Recap 2025

Roland Adrian has been Managing Director of Verimi GmbH since 2019. Before that, he served as CEO of Lufthansa Miles & More from 2015 onwards. After studying Business Administration at the European Business School, he began his career in 1996 at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. He then held senior positions within the KarstadtQuelle Group before going on, from 2002, to build up the multi-partner loyalty programme HappyDigits as a joint venture between Arcandor and Deutsche Telekom. In 2009, he moved to PAYBACK, relocated to Bangalore to establish PAYBACK India, and subsequently oversaw the company’s international expansion into further global markets. Verimi is a joint venture backed by leading German companies, including Allianz, Atruvia, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Telekom and Volkswagen. Its core focus is the development and operation of secure digital identity solutions, including identification, digital onboarding and electronic signatures. Verimi offers an onboarding platform covering all relevant identity verification methods, EUDI Wallet services for acceptance and issuance, and operates the sector-specific identity provider for the GesundheitsID used by Barmer and AOK.

Anna-Lena Angerer is a Senior Manager with a focus on digital identities and related ecosystem strategies. She has many years of experience in managing complex transformation programmes and in building cross-industry digital ecosystems. Clients benefit from her ability to implement digital transformation effectively and at scale.

Dirk Backofen is Head of Digital Identities at T-Systems International GmbH and for Deutsche Telekom as a whole. In this role, he is responsible for establishing this new business area and for all activities related to the introduction of the EUDI Wallet and the implementation of EUDI Wallet use cases within Telekom. 

Previously, he was Head of Telekom Security and was responsible for Deutsche Telekom’s SME business. Dirk Backofen has been with Deutsche Telekom since 1991. He holds a degree in Information Technology Engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) from Chemnitz University of Technology.

Since October 2022, Timo Behrmann has been responsible for the Public Sector division at Nect GmbH in Hamburg. His role focuses on the design and development of secure, user-friendly, and fully digital identification and signature processes for both natural and legal persons. 

In addition to his work at Nect, Timo Behrmann serves as a board member of the Bitkom Working Group on Digital Administration, contributing to strategic discussions on modernising state identity and administrative infrastructures. He is also a regular participant at industry events and political forums, particularly on digital identities and EUDI Wallet initiatives. 

Previously, Timo Behrmann worked at Dataport AöR, where he contributed to and led digitalisation projects at regional, national, and European levels, with digital identities as a central focus throughout. His academic and professional experiences in Estonia, Thailand, and the Netherlands have further deepened his understanding of the potential and societal significance of modern digitalisation.

For over a decade, Klaus Fellner has been supporting companies in the introduction and optimisation of applications for e-signatures and eKYC procedures – both in the DACH region and internationally. He brings in-depth expertise and experience to the design and implementation of technologically, legally and economically viable digital workflows. His areas of expertise include, in particular, the opportunities offered by eIDAS 2.0 and the upcoming Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Regulation to regulated industries, whether in digital onboarding, contract conclusion, or document delivery and archiving. He supports companies – including Allianz, Advanzia Bank, Mercedes-Benz, the Raiffeisen Group and the Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe – in the secure and user-centred digitalisation of their customer and contract processes. Klaus Fellner is considered a driving force in product development, particularly with regard to forward-looking functions in the areas of digital identities, KYC and qualified trust services. As Managing Director of Namirial GmbH – the Austrian subsidiary of a leading global provider of digital identities and trusted transactions – he heads the innovation centre in Ansfelden near Linz. In this role, he brings extensive experience in team leadership, sales and partner management, global key accounting, and strategic technology consulting for enterprise customers with business-critical end-customer processes, such as those prevalent in the financial industry. Klaus Fellner holds a master's degree in business informatics from Johannes Kepler University Linz. With his interdisciplinary expertise at the interface of law, technology and business administration, he is actively involved in the further development of digital identity solutions in Europe.

After completing her studies, Beate Ginzel worked as an architect in Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and Tanzania. 

From 2004 to 2014, she conducted research and taught at the University of Leipzig, where she also completed her doctorate in the field of urban development. From 2014 to 2019, as Head of Department, she was responsible for shaping the implementation of housing policy instruments and establishing the City of Leipzig’s Smart City process. Since April 2019, Beate Ginzel has headed the Digital City unit within the Department for Economic Affairs, Labour and Digitalisation of the City of Leipzig. 

She is Deputy Chair of the Digitalisation Working Group of the German Association of Cities.

Franziska Granc ist Senior Project Managerin bei der Nimbus Technologieberatung GmbH und Expertin für digitale Identitäten und Vertrauensdienste. Sie beschäftigt sich intensiv mit der eIDAS-Verordnung sowie der Entwicklung der European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW). Ein weiterer Schwerpunkt ihrer Arbeit liegt in der Marktanalyse von qualifizierten Vertrauensdiensteanbietern. Zu diesen Themen veröffentlicht sie regelmäßig diverse Fachartikel und Studien. 

Granc ist Vorstandsvorsitzende des Bitkom-Arbeitskreises Digitale Identitäten und bringt sich dort aktiv in die politische und fachliche Gestaltung digitaler Identitätslösungen ein.

Dr Elisabeth Grießl studied Economics and International Management in Chemnitz and London. She subsequently completed her doctorate at the Technical University of Freiberg, focusing on an expert system for the economic evaluation of international projects. 

She worked as a project manager on various international projects in Asia, with a focus on resource management and environmental issues, at G.U.B. Ingenieur AG in Berlin. 

Since 2017, she has been working as a Senior Solution Manager at Bundesdruckerei GmbH. Initially, her main areas of focus were eIDAS trust services; she is currently responsible for digital identities and credentials, such as the digital vehicle registration certificate and driving licence. In this context, she was active as a sub-project lead in the EU project POTENTIAL and is also involved in the ongoing EU project APTITUDE.

Uwe Härtel, 59 Jahre alt, verheiratet, 2 Kinder, wohnhaft in München. 

Seit März 2026 bei G+D Netcetera verantwortlich für den Vertrieb des Trusted Services Portfolios und Sales Security. 

Davor in verschiedenen Vertriebspositionen bei internationalen Payment und Payment Security Anbietern wie Entersekt und Thales (vorher Gemalto).

Christina Hirsch is Executive Vice President & President of the board of Digital Trust Business at Swisscom. In this role, she is responsible for expanding the international Digital Trust portfolio – from digital identities and electronic signatures to secure trust services for businesses and public authorities. She has over 20 years of leadership experience in technology and telecommunications companies, including Swisscom, Vodafone, and Sony, with a focus on digital transformation, innovation, and B2B and B2C business development. Christina Hirsch combines strategic growth with a strong passion for people, performance, and trust in the digital space.

CIO/CDO Krebs wurde 1960 in Neckarsulm geboren und war nach seinem Studium zum Diplom-Verwaltungswirt zunächst mehrere Jahre als Entwickler und Projektleiter bei der Datenzentrale (DZ) Baden-Württemberg tätig. 1990 wechselte Stefan Krebs in den Bankensektor und verantwortete unter anderem das IT-Sicherheitsmanagement der LBBW. Ab 2001 war er in unterschiedlichen Führungspositionen bei der Finanz Informatik, dem IT-Dienstleister der Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe, in Hannover tätig. Am 1. Juli 2015 wurde Stefan Krebs zum ersten „Beauftragten der Landesregierung für Informationstechnologie“ ernannt.

Jörg Lenz is Head of Marketing and Communication at Namirial, one of the leading providers of qualified trust services in accordance with the EU eIDAS regulation.

Since 1999, he has been dealing holistically with the legal, technical, business and organisational requirements for the application of electronic signatures in the private sector as well as in public administration.

Jörg Lenz's specialist topics include the orchestration of signature workflows, procedures for identification and authentication including biometrics, digital identity, ID wallets and various procedures for generating electronic signatures and seals. He is intensively involved with the framework conditions for the use of these technologies for their application in regulated industries such as finance, telecommunications and energy supply as well as in public administration.

He contributes his expertise to the working groups and discussion groups of various national and international organisations. In doing so, he follows the design and revision of guidelines, regulations and laws - among others in the Bitkom working group on the application of electronic trust services. Currently, he is particularly concerned with the revision of the eIDAS Regulation.

Before playing a key role in founding and establishing Namirial's subsidiary in Germany from 2018, he worked as a signature expert in various roles in communication, business development and marketing at Softpro and Kofax. Jörg Lenz completed his studies with a degree in business administration. 

Eva-Maria Lindig, Lead Product Manager at PayPal, is shaping the future of digital payment processes and seamless customer and merchant experiences in the European market. Previously, she was responsible for establishing the product management programme at CODE University and worked in various product roles in international tech environments (including XING, idealo and Meta). With her experience at the intersection of product strategy, market dynamics and user behaviour, she focuses on questions such as how customers will shop and pay in the future, how much of this will be handled by AI agents, the role digital identities will play, and how companies can strategically prepare for this today.

Focko Lowin ist als Head of Sales bei der A-Trust Vertrauensdienste GmbH für das kommerzielle Wachstum in Deutschland verantwortlich. In dieser zentralen Rolle forciert er maßgeblich die Verbreitung qualifizierter elektronischer Signaturen und digitaler Identitätslösungen. Er verfügt über langjährige Führungserfahrung im IT-Vertrieb und gilt als ausgewiesener Experte für die rechtssichere Digitalisierung komplexer Geschäftsprozesse. Durch sein tiefes Marktverständnis im Bereich der Vertrauensdienste festigt er die Position von A-Trust als einem der führender europäischer QTSP. Damit verbindet er technische Expertise erfolgreich mit einer nachhaltigen, kundenorientierten Wachstumsstrategie. Mit seiner Erfahrung aus über 20 Jahren in der Telekommunikations- und Software-Branche bringt er eine tiefe Expertise für digitale Skalierung und rechtssichere Prozessoptimierung in die Diskussion ein.

Mr Mohns is a policy officer in Division DS II 7 “Identity and Verification Services, Wallet” and is responsible for the topics of connecting public administration to the EUDI Wallet ecosystem and the European Business Wallet.

Dr. Markus Reichel (CDU) has been a member of the German Bundestag since October 2021. As a directly elected member of parliament, he represents the electoral district of Dresden 1. He is a member of the Committee on Digital Affairs and the Committee on Labor and Social Affairs. He also chairs the "Future of Work" working group of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. Markus Reichel was born in Munich in 1968. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, he studied mathematics at the Technical University of Dresden from 1991. He then completed postgraduate studies in economics. In 1998, he received his doctorate in energy economics from the Technical University of Dresden. Prior to his mandate, Markus Reichel initially worked as a research assistant at the International University Institute Zittau. In 1999, he then founded his own company DREBERIS (Dresden Consulting for International Strategies). Since November 2019, Markus Reichel has been the district chairman of the CDU Dresden. He has been active in the Foreign Trade Committee of the Dresden Chamber of Commerce and Industry since 2014 and has headed the Saxony CDU's State Committee on Business & Innovation since 2015. Away from political life, Markus Reichel teaches the Japanese martial art Aikido on a voluntary basis.

Kurt Rindle holds a degree in computer science and a Master of Business Administration. Since the beginning of his career, he has been involved with technical innovations such as mobile computing, cloud, RFID and digital identities. He has contributed his expertise to his own startups, Apple, IBM, Siemens and the Norwegian company Signicat. Since 2023 he is working for Swisscom Trust Services as Strategic Growth Manager in Germany (and Europe). Advanced and qualified signatures and seals for companies are his current topic.

Norbert Sagstetter is Head of Unit for Digital Identity and Trust at the European Commission. He is responsible for the implementation of the European Digital Identity Framework. In previous functions, Norbert has been active in enlargement policy, development policy, rule of law enforcement and better regulation policy. 

The fully qualified lawyer has headed the Digital Department of the Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railways (BNetzA) since 2024. Together with her team, she oversees issues relating to the internet economy and digital regulation. In addition to areas such as net neutrality, geoblocking, combating terrorist online content, electronic trust services, and the P2B Regulation, she is particularly responsible for guiding the implementation of new digital legislation, including the AI Act, the Data Act, and the Data Governance Act. Before taking over the new Digital Department, she led the sub-department “Internet, Digitalisation – particularly for SMEs, Market Analysis.” In this role, she was also involved in the development of the Digital Services Act and shared responsibility for the BNetzA’s functions as Digital Services Coordinator. Previously, she headed the “International Coordination for Telecommunications and Railways” unit and supported the BNetzA’s activities at European and international levels. Until joining BNetzA in 2010, Ms Sanders-Winter worked in various federal ministries, most recently in the former Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. During her ministerial tenure, she contributed to several German EU Council Presidencies and was also posted to the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the EU in Brussels. She lives with her family in Bonn.

I am responsible for authentication, identification and e-signature solutions at Volkswagen Financial Services, driving secure, user-centric and eIDAS-compliant digital identity capabilities. At the Bitkom eIDAS Summit, I will share insights from our work on integrating the EUDI Wallet into our digital identity landscape.

Clemens Schleupner gestaltet seit drei Jahren aktiv die Entwicklung von digitalen Identitäten und Vertrauensdiensten in Deutschland und Europa. Zunächst als Bereichsleiter für den Bitkom, arbeitet er heute für die Bundesagentur für Sprunginnovationen (SPRIND) als Teil des EUDI-Wallet-Projekts an der Implementierung der deutschen Wallet. Clemens hat in Nancy, Paris und Washington Internationale Beziehungen studiert.

Lilly Schmidt ist eine etablierte Expertin für digitales Identitätsmanagement, eIDAS 2.0 und Technologiepolitik mit besonderem Fokus auf die kommunale sowie internationale Umsetzung der EUDI-Wallet. Sie verfügt über umfangreiche Erfahrung in der strategischen Beratung zur Digitalisierung öffentlicher Dienste und hat sich auf die Einführung und Skalierung elektronischer Identitäten spezialisiert. 

Zuvor leitete sie die Begleitforschung im Projekt Schaufenster Sichere Digitale Identitäten an der ESMT Berlin und befasste sich mit den Themen Cybersicherheit, vertrauenswürdige Infrastrukturen und eID Use Cases in Deutschland. 

Ihr interdisziplinäres Studium der Politik und Verwaltung absolvierte sie mit Stationen in Estland, Belgien und Deutschland. Frühzeitig spezialisierte sie sich an der Schnittstelle von Verwaltung und Technologie auf Fragen der digitalen Souveränität und Verwaltungsmodernisierung. 

Seit Januar 2025 ist sie als Senior Consultant bei der Nortal AG tätig. Dort begleitet sie die kommunale sowie internationale Umsetzung der EUDI-Wallet, konzipiert und moderiert Workshops zu eIDAS 2.0 und proaktiver Verwaltung und bringt ihre Expertise in Verbänden, wie dem Bitkom oder Women in Identity ein. 

2024 gründete sie den Arbeitskreis „Digitale Identitäten in der Verwaltung“ beim NEGZ, um den fachlichen Austausch zu stärken und praxisnahe Ansätze für digitale Identitätslösungen in der öffentlichen Verwaltung zu entwickeln.

Since 2014, Justus Schrecker has been working on KYC processes, operational procedures, policies, and legislative drafts. He has gained international experience across a range of KYC projects. 

As Managing Director of Clarilab GmbH & Co. KG, responsible for customer engagement and research, Justus Schrecker oversees the further development of SCHUFA Holding AG’s KYC solutions and designs tailored approaches for entities subject to the German Anti-Money Laundering Act (GwG). 

Previously, he served as Head of the KYC Factory at passcon Germany, where he was responsible for the operational implementation of all KYC requirements at both national and international level. 

Prior to that, he worked as a Manager at PwC GmbH in the field of consulting for regulatory processes.

Ronnie Schrumpf is Manager Public Affairs at ING Germany, with a focus on digital identities, eIDAS and KYC. Through his experience in customer onboarding, he brings extensive practical insights into the customer interface. He is involved in European pilot projects implementing the eIDAS 2.0 regulation and the European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet).

A particular focus of his work is the integration of digital credentials into existing processes – always with the customer perspective in mind. He is especially concerned with the question of how the EUDI Wallet can be successfully used in everyday life, and what framework conditions, infrastructure and trust are required to achieve this.

Ronnie is also actively engaged in expert committees such as Bitkom, the German Banking Association, and the D21 Initiative.

Heike Troue has been a member of the Executive Board of the Consumer Advice Centre Rhineland-Palatinate since 2023. The qualified economist has many years of experience in national and regional associations as well as in strategic bodies. Previously, she served, among other roles, as Chief Executive of the German Land Women’s Association, as a member of the Executive Board of Welthungerhilfe, and as Managing Director of “Deutschland sicher im Netz e.V.” (DsiN).

Carlo Ulbrich, Co-Founder and CSO of Nect GmbH, brings over ten years of experience in B2B sales, sales controlling, and project management. As a former Head of Sales at a global project logistics company, he led an international team. With a background in logistics and a degree in business administration, he focuses at Nect on building sustainable customer relationships, expanding into new markets, and growing the partner network.

After completing his studies as a graduate in business law, Leif Warnecke joined Deutsche Post AG in 2011, moving into product management at Post & Paket Deutschland. Most recently, he served as Product Portfolio Manager, overseeing all KYC, QES, and EUDI Wallet solutions from Postident for the banking sector.

Mr Westhoff is a fully qualified lawyer who, after several years in private legal practice, joined the German federal administration in 2010, initially at the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt). From mid-2013, he worked at the then Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development, which later became the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure and subsequently the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport. In his professional work, he has dealt with vehicle safety regulations, telecommunications law, road law and data law. Since the establishment of the Federal Ministry for Digitalisation and State Modernisation, Mr Westhoff has been heading Division DW II 6, which is responsible for legal frameworks relating to trust services and digital identities, as well as issues concerning the cybersecurity industry.

Christoph Weyl is an experienced payment expert. In the early years of his career, he worked across various companies and organisations, contributing to a wide range of projects focused on optimising both front-end and back-end payment systems in e-commerce. For more than ten years, Christoph has been with DB Vertrieb, where he built and now leads a fraud prevention team. He is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to mitigate risk in digital payments and has established a new, company-wide fraud ecosystem within DB. Christoph Weyl is a sought-after expert in payment risk management. His motto: “The other side is highly interconnected – we need to be as well.”