Speakers

Federal Councillor Karin Keller-Sutter has headed the Federal Department of Finance since January 2023 and served as President of the Swiss Confederation in 2025. She joined the Federal Council in 2019 after representing St. Gallen in the Council of States from 2011 to 2018, including as its President in 2017/18. Previously, she served in the St. Gallen cantonal government, leading the Justice and Security Department. Before joining the Federal Council, she held board roles at Bâloise, the Swiss Employers Association, NZZ Media Group and the St. Gallen Symposium. Trained as a translator and teacher, she worked in both fields before entering full-time politics. She holds a postgraduate degree in pedagogy from the University of Fribourg.

For more than 20 years, Gerd Chrzanowski has held various positions of responsibility in the companies of Schwarz Group, which includes the discount grocery store Lidl, the retail company Kaufland, several production companies, the waste and recycling service provider PreZero, and Schwarz Digits, which develops digital solutions for the companies of Schwarz Group and external customers. Until he assumed the role of General Partner in December 2021, he was Chief Executive Officer of Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG. The native Offenburger was largely responsible for establishing the waste and recycling business unit and for accelerating the digitalization process within the companies of Schwarz Group. Chrzanowski has a degree in business administration and a Bachelor of Arts in business management from Manchester Metropolitan University. Before his studies, he completed an apprenticeship as a car salesman.

Emma Inamutila Theofelus has served as Minister of Information and Communication Technology of the Republic of Namibia since February 2024 and is a Member of Parliament. As minister, she advances digital access, media freedom, youth empowerment and gender equality in technology policy. Previously she was Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology and before that served as Deputy Speaker of the Youth Parliament of Namibia, Board Member of the National Council for Higher Education, and Junior Mayor of Windhoek. She engages widely in youth leadership and civic initiatives. She holds diplomas in Business Management (Amity University) and African Feminism & Gender Studies (University of South Africa).

Philip D. Murphy is the former governor of the State of New Jersey (2018-2026) and the former United States ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany (2009–2013). He also served as the national finance chair of the Democratic National Committee (2006–2009). Before his years in public service, Mr. Murphy worked around the world for over 20 years at Goldman Sachs, ending his career on the firm’s Management Committee. As governor, Mr. Murphy rebuilt and transformed New Jersey, making it stronger, fairer and more affordable. He became the first Democrat to be re-elected in the state in 44 years. He chaired the National Governors Association and twice chaired the Democratic Governors Association. As ambassador, Phil Murphy deepened and broadened the relationship between the United States and Germany. The bond between the two nations was as strong during his tenure in Berlin as at any point in the postwar period. Mr. Murphy has served on and led many non-profit and civic organizations and received numerous awards and honorary degrees. He holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and a master’s degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Philip Murphy and his wife, Tammy Snyder Murphy, reside in New Jersey and are the parents of four adult children, Josh, Emma, Charlie and Sam.

Sebastian Kurz is former Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria and Co-Founder of DREAM since 2023. DREAM is an AI-cybersecurity company protecting nations and critical infrastructure against advanced digital threats, with operations in Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi and Vienna. In his current role, he works globally as an entrepreneur, investor and advisor, supporting the international expansion of technology-driven ventures. Previously, he served as Austria’s youngest Foreign Minister and twice as Federal Chancellor, becoming the youngest head of government in the world at the time. Beyond this, he supports organisations such as GLOBSEC, the International Democrat Union and the Abraham Accords Peace Institute on a voluntary basis.

Markus Lanz has been moderating the TV Talk-Show Markus Lanz on the German public-service television broadcaster Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) since 2008. In 2021, he launched a Podcast called Lanz + Precht with philosopher Richard David Precht, where they discuss contemporary societal and political topics. Previously, he was Moderator of the prominent Saturday evening TV-Show Wetten, dass..? from 2012 to 2014, for which he received the Golden Camera film and television award. Earlier in his career, he worked for Germany’s largest private television network RTL, where he moderated various shows from 1999 until 2008, becoming editor-in-chief in 2004 for the show Explosive – Das Magazine. He has taken part in both a North Pole and South Pole expatiation and holds a Communications degree from the Bavarian Academy for Advertising and Marketing.

Philipp Navratil has been Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé S.A. since September 2025. Previously, he served as CEO of Nestlé Nespresso S.A. and brings over two decades of experience at Nestlé with a deep background in the coffee industry. Prior to his current role, Mr Navratil served as Senior Vice President of Nestlé’s Coffee Strategic Business Unit, where he was responsible for shaping the global strategy and driving innovation for the Nescafé and Starbucks coffee brands. Earlier in his career, he led Nestlé’s coffee and beverage business in Mexico and was Country Manager for Nestlé Honduras, after beginning his career at Nestlé in 2001 as an International Auditor. Philipp Navratil holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. He was a member of the 28th International Students’ Committee (ISC) and served as President of the 29th St. Gallen Symposium. He now serves on the Board of Trustees of the St. Gallen Foundation for International Studies, supporting the long-term vision of the Symposium.

Sabrina Soussan is a member of the Board of Directors of Henkel and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Continental. She served as Chairman and CEO of SUEZ and was a member of the Board of Directors at Boeing until 2025. Prior to these roles, she was CEO of dormakaba and held senior leadership positions at Siemens, including serving as CEO of Siemens Mobility. She has also previously served on the Boards of ITT Inc. and Schaeffler and is engaged in various industry associations, including the French Business Confederation (MEDEF). Ms Soussan holds a degree in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering from ENSMA and an MBA from the University of Poitiers. We are delighted that she also serves on the Board of Trustees of the St. Gallen Symposium.

Miguel Ángel López Borrego has served as CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of thyssenkrupp AG since June 2023. He is responsible for key group functions, Steel Europe and Decarbon Technologies, as well as the Asia/Pacific/Africa region. Under his leadership, thyssenkrupp is advancing its strategic transformation into a financial holding company. Previously, López served as CEO of NORMA Group and as President and CEO of Siemens Spain, following several senior finance roles at Siemens, including at Siemens Gamesa. He also serves on the supervisory boards of thyssenkrupp nucera and thyssenkrupp Steel Europe. He holds a Diploma in Business Administration from Berufsakademie Mannheim and an MBA from a joint international programme.

Dr Hauschild is the managing director of BDSV - the German Security and Defence Industry Association. She gained her Ph.D. in natural science 1997, during this time she already dedicated her career to defence politics. She worked with the Bundeswehr Reserve Assocation and the Institute of Strategic Analysis, the Bundeswehr Academy for Information and Communication in Bonn and then at the Bundeswehr Military Intelligence Center in Strausberg as division leader. 2003 she switched over to industry, first to Rheinmetall Defence Electronics before joining the Diehl Company in 2004. In her position as Generalbevollmächtigte she is heading the Berlin and Brussels office. Dr Hauschild holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Reserve. Among other positions she is President of the Air and Space Forum, Commission Chair at the American Chamber of Commerce, and Board Member of the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Louis Mosley is Executive Vice President of Palantir Technologies for the UK and Europe and has been with the company since 2016. Palantir is a software and AI company that helps complex organisations integrate data and deploy artificial intelligence. Mosley oversees Palantir’s public- and private-sector business across the UK and Europe, including its defence engagements in Ukraine. Before joining Palantir, he worked in finance, including at Santander UK. He serves on the UK Government’s Defence Industrial Joint Council and was appointed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the U.S. representative on the Business Advisory Council for Ukraine. A British national, he graduated from the University of Oxford in 2006.

Peter Voser has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of ABB since 2015, having previously led the company as Chief Executive Officer . Prior to this role, he held senior executive positions at Royal Dutch Shell, serving as Chief Executive Officer from 2009 to 2013 and as Chief Financial Officer from 2004 to 2009. Beyond his executive career, he holds a range of leadership and board mandates, including Chairman of the Board of Directors of PSA International and member of the Board of Directors of IBM Corporation, and has previously served on the boards of UBS AG, Roche Holding, and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Catalyst Inc. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the St. Gallen Symposium.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein is President of the International Peace Institute and Perry World House Professor of the Practice of Law and Human Rights at the University of Pennsylvania. He was the UN human rights chief from 2014-2018. In 2019, he was elected to The Elders, an independent group of global leaders, founded by Nelson Mandela. He served twice as Jordan’s ambassador to the United Nations (in New York) and once as Jordan’s ambassador to the United States. In January 2014, he was president of the UN Security Council and earlier, in 2002, was the first president of the governing body of the International Criminal Court (until 2005). He also served as a UN civilian peacekeeper with UNPROFOR (from 1994-1996). He holds degrees from Johns Hopkins and Cambridge universities.

Clara C. Streit has been Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Börse AG since May 2024 and Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Vonovia SE since 2013, Germany’s largest residential real estate company and a DAX 40 member. She also chairs the Government Commission on the German Corporate Governance Code since 2023. In these roles she advances corporate governance standards and oversees key board committees. Previously she spent over 20 years at McKinsey & Company, most recently as Senior Partner leading its Banking, Exchanges & Insurance practice. She has served as a non-executive director on the boards of UniCredit S.p.A., NN Group N.V., Jerónimo Martins SGPS S.A., Vontobel Holding AG, Deutsche Börse AG as well as on the advisory board of Fraport AG and other companies. She holds a master’s degree (lic. oec.) in Finance and Accounting from the University of St. Gallen, where she was part of the 21st International Students’ Committee of the St. Gallen Symposium in 1991. Continuing her engagement, she serves on the St. Gallen Symposium’s Board of Trustees.

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Dr Thomas Schinecker has been Chief Executive Officer of the Roche Group since March 2023 and a member of the Corporate Executive Committee since 2019. Prior to assuming his current role, he served as interim CEO of the Pharmaceuticals Division in early 2023. For two years, he led Roche Diagnostics' largest business unit, including research and development, before taking over as CEO of the Diagnostics Division (2019–2022). Dr Schinecker joined Roche in 2003 as part of a management development programme. Over the course of his career at the company, he has held leadership positions across six countries and three continents. Before taking on more senior leadership roles, he served as Head of Marketing and Sales in Austria, Lifecycle Leader for Diagnostics' Sequencing Solutions in the United States, and General Manager of Roche Diagnostics in both Sweden and Germany. Alongside his work at Roche, Dr Schinecker serves as a member of the Innovation Board of Labor Berlin (Charité and Vivantes), Chair of the Biopharmaceutical CEOs Roundtable (BCR), and President of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), both since 2025. He was also elected to the Board of Directors of Chugai Pharmaceutical in Japan in 2025. He studied genetics in Salzburg, Austria, and earned a PhD in molecular biology from New York University.

Prof. Richard David Precht is a German philosopher, author, television host, and podcaster. He remains Honorary Professor of Philosophy and Aesthetics at Hanns Eisler University of Music in Berlin, and until October 2023 served as Honorary Professor of Philosophy at Leuphana University of Lüneburg. His 2007 bestselling book “Who am I? And if so, how many?” was translated into 40 languages. Since 2012 he has been the host of the philosophy television series “Precht” on German TV channel ZDF and, since 2021, part of the popular podcast “Lanz & Precht” with journalist and talkshow-moderator Markus Lanz. Prof. Precht discusses current societal and political questions on both his television show and podcast. He holds a PhD in German literature from the University of Cologne.

Dr. Christian Mumenthaler was Group Chief Executive Officer of Swiss Re from 2016 to 2024, having joined the company in 1999 and subsequently held senior roles including Group Chief Risk Officer, Head of Life & Health, and CEO Reinsurance after starting his career at Boston Consulting Group. Since 2025, he has served as a Non-Executive Director on MetLife's Board. MetLife is a leading global insurance company providing life, health, and retirement products. He also chaired The Geneva Association (2021-2024) and serves on the Board of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (since 2025). He has been recognized as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and was included in the "Top 100 Climate Leaders in Business 2023." He holds a PhD in Physics from ETH Zurich.

Since 2003 Ambos holds the Chair of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Comparative Law, International Criminal Law and Public International Law at the Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany. He is Acting Director of the Institute for Criminal Law and Justice of Georg-August-Universität Göttingen and also Director of the Centro de Estudios de Derecho Penal y Procesal Penal Latinoamericano (CEDPAL) of Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. He served as a Judge at the Provincial Court (Landgericht) of Lower Saxony in Göttingen from 24 March 2006 to 7 February 2017 (from January 2015 to 30 September 2015 delegated to the Appeals Court (Oberlandesgericht) Braunschweig). With his appointment as Judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC), The Hague, on 7 February 2017 he took leave from this judicial position. On 6 December 2017 he has been appointed as Advisor (Amicus Curiae) to the Colombian Special Jurisdiction for Peace. He is also list Counsel at the International Criminal Court and he has been appointed external member of the Law Faculty of the University of Lisbon (Portugal) on 19 May 2021. Kai Ambos studied law and politics at the Universities of Freiburg, Oxford (UK) and Munich from 1984 to 1990.

Annette Schavan is Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the Hertie Foundation. She was active in politics and diplomacy for 25 years, including as Minister of Education, Youth and Sport of Baden-Württemberg (1995–2005), as Federal Minister of Education and Research in Germany (2005–2013), and as German Ambassador to the Holy See (2014–2018). Photo credit: Laurence Chaperon

Prof. Manuel Ammann is the President of the University of St.Gallen and a Professor of Finance. He previously served as Dean of the School of Finance at the University of St.Gallen and Director of the Swiss Institute of Banking and Finance. Known for his expertise in derivatives, asset management, financial markets, and risk management, Prof. Ammann has made substantial contributions to the field of finance. Before becoming President, Prof. Ammann was Chairman of the Board of Directors at Algofin AG and Neue Bank AG, and he also served on the Board of Directors of St. Galler Kantonalbank. He earned his master’s degree in computer science from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia and a PhD in Finance from the University of St.Gallen. Additionally, Prof. Ammann has held visiting professor positions at New York University and the University of California, Berkeley.

Mehreen Khan is the Economics Editor for The Times of London. Her coverage focuses on the global and UK economy, geopolitics, and financial markets. Mehreen writes a weekly column and is a regular contributor to the BBC and Times Radio. She was the EU correspondent for the Financial Times in Brussels between 2017-2022.

Florian Schroeder, studied German and philosophy and began his stage career during his studies, gaining experience as a radio and television presenter and receiving numerous awards. Since 2005 he is on tour with his new show “ENDLICH GLÜCKLICH (Finally Happy)”. He is the winner of the 2021 German Cabaret Award. His satirical performance at a maverick’s demo in Stuttgart on the topic of freedom of opinion earned him great recognition in 2020. Schroeder was the host of various satire programs on ARD until the end of 2023. New TV projects are being planned. He has published several books, and he can also be heard regularly on the radio and all audio portals with his columns and podcasts. Schroeder is always up to date, analyzes, evaluates and questions. His trademark: precise observation of the political and social situation. Florian Schroeder moves his audience, he enriches and stimulates thought. Like no other, he combines the razor-sharp powers of observation of a comedian with the analytical acuity of a philosopher.

Nico Luchsinger has served as CEO of the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI) since July 2026. Part of the Migros Group, the GDI is Switzerland’s oldest think tank, focusing on future questions in society, business and technology. He leads its strategic and content direction. Previously, he spent ten years building Asia Society Switzerland, serving as Executive Director from 2021 after earlier roles in programming and management. Earlier, he worked at Neue Zürcher Zeitung, co-founded the global entrepreneurial community Sandbox and led business development at Swiss start-up Mila. He is also an Executive-in-Residence at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and host of its ReCentered podcast. He holds an MA in history and economics from the University of Zurich.