Speakers 2026

Reto Amsler has been working in information and cybersecurity for more than 25 years. He is co-founder of ALSEC Cyber Security Consulting AG, a company specialized in protecting critical infrastructures and Operational Technology (OT) environments, including SCADA and DCS systems.

Since the company’s foundation in 2019, he has been supporting organizations and operators of critical infrastructures in securing their IT and OT environments against cyber threats. His professional focus areas include governance, risk management, security architecture, and incident response.

In addition, Reto Amsler is actively involved as a trainer, speaker, and member of security groups and expert committees addressing topics such as OT security, cyber resilience, and regulatory requirements for critical infrastructures.

Dr. Thomas Gfeller is the CEO of the Foundation Switzerland Innovation as well as the co-founder and former president of Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne, one of the Foundation’s six parcs across Switzerland. He’s also Board Member / Chairman in various industry companies.

Dominic Gorecky is a partner and executive board member at Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne AG. He co-founded and leads the Swiss Smart Factory, Switzerland’s first and foremost test and demonstration platform for Industry 4.0.

He also founded the International Smart Factory Academy (IFSA) and co-founded the Swiss Cobotics Competence Center (S3C), where he serves as President of the Board. S3C is a national hub for industrial and academic partners to collaboratively develop and test next-generation robotic solutions.

Previously, Dominic was the head of research for the Innovative Factory Systems department at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Kaiserslautern, Germany. In this role, he coordinated R&D for the living lab SmartFactoryKL.

Dominic contributes to the World Economic Forum (WEF) agenda and advises several Industry 4.0 start-ups. He co-founded the Swiss CxO Forum and chairs the International Smart Factory Summit.

In 2022, he was recognized as a Digital Shaper in Switzerland.

Dominic is passionate about driving responsible digital transformation for a sustainable society. He teaches various technology topics, including digital twins, cobotics, and IIoT in manufacturing. His PhD focused on the use of semantic technologies in the context of the digital factory.

Dr. Milan Kumar is a distinguished figure in the field of global technology as a Global Chief Information and Digital Officer (CDIO), renowned as a TEDx speaker, educator, international author and startups mentor. He currently serves as the CIO of ZF Commercial Vehicles based in Bern, Switzerland. He has led multiple global Digital Transformation initiatives and passionate about “Data Monetization”. Throughout his career, Dr. Kumar has supported technology transformation of many Fortune 500 companies such as VOLKSWAGEN Group, ZF Group, BMW Group, General Motors, British Airways, Reliance, Atlas Copco, Morgan Stanley, WABCO etc.

Dr. Kumar’s academic achievements include a PhD in AI Management and completion of the “Driving Growth Through Innovation” at the Harvard Business School. He has been recognized with numerous awards, including the “Swiss CIO of the Year,” “Global Digital CIO,” and “CIO Excellence Award” from Economics Times.

Stefan Lang is CEO of IRPD – Machine Tools in Additive Manufacturing and a seasoned sales and marketing professional with a background in international management and digital transformation.

He specializes in industrializing additive manufacturing and enabling companies to unlock its full potential. With a strong focus on sustainable growth, efficiency, and customer-centric solutions, he supports organizations in transforming their manufacturing strategies.

Stefan brings deep expertise in leveraging additive technologies to enhance supply chain robustness and production resilience. His work bridges technology, business strategy, and practical implementation—helping companies adapt to increasingly volatile markets.

In his presentations, he shares hands-on insights into how additive manufacturing can strengthen operational flexibility, reduce dependencies, and build more resilient production systems.

Tomy Mändli is an industrial engineer specializing in industrial digitalization and the implementation of smart factory strategies. At iDIP Solution, he helps companies transform their production and business processes into scalable, data-driven structures, thereby achieving sustainable competitive advantages.

He combines technological expertise with business acumen, ensuring that digital initiatives are not only operationally effective but also strategically and financially viable. His focus is on the seamless integration of digital solutions into existing production and IT landscapes to increase transparency, unlock efficiency potential, and enable informed real-time decision-making.

A key component of his work is the development and scaling of digital products. Through the systematic use of data, new, marketable services and solutions are created that tap into additional revenue streams and strategically expand existing business areas. In this way, he supports companies in sustainably expanding their digital value creation and positioning themselves successfully in the market over the long term.

Marc Müller is the co-founder and CEO of Companion.ch, a Swiss AI and data platform that helps companies automate administrative processes and improve the quality of their business data. He is convinced that modern AI technologies, such as large language models (LLMs), enable companies to fundamentally rethink existing workflows.

As a business and data analyst, he bridges the gap between technological possibilities and concrete business requirements, acting as a liaison between business and IT. He brings his practical experience and integration expertise to bear as a workshop leader, speaker, and university lecturer, with a clear focus on AI applications that deliver measurable benefits in everyday business operations.

Mauro Nart is the Founder and Managing Director of Pandia, where he leads product development, business development, sales, and customer success. Mauro is an experienced Customer Service Engineer with global assignments in commissioning, troubleshooting, and operator training within the packaging machinery sector. In his current role, he is responsible for strategic company leadership and the implementation of sustainable growth strategies. He brings strong expertise in sales, marketing, and scaling innovative solutions.

Elias Remele is Strategic Account Lead / CSO of Augment IT AG – a Swiss company focused on helping industrial organizations advance through practical digital transformation using Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence. Before moving to Zurich, Elias co-founded and scaled two tech start-ups in Austria. He was drawn to Switzerland by its strong tech ecosystem and the opportunity to explore how XR and AI can deliver real value for industrial companies.

Elias has a background in sales and business, with a hands-on approach to guiding customers from early ideas to stable, scalable XR and AI solutions. Whether it’s in transportation, manufacturing, automotive, or life sciences – the same core challenge comes up everywhere: the need for modern tools that guide and support workers on the shop floor in an efficient and lean way.

Prof. Dr. David Romero is a Professor of Advanced Manufacturing at the Departments of Industrial Engineering and Mechatronics of the Tecnológico de Monterrey University in Mexico and the Scientific Vice-chairman for the World Manufacturing Foundation. His research interests include: Circular Manufacturing, Service Engineering and Product-Service Systems, Cyber-Physical Systems and Human Systems, Advanced Production Management Systems, Green Virtual Enterprises, and Technology and Engineering Management in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

He is a member of the Society of Collaborative Networks, the IFAC TC5.3 on Enterprise Integration and Networking, the IFIP WG5.7 on Advances in Production Management Systems, the IFIP WG5.12 on Architectures for Enterprise Integration, the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society, and the IEEE Internet of Things Community. Furthermore, he is an Agenda Contributor at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Council on “Shaping the Future of Advanced Manufacturing and Value Chains”, and a World Manufacturing Forum (WMF) Ambassador. He has published more than 200 journal and international conference articles. He serves on different technical and scientific committees and advisory boards in academia, industry, and government in the disciplines of business and industrial engineering. Nowadays, he is focused on promoting the concepts of the “Operator 4.0/5.0” and “Digital Lean Manufacturing”; the father of both terms.

Philipp Saurer has more than 15 years of experience in senior management roles across Europe and Asia. As Chief Digital and Strategic Project Officer at LNS Group, he leads the company’s strategic projects and digital transformation with a strong focus on maximizing customer centricity, building efficient processes, and developing new digital-driven business opportunities.

Prior to his current position, he spent over a decade in Asia, including senior positions at LNS Japan and earlier at HTM Corporation in Tokyo. He holds a Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Digital Transformation from FHNW as well as a degree in Business Administration from the University of Bern. Drawing on hands-on leadership experience, he regularly speaks about digital transformation and corporate strategy from a practical, business-oriented perspective.