Quantum Summit

Ralf Wintergerst is Chairman of the Management Board of Giesecke+Devrient (G+D). In addition to his duties as Group CEO, he is responsible for the Central Services departments of Information Systems, Corporate Security, Compliance Management and Auditing, Corporate Communications, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Strategy, Corporate Development, Legal Services, and Corporate Governance. 

Wintergerst joined G+D in 1998 and has held various management positions in the company. He became a member of the Management Board in 2013 with his appointment to lead the business unit Banknote (today Currency Technology). In 2016 he was named Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of G+D. 

Alongside his role at G+D, Wintergerst is president of the German digital association Bitkom. Furthermore, he is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of secunet Security Networks AG (Essen, Germany) and President of the Board of Directors of netcetera AG (Zurich, Switzerland). 

Wintergerst studied business administration and holds two master’s degrees – one in management and the other in politics philosophy and economics (PPE). He earned his doctorate at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich with a thesis on corporate governance and management.

Dr Marianne Janik has been CEO of Microsoft Germany since March 2021. She reports to Ralph Haupter, Corporate Vice President Microsoft EMEA. 

Marianne Janik has been responsible for the management of Microsoft Switzerland as Country General Manager since July 2015. Prior to that, she was responsible for the areas of public administration, education and healthcare in the management of Microsoft Germany for around four years. She was able to achieve continuous growth in this central business area for Microsoft and successfully accompany her customers in their innovation and transformation process. 

Born in France and with a doctorate in law, she has many years of sales and management experience in various companies and industries. Marianne Janik started her professional career at Daimler Benz AG in the Public Affairs department. Subsequently, she took over the contract department at an EADS subsidiary and then the sales department for public authorities, the German Armed Forces and industrial customers. 

Marianne Janik is strongly committed to the digital transformation, especially in the areas of innovation, security and education and training. 

Among other things, she is a member of the executive committee of the German digital association Bitkom and a member of the board of directors of AmCham Germany.

Robert Axmann studied aerospace engineering in Munich and Cranfield (United Kingdom) and holds a doctorate in aerospace engineering. He also holds a degree in business administration. Robert Axmann has worked for the German Aerospace Center (DLR) for 19 years. He has been head of the DLR Quantum Computing Initiative since 2021.

Since 27 January 2022 - Commissioner of BMWK for the Digital Economy and Startups 

As of 5 January 2022 - Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy 

Since 2017 - Member of the German Bundestag 

2013 -2017 - Head of Office for the Minister and policy officer for fundamental policy issues in science policy at the Ministry for Science, Stuttgart 

2008 – 2013 - Academic working for various women’s networks and mentoring programmes, and at the Centre for Democracy at Zurich University 

2008 - Part of the constituency staff at the office of Theresia Bauer, Member of the State Parliament 

2003 - Member of ALLIANCE 90/THE GREENS 

2002 - 2008 - Student of political sciences, economics and mathematics (Heidelberg) 

2008 - 2013 - Doctoral thesis on ‘The limits of direct democracy’ at Bern University and the University of California

Heike Riel is IBM Fellow, Head of Science & Technology and Head of IBM Research Quantum Europe & Africa. She leads the research agenda and operations of the Science & Technology Division with the goal of achieving scientific and technological breakthroughs in quantum computing and technologies, artificial intelligence physics, nanoscience and nanotechnology, and exploring new directions in computing.