The 17th SZ Wirtschaftsgipfel took place from November 13 to 15, 2023 at the Hotel Adlon in Berlin and digitally. Under the guiding theme “Divided world, united Europe? – Time for a new beginning”, we discussed this year with key decision-makers in German politics, DAX entrepreneurs and representatives from the business and start-up scene. In addition to three exciting days of congress, our evening events, the exclusive Night of European Business and the traditional Adlon Talk Evening were also once again among the highlights of this year’s SZ Wirtschaftsgipfel.
Find out more about the reports, features and interviews surrounding the conference on sz.de and take a look at the highlights of the congress in our picture gallery. Have fun with the review!
SZ Wirtschaftsgipfel 2023
Here you can find impressions of the summit and the complete coverage of the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Impressions
Exciting insights into the 2023 summit
Speakers
More than 60 high-profile speakers from politics, business, science and culture
Our guests
Marco Buschmann
Federal Minister of Justice
Marco Buschmann
Federal Minister of Justice
Robert Habeck
German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection
Robert Habeck
German Vice Chancellor and German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection
Steffi Lemke
Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation, ...
Steffi Lemke
Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection
Christian Lindner
Federal Chairman of the FDP
Christian Lindner
Federal Chairman of the FDP
Friedrich Merz
Federal Chairman of CDU Germany
Friedrich Merz
Federal Chairman of CDU Germany
Walter Thurnherr
Federal Chancellor of Switzerland
Walter Thurnherr
Federal Chancellor of Switzerland
Daron Acemoğlu
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Daron Acemoğlu
Economist and writer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Kenza Ait Si Abbou
FIEGE
Kenza Ait Si Abbou
Executive Board Member, FIEGE
Josef Aschbacher
European Space Agency
Josef Aschbacher
European Space Agency
Katrin Bacic
UNIO Enterprise
Katrin Bacic
UNIO Enterprise
Oliver Blume
Porsche and Volkswagen
Oliver Blume
CEO, Porsche and Volkswagen
Klaus Bürg
Palo Alto Networks
Klaus Bürg
Managing Director & VP EMEA (DACH + CEE), Palo Alto Networks
Evelyne de Leersnyder
Coca-Cola
Evelyne de Leersnyder
VP Operations Germany, Denmark and Finland, Coca-Cola
Sergej Epp
Palo Alto Networks
Sergej Epp
Chief Security Officer, Palo Alto Networks
Annahita Esmailzadeh
Microsoft Business
Annahita Esmailzadeh
Head of Costumer Succes, Author, Businessinfluencer, Microsoft Business
Uwe Fröhlich
DZ BANK
Uwe Fröhlich
Co-CEO, DZ BANK
Markus Gabriel
Bonn University; THE NEW INSTITUTE
Markus Gabriel
Direktor des IZPH & Leiter des Center for Science and Thought, Universität Bonn; Academic Director von THE NEW INSTITUTE
Alexander Gerst
The European Space Agency
Alexander Gerst
Leader of „Astronaut Operations“ at the European Space Agency
Veronika Grimm
Friedrich Alexander University
Veronika Grimm
Friedrich Alexander University
Gunnar Groebler
Salzgitter AG
Gunnar Groebler
CEO, Salzgitter AG
Hans-Georg Hagleitner
Hagleitner
Hans-Georg Hagleitner
Business owner and managing director, Hagleitner
Stefanie Hagleitner
Hagleitner
Stefanie Hagleitner
Head of Product Management, Hagleitner
Stefan Hartung
Bosch
Stefan Hartung
Bosch
Marianne Janik
Microsoft Germany
Marianne Janik
Microsoft Germany
Philipp Justus
Google Germany
Philipp Justus
VP CE & Country Manager Germany, Google
Steffen Kampeter
Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände
Steffen Kampeter
President, Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände
Daniel Kehlmann
Bestselling author
Daniel Kehlmann
Bestselling author
Robert Kilian
CertifAI
Robert Kilian
CEO, DEKRA/CertifAI
Susanne Klatten
SKion
Susanne Klatten
Managing Director, SKion
Tina Klüwer
Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneurship Center
Tina Klüwer
Director AI, Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneurship Center
Marc Lakner
Kearney
Marc Lakner
Partner and Managing Director, Kearney
Andreas Liebl
appliedAI Initiative & appliedAI Institute for Europe
Andreas Liebl
CEO and Founder, appliedAI Initiative & appliedAI Institute for Europe
Manon Sarah Littek
Green Generation Fund
Manon Sarah Littek
Co-founder, Green Generation Fund
Jaroslaw Kutylowski
DeepL
Jaroslaw Kutylowski
CEO and Founder, DeepL
Ulrike Malmendier
Departement of Economics, University of California, Berkeley
Ulrike Malmendier
Departement of Economics, University of California, Berkeley
Robert Mayr
DATEV
Robert Mayr
CEO, DATEV
Daniel Metzler
Isar Aerospace Technologies
Daniel Metzler
Co-Founder und CEO, Isar Aerospace Technologies
Charles Michel
President of the European Council
Charles Michel
President of the European Council
Bernd Montag
Siemens Healthineers
Bernd Montag
CEO, Siemens Healthineers
Klaus Müller
Bundesnetzagentur
Klaus Müller
Bundesnetzagentur
Ralph Müller
ING Germany
Ralph Müller
COO, ING Germany
Claudia Nemat
Deutsche Telekom
Claudia Nemat
Board Member Technology & Innovation, Deutsche Telekom
Verena Pausder
Start-up Verband
Verena Pausder
Vorstandsvorsitzende; Unternehmerin, Investorin; Start-up Verband
Vinzenz Pflanz
SIXT
Vinzenz Pflanz
Chief Business Officer & Member of the Management Board, SIXT
Markus Pflitsch
Terra Quantum
Markus Pflitsch
CEO, Chairman & Founder, Terra Quantum
Lara Obst
THE CLIMATE CHOICE
Lara Obst
Co-Founder & Chief Climate Officer, THE CLIMATE CHOICE
Janka Oertel
European Council on Foreign Relations
Janka Oertel
Director Asia Programme, European Council on Foreign Relations
Karin Rådström
Daimler Truck
Karin Rådström
Member of the Board of Daimler Truck and CEO Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Daimler Truck
Sybille Reiß
TUI Group
Sybille Reiß
Member of the Executive Board, CPO, TUI Group
Sarna Röser
Die jungen Unternehmer
Sarna Röser
Federal Chairwoman, Die jungen Unternehmer
Dirk Roßmann
Rossmann
Dirk Roßmann
Founder, entrepreneur and author, Rossmann
Gerhard Schick
Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende
Gerhard Schick
Bürgerbewegung Finanzwende
Dirk Schmitz
BlackRock
Dirk Schmitz
CEO, BlackRock
Jochen Schweizer
Jochen Schweizer Gruppe
Jochen Schweizer
Active Chairman, Jochen Schweizer Gruppe
Sabrina Soussan
SUEZ
Sabrina Soussan
SUEZ
Matthias Spott
eightyLEO
Matthias Spott
Founder, eightyLEO
Alfred Stern
OMV
Alfred Stern
CEO, OMV
Christoph Straub
BARMER
Christoph Straub
CEO, BARMER
Anna Lena Strigel
Ford-Werke
Anna Lena Strigel
Sales & Brand Management Director, Model e Europe, Ford-Werke
Katherina Reiche
Westenergie
Katherina Reiche
CEO, Westenergie
Volker Wieland
IMFS
Volker Wieland
Geschäftsführender Direktor, IMFS
Anne Will
Journalist and TV presenter
Anne Will
Journalist and TV presenter
Jörg Wuttke
Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS)
Jörg Wuttke
Member of the Advisory Board, Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS)
Feiyu Xu
nyonic
Feiyu Xu
Co-Founder & Chief Innovation officer, nyonic
moderation
Marc Beise
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Marc Beise
Foreign Correspondent Rome, Founder SZ Wirtschaftsgipfel; Süddeutsche Zeitung
Dr. Marc Beise is an experienced journalist and business editor at Süddeutsche Zeitung. For more than two decades, he has been shaping economic reporting with well-founded analyses and astute commentary. He founded the Economic Summit and is currently responsible for the Süddeutsche Zeitung's Italy correspondence.
Bastian Brinkmann
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Bastian Brinkmann
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Bastian Brinkmann is deputy head of the business section of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Born in 1988 in North Rhine-Westphalia, grew up near Berlin, with stations in Dublin and Brussels. Cologne School of Journalism. Studied economics and political science in Cologne and South Korea.
Alexandra Föderl-Schmid
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Alexandra Föderl-Schmid
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Wolfgang Krach
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Wolfgang Krach
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Wolfgang Krach, born in 1963, joined the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" from the news magazine "Der Spiegel" in 2003, as managing editor and head of the newsdesk. In 2007, Krach was appointed to the editorial board, initially as deputy editor-in-chief. He has been editor-in-chief of "Süddeutsche Zeitung" since April 1, 2015, together with Judith Wittwer since July 2020.
Lisa Nienhaus
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Lisa Nienhaus
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Born in Oberhausen in 1979, studied economics and politics in Cologne and Stockholm, at the same time attending the Cologne School of Journalism. 10 years as economics editor at the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung", then moved to the current position as deputy head of the economics department and head of the Frankfurt bureau. Since autumn 2022 she has been head of the SZ economics department.
Ulrich Schäfer
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Ulrich Schäfer
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Ulrich Schäfer is deputy editor-in-chief of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. After seven years at Der Spiegel, he began reporting from Berlin in 2003, initially as deputy head of the SZ parliamentary bureau. From 2007, he headed the business editorial department for nine years, the Munich, Region and Bavaria department for three years and built up the SZ's new newsdesk as head of news.
Judith Wittwer
Süddeutsche Zeitung
Judith Wittwer
Süddeutsche Zeitung
born in 1977, has been leading the editorial team of the Süddeutsche Zeitung together with Wolfgang Krach since summer 2020. Previously, she was business editor for Axel Springer's Handelszeitung in Zurich before returning to Tages-Anzeiger as head of news and CvD and joining the editorial team in 2016, then as editor-in-chief from 2018.
Sponsors & Partners
The Wirtschaftsgipfel 2023 was supported by
More information about our partners
ABB
ABB is a technology leader in electrification and automation, enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. The company’s solutions connect engineering know-how and software to optimize how things are manufactured, moved, powered and operated. Building on more than 140 years of excellence, ABB’s ~105,000 employees are committed to driving innovations that accelerate industrial transformation.
BARMER
Effective, committed, compassionate - that is BARMER, one of the largest statutory health insurance providers in Germany. Its policyholders benefit from high-quality and innovative medical care that goes far beyond the standard required by law. Numerous digital offerings, from the electronic patient file eCare to the BARMER app, make everyday life easier and promote the health of the approximately 8.7 million policyholders. 24-hour-a-day service over the internet, by phone or in person at Show More
BlackRock
BlackRock’s purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable.
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is one of the best-known and most valuable brands in the world. In more than 200 countries on five continents, people enjoy beverages from Coca-Cola every day. The company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of non-alcoholic soft drinks. As a wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) in Atlanta, USA, Coca-Cola GmbH in Germany is responsible for growth planning and brand management. Together with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Deutschland GmbH (CCEP DE), whi Show More
DATEV
DATEV eG is the third largest provider of business software in Germany (IDC Ranking 2023) and one of the largest European IT service providers. Founded in 1966, the cooperative of tax consulting professionals achieved a turnover of 1.3 billion euros in fiscal year 2022. With its software, cloud solutions and expertise, the Nuremberg-based company provides the basis for digital collaboration between SMEs and tax advisors who take care of the business management needs of these companies. Th Show More
DEKRA
DEKRA has been active in the field of safety for almost 100 years. Founded in 1925 in Berlin as Deutscher Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein e.V., it is today one of the world’s leading expert organizations. The company currently employs almost 49,000 people in approximately 60 countries on five continents. With qualified and independent expert ser-vices, they work for safety on the road, at work and at home. These services range from vehicle inspection and expert appraisals to claims s Show More
DZ Bank
DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank, Frankfurt am Main, is majority-owned by those who work directly with it - the more than 700 cooperative banks in Germany. As a central bank and central institution, its mandate is to support the business of the many independent cooperative banks in the regions and to strengthen their competitive position. The combination of local customer knowledge and central product expertise has proved to be highly effective. DZ BANK's range of services Show More
Ford
Ford, a global American brand woven into the fabric of Europe for more than 100 years, is committed to freedom of movement that goes hand-in-hand with looking after the planet and each other. The company’s Ford+ plan, with Model e, Ford Pro and the Ford Blue business units is accelerating its European transformation to an all-electric and carbon neutral future by 2035. The company is driving forward with bold, new EVs, each one designed with European drivers in mind and innovating with Show More
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. With products like Search, Maps, Gmail, Chrome, the Pixel smartphones and watches or platforms such as YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people. Google has been operating in Germany since 2001 and now employs more than 2,500 people at its four locations in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. Together with local partners, Google Germany is workin Show More
Hagleitner
Hagleitner designs hygiene: detergents, disinfectants, and cosmetics – as well as dispensers, dosing devices, and apps. The goods are created in Zell am See in Austria. That is where Hagleitner has its corporate headquarters: that is where research, development, and production take place. The German headquarters are situated in Frankfurt am Main, from here Hagleitner runs its business in Germany. The Hagleitner-Academy transmits knowledge – trainings are also held in Frankfurt. The hy Show More
ING
With more than 9 million customers, ING is the third-largest bank in Germany. Its core products include savings accounts, mortgages, investment products, consumer loans and current accounts for private customers. In the Business Banking segment, ING offers loans to small and medium-sized enterprises. In Wholesale Banking, ING offers banking solutions and services for large, multinational companies.
KEARNEY
As one of the original firms, we’ve never lost sight of the fact that consulting is a people business. A global partnership in more than 40 countries, our people make us who we are. We’re individuals with different passions and strengths who take as much joy in the work we do as from those we work with. Palo Alto Networks Palo Alto Networks is the world’s cybersecurity leader. We innovate to outpace cyberthreats, so organizations can embrace technology with confidence. We provide n Show More
Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks is the world’s cybersecurity leader. We innovate to outpace cyberthreats, so organizations can embrace technology with confidence. We provide next-gen cybersecurity to thousands of customers globally, across all sectors. Our best-in-class cybersecurity platforms and services are backed by industry-leading threat intelligence and strengthened by state-of-the-art automation. Whether deploying our products to enable the Zero Trust Enterprise, responding to a security inc Show More
Philip Morris
Philip Morris GmbH, founded in Germany in 1970, is a company of Philip Morris International Inc (PMI). The leading international tobacco company is working to deliver a smoke-free future and evolving its portfolio for the long term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. For years, PMI has been pursuing the vision of a smoke-free world in which the classic cigarette no longer plays a role for today's smokers and is replaced by by better alternatives. Since 2008, Ph Show More
Salzgitter AG
Salzgitter AG ranks as one of Germany’s leading steel and technology groups. As a pioneer in the circular economy, we focus on sustainable innovation and on transforming products and processes in the business units of Steel Production, Steel Processing, Trading and Technology. With our “Salzgitter AG 2030” strategy and anchored in the principle of “Pioneering for Circular Solutions”, we are setting new benchmarks in the industry. Our aspirations are realized through strong initi Show More
Siemens Healthineers
Siemens Healthineers AG (listed in Frankfurt, Germany: SHL) pioneers breakthroughs in healthcare. For everyone. Everywhere. As a leading medical technology company headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, Siemens Healthineers and its regional companies are continuously developing their product and service portfolio, with AI-supported applications and digital offerings that play an increasingly important role in the next generation of medical technology. These new applications will enhance the Show More
SIXT
Headquartered in Pullach, near Munich, Germany, SIXT SE is a leading international provider of high-quality mobility services. With its products SIXT rent, SIXT share, SIXT ride and SIXT+ the company offers a uniquely integrated premium mobility service across the fields of vehicle and commercial vehicle rental, car sharing, ride hailing and car subscriptions that can all be booked via the SIXT app. SIXT is present in around 100 countries worldwide. The listed family-owned company’s str Show More
Westenergie
Westenergie AG, with its headquarters in Essen, is the biggest energy and infrastructure provider in Germany and the largest subsidiary company of E.ON SE. The Westenergie Group’s distribution system operators cover a 37,000 km long gas network. The electricity grid managed by the group covers a network around 196,000 km long — enough to lap the world five times over. With the provided infrastructure, the Westenergie Group ensures an energy supply to millions of households in North Rh Show More