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

As Vice President of Global Sustainability, Glenn Schmidt is responsible for leading the BMW Group's holistic approach to sustainability across all divisions and regions. In this role he drives the integration of all sustainability dimensions into the corporate strategy as well as defining targets and initiatives to meet the Paris Climate Agreement. The BMW Group has a comprehensive and deep-rooted understanding of sustainability that involves driving innovations along the entire value chain, promoting circular economy as well as embracing a technology-open approach to effectively reduce CO2 emissions.Previously, Glenn was responsible for government and external relations at the BMW Group. In this role over the last five years, he managed the company's global advocacy work based in Munich as well as its representative offices worldwide.Since joining BMW in 2004, Glenn has held numerous international positions within the BMW Group. He has also been responsible for international media relations as well as for business and finance communications. Glenn was also a member of project i, the BMW Group's initial think-tank that led to BMW i and subsequent broad electrification with the company's product portfolio.Prior to joining the BMW Group, Glenn was a consultant specialized in the automotive industry. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Krannert School of Management, Purdue University in West Lafayette, USA.Glenn is originally from Vancouver, Canada, where he completed his undergraduate studies.

Heiko Seitz is a Partner and Global eMobility Leader at PwC. With more than 20 years of experience shaping smart and sustainable transport ecosystems worldwide, he advises governments, global industry leaders, and investors on national mobility transformation strategies-accelerating  ecarbonisation, enabling autonomous mobility, and integrating next-generation multimodal ransport systems. A regular commentator on CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg, Heiko connects policy insight, commercial strategy, and execution to help organisations deliver the future of mobility.  

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.

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.

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.