Female Leadership at WHU
Home Speakers Agenda Sponsors Team
✦ Recap · FEM Summit 2026

The voices
of 2026.

These remarkable leaders joined us on January 24, 2026 for keynotes, panels, and fireside chats. The lineup for Summit 2027 will be announced right here.

Melanie Kreis

Melanie Kreis

Chief Financial Officer, DHL Group

Melanie Kreis is recognized as one of the leading executives in global finance and business management. When she assumed her current role in 2016, she became one of the first women to hold such a senior position in a major German corporation. Her academic background includes a Master's degree in Physics from New York, a Diploma in Physics from Bonn, and an MBA from INSEAD. Since 2023, she has also served as President of the Deutsches Aktieninstitut (DAI).

Keynote
Lisa Komischke

Lisa Komischke

Chief Client Officer, BNP Paribas

As Chief Client Officer Wealth Management at BNP Paribas, Lisa is responsible for strategic dialogue on M&A, IPO and Private Placement projects with German family office and entrepreneurial clients. A passionate advocate for ambitious female talent, she recently authored a book on navigating the path from studies to career success, and delivered a TEDTalk on the topic.

Keynote: Change is the Wind, Mindset is the Sail
Erich Vad

Erich Vad

Brigadier General (ret.) & Security Policy Advisor to Chancellor Merkel

One of Germany's most renowned security experts, Erich Vad served in the Federal Chancellor's Office as Military Policy Advisor to former Chancellor Angela Merkel. Co-author of "New Female Leadership: What We Can Learn from Angela Merkel and Other Women", he brings a rare perspective on leadership under pressure, politics, and strategic decision-making.

Fireside Chat
Dr. Alena Kretzberg

Dr. Alena Kretzberg

Board Member & CIO, Volkswagen Financial Services AG

A leading expert in digital transformation and IT strategy, Dr. Kretzberg has served as Board Member and CIO at Volkswagen Financial Services since March 2023. Previously she held senior roles at Commerzbank, including responsibility for Digital Banking & comdirect, and was a Partner at McKinsey & Company focusing on digitalisation in the financial industry. She holds a PhD in Economics from WHU.

Panel: Wavemakers
Also on the 2026 stage
Bettina Stark-Watzinger Ricarda Lang Dagmar Rosenfeld Theresa Holler Heike Wieland-Blöse Birte Stamm Christina Ellringmann Sophia Herrmann
✦ Summit 2027

The 2027 lineup
is in the making.

The speakers for our next summit will be announced here. Check back soon.

Back to the Countdown →