Speaker

Gabriel Wernbacher is the CEO and AI Architect at Experts Inside, a consulting firm specializing in Microsoft Copilot and agent-based AI. He supports Austrian companies, public administration agencies, and educational institutions through every stage of the AI process, from strategy to implementation. As a sought-after speaker—including at the Microsoft Tech Conference, Infinity365, and other events—he demonstrates in his session “Secure, Confident, Productive” how companies can deploy AI with control and measurable benefits.

, CEO / AI Architect – Experts Inside GmbH

Willibald Ehrenhöfer grew up in Eastern Styria. Born in Feldbach in 1972, his educational path first took him to the Edelsbach Elementary School, then to the Feldbach Sports Middle School, and from there to the HTL Weiz, until he finally moved to Vienna after graduating from high school. There, Ehrenhöfer first earned a degree in forestry and wood science at BOKU before expanding his expertise with a university course in ecodesign at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien). His professional career took him from the Styrian Chamber of Agriculture to Mayr-Melnhof Holz and on to management consulting and the energy sector. Before joining the state government, he served, among other roles, as Forestry Director and Head of the Forestry Group, as well as leading other companies within the Franz Mayr-Melnhof-Saurau Group. Since March 2025, he has served as Styrian State Councilor for Economy, Labor, Finance, Science, and Research. Ehrenhöfer is married and the father of three children.

Provincial Councilor of the Province of Styria

Patrick Ratheiser is an entrepreneur, AI expert, keynote speaker, and Head of AI at EY Austria. As the founder and former CEO of Leftshift One, he combines entrepreneurial experience with a deep understanding of technology. Through more than 170 AI projects and over 250 presentations, he has guided companies in the practical application of artificial intelligence. His focus is on how AI is fundamentally transforming work, software development, and organizations. Forbes has repeatedly recognized him as one of Austria’s leading AI experts.

Head of AI @ EY Ernst & Young

As a fifth-generation family-owned business, MANZ is now one of Austria’s leading legal publishers. Susanne Stein-Pressl, a lawyer herself, has led the company since 2006. Her mission: to strengthen the rule of law with reliable information. Under her leadership, numerous strategic initiatives have been implemented, including the coordinated brand management of the MANZ Group, the MANZ Online Library, the merger with RDB Rechtsdatenbank GmbH, and a focus on the digitization of the law—most recently with a strong emphasis on AI. In 2025 and 2026, the products Genjus AI and MANZ-Noxtua were launched on the market.

Managing Partner, MANZ Verlag

Gerhard Kokalj is the head of the “vehicle eXperience & mobility performance” department at AVL List GmbH in Graz. In this role, he leads international teams and drives the development of innovative solutions for the mobility of the future. He works in a global environment where different cultures, locations, and disciplines collaborate to develop new technologies and mobility concepts. His focus is on continuously advancing the vehicle experience, driving behavior, and mobility solutions, thereby contributing to safe, sustainable, and customer-oriented mobility.

Head of Vehicle Experience & Mobility Performance

Hannah Wundsam is the CEO of AustrianStartups, Austria’s largest startup community and think tank for entrepreneurship. In this role, she advocates for better framework conditions, greater innovation, and a strong startup culture in Austria and Europe. She is a member of the Federal Government’s Startup Council, a board member of the European Startup Network, and a member of the Investment Committee at WU Ignite Ventures. Previously, she founded a startup herself and launched educational programs that inspire thousands of young people to think and act entrepreneurially.

CEO – AustrianStartups

At CANCOM Austria AG, Lucas Wartscher focuses primarily on data and AI, as well as modern AI architectures in the enterprise environment. His focus is on the development and positioning of practical AI solutions—ranging from generative and agent-based AI to data platforms and hybrid cloud and on-premises architectures. In doing so, he combines technological possibilities with specific business requirements and supports companies from the identification of suitable use cases through proof-of-concepts to productive implementation and scaling.

Sales Consultant – Digital Solutions – CANCOM Austria AG

Before co-founding TACEO, Lukas was a cryptography researcher and lecturer at Graz University of Technology. The founding team of TACEO emerged from a research team at Graz University of Technology that was working on modern cryptographic methods—such as multi-party computation—in collaboration with industry as part of an EU research project. The company was founded in 2022 as a spin-off of Graz University of Technology. Today, TACEO develops infrastructure for trust in the age of AI based on its own cryptography research. At its core, the company focuses on verifiability and data sovereignty without disclosing sensitive data.

CEO, Co-Founder – Taceo

Dr. Leif-Nissen Lundbæk is the CEO and founder of Noxtua, Europe’s legal AI. This legally compliant and legally competent AI assists lawyers with legal research, analysis, and the drafting of legal documents. A staunch European, he founded the European AI company in 2017 in collaboration with, among others, Prof. Dr. Michael Huth from research groups at the University of Oxford and Imperial College London. Prior to that, the AI expert worked for companies including Daimler and IBM. He earned a B.Sc. in Economics from Humboldt University of Berlin, an M.Sc. with honors in Mathematics from Ruprecht Karls University of Heidelberg, an M.Sc. in Software Engineering from the University of Oxford, and his Ph.D. in Computing from Imperial College London. The entrepreneur is a sought-after speaker and author on AI and legal tech.

CEO, Noxtua

Andreas Windisch is a theoretical physicist, AI strategist and keynote speaker who combines science, politics and society. As a recipient of Austria’s highest academic honor (sub auspiciis praesidentis rei publicae), he combines analytical depth with practical experience. He heads a research department at JOANNEUM RESEARCH and is Chief Science Officer of AI Austria, where he helps shape the national and European AI strategy. His unusual path led him through service as a paratrooper, a PhD in theoretical particle physics and a US pilot’s license. Andreas talks about artificial intelligence, resilience and technology ethics – clearly, empathetically and well-founded. He makes complex topics not only accessible, but meaningful.

Head of Research Group – JOANNEUM RESEARCH, AI Austria