On April 29, we brought together our Rhine-Main AmCham Germany members for a successful Business After Hours event on the 50th floor of the Frankfurt PwC Tower, offering stunning city views. Co-hosted by PwC Germany and Procter & Gamble Germany, the event focused on innovation ecosystems and disruptive business models, aiming to foster innovation and creating opportunities for collaboration.
Christof Letzgus, Partner International Corporate Tax at PwC Germany, opened the event by highlighting the significance of innovation ecosystems in today's business landscape. Gabriele Haessig, Co-Chair of our Regional Chapter Rhine-Main and Managing Director Communications & Sustainability at Procter & Gamble Germany, reinforced this idea, stating that ecosystems are crucial for creating future opportunities and thrive on the people within them.
Alexander Rösch, Lead Ecosystem Expert Hub at PwC Germany, commenced the presentations by discussing Ecosystem Business Models. He noted that the combined value of an ecosystem surpasses the value of its individual components. Rösch stressed the importance of leveraging data and structuring partnerships for success in a rapidly changing business environment, pointing out that innovative business models demand new problem-solving approaches beyond traditional R&D.
Marc Verelst, MBA, Supply Chain Manager at Procter & Gamble Germany, shared insights into P&G's history and their concept of "constructive disruption." He outlined P&G’s strategic framework: Discover-Design-Deliver and Inspire-Connect-Activate-Scale. Verelst highlighted Germany as an ideal location for P&G’s Innovation Center due to its strong sustainability ethos and showcased the company's Sustainability Summit.
The event culminated in a panel discussion titled "Ecosystems as Blueprints of the Future: Pioneering Corporate Innovation," moderated by Florian Noell, Partner at PwC Germany and EMEA Startups, Scaleups & Venturing Leader. The panelists included Katharina Götzen, Digital Strategy & Innovation Manager at PwC Germany; Steve Skarda, Climate & Water Technology Innovation Senior Director at Procter & Gamble; and Matthias Lais, Managing Director at neosfer. The discussion underscored the necessity for companies to seek modular, scalable solutions to global problems, as they cannot resolve all challenges internally. Innovation ecosystems were identified as the key to addressing market pain points and fostering corporate innovation.
The evening concluded with a networking reception on the 50th floor, where attendees enjoyed drinks and dinner while taking in the breathtaking views. This provided an excellent opportunity to engage in further discussions, establish new connections, and strengthen existing partnerships, all aimed at driving innovation in the Rhine-Main region.
