Conference

Speakers

As befits a leading interdisciplinary conference, the Berlin Forum features speakers who—as outstanding economists—will outline future prospects; who, as directors of leading think tanks, shape the foreign and security policy debate in Germany and Europe; and who, as experienced decision-makers from the worlds of politics, business, and consulting, help chart strategic courses on a daily basis. You’ll gain valuable insights into the background of decisions and future strategic considerations. Discussing these topics with the experts will give you a knowledge advantage and highlight potential avenues for action when it comes to the practical implementation of complex issues.

Ellen Bos holds the Chair in Comparative Political Science with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe at Andrássy University in Budapest, where she has served as Vice Rector for Research and Early-Career Scholars since 2017. At the university’s Center for Democracy Research, she studies the dynamics of democracy and autocratization, as well as the political systems of Central and Eastern Europe. Previously, she conducted research and taught at institutions including LMU Munich and Humboldt University of Berlin.

Prof. Dr. Ellen Bos

Center for Democracy Research, Andrássy University, Budapest

Stefan Fröhlich held the Chair of International Politics and Political Economy at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg from 2003 to 2024 and is a member of the board of the German Atlantic Society (Deutsche Atlantische Gesellschaft e.V.). He continues to teach at the College of Europe in Bruges, among other institutions. His research focuses on the foreign and security policies of Germany, the EU, and the United States, as well as transatlantic relations; his visiting appointments have included a stint at Johns Hopkins University.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Fröhlich

Professor emeritus of International Politics and Political Economy, FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg and board member of the DAG e.V.

Sigmar Gabriel has been chairman of Atlantik-Brücke e.V. since 2019. As Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice Chancellor, Federal Minister of Economics and Federal Minister of the Environment, as well as Minister-President of Lower Saxony, he has shaped German politics for over two decades; from 2009 to 2017, he served as chairman of the SPD. Today, he serves on the supervisory boards of Deutsche Bank and Rheinmetall AG, among others.

Sigmar Gabriel

Former Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of Atlantik-Brücke e.V.

Andreas Goldthau has been Director of the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy at the University of Erfurt since 2022, where he has held the Franz Haniel Chair in Public Policy since 2019. Previously, he taught at institutions including Royal Holloway, University of London, and Central European University; his research has also taken him to the Harvard Kennedy School. His research focuses on energy security, geoeconomics, and the political economy of the energy transition.

Prof. Dr. Andreas Goldthau

Director of the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy

Oliver Holzinger is an attorney and tax consultant, as well as the founder and managing director of Tax & Legal Excellence. Prior to that, he spent over a decade in senior editorial and publishing roles at companies including Wolters Kluwer, the Handelsblatt Group, and dfv Medien. His legal practice focuses on advisor liability and corporate governance. In addition, as a tax advisor, he serves as a spokesperson for the management board of BWV Rhemo Steuerberatung.

RA/StB Oliver Holzinger

Managing Director and Founder Tax & Legal Excellence

Mikko Huotari has been Director of the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) in Berlin since 2020. MERICS is Europe’s largest think tank specializing in China, where he previously served as Deputy Director and Head of the Geoeconomics Program. He is a member of the German-Chinese Dialogue Forum and, since 2026, has served on the Bundestag Commission for the Review of Security-Related Economic Relations between Germany and China. His areas of focus include China’s foreign and economic policies, as well as Europe’s strategy toward China.

Dr. Mikko Huotari

Director of MERICS, Berlin

Patrick Keller has headed the Center for Security and Defense at the German Society for Foreign Policy (DGAP) since 2025 and has also served as its deputy research director there since 2026. Previously, he served, among other roles, as vice president of the Federal Academy for Security Policy, worked for six years at the Federal Ministry of Defense, and spent ten years as coordinator for foreign and security policy at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. His areas of expertise include NATO, defense policy, and strategic issues.

Dr. Patrick Keller

Deputy Director of Research and Head of the Center for Security & Defense at the DGAP, Berlin

Karl-Rudolf Korte served as the founding director of the NRW School of Governance from 2006 until his retirement in February 2025 and was a professor of political science at the University of Duisburg-Essen for over two decades. He is vice president of the German Association of Universities and co-editor of the *Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft* (Journal of Political Science). He is known to a broad audience as a government researcher and election analyst, appearing on ZDF and Deutschlandfunk, among other outlets.

Prof. Dr. Karl-Rudolf Korte

Director Emeritus of the NRW School of Governance

Carlo Masala has been a professor of international politics at the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich since 2007. Previously, he served as research director at the NATO Defense College in Rome, among other positions; he is a member of the advisory board of the Federal Academy for Security Policy. As one of Germany’s most prominent security policy analysts, he shapes the public debate, notably through his bestsellers *Weltunordnung* and *Wenn Russland gewinnt*.

Prof. Dr. Carlo Masala

Chair of Security and Defense Policy, University of the German Armed Forces, Munich

Stormy-Annika Mildner has been the director of the Aspen Institute Germany in Berlin since 2021. Prior to that, she headed the Foreign Trade Policy Department at the Federation of German Industries (BDI) for six years and served as Sherpa for the B20 Economic Dialogue during Germany’s G20 presidency; her career also included positions at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) and the German Association for International Political Science (DGAP). Her areas of expertise are trade policy, transatlantic economic relations, and geoeconomics.

Dr. Stormy-Annika Mildner

Managing Director of the Aspen Institute, Berlin

Ulrich Schlie has held the Henry Kissinger Chair in Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Bonn since 2020 and serves as director of the university’s Center for Advanced Security, Strategic, and Integration Studies (CASSIS). Prior to that, he served in the diplomatic service for more than 27 years, including as head of the Planning Staff and Political Director at the Federal Ministry of Defense. His areas of expertise are strategy, diplomacy, and German security policy.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schlie

Director of the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic, and Integration Studies (CASSIS), University of Bonn

Moritz Schularick has been president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy since 2023 and is a professor at Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel and at Sciences Po Paris. Previously, he taught macroeconomics at the University of Bonn; in 2022, he was awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, Germany’s most prestigious research award. His research focuses on macrofinance, financial stability, economic history, and geoeconomics.

Prof. Dr. Moritz Schularick

President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy

Daniela Schwarzer has been a member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung Executive Board since 2023 and is an honorary professor at Freie Universität Berlin. Previously, she served as Executive Director for Europe and Central Asia at the Open Society Foundations and as Director and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP); other positions took her to the German Marshall Fund and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). She is a member of the supervisory board at BNP Paribas and Covivio.

Prof. Dr. Daniela Schwarzer

Member of the Executive Board of the Bertelsmann Foundation (through June 30, 2026)

Andreas Steck was named a partner at Linklaters in 2004. From 2016 to 2022, he served as a senior partner, and from 2022 to 2025, as Regional Managing Partner for Europe. Today, he is Global Co-Head of the Banking Sector. As one of Germany’s leading regulatory lawyers, he advises financial institutions on regulatory matters. He has been Head of the Frankfurt/M. Lounge at Tax & Legal Excellence since 2021.

Andreas Steck

Global Co-Head of the Banking Sector at Linklaters, Frankfurt am Main

Alexander Thiele is a professor of political theory and public law—with a particular focus on constitutional and European law—at the BSP Business & Law School in Berlin, where he also serves as vice president for research and interdisciplinarity. He earned his habilitation at the University of Göttingen with a dissertation on financial supervision. His areas of expertise include constitutional law, democratic and political theory, and financial and monetary law; as the author of works such as the book *Verlustdemokratie*, he plays a key role in shaping the constitutional policy debate.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Thiele

Business & Law School, Berlin

Sven-Holger Undritz is a partner at White & Case in Hamburg and heads the firm’s German Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Group. As a certified specialist in insolvency and restructuring law, he has been appointed as an insolvency administrator and trustee in numerous high-profile cases. He is a member of the Gravenbrucher Kreis, an association of leading German insolvency administrators. He has served as Head of the Hamburg Lounge at Tax & Legal Excellence since 2018.

RA Dr. Sven-Holger Undritz

Partner at White & Case, Hamburg

Paul Voigt is a partner at Taylor Wessing in Berlin and heads the firm’s German Technology, Media & Telecoms practice group. As a specialist in IT law, he advises on data protection, cybersecurity, and AI regulation and is ranked among Germany’s leading attorneys in these fields. He is a co-author of international standard works on the GDPR and the EU AI Act.

Dr. Paul Voigt, Lic. en Derecho

Partner at Taylor Wessing, Berlin

Matthias Wachter is Co-Head of the Innovation, Security, and Technologies Division at the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and Executive Director of the BDI’s NewSpace initiative. He has been with the federation since 2008, most recently as Head of the Department for International Cooperation, Security, Raw Materials, and Space. He is a member of the DLR Space Program Commission and a lieutenant colonel in the Bundeswehr Reserve.

Matthias Wachter

Co-Head of the Innovation, Safety, and Technologies Division, BDI

Guntram Wolff is a professor of economics at the Solvay Brussels School of the Université libre de Bruxelles, as well as a senior fellow at the Bruegel think tank and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. Previously, he served as Director of Bruegel and CEO of the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP); his career also included stints at the European Commission and the Deutsche Bundesbank. His research focuses on European economic policy as well as geoeconomics and defense economics.