8:30 am             Registration and Breakfast

 

9:00 am             Welcome and Introduction

                           •    Stefanie Ziska, President & CEO, German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S., Inc.  

                           •    Johannes Schmalzl, General Executive Manager, Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the Stuttgart                                             Region

                           •    Ed Castile, Deputy Secretary of Commerce, Alabama Department of Commerce, representing the Premium                                     Sponsor State of Alabama         

 

9:30 am             Opening Panel: Transatlantic Relations

                            Moderation: Moritz Koch, Senior Correspondent, Handelsblatt       

                           •    Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing of the State of Baden-                                               Württemberg

                           •    Daniel Andrich, President and CEO, Representative of German Industry and Trade

                           •    Prof. J.D. Bindenagel, Ambassador (ret), Henry Kissinger Professor and Head of the Center International                                           Security and Governance, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn  
            

10:30 am           Coffee Break

 

11:15 am           Panel: German Businesses and the U.S. Administration

                             Moderation: Matthias Heinz, Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Trade Committee, Chamber of Commerce and                                   Industry for the Stuttgart Region

                           •    Rodney Hunter, Business Director North/South America and MEA, Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG 

                           •    Peter Riehle, President & CEO, WITTENSTEIN holding, Corp. and Chairman of the Board of Directors,                                                 German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, Inc. 

                           •    Klaus Zellmer, President & CEO, Porsche Cars North America, Inc. and Chairman Board of Directors,                                                 German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S., Inc.

 

12:45 pm           Panel results and summary

                           •    Klaus Zellmer, President & CEO Porsche Cars North America, Inc. and Chairman Board of Directors,                                                 German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern U.S., Inc. 

 

12:50 pm          Lunch Break and Networking  

 

2:00 pm             WORKSHOPS (3 workshops each 60 min)

                     1. Recent Developments in U.S. Visa and Immigration Laws 

                               Moderation: Susanne Gellert, Vice President, German American Chamber of Commerce, Inc., New York

                                •    Hilde Holland, Attorney at Law and Partner, Wuersch & Gering LLP 

                                •    Teri A. Simmons, Attorney at Law and Partner, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP 

                                •    Brendan C. James, Consul, Non-Immigrant Visa Unit, U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt
                                •    Peter Limberger, Chairman and CEO, CL Enterprises LLC                          
                                •    Dr. Siegmar Pohl, Attorney at Law and Partner, Squire Patton Boggs LLP                            

 

                           2. Industry 4.0 – Opportunities and Challenges of the Digital Transformation

                               Moderation: Mark Tomkins, President & CEO, German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, Inc.

                                •    Jackson Bond, Co-Founder, Chief Industry Evangelist, New Business, relayr GmbH

                                •    Michael Butschek, Senior Vice President „Digital Enterprise“, Siemens AG, Digital Factory

                                •    Peter Riehle, President & CEO, WITTENSTEIN holding, Corp. and Chairman of the Board of Directors,                                                German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, Inc. 

                                •    Rainer Strohm, VP Corporate Sector Information Systems and Services, Robert Bosch GmbH           

 

                           3. Sales Strategies USA – Be prepared to think differently

                               Moderation: Stefanie Ziska, President & CEO, German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southern                                         U.S., Inc.  

                                •    Karsten Böhrs, CEO, The Simpleshow Company S.A.

                                •    Rudi Herbst, President & CEO, United Soft Plastics                                

                                •    Rodney Hunter, Business Director North/South America and MEA, Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG                                                  •    Carsten Salewski, Member of the Executive Board – Sales, Marketing and International                                                                        Business, Viscom AG      
                   

3:00 pm           WORKSHOPS (3 workshops each 60 min)            
                           1. Recent Developments in U.S. Visa and Immigration Laws

                           2. Industry 4.0 – Opportunities and Challenges of the Digital Transformation

                           3. Sales Strategies USA – Be prepared to think differently

 

4:00 pm             Press Gaggle with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and business leaders
                             at the trade fair stand of the German American Chamber of Commerce (Stand no. 2C12)