Jury 2024

Annette Brunsmeier

Digital Transformation Lead Public Sector, Fujitsu Technology Solutions GmbH

As Digital Transformation Lead, Annette Brunsmeier inspires and accompanies public sector clients in the contexts of digital transformation, innovation management and sustainability. She drives joint developments of new solutions and services with customers and partners and provides a proven platform for creating new ideas, approaches and innovation ecosystems.

Dr. Elias Knubben

Vice President and Head of Corporate Research and Innovation, Festo SE & Co. KG, Esslingen

The field of Corporate Research and Innovation includes inter alia the Future Concepts, which deal with levitation under the brand SupraMotion, as well as the biology inspired projects of the Bionic Learning Network. Numerous projects have been awarded with innovation or design prizes.
Elias Knubben studied industrial design at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and received his doctorate from Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (University of Stuttgart) under Prof. Sobek.

Michael Kruza

Team Leader Design / User Experience, Innovation Hub, Deutsche Telekom AG, Bonn/Darmstadt/Berlin

After studying business administration, Michael Kruza started in 2007 as a product manager in the innovation sector of Telekom. In 2009, he moved to the newly founded Design Department to help shape its development and create consistent customer focus in innovation and product development. Since 2018, he has been working as team leader Design/User Experience in the Innovation Hub of Telekom.

Sonja Schiefer

Sonja Schiefer, Head of Siemens Design Home Appliances, BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, Munich

Sonja Schiefer is the Head of Siemens Design Home Appliances at BSH in Munich. A creative orchestrator, Sonja has worked for frog and BMW Group Designworks in leading positions and different global locations before joining BSH. Vested with a profound design background she has more than three decades of experience in the international design industry combining an interdisciplinary view on design with strategic know how and cross-industry expertise. Together with her design team Sonja is driving the future of Siemens Home Appliances and transforming life at home.

Dr. Christopher Stillings

Vice President und Head of Color & Design (CMF), Covestro Deutschland AG, Leverkusen

Dr Christopher Stillings leads the Color & Design (CMF) function within Covestro, a global leader in high-tech materials. He has held various roles in China and Germany for Covestro, incl. business development, marketing, strategic planning, and innovation management. Prior to joining Covestro hewas part of a nanotechnology start-up team and worked as a consultant in innovation management. Christopher holds a Master’s degree in Innovation Management and studied Polymer Chemistry & Physics in Marburg and Galway. 

Anette Ströh

Innovation Managerin, Charité, Berlin

Anette Ströh works as an Innovation Manager in the Chief Medical Information Officer's team at Europe's largest university hospital, the Charité in Berlin. As an Innovation Manager, it is her job to drive digitization at the Charité in a user-centric manner and in co-creation with employees and patients, and to work with them to transform classic "one-should-but-times..." ideas from the two parties into new products and services.

Before working for the Charité, Anette Ströh worked as a design lead and strategist in various design agencies.

Photo credit: Berlin Institute of Health