Security Is Becoming a Management Priority for Companies
Security, resilience, and geopolitical risks have become key issues for businesses. Our keynote speakers on defense technology, cybersecurity, and geopolitics will demonstrate how organizations can prepare for hybrid threats and actively shape their future.
Our world has changed fundamentally. Today, security is no longer just the responsibility of the military or politicians—it affects the economy, society, and every organization. Geopolitical tensions, hybrid threats, and technological disruption are all intertwined. Attacks are no longer exclusively military in nature but increasingly take place in cyberspace, through supply chains, disinformation, espionage, or targeted sabotage. Companies—whether small and medium-sized businesses, large corporations, or public institutions—are thus at the center of a new reality.
Hybrid Warfare: Why Companies Are Affected
Recent developments show that critical infrastructure, businesses, and institutions have long been part of hybrid conflicts. Cyberattacks, drone overflights, GPS jamming, and targeted influence operations are no longer isolated incidents, but rather manifestations of systematic strategies aimed at undermining the stability of states and societies.
For companies, this means that they are not only potential targets but are also increasingly part of the security-critical infrastructure. Today, resilience means more than just IT security. It’s about robust supply chains, protected data, organizational resilience, and the ability to remain capable of acting even under pressure.
This development is leading to a paradigm shift: security is becoming a task for society as a whole—a matter of total defense. Companies are playing a central role in this.
Defense Technology & Dual-Use: Opportunities for Innovation
At the same time, new opportunities are emerging. Technologies with dual-use potential—from artificial intelligence to drones to cybersecurity solutions—bridge civilian and security-related applications. Defense tech is no longer a closed-off sector, but rather a driver of innovation, competitiveness, and Europe’s strategic sovereignty.
New markets, partnerships, and business models are opening up for companies. Attractive entry points into a growing, dynamic environment are emerging, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses and technology-driven companies.
Democracy, Responsibility, and the Role of Business
With these opportunities comes greater responsibility. Security and defense are closely linked to issues of democracy, ethics, and social legitimacy.
Companies are increasingly having to grapple with questions such as:
- What role do we play in an increasingly uncertain world?
- How do we protect our employees, data, and infrastructure?
- How do we help protect an open, values-based society?
Employees, customers, and the public expect guidance. Safety thus becomes not only an operational responsibility but also a strategic and cultural leadership task.
Formats: Keynote, Presentation, Panel Discussion, Moderation
Whether it’s a keynote address, a presentation, a panel discussion, a debate, or a moderated session—our speakers design formats that inform, provide context, and facilitate discussion.
Typical topics include:
- Defense Technology & Dual-Use Innovation
- Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure
- Geopolitics and Economic Implications
- Hybrid Warfare and Corporate Security
- Resilience, Supply Chains, and Crisis Management
- Democracy, Responsibility, and the Social Role of Businesses
Why These Issues Are Crucial Right Now
For companies, this means: gaining perspective, understanding risks, identifying opportunities—and actively shaping them.
Security is no longer a peripheral issue. It has become a core management responsibility.
Book our keynote speakers for your event, executive meeting, or strategy retreat—and turn security, resilience, and innovation into a real competitive advantage.
Book a keynote speaker for your event now:
Retired Lieutenant General Andreas Hoppe
Hybrid Warfare: Defense & Resilience
Deputy Inspector General of the Bundeswehr through 2025
Retired Lieutenant General Andreas Hoppe served as Deputy Inspector General of the Bundeswehr until July 2025, making him one of Germany’s highest-ranking generals. A career Air Force officer and experienced jet pilot, he served, among other roles, as squadron commander and later as commodore of Tactical Air Force Wing 31 “Boelcke.” As Deputy Inspector General, Hoppe was responsible, among other things, for the Bundeswehr’s reservist program and played a key role in developing the Bundeswehr’s new structure. As Deputy Director of the Strategy and Operations Division (2021–2024), he helped shape Germany’s new military strategy.
Prof. Dr. Rafaela Kraus
Entrepreneurship & Defense Innovation
Prof. Dr. Rafaela Kraus is one of Europe’s leading experts on defense innovation and technology transfer. As a professor and former vice president of the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich, she bridges the gap between academia, startups, and industry to create a European innovation ecosystem. She founded the startup center founders@unibw, launched the NATO Accelerator Palladion, and helped establish programs such as SpaceFounders. As a strategist, speaker, and angel investor, she champions a new understanding of security: interconnected, European, and action-oriented.
Colonel Matthias Puschnig
Strategist - Security Policy & Defense Industry
Matthias Puschnig served as a colonel on the Special Staff for Ukraine at the Federal Ministry of Defense until July 2026. He has extensive experience in government work as well as in multinational military-political contexts within NATO and the EU. Following his active role at the Federal Ministry of Defense, he now serves as a senior advisor to the defense industry and on the advisory boards of companies in the defense supply sector. In his presentations, he combines security policy analysis with an economic perspective. He is an outstanding keynote speaker, and his insights are relevant to the entire economy.
Stephanie Wißmann
Researcher, Entrepreneur, and Strategic Advisor | Defense Innovation & Digital Trust
Stephanie Wißmann combines two decades of leadership experience in telecommunications and fintech with cutting-edge research on defense innovation and digital governance at the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich. She is a member of the German delegation to the NATO Research Task Group. She will speak about defense innovation in Europe: what works, what fails, which ethical questions remain unresolved, and why digital trust is becoming a key component of security policy infrastructure.
Prof. Dr. Gabi Dreo Rodosek
Computer Scientist & Cybersecurity Expert
Prof. Dr. Gabi Dreo Rodosek is one of the leading experts in the field of cybersecurity. As the founding director of the CODE (Cyber Defense) research institute and as the coordinator of the EU Horizon 2020 project CONCORDIA, which involves 56 partners, she is committed to building trustworthy and resilient ecosystems. Her focus is on sustainably strengthening collaboration between academia, industry, politics, and society, as well as expanding strategic capabilities in Europe. Her research areas include, in particular, the detection and mitigation of cyberattacks—especially using AI-based approaches—as well as topics related to AI-supported risk management.
Kerry Hoppe
Lawyer (University) | Reserve Lieutenant
Keynote speaker Kerry Hoppe is passionately committed to the issues of innovation, defense, and democracy. She is a founding member and host of the Munich Security Breakfast, which brings together defense startups, investors, and innovators from the political and military spheres as part of the Munich Security Conference. She is a co-founder of Vote16, Germany’s largest movement advocating for the right to vote at age 16—supported by JoinPolitics, a venture capital fund for political startups. Kerry is also a lawyer and a reserve officer in the German Air Force.
Christoph Keese
Entrepreneur, Investor, and Author
Christoph Keese is one of Germany’s best-known thought leaders on digital transformation, a passionate innovator, serial entrepreneur, and business angel, a sought-after speaker, and the author of bestsellers on digitalization and economic policy. He has lived in Silicon Valley on several occasions, following in the footsteps of Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos and searching for new investment opportunities. Christoph Keese was Chief Executive Officer of hy – the Axel Springer Consulting Group, which is dedicated to helping business leaders transform their organizations into 21st-century winners.
Dr. Sae Schatz
Cognitive Security & Emerging Technology
Dr. Sae Schatz works at the intersection of human cognition, digital systems, and global security. As founder of Knowledge Forge LLC, she advises organizations on cognitive security, emerging technologies, and the strategic risks and opportunities of AI. She previously directed the Pentagon’s Advanced Distributed Learning program and has nearly two decades of experience working in science and technology, ranging from individual researcher to chief scientist. She is the author of *Unreconciled: Being Human in the 21st Century* and *Engines of Engagement: A Curious Book About Generative AI*, and regularly speaks at international events, including recent keynote addresses at the MIT Universal AI Summit in Warsaw and Siren Fusion in Galway.
REFERENCES & CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS
I would like to take this opportunity to once again express my sincere thanks for your professional support. Prof. Dr. Kraus’s presentation was truly outstanding.
The feedback from the participants was consistently positive, and I have received nothing but enthusiastic responses. ( 07/2026)
We would like to express our sincere thanks to Prof. Dr. Rafaela Kraus for her participation. Her presentation as part of our DHK Matinee delighted our guests both professionally and personally.
With her proven expertise, her inspiring manner, and her ability to convey complex topics in a way that is understandable, practical, and motivating, she has provided valuable insights. The consistently extremely positive feedback from our guests confirms the lasting impact of her presentation in Salzburg.
We would also like to highlight the excellent collaboration with your team. The organization was professional, straightforward, and pleasant at all times. We can wholeheartedly recommend Prof. Dr. Rafaela Kraus and Karin Burger’s team. We look forward to working with you again in the future. (07/2026)
Dear Professor Kraus, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you once again for your presentation, “Focus on Security: Investments in Security, Defense, and Reconstruction in Crisis and Conflict Regions—An Opportunity for Leasing,” delivered at our spring conference in Potsdam. Your presentation greatly enriched our event. It gave the participants food for thought, but also encouraged them and sparked ideas for increased business engagement in this area. Your messages were extremely well received by the audience. In particular, your clear words and valuable insights into reality and practical experience added significant value for all attendees. (05/2026)