Industry Experts & Innovation Leaders
Enrico Engel
CTO
Marius Reuther
Frank Kraemer
Diego Sanchez
Digitalwerk
CEO
b-plus Automotive
Technical specialist
Marius Reuther is the CEO of b-plus automotive GmbH, a leading provider of data-driven software and validation solutions for ADAS and autonomous driving systems. He co-founded Incenda AI, focusing on AI-based data quality in automotive applications, which was integrated into b-plus in 2023. At b-plus, Marius leads initiatives in AI-enhanced data analytics, cloud-based data management, and Hardware-in-the-Loop testing to accelerate the development of intelligent and connected mobility solutions.
IBM
technical manager
Enrico Engel has spent around two decades building software frameworks and applications for the automotive industry. As Founder and Managing Director of ef.next and CTO of Digitalwerk, he focuses on robust software architectures, software transparency and engineering processes that remain understandable and maintainable over time.
Frank Kraemer is an IBM Systems Architect for large scale IT solutions. He has a very good understanding of Data Management for Autonomous Driving (AD) and AI in the Automotive Industry. Frank Kraemer is responsible for helping drive global automotive industry enterprise data strategy and focused on establishing areas of application for the Red Hat OpenShift, full-stack and software-defined computing platform used in areas of deep learning, data science, and artificial intelligence.
ASAM
A professional with over a decade of experience in the automotive industry. As an HIL tester for autonomous driving, he conducted manual and automated system tests, validated software on test benches, and collaborated with both customers and development teams. Prior to this, Diego worked as a project engineer, specializing in data management, where he implemented software and hardware changes in E/E control units, managed releases, controlled suppliers and ensure the coordination of the software delivery process.He also worked as a problem manager, where he oversaw product development, ensuring adherence to quality requirements.
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Robby Gurdan
Founder & Managing Director - CTO
Stephen Lernout
co-founder & ceo
Dr Bertold Huber
Deontic
Managing director
Mara Schmidt
TSN Systems
Within TSN Systems, he oversees all product development, is responsible for the technical customer consulting, project executions, and lead projects of the company´s esteemed clients, including many of the industry´s leading technology companies. Working at eye level with his teams, he oversees the development of the TSN Systems product portfolio, which is designed to be cutting edge and to meet the needs of a wide range of individual and corporate customers.
Stephen Lernout is the co-founder and CEO of Deontic, a company building “safe autonomy” tooling for physical AI and automated driving. A serial entrepreneur with a background in technology sales and marketing, he previously led strategy and innovation at language-technology ventures including Miia and Nalantis.
GeneSys Elektonik
SNR VP / CCO
Dr. Bertold Huber, born in Germany in 1963, graduated in Electronic Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences Offenburg. He earned his PhD specializing in gyroscopic instruments and control strategies for autonomous guided vehicles.
In 1996, he was one of the founders of GeneSys Elektronik GmbH in Offenburg, Germany, and has served as Managing Director ever since. Under his leadership, GeneSys has grown into an internationally recognized specialist in gyroscopic, inclination and laser metrology, industrial image processing and provides automotive testing equipment, and advanced sensor technologies for construction machines and tunnelling applications.
IPG Automotive
Mara Schmidt is Senior Vice President & Chief Consulting Officer at IPG Automotive GmbH, a leading provider for virtual vehicle development. With more than a decade of automotive experience, Mara combines expertise in business consulting, product management, organizational change, and leadership. Passionate about customer-centric innovation, Mara helps organizations accelerate virtual vehicle development, optimize engineering processes, and unlock measurable business value through advanced simulation and smart testing strategies.
Klaas Ebel
Director vehicle safety
measX
Klaas Ebel’s career in the automotive industry has seen him work for various OEMs at various levels in multiple teams. His favourite aspect of the job is making the world of transportation a little safer every day. After studying snow physics, his first stint in automotive was in numerical crash test simulation.
Ahmed Yoursif
senior expert system simulation
Valeo
As a visionary, I explore the universe of virtual worlds and automotive simulation, constantly pushing the limits of what is possible. I seek to craft the next generation of concepts that will astound and mesmerize all who experience them. My passion lies in the intricate workings of artificial intelligence, a tool that allows me to create experiences that transport us to new frontiers. Through my work, I aim to safeguard the safety of autonomous driving vehicles while immersing users in a world of wonder. My ultimate dream is to be part of a movement towards a world free from accidents, where the roads are safe and our imaginations are free to roam. The future of transportation is limitless, and I am determined to play a role in shaping it for the better.
Philippe Kaufer
Snr. Business development Eng.
Vector Informatik
Philippe Käufer is a Business Development Engineer at Vector Informatik, specializing in engineering platforms, hardware access, and continuous validation. His work focuses on integrating physical test hardware into modern CI/CD workflows, helping engineering teams achieve faster feedback, higher utilization, and scalable development processes.
Martin Herrmann
SNR Business Development MGR
IPG Automotive
After studying automotive engineering at Ilmenau Technical University, he joined IPG Automotive in Karlsruhe in 2014, initially leading ADAS and vehicle dynamics engineering projects. Since 2016, Martin has focused on consulting and designing solutions for simulation-based development and testing of automated driving functions, specializing in scenario-based testing and data-driven development. Throughout his career, he has contributed to major industry initiatives, including the PEGASUS and SET Level research projects.
Felix Ottofuelling
Business Development
Intrepid Control Systems
For over 15 years, Felix has been working in the field of testing and validating in-vehicle networks and ECUs based on CAN, CAN FD, LIN, FlexRay and Automotive Ethernet. His current main area of interest is the fundamental transformation of the in-vehicle network architecture.
Iago Alvarez
Lead Engineer & product owner
Technica Engineering
Iago Alvarez received the M.Sc. degree in Industrial Robotics and Automation Engineering from the University of Vigo (Spain) and University of Genoa (Italy) in 2019.
He started his career at Technica Engineering in 2019 and currently holds the position of Lead Engineer, where he takes technical responsibility for topics of ISO/OSI Layer 2 (including Ethernet Switches and AVB/TSN) and in addition TCP.
Iago has led and been involved in many automotive networking projects, with a strong emphasis on System Engineering. Recent project topics include Ethernet switches and QoS/TSN mechanisms as well as enhancing their applicability and performance in automotive networks.
Iago is also the co-author of FLYNC (FLexible Yaml-based Network Configuration) and currently acts as a Product Owner and maintainer of the project.
Adrian Bertl
Head of Profit Centre Tools
b-plus Technologies
Adrian Bertl studied media technology at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology. After many years of experience in technology-driven product marketing, he now serves as Head of the TOOLS Profit Center at b-plus, overseeing the Data Platforms, Interfaces & Networking divisions.
Steffen Gugenhan
Manager products
Star Corporation
As Manager Products at Star Electronics GmbH & Co. KG, he is responsible for driving product solutions for the automotive market. Prior to joining Star Electronics in 2015, he spent over seven years at Eberspächer Electronics GmbH, where he held a series of leadership roles including Head of Product Management & Development.
Sebastian Geissler
Senior Developer
Digitalwerk
Sebastian Geißler is one of the architects behind the ADTF framework at Digitalwerk GmbH, shaping its evolution for over a decade — and now spends his days teaching AI agents to drive it for him.
A. Suarez Garcia De Leon
Sales expert
Messring
Since joining MESSRING in 2023, he has been working in Sales for the Active Safety division. As a state-certified mechanical engineering technician with many years of professional experience, he supports MESSRING's vision of achieving safer mobility for everyone.
Dr. Christian Gutenkunst
Global Product Manager
AVL
Dr.-Ing. Christian Gutenkunst is Global Product Manager for ADAS/AD solutions at AVL, specializing in validation methodologies, toolchain integration, and real-world testing of
advanced driver assistance and automated driving systems. He received his Ph.D. from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, and has more than a decade of experience bridging research and industrial application in the field of ADAS and automated driving. He has contributed to several national and international research initiatives, including the VVMethoden and Safe AI Engineering projects, and has authored multiple scientific publications. His current focus is the development and deployment of scalable data-driven validation solutions for next-generation ADAS and automated driving systems.
Christoph Loytved
Product Manager
Compredict
Christoph Loytved is Product Manager for the Tire and Brake Wear Virtual Sensor at COMPREDICT, a role he has held since 2023. He joined COMPREDICT in 2018 as a Data Scientist developing virtual sensors, and graduated from Technische Universität Darmstadt in 2018.
Olin Zheng
Chief solution engineer
Keymotek
As Chief Solution Architect, Olin brings expertise in High-Performance Multi-Modal Perception Data Acquisition Systems and offers a deep insight into engineering implementation and automotive scenario adaptation.
Michael Liebelt
Expert serdes
b-plus Technologies
Michael Liebelt joined b-plus in July 2017 as a project manager due to his software background. Over time he specialized on SerDes and camera configuration and turned more to supporting clients with their MDILink projects. He now serves as head of support, combining his love for hardware and software.
Bastian Schumacher
Product Manager
b-plus Automotive
Bastian Schumacher is an experienced technology and product leader with a passion for turning complex ideas into successful digital products. With more than 17 years of experience across automotive, cloud, and startup environments, he has led product strategy and software development.
Marcel Bachmann
Product Manager
Compredict
Marcel Bachmann is a Product Manager at COMPREDICT building DataPilot — a platform for preparing time-series sensor data. He works closely with automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers to turn raw vehicle measurement data into analysis-ready datasets.