Programme Overview

Back in 2012, the two first met through the World Business Dialogue — a moment that would go on to have a profound impact on Cihan Sügür’s personal and professional journey. What started as a single encounter between a student and one of Germany’s leading executives evolved into years of mentorship, guidance, and inspiration.

Europe's security landscape is shifting faster than its institutions. Three experts from defence, deep tech, and venture capital explore what genuine strategic autonomy requires — from cyber resilience to sovereign hardware and the capital flows needed to build a defence-industrial base that can compete globally.

From automotive to chemicals to logistics, Europe's industrial backbone faces simultaneous pressure from cost, competition, and the green transition. Four voices from Parliament, economics, logistics, and financial research confront the hard question: is reindustrialisation still possible, and what mix of industrial policy and private capital can make it happen?

Europe's most powerful companies are often invisible. Hermann Simon, who coined the term "Hidden Champions", discusses the thousands of mid-sized European firms dominating global niches — and what their discipline, focus, and long-term thinking offer as a blueprint for the next generation of European business leaders.

Damian Boeselager co-founded VOLT Europa and won a seat in the European Parliament before 35. He reflects on building institutions that transcend national borders, why youth engagement in European democracy matters more than ever, and whether a truly united Europe can still be built from the ground up.

Ulrike Sapiro brings a transatlantic lens to Europe's strategic moment — having worked across Silicon Valley and Brussels. Her interview charts the structural choices Europe faces on technology sovereignty, trade, and geopolitical positioning, and what it means to lead with European values in a world of competing power blocs.

Werner Hoyer has spent decades at the centre of European affairs. As Federal Minister of State for European Affairs under both Helmut Kohl and Angela Merkel, he was a key architect of Germany's European policy during some of the continent's most formative years. From 2012 to 2024, he served as President of the European Investment Bank (EIB), the world's largest multilateral lender, where he steered hundreds of billions in investment toward climate, innovation and cohesion across the EU and beyond. In recognition of his work, he was named European Banker of the Year in 2020.