Managing Director
Beiersdorf
Barbara Robaszkiewicz is the Managing Director of Beiersdorf Manufacturing Pozna?, a strategic production site employing more than 700 people. The site manufactures products for brands including NIVEA, Eucerin, Hansaplast, Hidrofugal, Florena, Bambino, Atrix, 8x4 and Labello. She brings 20 years of financial experience gained across NIVEA Polska, Beiersdorf Manufacturing Pozna? and Beiersdorf’s headquarters in Hamburg. Since becoming Managing Director in 2025, she has combined financial discipline with strategic and operational leadership. Her background in finance and manufacturing shapes her approach to managing change, balancing investment priorities with operational needs and supporting the site’s continued development.
Founder & Partner, HTO & Project Manager International xKD Projects
Volkswagen AG
Peter Atzl is a senior automotive executive and international project leader with more than two decades of experience in global vehicle industrialization, production localization, and market expansion within the Volkswagen Group. He currently serves as Specialist for New Markets and Project Lead for International Vehicle Programs in Volkswagen’s International Product Management organization. Throughout his career, he has led complex projects across several international markets, driving vehicle localization, manufacturing excellence, and business development initiatives. With extensive expertise in cross-brand governance, international production networks, and strategic project implementation, Peter focuses on enabling sustainable growth through innovative vehicle programs, localization strategies, and the integration of advanced technologies into global automotive operations.
Abstract
AI creates the greatest value when technology, industrial excellence and human capability reinforce one another
The automotive industry is entering a new era in which competitive advantage is no longer determined by hardware and production scale alone. Artificial intelligence is becoming the operating layer that connects engineering, production, supply chains, energy management and human decision-making. Drawing on approaches from Europe, China, the United States, Japan and Korea, this presentation explores how manufacturers are translating AI into tangible improvements in cost, quality, speed and sustainability. Volkswagen serves as a key example of both the opportunities and challenges involved in scaling AI across a complex global production network.
Founder & Partner, HTO & Beyond, Former Business & Portfolio Lead
HTO & Beyond
Bzhwen Kadir is Founder & Partner at HTO & Beyond. He spent a decade leading digitalization and AI work in pharmaceutical and industrial manufacturing. He co-led digital transformation across more than 30 factories and holds a PhD from DTU on how people work with new industrial technology.
Abstract
AI is beginning to carry out parts of manufacturing work that people once did themselves. What happens to the roles, confidence, and judgment of engineers, operators, and leaders? Drawing on his industrial digitalization experience, Bzhwen Kadir will examine the pressure to keep learning, the need to question AI output, and who remains accountable for decisions. The take-home message: design AI-enabled work so people understand their contribution and have authority over the outcome.
VP Operational Excellence & Transformation (TechOps)
Roche Diagnostics GmbH
Arpan Suryawanshi is a LifeSciences Manufacturing IT Consultant with a 16+ year track record of driving operational excellence in Production/Manufacturing IT. He possesses a strategic mindset and a results-oriented approach, consistently delivering successful MES implementations across the globe.
His expertise lies in streamlining business processes, leading complex system deployments, and fostering strong stakeholder relationships. Possesses extensive experience with industry-leading manufacturing MES and Production IT applications. His portfolio includes significant contributions to global pharmaceutical projects, currently spearheading global initiatives in regards to Manuf. Data Analytics at Roche DIA based out of Germany.
Arpan is not only a technical expert but also a skilled leader and mentor. He builds high-performing teams, ensuring seamless collaboration between technical and business stakeholders. His commitment to exceeding client expectations has resulted in long-standing partnerships and the successful delivery of mission-critical manufacturing solutions.
Abrstract
AI is not just about fancy use cases, but environmentally sustainable with zero carbon emission and validated implementation to ensure global and scalable framework.
Simplified ways of ensuring Infrastructure in AI is environmental friendly.
Fail early and Fail fast is the go-to in AI experimentation world. 3-5 month MVP.
Global Digital Transformation Director – Product Managment
GE HealthCare
Agnieszka Bochacka is the Global Digital Transformation Director for Product Management at GE HealthCare, recognized as an international strategist and academic leader in technological innovation. She is the creator of the world's first certified Digital Transformation Methodology, accredited by APMG International, and her corporate career includes driving cloud and digital strategies at elite organizations like PwC and Deloitte Digital. Actively bridging industry and academia, she serves as the Academic Director at Krakow School of Business and leads regional tech innovation as the President of the SingularityU Cracow Chapter. Her pioneering work has earned her high-profile recognition, including being named "Futurist of the Year" and a "Strong Woman in IT".
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VP Operational Excellence & Transformation (TechOps)
Ipsen
Amayas Benkaroun is the VP Operational Excellence & Transformation within the TechOps Division for Ipsen. He leads transformation initiatives, focusing on operational excellence, digitalization, data driven performance, and strategy execution. His expertise spans Lean and Shingo Model deployment and digital transformation.Through his leadership, 2 Ipsen sites won Shingo Prizes, which are considered the highest distinction in Operational Excellence.
Digital Platform Architect - AI & Smart-Factory Solutions Lead
Mars
Harman is a Microsoft & Google Certified Cloud & Infrastructure Solutions Expert with 7+ years of experience in IT, having begun his career as a Full Stack Application Developer at a Fortune 500 company. His technical expertise, combined with systematic approach, empowers him to consistently deliver high-quality results, ensuring optimal performance, cost efficiency, and streamlined operational overhead throughout the lifecycle of the solution.Currently, Harman is a Digital Platform Architect – Solutions Lead, focusing on leveraging advanced IT capabilities to enhance the delivery of Smart Factories.
Abstract
We might still be far from having our own personal assistant like Jarvis (IronMan movie reference), but AI has already reached a stage where it offers powerful tools to enhance our daily work. From customer service to software development and smart manufacturing, AI is here to help you boost productivity and deliver higher quality results.Choosing the right AI partner can make or break your success. The AI Decision Matrix shared in this presentation will help you evaluate and select the most reliable and efficient AI partner or technology for your business needs.
Head Operational Excellence, Smart Factory, AI & Automation – Europe & Africa
Inteva Products
Hugo is a young leader in the field of Operational Excellence & Smart Factory with experience in the sectors of beverages, infrastructure & construction and automotive. He graduated in Computing Systems (Tec de Monterrey, Mexico) and obtained his master’s titles in Innovation and Technology Management (University of Cambridge and Sussex, United Kingdom), as Business Transformation Manager (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern, Switzerland and SAP) and in Operational Excellence in Bavaria, Germany. He has collaborated with ABInbev - Grupo Modelo as Senior Advisor in the Strategic Transformation Programme, and his participation in numerous projects allowed him to broaden his skills and experience in Strategic Planning, M&A, Operations, Marketing, Processes and Technology. He later worked as Director in the area of Corporate Strategic Planning in ICA, the leading infrastructure construction and operation company in Mexico, and currently he is in charge of Operational Excellence, Advanced Manufacturing and Industry 4.0 in the Tier 1 Global Automotive Company IAC Group, while he is based in Munich, Germany.
Founder
Doskonalenia Produkcji (Institute for Production Improvement)
Tomasz Król is the founder of Instytut Doskonalenia Produkcji (Institute for Production Improvement), a manufacturing process improvement expert, business adviser and author. He works with company owners and manufacturing leaders to improve operational performance and identify opportunities to eliminate unnecessary costs and activities. He is the author of Lean Management po polsku and other publications on production management, and has lectured on postgraduate programmes at the Wroc?aw University of Economics and the Warsaw University of Technology. Drawing on his experience in process improvement and change management, Tomasz developed Good Sense Management, a four-step approach that begins with understanding customer value, challenges unquestioned practices and strengthens the people, processes and capabilities that genuinely create value. His presentations combine practical management thinking, provocative questions and memorable storytelling.
ABSTRACT
Why do intelligent organizations continue doing things that no longer create value? And what happens when these activities are automated or digitalized? In this provocative and practical talk, Tomasz Król challenges the assumption that established practices must be reasonable. Drawing on everyday examples and manufacturing experience, he introduces Good Sense Management: define customer value, review everything through that lens, slash the "holy cows" that consume resources without sufficient benefit, and cherish the "elephants" that create genuine value. His conceptual equation, X = V / E, reframes operational excellence as improving customer-perceived value relative to the energy required to deliver it. The key takeaway: before automating a process, ask whether it should exist at all; protect what works, eliminate what does not, and use technology to serve a clear purpose.
Managing Director
Littelfuse Inc.
Matthew is an international business leader with over 30 years’ experience driving operational transformation, manufacturing excellence, and organisational change. He has held Managing Director and senior executive roles in global industrial and technology companies. He delivers sustainable performance improvement through strategic clarity, accountability and operational discipline. He believes that while digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and automation are reshaping industry at pace, long-term competitive advantage will continue to be defined by people and their mindset. His leadership philosophy focuses on building high-performing cultures where people are engaged, accountable, and confident in embracing change. He believes that the role of a leader is to serve the people in their care.
Senior Director IT
Johnson & Johnson
Prasanna Gururajan is a passionate technology Leader. Prasanna – lives in Netherlands and has 16+ years’ experience in IT and served through various Mfg. sectors like Paper, Medical devices and Pharma delivering value through digital technologies. He has worked through different domains in the supply chain like customer connectivity, ERP and MAKE. Currently, he operates as Head of Innovative Medicine-MAKE, Product Group Leader (IT Sr.Director) at Johnson & Johnson with in their Business Technology organization
General Manager Logistics & IT
BMW
Dr. Tim Renner is General Manager Logistics & IT at BMW Group's Engine Plant Hams Hall, where he leads the end-to-end supply chain as well as key transformation functions, including digitalization, innovation, industrial engineering, and lean management. With more than 14 years of international experience across manufacturing, operations, quality, and maintenance, he has held a variety of leadership positions within the BMW Group. Holding a doctorate from RWTH Aachen University, Tim focuses on the intersection of human expertise, AI, automation, and robotics in industrial environments. His passion lies in enabling people-centered transformation and leveraging emerging technologies to create sustainable, resilient, and future-ready manufacturing systems.