The Jury

Steffen Erath is Head of Innovation & Sustainability at Hansgrohe SE, where he has been in charge of the innovation and sustainability departments since 2016. With the Hansgrohe InnoLab, he created a future-oriented environment for planet-centred innovations. In 2022 and 2023, the InnoLab was recognised as the best innovation unit in the industrial sector (DACH) by the business magazine Capital. With the ‘Green Company’ team, he is accelerating the green transformation of Hansgrohe SE. He is also a book author and guest lecturer at the University of St. Gallen.

Hanna Huber has a degree in economics and is Head of Innovation Management at Drees & Sommer's Innovation Centre, where she works in the Real Estate, Infrastructure and Industry divisions. She is responsible for AI transformation, innovation culture and strategic future scenarios within the company. Hanna is an award-winning keynote speaker for female leadership and an active member of the ZIA Innovation Think Tank. In addition to her professional activities, she is involved in various social projects on a voluntary basis, including the STELP e.V. association and terre des hommes.

As Senior Clinical Operations Lead at F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, a global leader in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics industry, Mara leads global clinical trials and drives innovation in medicine development, neuroscience and women's health. In the Roche Digital Innovation Lab, she built bridges between internal expertise and external partners through open innovation. She participated in the ‘EMA Horizon Scanning Pilot Survey on the Future of Digital Health by 2050’. Her diverse cultural background strengthens her ability to successfully lead global teams and projects.

After studying business administration, Michael Kruza started as a product manager in the innovation department at Telekom. From there, he moved to the then newly founded design department in 2009 to help shape its development and create a consistent customer focus in innovation and product development. He has been Chapter Lead Design / UX since 2018. He also teaches digital user experience as a guest lecturer at the CEIPI's IP Business Academy.

Dr Matthias Müller has been Executive VP Corporate R&D and New Ventures at SCHOTT AG for 6 years and is therefore one of the key figures for innovation within the Group. As a materials scientist with a doctorate, he has gained extensive experience in the field of innovation in more than 25 years in industry, whether in production and plant management, business responsibility, new business development or research & development. Dr Müller is a founding member of CIMT - the Cross Industry Makers Tank - a cross-industry exchange platform for innovation. He gives guest lectures at the ESMT (European School of Management and Technology) in Berlin and holds keynote speeches on R&D and innovation, most recently at the Future Initiative of the Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate (ZIRP). In his current role at SCHOTT AG, the topic of sustainability plays a particularly important role, as the Group has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2030.

Dr Christopher Stillings was Head of the Color & Design department (CMF) at Covestro, a leading global supplier of high-tech materials, until December 2024. He previously held various positions in China and Germany, including business development, marketing, strategic planning and innovation management. Prior to joining Covestro, he was on the founding team of a nanotechnology start-up and worked as an innovation management consultant. Christopher holds a Master's degree in Innovation Management and studied Polymer Chemistry & Physics in Marburg and Galway. Since January 2025, he has been Global Head of Strategy & Innovation at RENOLIT Healthcare, a global market leader in the field of material suppliers for medical technology.

Ulrike Tagscherer is Chief Innovation Officer at KUKA AG and manages cross-divisional innovation activities from the idea to market success. In the KUKA Business Innovation Lab, early ideas are further developed based on evidence and also stopped, so that the innovation risk decreases continuously with higher investment. In 2024, she was honoured by the International Federation of Robotics as one of 10 women driving the future of robotics. Ulrike Tagscherer has also lived and worked in China for a long time.

Futurologist & Managing Director, SRH Institute for Sustainability Management & Innovation – Media Creator (magazines, podcast, radio & TV) | Serial Founder | Prof Dr Anabel Ternès von Hattburg, international expert for sustainability, innovation and leadership, is ‘one of Germany's outstanding female managers and entrepreneurs’ according to Hypovereinsbank. The futurist, speaker, author, founder, TV and radio presenter is CEO Sustain Plus and CEO SRH Institute for Sustainability Management & Innovation. The Professor of Communication sits on many supervisory and management boards and is a member of the Club of Rome. She has received many awards, including the Google Impact Challenge Award and LinkedIn Top Voice.

Stella-Sophie Wojtczak works as the editor responsible for podcasts and moving images at t3n, a brand of yeebase media GmbH. In this role, she is responsible for the weekly podcast ‘t3n Interview’, among other things. Before taking on this role, the journalism graduate was in charge of the editorial marketing department at t3n.