MODERATOR: Brooke Baldwin
Tim Saur , Alessandro Manes , Christian Schowalter , Thomas Macina , Michael Duggal
The machines don’t tell the whole story — the journey and pioneers do. Digital printing didn’t arrive all at once. It has evolved, step by step, reshaping how production happens across industries. In this session, three production leaders — spanning retail graphics and large-format signage, textiles, and labels — reflect on that evolution from the front lines.
They will share how and why digital has taken hold where it has, where analog still holds its ground, and what has truly driven adoption beyond the headlines. This is about the practical realities, trade-offs, and breakthroughs that have defined digital printing’s path so far.
Perhaps most importantly, the conversation looks ahead: what still needs to improve, what capabilities are emerging, and how the next phase of digital transformation will unfold on the production floor.
Maximilian Lude
A next-generation perspective on intrapreneurship, start-up thinking and how legacy companies build future-ready ecosystems from within. In a world of exponential change, Dr. Lude challenges the planning nostalgia of traditional management and makes a compelling case for more entrepreneurial spirit. He shares tactics to unlock intrapreneurial energy internally and translate innovation ambition into execution.
Christoph Gamper , Wolfgang Knotz
For 90 years, Durst has engineered precision. Now it engineers intelligence.
Kyveris is the next evolutionary stage of digital production technology — an Industrial OS that unifies files, machines, software, data, and AI into a single, continuously learning production system. Nine decades of engineering and thousands of production systems installed worldwide have taught us how ink meets substrate, how jobs behave across shifts, how quality drifts and how to prevent it. This knowledge — captured, structured, and continuously expanding — is what drives Kyveris learning.
The goal: a production environment that is not only automated, but transparent, reproducible, and increasingly autonomous — moving toward the lights-out factory.
This isn't automation. Automation follows instructions. Kyveris figures out better ones.
MODERATOR: Flo Akinbiyi
Christian Zanzotti , Klaus Pobitzer , DUMëNE Comploi , Alexander Agethle
An industrial designer who shapes products for BMW and Deutsche Telekom. An alpine cheesemaker whose raw-milk wheels have won gold at the World Cheese Awards. An AI startup transforming how luxury jewelry is designed — backed by LVMH. And an artist whose 30-meter digital portraits have covered facades from Palermo to Busan (Korea) — and Durst's own headquarters.
One conversation about what AI changes, what it can't, and where human intelligence remains the point.
MODERATOR: Eva Ogriseg
Harald Oberrauch , Maximilian Lude , Suzanne Waldthaler , Burkhard Güssefeld , Moritz Pichler
Every company in this room was built by someone who looked at what existed and decided to build something better. This panel brings together the founders, investors, builders and intrapreneurs who are doing that right now — inside the Durst ecosystem and beyond it.
Capital is being deployed at the frontier of deep tech and digital production. Companies are being built that didn't exist five years ago. And the people making those bets — with their time, their money, and their conviction — are in this room.
Salim Ismail
Drawing upon insights from his latest book, "Exponential Organizations 2.0," Salim emphasizes the critical role AI plays in the rapidly evolving business landscape. He provides a comprehensive analysis of AI's seismic impact across various sectors, underscoring the urgent need for organizations to understand and harness this disruptive technology for survival and growth. The discussion extends to illustrate how exponential attributes such as interfaces, algorithms, and dashboards can be employed to leverage AI effectively within an organization. Salim also shares practical strategies for cultivating an AI-ready culture that promotes agility and innovation, thereby preparing your organization to ride the wave of AI rather than being swept away by it. Lastly, he delves into real-world case studies of AI-driven exponential organizations, distilling transformative lessons from their journeys.
MODERATOR: Birgit Ranzi
Dr. Philipp Gerbert , Wolfgang Knotz
Radical innovation doesn’t happen behind closed doors. It happens in ecosystems — where researchers, startups, industrial companies, and talent collide at speed. The companies that are structurally part of those ecosystems shape the next generation of technology. The ones that are not see it only when a competitor has already shipped it.
This panel explores what it takes for industrial companies to stop watching and start building from the inside. It begins with an impulse from TUM Venture Labs: what is being built in one of Europe’s most productive deep-tech ecosystems today, and why it matters for industry.
MODERATOR: Brooke Baldwin
Rachel Brill
Brooke Baldwin anchored CNN for over a decade, wrote the bestseller Huddle, published a bombshell essay in Vanity Fair, hosted Netflix's The Trust, and delivered a TEDx talk on America's "chrysalis moment." Rachel Brill architected 1,700+ hours of content for MGM, Turner, Bleacher Report, and Disney — working with talent from Dwayne Johnson to Ryan Coogler — then launched CHAPT3R, the creative agency now leading the Durst 90th campaign. Both reinvented themselves when the ground shifted.
Together they lead a conversation about what it actually takes to reinvent and reclaim themselves at pivotal moments — in careers, in identity, in life. In an era when technology is reshaping every profession, the most important transformation isn't digital. It's personal.
MODERATOR: Stefan Waldner
Salim Ismail , Christoph Gamper , David Karl , Uwe Scheithauer
You don't capture exponential value with linear thinking. You build at the edge — of your organization, of your industry, of the solar system. That's where the people on stage sit. Two edges at once. Two frontiers. One conviction.
The components traveling there place extreme demands on performance and material properties. D3-AM — Durst's additive manufacturing division — is commercializing industrial system solutions for high-performance components made from advanced SSiC technical ceramics.
What was slow and government-driven is now fast, private, and converging. Orbit is becoming infrastructure — the way the internet did before anyone called it obvious. And the business model has to be just as radical as the technology.
MODERATOR: Debbie McKeegan
Alessandro Ivaldi , Alessandro Floridia , Jay Purmessur
The textile industry is being reshaped — as production shifts globally, consumer behaviour evolves, and demand moves from volume to individuality. Europe’s competitive edge is no longer scale, but a sustainable future of waterless production, creativity, and proximity to the world’s most demanding brands. Durst Group's recent investment in Como and the acquisition of Aleph sends a signal.
Why Como, why now? This panel brings together leading textile companies and brands to explore how digital printing is not just improving production, but enabling entirely new business models. From faster response times to greater flexibility and luxury customization, the transformation goes beyond incremental change.
Christoph Gamper is CEO and Co-Owner of the Durst Group, leading its transformation into a platform-driven industrial technology company spanning digital printing, automation, and AI-enabled production. He is also founder of Kyveris Technologies, building the industrial software and intelligence layer for autonomous manufacturing. Living between Italy and New York, he focuses on long-term value creation, responsible innovation, and global scale.
Alexander Schallenberg is an Austrian diplomat, lawyer by training and politician. He served for nearly six years as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria from 2019 to 2025. In 2021 and 2025 he also served for a brief period of time as Chancellor of Austria. In June 2025 Mr. Schallenberg became the chairman of the Europe‘s Futures Initiative, a newly established think tank based in Vienna. Additionally, he founded and runs his own consultancy firm.
Eva Ogriseg is the CEO of tba network, an association of 30+ business angels from South and North Tyrol. She leads deal sourcing and screening, connecting high-potential startups with investors. As an active investor with a passion for supporting founders, she serves as a key connector and driving force in the Alpine innovation ecosystem.
Tim Saur has 25 years of leadership experience at Durst, where he now serves as President and CEO of Durst North America, driving growth through a blend of strategic market positioning and tactical engagement. He is also a minority owner and investor in several Durst-related companies. Dr. Saur earned a Ph.D. in International Business from the University of Southern Mississippi, with research focused on descriptive decision-making in global business. He holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame, graduating magna cum laude, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from SUNY. Additionally, he is a licensed CPA and CMA.
Prof. Dr. Maximilian Lude is the co-founder and CEO of philoneos, a Munich-based consultancy specializing in innovation and transformation for business with tradition and legacy. Max is scholar and public speaker, as well as Professor of Innovation and Strategy at the Tomorrow University of Applied Sciences, where he teaches in an online based environment. Maximilian earned his PhD from the Friedrichshafen Institute for Family Businesses (FIF) and regularly publishes and speaks both academically and professionally worldwide. He is a dedicated lecturer, skier, and dog owner.
Flo hosts corporate events, conferences, panel discussions, fireside chats and virtual formats. He has shared stages with Michelle Obama, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robin Sharma and Michael J. Fox and interviewed industry experts. As a communication coach he works with government entities, high level executives and leaders of international Fortune 500 corporations.
Brooke Baldwin is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author, and storyteller devoted to truth and transformation. She spent more than two decades in news, including anchoring her own live daily show on CNN, where she became known for her authenticity and humanity at the desk.
Today, Brooke writes the top-rated Substack Unraveling, and is developing a podcast about giving ourselves permission to live bravely and on our own terms—alongside a TV series exploring courageous conversation and our shared humanity, one meal at a time.
Dumëne Comploi is the co-founder and Chief Technology and Experience Officer of BLNG, a creative AI platform for jewelry design and luxury accessories. Trained in architecture with a focus on design and media arts at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and UCLA, he spent 12 years at Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Streaming working at the intersection of physical and digital. He holds 10 patents.
Michael Deflorian is VP Kyveris & Software Solutions at the Durst Group, leading the software business and driving Kyveris, the Industrial Intelligence for digital production. He holds a PhD in mechanical engineering applied to machine learning, a background as a software engineer, and prior leadership roles in autonomous driving and digital transformation. Based in Brixen, he focuses on scaling software businesses, open and modular software architecture, and high-performing teams.
Michael Duggal is CEO of Duggal Visual Solutions, an award-winning company known for exceptional printed visuals, custom displays, multimedia solutions, and experiential production for Fortune 500 companies, global retailers, museums, galleries, nonprofits, and the creative industry. Since joining Duggal in 1995 and becoming CEO in 2002, he has transformed the company from a traditional photographic lab into one of the world’s largest digital imaging and display graphics companies with 570 employees and 15 facilities. A Franklin Award recipient, one of the industry’s highest honors with past recipients including former U.S. Presidents, print, and media leaders, Michael is recognized for his industry leadership, innovation, commitment to sustainability, and service to the community.
Philipp Gerbert is CEO of the TUM Venture Labs, a start-up factory in deep-tech and life sciences founded jointly by TUM and UnternehmerTUM (www.tum-venture-labs.de ). The TUM Venture Labs are a unique fully integrated network across 12 megamarkets/technology fields, providing domain-specific entrepreneurial support combined with leading edge methodologies. Previously Philipp Gerbert served for 15 years as a Senior Partner of the Boston Consulting Group, focusing on AI in Business and Climate Tech, as well as Innovation across many technology-driven industries on both sides of the Atlantic. He also lived for many years in Silicon Valley, working with The McKenna Group and bringing new technologies to market. By background Philipp Gerbert is a physicist. He holds a Master from the Max-Planck Institute/LMU Munich and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA. He also worked for several years as a researcher at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).
Burkhard Güssefeld is Co-Founder and CTO of ALLSIDES, building the 3D data infrastructure layer for the next generation of content creation, robotics, and generative AI. With a PhD in computer graphics and computer vision from Heidelberg University, he designed ALLSIDES' end-to-end scan-to-asset pipeline from first principles - hardware through software - scaling it into a production system serving Amazon, Meta, Nike, Adidas, Inditex, and Zalando. Based in South Tyrol, Italy, he focuses on precision at physical scale, foundational data quality, and the long arc from research insight to industrial infrastructure.
Salim Ismail is one of the world's most influential business strategists, advising heads of state and Fortune 500 CEOs on exponential growth. Chairman of OpenExO, Founding Executive Director of Singularity University, and XPRIZE board member, his best-selling Exponential Organizations is the definitive playbook for 21st-century business. He co-hosts the Moonshots podcast with Peter Diamandis — delivering weekly insights on AI, exponential growth, and the future of innovation to over one million entrepreneurs worldwide, with guests including Elon Musk, Ray Kurzweil, Reid Hoffman, and Eric Schmidt.
David Karl is a materials scientist and lecturer in additive manufacturing at Technische Universität Berlin and Adjunct Professor for Space Resources Utilization at the Colorado School of Mines. His work focuses on ceramic materials, particle-based processing, and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) for space applications. Combining a background in conceptual art and materials engineering, he develops unconventional approaches to turning planetary resources into functional materials and manufacturing processes under extreme conditions.
Klaus Pobitzer, born 1971, studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. He fuses computer drawing, digital animation and AI into a bold, socially charged visual language where technology meets contemporary art. His work has been exhibited at prestigious museums, festivals and biennials across the globe — Palermo, Milan, New York, Busan, Vienna. In 2024, Artist in Residence at Durst Group, world leader in digital printing technology.
Wolfgang Knotz is CTO at the Durst Group and responsible for the group-wide technology agenda, with a strong focus on integrating software, data, automation and new business models. The goal is to further strengthen Durst Group’s innovative capabilities and provide customers worldwide with even more comprehensive, integrated technologies. Knotz holds a master's degree in mechanical engineering and economics and has held various leadership positions at Durst for many years, most recently serving as Managing Director of Durst Austria, where he was responsible for technological and operational activities at the Lienz site. Since joining the company in 2013, he has played a key role in shaping core production and technology structures. In particular, as Head of Development from 2016, he has been instrumental in advancing and optimizing digital printing systems.
Thomas Macina is Sales Director and co-responsible for the Labels & Packaging Business, leading the migration towards a sustainable digital production of labels and flexible packaging. Living in Barcelona, he has strong roots to South Tirol and is a passionate alpinist who likes to push and shift limits, unlocking new potentials while achieving unprecedented results.
Alessandro Manes is Director Global Sales Industrial Textile at Durst Group, leading global commercial activities for Durst Como and the Group’s industrial textile printing business. Co-Founder and former CEO of aleph, he played a key role in developing the company from a Como-based digital textile specialist into an international reference for advanced industrial digital textile printing technologies. With deep experience in textile applications, customer development and industrial innovation, he focuses on connecting advanced digital printing technology with the evolving needs of global textile markets.
Debbie McKeegan is the CEO and founder of Texintel, a leading global platform dedicated to digital textile printing, smart manufacturing, and textile innovation. With more than 30 years of experience in textile design, manufacturing, and industrial production, Debbie began her career as a creative within large-scale, vertical textile manufacturing operations, gaining extensive hands-on expertise in design, sourcing, production workflows, across global supply chains.
She is recognised internationally as a pioneering voice in digital print technology, sustainability, and on-demand production. An award-winning textile designer and respected industry commentator, she collaborates with leading brands, manufacturers, and technology innovators worldwide, championing the future of digitally enabled textile production and sustainable manufacturing.
Philip Mödinger works in Corporate Development at Durst Group AG on strategic topics across technology, AI, and new business models. A TU Munich alumnus in Technology – Computer Engineering & Informatics – and Economics, with a deep focus on family businesses. A trend seeker, driven by change and the question of what comes next. He lives between Bavaria, Brixen, and the rest of the world. Dedicated cook and skier – and on special occasions, he opens his private small bar, Philosphère. Ownership, curiosity, passion. A technology enthusiast at heart.
Norbert Niederkofler, also known as “The Ethical Chef,” is South Tyrol’s only three-Michelin-starred chef. He is CEO and co-owner of NN Group, managing Atelier Moessmer, AlpiNN, and Ansitz Heufler. Renowned for his “Cook the Mountain” philosophy, he combines sustainability, regional ingredients, and Alpine traditions. He is also founder of CARE’s – The Ethical Chef Days and leads restaurant projects in Milan and Venice, redefining fine dining with a strong commitment to nature and responsibility within and beyond the plate.
Harald Oberrauch is a board member of Technicon, the family-owned holding behind companies such as Durst, Alupress, Immagina Biotechnology and other startups. With deep roots in a multigenerational business, he combines long-term vision with a hands-on entrepreneurial approach, driving growth and transformation across industries. His work reflects a strong commitment to innovation, responsibility, and sustainable value creation.
Moritz Pichler started his career engineering satellite systems at OHB, later Airbus Defence & Space before building Rheinmetall's cybersecurity subsidiary from zero to revenue as its founding CEO. At Microsoft, he oversaw sovereign Azure Governmental Cloud deployments with over €1 billion in business impact, then ran corporate venture activities at Hensoldt. Now Principal at Join Capital, he invests at the intersection of deep tech, defense, and cyber.
Birgit Ranzi is Chief People Officer of Durst Group AG, shaping the people strategy behind the company's transformation into a global technology leader. With two decades in senior HR roles across the financial industry in Switzerland and the UK, she shaped culture and performance at scale. She focuses on strategic HR, leadership development, and environments where people and business thrive.
With over 25 years of experience in the print industry — with a deep focus on inkjet — Chris brings a track record of helping customers unlock greater quality, productivity, and operational efficiency through the right application of technology.
Previously, in product management and marketing roles at EFI, Chris contributed to shaping the direction of Fiery products across high - growth segments including Textile, Display Graphics, Packaging, and Industrial Printing. This work involved close collaboration with customers and channel partners, as well as broad market education on industry trends and emerging technology.
Today, Chris serves as Global Sales Director Software at Durst Group, where he leads the commercial strategy for software solutions and is involved in Durst’s Open Software Initiative, a collaborative effort to build a more open, connected ecosystem for print production workflows.His focus remains on connecting customers with the right tools and partners to solve real operational challenges.
Uwe Scheithauer has worked at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems in Dresden, Germany, for the past 20 years and has been one of the key innovators in the field of additive manufacturing of ceramics in Europe. He is now a co-founder of NUWAM GmbH and is working with another team to prepare for the launch of a new startup at Dresden University of Technology. Living in Dresden, he passionately drives the technology transfer from research laboratories to industry together with his teams and enriches the world with highly functional ceramic components.
Stefan Waldner is the architect behind D3-AM and serves as its Chief Product Officer. D3-AM, a corporate startup of the Durst Group, develops advanced industrial 3D-printing systems for high-performance ceramics.
A technology-driven entrepreneur, he combines innovation, strategy, product development, and cross-functional leadership to advance additive manufacturing and scalable digital production.
Susanne Waldthaler is co-founder and CEO of DIKAIA AI, a bootstrapped legal-tech AI startup from South Tyrol. Forged at three of the world's top-10 pharma companies - Novartis, Gilead and GSK - and at Dr. Schär, the world leader in gluten-free products, she drove multi-country product launches each worth over half a billion euros in sales. Today she is building the legal AI data infrastructure for Europe.
Christian Zanzotti is founder and creative director of ZANZOTTI INDUSTRIAL DESIGN, a Munich-based studio he established in 2013. His work spans mobility, furniture, consumer goods, and lifestyle products, combining commissions for international brands with self-initiated, limited-edition objects. Born in South Tyrol, Italy, he focuses on the intersection of material, form, and advanced manufacturing technologies, developing forward-looking products through experimentation and design research. His work is defined by a clear, rigorous design language and has received multiple international design awards.
Transformational Entertainment & Marketing leader with 20+ years architecting billion-dollar tv/film/digital series, product marketing campaigns, high-margin studio ventures, and IP strategies for world-class tech titans, Fortune 50, streamers, leagues and cultural icons including MGM/Amazon, Warner Brothers, TNT/TBS, Disney, Qiddiya, NFL, NBA, Apple, and Bleacher Report. Mentoring the next generation of voices to lead with passion.
Alessandro Ivaldi is Chief Commercial Officer at Ratti S.p.A. Società Benefit (Marzotto Group), one of Italy’s leading textile companies for the international luxury and fashion markets. With extensive experience in luxury textiles, commercial leadership and business development, he oversees Ratti’s market strategy and customer relationships across global fashion and premium textile sectors. His work focuses on connecting Italian textile excellence, creativity and innovation with the evolving needs of luxury brands and international markets.
Alessandro Floridia is a Board Member of FASAC Group, a historic Italian textile company with over seventy years of heritage, specialising in printed and dyed fabrics for fashion, accessories and interior design. Rooted in the Como textile district, the Group combines manufacturing tradition, industrial expertise and continuous innovation, with a fully integrated production cycle and a strong focus on sustainability, creativity and global development.
Within FASAC Group, Alessandro Floridia focuses on business development and long-term strategic initiatives. He is also an advisor specialised in M&A and extraordinary finance transactions, supporting entrepreneurs and industrial groups in strategic and corporate development projects.
Previously, he served on the Board of aleph, contributing to the company’s international growth and industrial transformation.
Educated in Lyon, France – one of the historic global centres of textile excellence – Jay Purmessur is a textile engineer with more than three decades of executive experience within the Mauritian textile industry. Throughout his career, he has played a key role in driving operational resilience, efficiency and innovation, transforming the geographic and logistical challenges of island-based manufacturing into competitive advantages.
Working within a demanding economic environment that relies heavily on imported raw materials and labour, Jay has developed deep expertise in lean manufacturing, energy efficiency, high-quality textile production and ultra-short lead-time management – capabilities essential to competing successfully in the global textile market.
As Operations Head at CDL Knits (CIEL Textiles), Jay specialises in agile supply chains, sustainable industrial practices and production optimisation. He has led initiatives focused on resource efficiency, operational excellence and compliance with international manufacturing standards, helping strengthen the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of regional textile production.
