Programme

Eric Auchard is chief technology correspondent for Reuters News in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Based in Frankfurt, he travels frequently, covering stories about technology trends and companies in the region, from major names to the latest start-ups, as well as the impact of global technology trends on industry and society. Mr. Auchard has worked as a technology reporter, columnist, editor and web developer at Reuters since 1993. He’s covered the rise of many of the of the world’s biggest tech and Internet phenomena and personalities from bureaus in San Francisco, Washington D.C., New York, London and Vienna. He acted as Reuters global technology correspondent from 2000 to 2004. Eric grew up in what the world now knows as Silicon Valley.

He studied at the Cosmonautics and Flight Vehicles School of the Moscow Aviation Institute, graduating in 1994, and earned a financial management degree from the Higher School of Economics under the Government of RF in 1996. In 2004, Mr. Gurko founded and led M2M Telematics Group, which united the leading companies from various segments of Russian navigation information market. From 2009 to 2012, he was the CEO of JSC “Navigation Information Systems” (NIS GLONASS). Since May 2012, Mr. Gurko serves as the President of the Non-commercial Partnership for Development and Use of Navigation Technologies (GLONASS Union), Russian National Navigation Services Provider. GLONASS Union members are leading Russian companies in telecommunication, IT, and navigation markets, leading car manufacturers: JSC “VimpelCom”, JSC “MegaFon“, JSC “MTS”, JSC “Rostelecom”, JSC “Navigation Information Systems”, JSC “Summa Telecom”, JSC "Kronstadt", Cesar Satellite Group, Yandex LLC, Association “GLONASS/GNSS Forum”, CJSC “Russian Telecom Equipment Company” (RTEC), JSC “GLONASS”, JSC “Group T1”, PJSC “KAMAZ” and JSC NIIMA “PROGRESS”. Mr. Gurko is a member of the Presidential Council for Economic Modernization and innovative development of Russia since 2012. In July 2015, he is a member of the Board of Directors the Joint Stock Company "GLONASS", where he heads the Committee for Strategy and Investment.

Born on November 16, 1957 in the village of Bolshiye Klyuchi in the Zelenodolsky District, Tatarstan, Sergey Kogogin began his professional career in 1976 as a milling machine operator at the Kazan Engine Building Plant. He graduated from the Kazan Aviation Technical College in 1977 and received a degree from the Physics Department of the Kazan State University in 1982. Sergey Kogogin worked as a tuning engineer at the Era company in 1982–1985 and as a senior engineer, bureau chief, deputy chief mechanical engineer and chairman of the trade union committee at the Zelenodolsky Machine Engineering Plant from 1985 to 1990. From 1990 to 1994 he managed the Zelenodolsky Machine Engineering Plant and in 1994–1999 was head of the Zelenodolsky District Administration, before being appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Industry of the Republic of Tatarstan. Sergey Kogogin has been a member of the Board of Directors of KAMAZ since June 1999 and General Director of KAMAZ since April 26, 2002. Since January 2006, he has headed the Association of Russia’s Automakers non-profit partnership as its Chairman of the Board. Sergey Kogogin has a PhD in Economics and holds numerous government and public awards and honorary titles.

Franck Cohen is President of SAP's largest and most diverse region, Europe, Middle East & Africa. In January 2015, his responsibilities were extended to include Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Eastern European countries. Franck’s vision of how SAP innovations can fundamentally change the way companies do business - “the art of the possible” - and help them succeed in today’s digital economy, resonates strongly with customers across the region. Over the last four years under Franck Cohen’s leadership, SAP EMEA has consistently delivered recordsetting results. Franck joined SAP in 2009 as Senior Vice President, COO for EMEA. In 2011 he was appointed President of Europe, Middle East and Africa. Franck began his technology career in 1987 when he successfully launched and ran an enterprise resource planning (ERP) reseller in France. Ten years later, he joined Intentia, a Swedish ERP company, where he held several roles including General Manager of EMEA and Senior Vice President of Sales Worldwide. In 2006 when Intentia merged with Lawson Software, Franck remained with the new company as general manager for EMEA. He subsequently relocated to the United States to lead the North American sales organization.

Christian Morales is an Intel vice president and general manager of Intel Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He is responsible for Intel product sales and marketing in the EMEA region. Morales has held senior international management roles in sales, channel operations and general management. He brings extensive experience in marketing and building brand awareness for new product segments, as well as a strong background in expanding and driving Intel's business into new and emerging markets. Prior to this role, Morales was Intel's vice president of the Sales and Marketing Group and co-general manager of Asia Pacific responsible for implementing Intel's strategies in Asia. He was also responsible for championing Intel's worldwide emerging markets strategy. Before that, he was general manager of Latin America and was instrumental in helping to establish a new regional headquarters and expand the company's regional presence throughout the continent. He joined the company in 1980 in Paris as an Intel field sales engineer and in 1983 became director for Spain and Portugal, and then moved back to Paris in senior positions to manage Western Europe channels and OEMs. He has been based in Paris, Madrid, Sao Paulo and Hong Kong. Morales graduated with an electrical engineering degree from the Electricity, Mechanics and Electronics Engineering School in Paris. In 1990, he completed the Young Managers Program in the MBA program at INSEAD.

Born 1963 in Barnaul, Altai Region. 1985: graduated from Altai State University in Radio Physics and Electronics. He then pursued post-graduate studies at the Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology, where he focused his research on semi-conductor production and semi-conductor based devices. 2007: Candidate of Economics, thesis on “Corporate governance in state-controlled joint stock companies”. Since 1987: has worked in various companies he set up. He established the Kaskol Group, which became one of the biggest industrial holding groups. 2012: one of the founders of STAN, a leading heavy machinery manufacturer in the country. Member of the Coordinating and General Councils of the All-Russia Public Organization Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia), member of the Administrative Office of the Board of the All-Russia Sector Association of Employers Union of Russian Engineering Union and board member of a number of companies, including RZD JSCo and others.

Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Maksim Sokolov. Born in Leningrad on September 29, 1968. Completed his national service in the army in 1987–1989. Graduated from St. Petersburg State University Faculty of Economics in 1991. He also studied at the university’s Faculty of Law from 1989 to 1991. From 1991 to 1993, Mr. Sokolov taught at the St. Petersburg State University Faculty of Economics. From 1992–1999, he was General Director of ROSSI Concern. From 1999 to 2004, Mr. Sokolov was General Director of Korporatsia C. From 2004 to 2009, he served as Chairman of the Committee for Investment and Strategic Projects of St. Petersburg. In 2009, Mr. Sokolov became a member of the Government of St. Petersburg: Chairman of the Committee for Economic Development, Industrial Policy and Trade. On December 4, 2009, he was named Director of the Department of Industry and Infrastructure of the Government of the Russian Federation. On 21 May, 2012, Mr. Sokolov was appointed Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation by Presidential Executive Order No. 660. Maksim Sokolov has been awarded the Ribbon of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” 2nd class and the Governor of St. Petersburg Badge “For the Humanization of the St. Petersburg school”. He has three sons.

In 1989, after completing his studies at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, Peter Spuhler took over Stadler with a total of 18 employees at that time. Under his leadership as Group CEO and President of the Supervisory Board, the company has grown to become an international supplier of trains and trams with around 6,000 employees (3,000 in Switzerland), and a turnover of CHF 2.3 billion. Peter Spuhler owns 83% of the share capital. In 2006, Peter Spuhler took over the Swiss Aebi Burgdorf company and later merged it with the German company Schmidt. Peter Spuhler is majority shareholder and President of the Supervisory Board of the Group, with 1,300 employees and a turnover of around CHF 400 million. On April 29, 2009, as the largest shareholder, Peter Spuhler was elected onto the Rieter Supervisory Board. He owns about 19,2% of the shares. Since spring 2011 he is also the largest shareholder of Autoneum with 18,2% of the shares and on their Supervisory Board. During his period in the Swiss army, Peter Spuhler held the rank of Captain and was Commanding Officer of the Twelfth Division of the Mountain Grenadiers (an elite special force) for five years. After the military reform in 1995, he served as CO of Division III/148 of the Mountain Fusiliers for a further three years. From 1999 until 2012 he held a seat in the Swiss Parliament (National Council) as a member of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) for canton Thurgau (Thurgovia) and was a member of the Committee for Economic Affairs and Taxation CEAT. Peter Spuhler is married and has three children.