Global Power Shift: Leadership Perspectives on Europe's Position in the EV Race

Nikolaus Oberkandler is Head of the Division for Electromobility and Charging Infrastructure at the Federal Ministry for Transport, where he has worked since 2012. He is responsible for shaping and coordinating the regulatory, financial and operational framework for major national initiatives such as the 'Deutschlandnetz' fast charging programme, the Masterplan Charging Infrastructure 2030, and federal funding schemes for zero emission buses. His work focuses on creating stable conditions for investment, enabling scalable deployment, and supporting the transition toward reliable nationwide charging and clean transport solutions.

Christoph Ebert has been a committed advocate of electric mobility for fifteen years and has extensive experience in developing and scaling e-mobility solutions. Before joining E.ON in 2018, he led one of Bavaria's pilot projects for electric mobility and expanded its reach into the tourism sector. Since then, as Managing Director of Drive Germany GmbH, he has been driving forward initiatives related to sustainability and e-mobility in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland on behalf of E.ON.

Maximilian Wühr is the CEO and Co-Founder of Munich-based car subscription platform FINN. He founded FINN with his co-founders in 2019 to simplify the car ownership experience, growing it to the leading car subscription platform in Germany. Before that, he worked at several startups and investment companies, including Kaia Health and Picus Capital.

Since May 2025 Dr. Thomas Becker is head of External Affairs and Sustainability combining the previous two departments which he has built up over the last years. Dr. Thomas Becker was Vice President for Sustainability, Mobility at the BMW Group in Munich from October 2019 to April 2025. In this role he supervised the integration of the sustainability dimension into the corporate strategy, including defining the implementation of the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement at corporate level, the Group's strategic approach to circular economy and the role of individual mobility in the urban environment.Dr. Thomas Becker was Vice President Government and External Affairs at the BMW Group in Munich from 2007 to September 2019. During his time in the area of Government and External Affairs he supervised the worldwide representation of the BMW Group's political interests, the company's approach to integrate political topics into the product as well as business communications and the steering of the sustainability communication of the company. Dr. Thomas Becker started his career as an expert in the department of environmental policy at the Association of the German Industry (BDI) in Berlin. He later held several leadership positions at the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) in Frankfurt. Before his current role with the BMW Group Dr. Becker worked as Deputy Managing Director at VDA, where he was responsible for the association's co-management. Dr. Thomas Becker received his PhD degree (Dr. rer. pol.) with Professor Dr. Ekkehard Kappler at the Reinhard-Mohn Foundation Chair for Management, Economics, and Social Evolution at the University of Witten / Herdecke with magna cum laude. He also holds a diploma in economics from the University of Cologne.

Heiko Seitz ist Partner und Global eMobility Leader bei PwC. Mit mehr als 20 Jahren Erfahrung in der Gestaltung intelligenter und nachhaltiger Verkehrssysteme weltweit berät er Regierungen, globale Branchenführer und Investoren zu nationalen Strategien für die Mobilitätswende - zur Beschleunigung der E-Mobilität, zur Ermöglichung autonomer Mobilität und zur Integration multimodaler Transportsysteme der nächsten Generation. Als regelmäßiger Kommentator bei CNN, CNBC und Bloomberg verbindet Heiko politische Einblicke, Geschäftsstrategien und deren Umsetzung, um Unternehmen dabei zu helfen, die Zukunft der Mobilität zu gestalten.

Susan Poynor is Global Head of Automotive at Allianz Partners. She has a vast experience in the mobility sector and focuses in her current role on driving growth in the motor insurance business segment. This includes integrating embedded insurances into automotive sales and services, leveraging the potential of connected car technologies and outlining insurances tailored for electric and autonomous vehicles.