Maria Grazia Davino is Regional Director at BYD Europe, where she leads the company’s expansion across 10 key European markets. With over a decade of leadership experience in the industry, she has held CEO and senior executive commercial roles across multiple countries, driving sales, marketing, and large-scale business transformation. Known for her strategic mindset and results-driven leadership, she now plays a pivotal role in accelerating BYD’s growth and localization strategy in Europe’s rapidly evolving electric mobility landscape

Wolfram Kirchert is a graduate engineer and a graduate engineer in economics, he worked for the Porsche brand for 25 years. He has extensive professional experience in the field of production and project management, having worked in various management positions, including from 2002 as Head of Outsourced Manufacturing Management, from 2003 as Project Manager for Boxster/Cayman Product Line Production and from 2012 as Head of Project Planning vehicles and plant structure. Since 2018, as head of production planning, he has been responsible for product and process planning across all Porsche plants and product lines. In September 2023, he joined Volkswagen Slovakia as chairman of the board and member of the board of directors for the technical area.

He heads the External Relations / Environment / Social Services department at Volkswagen Slovakia, a.s. In the past, he was responsible for the management of the entire logistics at Volkswagen Slovakia and also held several management positions within the Volkswagen Group in Portugal and the USA. Since 2018, he is the President of the Automotive Industry Association of the Slovak Republic (second term). In 2018, he was elected Vice President of the Federation of Slovak Industrial and Transport Associations.

Ivan Hodač is a Founder and President of the Aspen Institute Prague. He was Secretary-General of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) from 2001 until October 2013. He is the Chairman of the Board at cabinet DN. The Financial Times listed him among the most influential personalities in Brussels politics. Before joining ACEA, he was Senior Vice-President and Head of the Time Warner Corporate office for Europe. Previously he was Secretary-General of the trade organization IFMA/IMACE, Senior Economist at Didier & Associates, and Assistant Professor at the College of Europe, Bruges. He was born in Prague, where he studied mechanical engineering. He completed his education in economics and political science at the University of Copenhagen and the College of Europe in Bruges (European studies).

Dr. Martin Koers is Professor at Shenzhen Technology University (SZTU) in China and former Managing Director of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA). With more than 25 years of experience in the automotive sector, he has worked across industry, policy, and academia, including positions at Ford of Europe. His current work focuses on the strategic transformation of the automotive industry with a main focus on China, particularly in the context of geopolitical shifts and intensifying international competition.

Petr Knap is a Senior Advisor at EY Consulting, supporting automotive industry initiatives and key clients across Central and Eastern Europe. With over 30 years of professional experience, he has worked with a diverse range of clients, including Aures Holdings, AutoWallis Group, BMW, CSG, Hyundai, Kia, Porsche CEE, Peugeot, PROMET Group, Schaeffler, ŠKODA AUTO, and Toyota.

Petr brings extensive expertise in strategy development, organizational change management process improvement, and industry analysis. He is deeply passionate about the future of the automotive sector and actively contributes to initiatives focused on digitalization, automation, e-mobility, regulatory frameworks, shared mobility, and autonomous vehicles.

Head of Chassis and Powertrain Development at ŠKODA AUTO, graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague in 1992. In 2002 he obtained an MBA degree from North Carolina’s Pfeiffer University and in 2006 he earned his doctorate from the Ostrava Technical University

Career
1992 Mercedes Benz AG, Stuttgart – Research / Development commercial vehicles, trucks
1993 – 1995 Škoda automobilová a.s.
Design Engineer – specialist in traction control systems
1995 – 1996 VW AG, Wolfsburg
Specialist in chassis development
From 1996 ŠKODA AUTO a.s., Technical Development
Various positions:
– Assistant Department Manager – brake systems (1996 – 2001)
– Simultaneous Engineering Team Manager of Chassis Development for FABIA and SUPERB (1997 – 2001)
– Department Manager, powertrain integration development (2001 – 2005)
– Department Manager, chassis development (2005 – 2008)
– Head of the chassis and powertrain development (since 2008)

Memberships:

• Member of the committee for state final examinations and diploma thesis defenses in the study field of Transport and Handling Technology at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague
• Member of the Examination Committee for State Doctoral Examinations and PhD Thesis Defences at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague, for the study Design Engineering and Mechatronics
• Member of the Scientific Council, Technical University of Liberec
• Member of the Board of the bachelor’s study program “Industrial Management”, ŠKODA AUTO VYSOKÁ ŠKOLA o.p.s.
• Member of the Board of the master’s study program “Industrial Management”, ŠKODA AUTO VYSOKÁ ŠKOLA o.p.s.
• Member of the Academic Council, ŠKODA AUTO VYSOKÁ ŠKOLA o.p.s.
• Member of the Scientific Council of the New Technologies Research Center, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen
• Member of the Board of Trustees of the ŠKODA AUTO a.s. Endowment Fund for improving the attractiveness of Mladá Boleslav
• Member of the Research, Development and Innovation Council, an expert and advisory body of the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
• Member of the Czech Society of Automotive Engineers
• Member of the Scientific Council of the shared-services project “National Center for Information Support of Research, Development and Innovation” – advisory body to the Director of the National Library of Technology (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports)
• Member of the FISITA Academy of Technical Leadership

She is head of Environment Department at Volkswagen Slovakia. She has been involved in the application of environmental protection in car production for over 17 years – implementing the requirements of legislation and environmental management systems in production processes, design and implementation of environmental strategy or preparation of concepts and plans to reduce environmental impacts for environmental and energy-intensive technologies. As a chairman of the Environmental Legislation Commission of the Association of the Automotive Industry of the Slovak Republic, she prepares opinions and proposals for comments on the environmental legislation of the Slovak Republic and the EU. Since 2021, she has been active as a member of the Government Council for the Green European Agreement of the Slovak Republic for the Federation of Slovak Industrial and Transport Associations. She graduated in Environmental Protection / Geochemistry at the Faculty of Science, Comenius University in Bratislava, and later in the professional MBA program Automotive Industry of the Technical University of Vienna and the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava.

Petr Dolejsi started his career within the public services on different posts, leaving the Ministry for Regional Development of the Czech Republic at the Head of Unit post to the Permanent representation in Brussels in 2004. He became member of the Czech EU Presidency team in 2009 chairing the Competitiveness and Growth working party of the Council. In 2010 he joined ACEA and became a Director for Mobility and Sustainable transport, with a specific focus on CO2 policy, industrial policy and alternative powertrains. As from March 2022, he is also acting as a Vice-President of the Automotive Skills Alliance.

Experienced HR solutions consultant with a passion for psychology and development. She also works as a lecturer in occupational psychology at the Faculty of Arts of Comenius University in Bratislava and regularly speaks at professional HR events.

Her interest in the topic of power and leadership behavior stems from years of practical experience, during which she has seen how strongly an environment can influence the behavior of even highly capable people. That is why she focuses on preventing toxic behaviors, fostering reflection, and building a culture that is not undermined by small compromises. Her training sessions combine expertise, perspective, and humor. The topics she chooses always reflect the reality within companies.

Slovak diplomat and ambassador Juraj Nociar, a native of central Slovakia, has served as the Permanent Representative at the Permanent Representation of the Slovak Republic to the EU in Brussels since October 1, 2024. This is already his third posting to this position. Previously, he worked for 15 years at the European Commission as Head of Cabinet to the Slovak European Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, and in the past he held several managerial positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. Throughout his entire professional career, he has focused on European affairs.

He has been working at Tatra banka since 2006, with a three-year break. In his work, he focuses on analyses of the macroeconomic development of Slovakia and the euro area, as well as the banking sector. Between 2021 and 2024, he served as Director of the Institute for Financial Policy at the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic. He completed his PhD studies in economics at the Prague-based institute CERGE-EI.

Marek Repko is an expert in innovation financing and R&D tax deductions, an area he has been specializing in for more than eight years. He leads Ayming Slovakia and has experience with more than 4,200 projects that have helped companies achieve savings of over EUR 60 million. Marek is also a member of a working committee at the Government Office of the Slovak Republic, which contributes to drafting legislative proposals in the field of innovation financing and research and development activities.

Andrej Krsjak is an experienced leader in research and development, with 20 years of experience in the automotive and general industrial sectors. He is currently responsible for the global strategic development of product platforms and for leading multidisciplinary teams. Over the long term, he focuses on innovation, efficient processes, and scalable solutions. He is known for his systematic approach, pragmatic leadership style, and strong emphasis on high technical quality.