Our first speakers
Dr. Karsten Wildberger
Dr. Markus Richter
Despina Spanou
Dr Markus Reichel
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.
Norbert Sagstetter
Andrea Sanders-Winter
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.
Alina Radu
Florent Tournois
Since March 2022, Florent TOURNOIS has led the "France Identité" program, which focuses on digitizing the French ID card and developing the French digital identity wallet. He also coordinates the EU-funded POTENTIAL project, testing the interoperability of digital identity wallets across 18 EU countries and Ukraine, as well as the newly-selected consortium APTITUDE with 11 EU countries and Ukraine, and PACT.
Before ANTS, Florent worked at the General Directorate for Enterprises (DGE) and the Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs (DINUM).
Hagen Saxowski
Franziska Granc
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.
Michał Tabor
Michał Tabor is a Board Member at Obserwatorium.biz with hands-on experience delivering and scaling electronic signature solutions for public and private-sector use cases, supporting Trust Service Providers in the development and compliance of their services.
He contributes to ETSI standardisation work focused on trust services and interoperability, and he has co-authored and contributed to ENISA publications on digital identity and trust services.
His work bridges implementation reality with regulatory and standards requirements across the European eIDAS ecosystem.
Christina Hirsch
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.
Dirk Backofen
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.
Timo Behrmann
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.
Hartje Bruns
Hartje Bruns, who holds a degree in Media Informatics, has been a member of the Governikus management board since October 2025 and leads the company’s technical division.
Previously, as Director Products within portfolio management, he was primarily responsible for overseeing the development of products and solutions related to electronic identities. As a product and project manager, he played a leading role in the development of the eID solution Governikus ID Panstar (formerly Governikus Autent). The use of the eID function of the German ID card, and more broadly the interoperability of various eID systems at the European level, are key cornerstones of his work. As a certified Scrum Product Owner, his main interest lies in the close integration of product management and development.
For a period, Bruns also served as Product Owner at Governikus, where he was responsible for the further development of the TR-ESOR-compliant solution for long-term storage, Governikus DATA Aeonia. This solution focuses on the preservation of evidential value in the long-term storage of electronic documents.
Alexander Eßer
Joost Fleuren
Programme Manager at the Strategy, Policy and Legal Affairs department of the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce. Coordinator of the WE BUILD Consortium.
Dr. Beate Ginzel
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.
Dr Elisabeth Grießl
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
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).
Stefan Krebs
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
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.
Focko Lowin
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.
Claudia Obermüller
Massimiliano Pennone
For the past seven years, I've been working as a civil servant in the Italian Government's Department for Disability Policies. Since 2022, I've been managing projects related to the digitalization of public services and documents for people with disabilities (European Parking Card and European Disability Card), including their integration into the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet programs.
Dr. Sibylle Plassmann
Andre Posner
Als Experte für Identity and Access Management (IAM) mit über 20 Jahren Erfahrung spezialisiert sich Andre Posner auf die „letzte Meile“ der digitalen Identität: die Übersetzung komplexer technischer Komponenten in nahtlose, praxisnahe Nutzererlebnisse. Als Solution Architect und Sales Engineer bei Ping Identity berät Andre Organisationen aus den Bereichen Versicherung, öffentlicher Sektor und Telekommunikation strategisch. Sein Fokus liegt darauf, diese regulierungsintensiven Branchen dabei zu unterstützen, strenge regulatorische Anforderungen (z. B. AML und BaFin) mit dem Bedarf an skalierbaren, betrugsresistenten digitalen Ökosystemen in Einklang zu bringen.
Lilly Schmidt
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.
Justus Schrecker
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.
Leah Schrimpf
Steffen Schwalm
Steffen Schwalm has around 20 years of experience in the design, implementation, and deployment of trusted (decentralised) digital ecosystems based on digital identities and trust services in highly regulated industries across Europe.
He works as a Senior Manager for Digital Identity and Trust at msg. His main areas of focus include:
• eIDAS, EUDI and the EU Business Wallet
• Decentralised digital identities & compliance
• Trust services
• Certification & audit
Steffen Schwalm is actively involved in international standardisation related to eIDAS, the Business Wallet and trust services, including within ISO, ETSI and CEN, and is the author of numerous publications. He also supports the piloting of EUDI ecosystems and EU Business Wallets in various European projects.
Lorène Slous
Als Referentin für Digitale Identitäten und Vertrauensdienste betreut Lorène Slous die inhaltliche und themenübergreifende Arbeit rund um Digitale Identitäten und Elektronische Vertrauensdiente.
Vor ihrer Tätigkeit beim Bitkom war Lorène als Public Sector & Defence Industry Consultant bei Eviden GmbH tätig und hat Berufserfahrung beim Auswärtigen Amt in Berlin sowie bei nachgeordneten Behörden der deutschen und französischen Innenministerien gesammelt. Sie hat Europäische Studien sowie Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspolitik an der Universität Regensburg und an der Sciences Po in Paris studiert.
Michael Stehle
Britta Tilsner
Britta has more than 15 years of experience in the field of cloud computing within international technology companies. In her current role at Delos Cloud, she focuses in particular on sovereign cloud solutions and the role of partner ecosystems in their successful implementation. A special emphasis is placed on collaboration with software partners to enable innovative and trustworthy cloud solutions for public sector organisations.
Carlo Ulbrich
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.
Dr. Markus Vesely
Mario Voge
Mit über 20 Jahren Sales-Erfahrung im digitalen Umfeld und mehr als sieben Jahren bei Swisscom Trust Services prägt Mario Voge als Head of Growth die internationale Wachstumsstrategie des Unternehmens. Er verantwortet den Aufbau und die Führung der Growth-Organisation, die Entwicklung neuer Partner- und Kundenbeziehungen sowie die nachhaltige Pflege und Weiterentwicklung des Bestandskundengeschäfts.
Michael Wahl
Leif Warnecke
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.
Robin Tim Weis
Robin Tim Weis is the Director of International Affairs at the Zero Project. He is responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing the Zero Project’s strategy, policy, and programs relating to its international activities. He also engages the Zero Project’s international partners in order to build public sector coalitions to achieve a world with zero barriers for all.
With a background in science diplomacy and cybersecurity, Robin Tim Weis looks to empower the aspirations of persons with disabilities and remove the barriers they face. Thus, he manages programs such as the Zero Project Ambassadors’ Circle, which elevates the importance of disability inclusion within the diplomatic collective.
Robin Tim Weis holds a M.Sc. in Cybersecurity Law from the University of Maryland, a M.A. in American Studies from the University of Heidelberg, and a B.A. in International Affairs from the Free University of Brussels.
