulting Group in Düsseldorf, Germany. He spent two years as part of the management team at a biotech start up in Berlin. Thereafter he joined DPWN Inhouse Consulting and currently resides in the US heading up the North American practice.

Dr. Terhoeven has an International Diploma in theoretical physics from Imperial College of London and a Doctorate in mathematical physics from Bonn University. He is a native speaker of German, is fluent in English and has basic knowledge of Spanish and French.

Christoph Vogel is Vice President of Strategy for Siemens Corporation. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic planning and direction of the top+ US Business Initiative.

Christoph joined Siemens in 1997 as a consultant with Siemens Management Consulting, the internal top management consulting unit, in Munich, Germany. In that role, he supported Siemens businesses in strategy, sales enhancement, benchmarking, cost effectiveness and total business improvement. In 2000, Christoph moved to the U.S. to manage a consulting project for Siemens Energy & Automation. In 2001, he founded the U.S. office of Siemens Management Consulting. Christoph has worked on a variety of consulting projects for Siemens U.S. businesses and supported the top+ US Business Initiative focused on building the company’s profit and growth.

Christoph studied Business Engineering at the University of Kaiserslautern and worked there as a research assistant for the chair of Business Informatics and Operations Research, Prof. Heiner Mueller-Merbach. He holds a doctorate in Business Administration.

Konrad J. von Szczepanski holds the position of director, supply chain for Howmet Products & Services, a premier supplier of precision investment castings for aerospace and industrial markets. In this role, he is responsible for creating a customer-focused, operationally-sound supply chain with world-class cycle times, delivery performance and working capital management. Konrad also leads the strategic analysis of Howmet capacity requirements to meet increasing customer demand for Howmet's technologically advanced products and services.

Konrad joined Alcoa in July 2002 as director of strategic analysis in the Corporate Development group, based in New York City. He was responsible for providing leadership and support to Alcoa's businesses in strategic analysis, strategy development and implementation. His role also included portfolio reviews of Alcoa's businesses and divestitures including the chemicals divestiture, Alcoa's largest transaction in 2003/04. Prior to joining the Howmet business, Konrad held the position of director of marketing and business strategy for the Alcoa Market Sector Teams (MST) and the Engineered Products and Services group. In this role, Konrad had the accountability for the MST organization to develop sector strategies and identify growth opportunities in new markets, technologies, and segments.

Prior to joining Alcoa, Konrad spent the majority of his career at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) holding a series of positions with increasing responsibility eventually being named a vice president and director based in the company's Munich, Germany office. While at BCG, Konrad consulted to Fortune 500 companies and their equivalents outside the United States, in financial services, plant building, and construction industries. Konrad began his career at BCG's Munich office and later transferred to the firm's office in Atlanta, Georgia.

Konrad holds a PhD in physics from Stuttgart University in Germany and an M.B.A. from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France.

The quintessential entrepreneur, Hamburg-born Christian Wölffer is a master at managing a dazzling array of international enterprises, logging more than 200,000 miles a year in travel. Fluent in six languages, he moves effortlessly around the world, from Europe to the U.S., from the Far East to South America. His career encompasses investment banking, venture capital, real estate, agriculture, and entertainment parks.

Yet this busy and successful 62-year-old businessman is most at home at his eastern Long Island retreat, Sagpond Farm, in the heart of the Hamptons, which he purchased in 1978 as a 14-acre parcel with a farmhouse surrounded by potato fields.

Today, after some 22 years and more than $15 million in the making, Christian's one-time weekend getaway on the East End's South Shore now embraces more than 170 acres and includes Christian's acclaimed 55-acre Wölffer Estate Vineyards as well as his home, stables, and grazing land for this avid equestrian's thoroughbreds.

In 1997, Christian completed work on his state-of-the-art winery, unquestionably the most stylish on Long Island. Besides the winery, the Wölffer property hosts the 100-acre Sagpond Stables, an extraordinary equestrian center used for schooling, breeding, year-round boarding, and instruction. The 60-stall facility has the largest indoor riding ring on the East Coast and can accommodate up to 100 horses. Wölffer is also one of the sponsors of the renowned Hamptons Classic equestrian show, staged each year in nearby Bridgehampton.