17-18 November 2025

Speaker Biography

Sarah Jaax

Location marketing, Ministry of Economics, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture Rhineland-Palatinate

Sarah Jaax has been working in the field of location marketing in the Ministry of Economy of Rhineland-Palatinate since February 2020. Her focus is on the development of a location marketing strategy and the acquisition of foreign direct investments in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Ms. Jaax can look back on several years of professional experience as a project manager in conference management. She mainly conceived and organized events on topics of global trade such as global sourcing, China’s New Silk Road, Customs & Trade etc.

Ms. Jaax was able to gain international experience as part of a development volunteer service in a fair trade company in Lima, Peru, as well as during a stay abroad for the KfW Development Bank in Dakar, Senegal. Between 2012 and 2016 she has been youth ambassador for the international lobby and campaigning organization “ONE”.

Sarah Jaax has a degree in Politics and Economics from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

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Andreas Kieb

Advisor to Global Head of Real Estate, DREES & SOMMER SE, Germany

Daniela Schmitt

Minister, Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture

Bogusława Kruczek-Gębczyńska

Head, Silesian Investor and Exporter Assistance Center

Dušan Radonjić

Director of the International Cooperation Department, Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, Montenegro

Dr. Eric Anthony Johnson

Assistant City Manager, City of Austin, Texas, USA

Dr. Chloë Voisin-Bormuth

Managing Director, Paris-Île de France Capitale Économique (PCE), France

H.E. Mothanna Gharaibeh

Minister of Investment, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Arnar Guðmundsson

Head of Foreign Direct Investment, Business Iceland, Iceland

Rita Aloi

Director EMEA, ResearchFDI, Italy

Jan van Bilsen

Country Manager for Germany, the Nordics and Switzerland, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Germany

Patrick Breuer

General Manager DACH & Netherlands, HABYT, Germany

Aleksandra Božović

Head of the Department for International Cooperation and Investment Environment Development, Montenegro Investment Agency (MIA), Montenegro

Jürgen Raizner

Director

Steinbeis Enterprises in Stuttgart (DE), Baku (AZ), Bucharest (RO), Uzhhorod (UA) and Vienna (AT)

Dr. Kai Bindseil

Head of Division Healthcare | Industry | Infrastructure, Berlin Partner for Business and Technology

Spyros Kouvelis

Chairman, Verimpact/ Team Leader EU-GCC Cooperation on Climate Change and Energy/Senior Associate of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership/former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs/former MP

Theo Föllings

President, EURADA, Belgium

Dragoslav Pavlovic

Mayor City of Nis, Serbia

Maryna Khlystun

Executive Director, UkraineInvest, Ukraine

Anne Eberhardt

Project Manager Commercial Sites, Rheinisches Revier, NRW.Global Business, Germany

Matthias Beier

President & CEO, Transatlantic Business & Investment Council (TBIC)

Dr. Tobias Traupel

Director General, European, Legal  and Foreign Trade Department, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North-Rhine Westphalia

Tigran Harutyunyan

Founder, Myler Mountain Resort, Armenia

Christopher Williams

Professor, ESSCA School of Management, France

Gökhan Yücel

Head of the Communications Department

Investment Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye

Steffen Rietzschel

Head of Economic Development Office, City of Dresden, Germany

Vanessa Völkel

Deputy Director, UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO), Germany

Joana Aguia

Project Manager, Invest Madeira

Regional Government of Madeira (Portugal)

Jürgen Schmitz

Office for Investment support, Business settlement projects and Cluster management, City of Mainz, Germany

Maryna Khlystun

Executive Director, UkraineInvest, Ukraine

Andreas Lippert

COO, Investor Services at Saxony Trade & Invest Corp., Germany

Besnik Vasolli

Managing Director of German - Kosovo Economic Chamber

Councillor Ray McAdam

Lord Mayor, City of Dublin, Ireland

Jens Manke

Director Germany and Central Europe

OCO Global

Dr.-Ing Georg Leuteritz

Senior Director Trends & Innovations, hannoverimpuls GmbH, Germany

Natalia Bejan

Director, Invest Moldova Agency

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PROF. PETER PLATZER

Secretary General of EUREKA, Co-Founder of 3rd School of Austrian Macroeconomics

Günther Fehlinger

Austrian Economist, Management and Development Consultant

Holly Garforth

Business Development Head – Lead Generation

Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) - Government of Ras Al Khaimah

KOSTIANTYN LISNYCHYI

Strategic Advisor to UkraineInvest, Business Development

Rakan I. Algaraawi

Office Director - Central/Eastern Europe

Saudi Investment Promotion Authority

Jürgen Raizner

Director

Steinbeis Enterprises in Stuttgart (DE), Baku (AZ), Bucharest (RO), Uzhhorod (UA) and Vienna (AT)

Mr. Rifat Hyseni

Director of Information Technology Department In Tax Administration of Kosovo

Honoré Achille Simo

Executive Director, Value and Risk Advisory, JLL

Chigozie Nweke-Eze

CEO, Integrated Africa Power (IAP)

Board Member, Hydrogen-Africa

Jens Manke

Director Germany and Central Europe

OCO Global

Ms. Simone Hartog

Representative for Abacus (Seychelles) Ltd.

Jürgen Barke

Minister of Economics, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy and Deputy Prime Minister of Saarland, Germany

Carmelo Corral

Investment Promotion Manager

IPEX Spain

Ovidia Caba

Director of Regional Policies, Programs Unit

RDA Centru, Romania

Aminta Zettel

Strategic Country Manager Europe and the United Kingdom

Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (RAKEZ) - Government of Ras Al Khaimah

Theo Föllings

President

EURADA

Faraz Rojid

Director

Economic Development Board (EDB) of Mauritius

Gordon Einstein

Founding Partner

CryptoLaw Partners – specializing in crypto and blockchain

Christoph Kannengießer

CEO, Afrika-Verein der deutschen Wirtschaft e.V. (German-African Business Association)

Dennis Schulmeyer

CEO and Founder

LADE GmbH

Charles A. FitzGibbon

Vice President of Sales

Conway Data, Inc.

Philipp Lemmerz

Partner

Government & Public Services practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers Middle East

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Micheal Perschke

CEO

Quantron AG

Mathias Fillon

COO

ANIMA Investment Network

Dr. Manuel Kallweit

Chief Economist

German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA)

Christian Kingombe

Co-Founding Managing Partner

4IP

Subhashini Chandran

Vice President Social Impact Asia Pacific

Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

Georg Schattney

Group Head of ESG / Sustainability Officer

CORESTATE Capital Group

Gül Ertuğ

Finance and Accounting Leader - CFO

Ford Otosan

Reinhold von Ungern-Sternberg

Director International Markets

German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses (BVMW)

Günther Fehlinger

Austrian Economist, Management and Development Consultant

Jens Manke

Director Germany and Central Europe

OCO Global

Jürgen Raizner

Director

Steinbeis Enterprises in Stuttgart (De), Baku (AZ), Bucharest (Ro), Uzhhorod (UA) and Vienna (AT)

Chigozie Nweke-Eze

CEO, Integrated Africa Power (IAP)

Board Member, Hydrogen-Africa

Ferruh Parmaksız

Country Advisor of Germany

Invest in Türkiye

Gilbert Ewehmeh

Investment & Innovative Finance Expert

Chairman, Accelerate Africa

Alexandra Dublanche

Chairwoman

Choose Paris Region

Frank Beckmann

CEO / Investment Advisor

GVI Germany GmbH

Vahan Kerobyan

Minister of Economy

Government of the Republic of Armenia

H.E. Dr. Sania A. Ansari

CEO

Ansari Group Ltd. and Strategic Partner for SGD Cities Initiative

Mohammed Juma'a Al Musharrakh

CEO

Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah)

Emmanuel Rutagengwa

Head, Transport Policy & Planning

Central Corridor Transit Transport Facilitation Agency

Heike Freimuth

Head of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group Office in Germany

Dr. Ahmed Bennis

Managing Director, Tanger Med Zones and

Secretary General, Africa Economic Zones Organization (AEZO)

Achim Hartig

Managing Director,
Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI)

Chair of OECD Network of Investment Promotion Agencies,
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

FERNANDO BALLESTA

Director of Foreign Trade, Investments and Industrial Infrastructures

Murcia Regional Development Agency

COURTNEY FINGAR

Chairwoman of IME

Founder and Principal of Fingar Direct Investment

Svilen Rangelov

Co-Founder and CEO

Dronamics

PILAR MADRIGAL

Director Investment Advisory

CINDE – Invest in Costa Rica

Dr. Henrik Meincke

Chief Economist

German Chemical Industry Association (VCI)

Gordon Einstein

Founding Partner

CryptoLaw Partners – specializing in crypto and blockchain

Levon Ohanesyan

CEO

Enterprise Armenia

Dr. Nurettin Tekin

Hydrogen Product Management

KAWASAKI Gas Turbine Europe GmbH

PROF. PETER PLATZER

Secretary General of EUREKA, Co-Founder of 3rd School of Austrian Macroeconomics

Dr. Alexander Blass

Head of Operations

NEURA Robotics

Sergiy Tsivkach

Executive Director

UkraineInvest

Lionel Grotto

CEO

Choose Paris Region

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Guy Van der Beken

President of EUREKA

Mateusz Wachowski

Senior Inspector in the Investors Assistance Department, Katowice City Hall

Alice Mashingaidze

Ambassador, Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in Berlin, Germany

Marcin Woźniak

CEO at Swarmcheck | President of the board at Optimum Pareto Foundation.

Fabio Righi

Minister of State for Industry, Handicraft and Trade, Technological Research and Regulatory Simplification of the Republic of San Marino

Professor Stefan Liebing

Chairman, German-African Business Association

Jens Manke

Director Germany, OCO Global

MR. MARKUS LEHNER

Principal of LEHNER INVESTMENTS

Moshe Bar Zvi

Principal of Love Israel Venture Capital

Douglas van den Berghe

Founder and CEO, NxT Zones

JÜRGEN RAIZNER

CEO | Administrator / Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Ost-West-Kooperationen

H.E. Mulu Solomon Bezuneh

Ambassador, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of F.D. R. of Ethiopia to F. R. of Germany

DIPL. ING. HEIKO SCHNEIDER

CEO and Managing Partner GoGaS Goch GmbH & Co. KG

Heike Freimuth

Head of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group Office in Germany

Dr. Ahmed Zaid Al Hussain

CEO of the Royal Commission Jubail within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

Magdalena A. Kolka

Deputy Director of Investors Assistance Department, Katowice City Hall

Prof. Peter Platzer

Secretary General of EUREKA, Co-Founder of 3rd School of Austrian Macroeconomics

Sarah Jaax

Senior Consultant, FDI Center

Phina Jerome

Research and Planning Manager, Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC)

GUNTHER FEHLINGER

Secretary General CEE-BC

ACADEMICIAN PROF. DR. MILAN KRAJNC

Psychotherapist, Nobel Prize nominee and Author of the Dynamic Leadership Model

Johannes Jung

Head of Department 5 Strategy, Law, Foreign Trade and European Affairs Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism, State of Baden-Württemberg

Jon Whiteaker

Editor, Investment Monitor

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Dipl. Ing. Heiko Schneider

CEO and Managing Partner GoGaS Goch GmbH & Co. KG

ALBIN KURTI

Prime Minister of Republic Kosovo

Markus Exenberger

German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ)

Professor Olga Mroz, Dame of Honour

Al-Khalifa Business School

Dr. Philipp Steinberg

Head of Economic Policy Department, German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

Academician Prof. Dr. Milan Krajnc

Psychotherapist, Nobel Prize nominee and Author of the Dynamic Leadership Model

Dr. Rüdiger Meyer

Application Expert Energy Storage, Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG

Jessica Neumann

Investment and Technology Promotion Expert at UNIDO ITPO Germany

GUNTHER FEHLINGER

Secretary General CEE-BC

Prof. Dr. Claudia Dalbert

Minister for the Environment, Agriculture and Energy of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Jens Deutschendorf

State Secretary, Hessian Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport and Housing

Prof. Heinz-Peter Platzer

Co-Founder at the 3rd Austrian School of Macroeconomics and Secretary General of Eureka.

Mr. Daouda Sangaré

Advisor Côte d'Ivoire, UNIDO ITPO Germany

Nuno Maposse

Senior Investment Expert, Mozambique Investment and Export Promotion Agency (APIEX)

Dr.-Ing. Nurettin Tekin

Hydrogen Product Management, KAWASAKI Gas Turbine Europe GmbH

Dr. Simone Burel

CEO of LUB GmbH

ROSE DOREE BOKELEALE EBETA

Deputy Managing Director of the National Investment Promotion Agency (ANAPI DRC) of the DR Congo

Reinhold von Ungern-Sternberg

Director International Markets

Heiko Staubitz

Senior Manager Investor Consulting Hydrogen & Energy Infrastructure, Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI)

Yassir Ahmed

Advisor Sudan, UNIDO ITPO Germany

Ms. Zoë Harries

Senior FDI & Economic Zones Advisor I Partner & Director, EZDA I Founder & CEO, Impact Zones & Impact Advisory Middle East I Project Director, World FZO I Lecturer & Public Speaker

Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann

Minister for Economy, Science and Digitalization of the State of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Miguel Solis

Trade Counsellor, Embassy of Guatemala in Berlin

H.E Denisa Gokovi

Founder & CEO at Hoinser Magazine | Speaker| Philosopher| Writer| Musician| | Award - winning| Sovereign Ambassador.

Douglas van den Berghe

CEO of NxtZones and FDI

André Steinau

Co-Chair Clean Energy Partnership

Mr. Markus Lehner

Principal of LEHNER INVESTMENTS

Jürgen Raizner

CEO | Administrator / Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Ost-West-Kooperationen

Adekunle Olusile

Advisor Nigeria, UNIDO ITPO Germany

H.E. Laila Rahhal El Atfani

Founder & President at Business Gate / Global President CEC-UK

H.E. Dr.Dr.h.c. Raphael Nagel

Chairman at The Abrahamic Business Circle

Ksenija Cipek

Ministry of Finance, Tax Administration of the Republic of Croatia.

Dr. Maike Schäfer

Minister for Climate Protection, the Environment, Mobility, Urban and Housing Development for the city-state of Bremen, Germany

Aïssata Lam

Director General - Investment Promotion Agency of Mauritania (APIM)

Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart

Minister of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

Her Excellency Lady Elizabeth Kelly

Businesswoman in Dubai (UAE)

Paul Soubry

President & Chief Executive Officer, NFI

Gustavo Weigel

Managing Director, WEIGEL Finanzas Corporativas, Uruguay

Carlos Andrés Alvarez

Senior Advisor Foreign Investment, PROCOLOMBIA

Vanessa Völkel

Deputy Head, UNIDO ITPO Germany

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Ikechukwu Okoli

Head of Advisory and Investment, Kiakia Gas Limited

Ricardo Pedroza

Director Europe, PROCOLOMBIA Frankfurt

Mr. Aleksejs Stecs

Vice Chairman of Rezekne city council on development and investment

Mr.WANG Shunqing

Generalkonsul at Generalkonsulat of People

Ángel D. Morales Castillo

President, German-Nicaraguan Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Mr.Flamur Kuçi

Ceo of ADVICE, Management Consulting Albania

Hon. Dennis Waweru

Vorsitzender, Kenya Investment Authority

Mr.Stefan Günther

Manager regionale, Projekte Invest in Bavaria – Die Ansiedlungsagentur des Freistaates Bayern

Mr.Mirsad Jašarspahić, dipl.ing.maš.

President, Chamber of Economy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Miguel Solis

Commercial Advisor, Embassy of Guatemala

Yofi Grant

CEO, Ghana Investment Promotion Center

Mr.Michael Voigt

Wirtschaftsförderer, Wirtschaft und Tourismus Villingen-Schwenningen GmbH

Mr.Eric Menges

CEO of FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH

Dr. Martin J. Worms

State secretary at the Ministry of Finance of Hessen

Sarah Russis

Director, fDi Intelligence – Financial Times Group

Prof. Julien Chaisse

School of Law | City University of Hong Kong – Hong Kong SAR

Sarah Jaax

Location marketing, Ministry of Economics, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture Rhineland-Palatinate

Ms. Mariyana Nikolova

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Demographic Policies in Bulgaria

Jürgen Raizner

CEO | Administrator / Steinbeis-Transferzentrum Ost-West-Kooperationen

Andreas Stephan

Dipl. -Geophys., MBA SPRINT! Energy Consulting GmbH

Mr.Jacopo Dettoni

Editor of fDi Magazine – Financial Times Group

Mr.Alush Gashi

Minister and Functions in the Assembly of Kosovo

Justus Vitinius

Director Corporates Latin America, German Investment and Development Corporation (DEG)

Sering Bamba Saho

Founder and CEO, M + S Piano-Express GmbH

Ms Božica Lapić

Director for Investments, Agency for Investments and Competitiveness of Croatia

Arlind Zeqiri

Head of International Office Bern, Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Promotion of the Republic of Macedonia

Ms. Tessa Jacques

President of the Caribbean Association for Investment Promotion Agencies (CAIPA)

Mr. Norbert Barthle MdB

Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

ARSHI AYUB MOHAMED ZAVERI

CEO – TrustWithTrade Group | Senior Advisor Royal Family Office, Vereinigte Arabische Emirate

Gunther Fehlinger

Secretary General CEE-BC

Wolfgang Leidig

Director and Project Manager of the Innovation and Training Park ITP in Prizren Kosovo

Georgi Petrov

Regional Manager – ECA PPP Transaction Advisory, IFC

Christian Weber

Executive Director Representative Office Mexico, Bayern International

Fellanza Podrimja

Public relations, economic and educational advisor to the Mayor of Prizren Municipality

Paola Suárez Buhrmann

Manager at FDI Center

Ms.Mariam Kuchuloria

Deputy CEO of EBA Georgia

Franka Ismer

CEO – persönlich + gesellschaftlich + unternehmerisch

Teodor Bate

Chief architect of the Dambovita county, Romania

Ms.Olga Mroz

Dama of Honour

Carolin Welzel

Senior Consultant International Organizations, Agency for Economy & Development (AWE), Berlin

Hans-Joachim Hebgen

Senior Consultant for financing, policy issues develoPPP.de and textile industry

Ali Mehrez

Director in charge of Industrial sectors at AMDIE – Moroccan Investment and Export Development Agency (AMDIE)

Mr.Sheku Lexmond N. Koroma

CEO at Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency

Ms.Saida Kahouli

Deputy director in Foreign Investment Promotion Agency-FIPA TUNISIA

Mirko Twardy

Head of Business Development Finance and Promotion – Dr. Kakuschke & Partner AG, Berlin

Ms.Yeva Zeynalyan

Country Coordinator for PPD Network, Armenia

Francisco Mackenney

Consul General of Chile in Frankfurt

Dr. Eyup Vural Aydin

Chairman – Istanbul PPPCoE

Gustavo Weigel

Managing Director , WEIGEL HALLER CORPORATE FINANCE (Uruguay)

Albin Kurti

Former Prime Minister of Republic Kosovo

Mr.Nikola Jankovic

Senior Investment Advisor, Serbian Development Agency

Kadio Fofana Diop

Investment Direcor for APIX SA

Dr. Corinna Franke-Wöller

Director Agency for Economy and Development

Mr.ERIC MENGES

President & CEO FrankfurtRheinMain Region

Courtney Fingar

Editor-in-chief, FDI, at New Statesman Media Group