The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Germany) hosted its 119th Annual Membership Meeting in person at the Hotel de Rome in Berlin on July 6, 2023. Members of AmCham Germany gathered to (re-)elect officers for the Executive Committee and Board of Directors. The Annual Membership Meeting was chaired by the President of the Chamber, Simone Menne, who has now been serving in such position for two years and has been re-elected to continue such role. The membership meeting also celebrated the 120-year anniversary of the organization, which was founded in Berlin in 1903.
Other election results of the membership meeting (pending final confirmation) include:
The re-election of Warren Marine (KPMG) as Treasurer of the Chamber. A new member to the Executive Committee is Dr. Sabine Gilliam (Pfizer Germany) as Executive Vice President of the Chamber. New members of the Board of Directors include Klaus Bürg (Palo Alto Networks), Evelyne de Leersnyder (Coca Cola Germany), Dr. Clemens Doepgen (Ford-Werke GmbH), Mario Federico (McDonald's Germany LLC), Andreas Gerber (Janssen-Cilag GmbH), Stefan Hafke (Citigroup Global Markets Europe AG), Ronny Hauck (ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH), Michael Heinz (BASF SE), Petra Justenhoven (PwC Germany GmbH and PwC Europe), Sven Mulder (SAP SE), Christine Rupp (IBM Deutschland GmbH), Christin Schack (3M Deutschland GmbH), Dr. Thomas Schiller (Deloitte GmbH), and Astrid Teckentrup (Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH).
As per tradition, a business conference involving high-ranking stakeholders in politics and transatlantic business took place. The theme of the conference centeredon transatlantic relations in the context of technological developments such as AI revolutions and finding ways to ensure competitiveness and resilience considering changing geopolitical dynamics and national challenges.
To kick-off the conference, Minister Wolfgang Schmidt, Head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks, held a keynote speech with an ensuing moderated discussion with Simone Menne. In this part, Federal Minister Schmidt emphasized that the transatlantic partnership comprises far more than the tradition security and strategic aspect. He underlined the need for new institution and platforms such as the Trade and Technology Council (T.T.C.) and highlighted that many smaller areas have immense potential to foster stronger ties among transatlantic companies and partners to improve trade conditions. As top priority, he pointed out that our societies must face the large questions of tomorrow and use these complex challenges as opportunities for the community to work together.
Afterwards, following speakers comprised the panel under the title: Future-Proofing Transatlantic Business in an Age of AI Revolutions: How Transatlantic Sovereignty Can Contribute to More Competitiveness, Resilience, and Responsiveness in Our Economies
- Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of T-Systems and Member of the Board of Management, Deutsche Telekom AG
- Klaus Bürg, Vice President EMEA, Palo Alto Networks GmbH
- Simone Menne, President, AmCham Germany
- Christoph Weigler, General Manager DACH, Uber
- Cherno Jobatey moderated the panel and conference.
During the panel, each speaker included their respective angle on the opportunities of the rapid development of (AI) technology. Furthermore, the panelists provided concrete examples of how AI technologies affect their business operations, be it in the form of streamlining and implementing software and accelerating internal processes. A central question for the panel was the issue of the regulation of AI – and if so – to what extent. Other aspects such as cybersecurity, personal data transfer, standard-setting, user cases, and the general development of AI were discussed. Data transfer was a common topic for most, as a lack of a clear framework causes major challenges for companies who want to drive forward their technological and optimization goals. The panelists agreed that a necessary transatlantic step is to foster research-oriented spaces for common standards and regulation, even if it is in smaller terms rather than aiming to solve everything all at once. They concluded that the transatlantic partners must use their common understanding and shared values to innovate and share best practices to jointly adapt to the technological world of tomorrow.
To conclude the conference, U.S. Ambassador to Germany Amy Gutmann, delivered a keynote speech with an ensuing talk with President Simone Menne. She underscored the perennial value of the U.S-German alliance. The transformative power of economic integration and the robust transatlantic alliance has driven freedom, opportunity, and prosperity for people across the globe. She highlighted how this partnership relies on the shared democratic values and strong investment between its partners. To this end, it is their mutual responsibility toward one another to lead towards a more prosperous and peaceful world.
We wish to thank our cooperation partners Palo Alto Networks and T-Systems, our platinum sponsor KPMG, Mobility Partner Uber, our gold sponsors BASF SE, Deutsche Bank, General Atomics and Texas Instruments, and to our silver sponsors Coca Cola Germany, GE HealthCare, Lilly, Mercedez Benz, and Pfizer.
We congratulate our members of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors who were elected and re-elected and thank our complete membership for their support in driving this organization forward!
You can find further information in the press release here.
