For the welcoming dinner, Executive Vice President Andreas Schwaiger (Managing Director Germany, Texas Instruments) joined us as special guest. He delved into the importance of strengthening the transatlantic partnership in light of geopolitical shifts as well as the great role of the next generation of leadership in order to ensure that Germany remains a valuable and innovative partner in this endeavor.
The cohort connected virtually with Simone Menne (President, AmCham Germany), who gave them inspiring advice for their professional lives and highlighted their potential in shaping the transatlantic partnership for the years to come.
Furthermore, led by Daniel Andrich (General Manager, AmCham Germany), and Thomas Henneberg (Head of Strategic Partnerships, Regional Coordination & Events, AmCham Germany), the cohort learned about the possibilities within AmCham Germany’s membership network as well as the range of its regional activities and its strategic partnerships. Miriam Farnbauer, Monika Blauberger, and Christopher Gleffe, representing the NextGen Steering Committee provided details on the possibilities for engagement beyond the program year and provided room to discuss forward-thinking strategies for the cohort’s professional development.
Matthias Köhler invited the cohort to take a closer look at the chances that lie within transatlantic cooperation and cross-cultural communication. As an expert on U.S./German business development, he provided tools to amplify the cohort’s intercultural understanding.
For our Munich day, it was an honor to have U.S. Consul General Timothy Liston meet our group at the U.S. Consulate in Munich before his departure from the city. He highlighted the great impact of collaboration and how Germany is a splendid example of the potential of the transatlantic partnership. Together with Sean Timmins (Foreign Commercial Officer | U.S. Department of Commerce) and Dan Thompson (Political & Economic Council | U.S. Department of State), the NextGens had the opportunity to discuss thoughts on fostering transatlantic relations from different industries and regions.
It was our pleasure to have our site-visit at McDonald’s Germany where Mario Federico (President & Managing Director | McDonald's Germany LLC; Member of the Executive Committee of AmCham Germany) and his team Markus Weiss (Impact Lead | McDonald's Germany LLC) and Elisabeth Schindler (Department Head Menu Management | McDonald's Germany LLC) warmly welcomed us by satisfying our hunger while sharing the complex strategies that go into producing their iconic menu items. Topics also included their sustainability targets along their operations and the cultural aspects to consider when creating their products.
Since the beginning of this year, we ventured on a strategic partnership with the Munich Security Conference. We warmly thank Marcel Lewicki (Director of Partnerships & Development; Member of the Board of Directors | Munich Security Conference) for having us and sharing with us the various ways the Munich Security Conference operates and how it depends on various stakeholders to foster the core values of international dialogue and collaboration.
Our Co-Chair of the Bavaria Chapter Philipp Meske (Partner | AlixPartners), together with Michael Wabnitz (Managing Director | AlixPartners) and Lars F. Thiel (Turnaround & Restructuring | AlixPartners) warmly welcomed us at the AlixPartners office in Munich. They all presented the results of the 2024 Disruption Index and together with the cohort discussed different perspectives from the sectors they represent. It was a highlight to enjoy golden hour together and have the chance to network in the heart of Munich from their rooftop view.
This year’s cohort also had a workshop to discussing important topics such as diversity, sustainability, AI, digitzation measures, as well as challenges and chances for their implementation in the manifold sectors they represent and explored various perspectives.
In the afternoon the group visualized their ideas for the future of city life by building an intricate network of districts with complimentary connections and bridges before diving into the U.S. election led by Ines Pohl (Bureau Chief, Washington D.C. at Deutsche Welle). We are grateful to have had the chance to get first-hand knowledge into the current landscape of U.S. election politics with her extensive experience in the field. The evening culminated with a pubquiz that tested the cohort’s knowledge on useful and fun facts while celebrating their newly found friendships.
We would like to thank our partners who supported us during this conference and allowed for inspiring, insightful, and motivating conversation starters. A special thank you to the entire team at Siemens Global Leadership Center for being so welcoming and treating us with a gorgeous view. We would also like to thank all our speakers for their engagement with our group!
With this conference, we have kicked-off a fun and knowledge-filled year for this new NextGen cohort and we look forward to actively shaping the transatlantic partnership with these bright individuals.
