Klaus Bamberger, Head of Market/Customer, Wiener Linien

Klaus Bamberger is a veteran in the field of mobility management and strategy development. Born in Salzburg in 1974, he has had an impressive career at Wiener Linien GmbH & Co KG. He has been filling the position of Head of Market/Customer since 2017 and previously held various management positions at Wiener Linien, including Head of Services and Mobility and Head of Strategy Development. Klaus Bamberger also provided leadership during the start-up phase of Upstream next level mobility GmbH as Managing Director. His education includes a degree from the Vienna University of Economics and Business and Sheffield Hallam University as well as qualifications in service design as well as certified project and process manager.

Dirk Bestmann has been Head of Sales and Transportation at Hamburger Hochbahn AG since 2008. He is mainly responsible for the company’s revenue management, ticket sales and customer information in the Hamburg Transport Association as well as the “hvv switch” mobility platform.

The cross-provider mobility platform hvv switch enables customers to combine public transport services with complementary mobility services from a single source, integrated at a deep level.

Since its launch in mid-2020, the hvv switch app has already been downloaded 1.5 million times. In addition to the app, hvv switch also includes a network of presently more than 200 hvv switch points, with new points and exclusive charging infrastructure being added continuously. As of March 2023, this also includes Europe’s largest car-sharing hub with 120 parking spaces at Hamburg Airport, which also provides a comprehensive charging infrastructure.

Born in 1975 near Dresden, the business graduate (FH) has been Head of Sales and Fares at Mannheim-based Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (rnv) since 1 March 2025. Prior to this, she had already spent 10 years in a senior sales position responsible for subscriptions, among other things. In this role, she drove forward centralization initiatives at Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar (VRN) with energy and passion.

From 2001 to 2011, Ms. Dehoust held various positions within MVV Energie AG in Mannheim, including Assistant to the Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Head of Auditing and Accounts Payable. She joined the municipal holding company in 2011.

Prof. Dr. Stefan Gröner, futurologist, author and keynote speaker, is instrumental in helping industries and companies embrace forward-looking technologies and concepts. Thanks to his experience in strategy consulting and in leading positions at major German media companies, he engages with top business decision-makers as an equal. The research he undertakes as Professor and Dean of Studies for Digital Management & Leadership at Fresenius University of Applied Sciences focuses on “Artificial Intelligence” and “Business Areas and Technologies of the Future.” By combining his scientific knowledge with his practical experience, he provides groundbreaking impulses and pragmatic solutions for overcoming strategic and human challenges. His lectures convey expert knowledge in a humorous and intuitive way, encourage visionary thinking and inspire people to actively participate in shaping digital change.

Heiko Lindner, a graduate economist, began his professional career in 2006 at Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH in the Fare & Sales department. From 2008 to 2023, he held various management and leadership positions in passenger transport at Deutsche Bahn AG, including at DB Regio AG, in Group Strategy, at DB Vertrieb GmbH and S-Bahn Berlin GmbH – always with a focus on fares, sales and marketing. Since 2023, Heiko Lindner has been Authorized Signatory and Head of Sales and Marketing at Kasseler Verkehrs-Gesellschaft AG (KVG) and Managing Director of the KVG subsidiary RegioTram GmbH. In this role, he is responsible for sales channels and technology, fares, revenue and complaints management, ticket verification and marketing at KVG.

As Head of Retail at National Express, I lead the commercial, technological, operational, and strategic lifecycle across all retail touchpoints for both the UK Coach and National Express Bus businesses. With extensive experience spanning road and rail, I have worked on both sides of the industry, for transport operators and for technology suppliers supporting retail systems, giving me a unique perspective on how to deliver solutions that truly work in practice.

My focus is on defining and driving retail and payments strategy with a customer first mindset, making it easier for customers to buy, innovating with new technologies and functionality, whilst creating best-in-class retail experiences. By combining commercial rigour with innovation, I aim to reduce complexity and cost while attracting more people to choose public transport as their preferred way to travel.

Steffen Müller (47) is operations manager at the Stadtwerke Hamm transit agency. Previously, he shaped the Nordhessischer Verkehrsverbund (NVV) for many years, most recently as Managing Director, with a focus on public transport expansion, including the comprehensive hourly bus service entitled “Every village – every hour.” He successfully negotiated an increase in basic funding for the NVV of around 40% to secure a stable budget for implementing the transport transition in northern Hesse. As project manager in Hamm, he is responsible for the introduction of the first hydrogen buses and the switch to 10-minute intervals – two key steps towards improved climate protection and service quality. Firmly at home in the world of transport networks, he is now focusing on operational aspects that are imperative for the transport transition to succeed. He is a certified transport manager in accordance with Regulation (EC) 1071/2009 and acts as a “public transport interpreter” between passengers, employees, politicians and partners.

Katerina Pekarek studied Law & Economics in the United Kingdom, and Law & Jurisprudence in the Czech Republic. Subsequently, she took the state examination to qualify as a German attorney and practiced international commercial law mainly in the field of automotive and machinery for the subsequent decade.

Between 2020-2024, Katerina Pekarek was a member of the general management of iris-GmbH infrared & intelligent sensors as General Counsel and Proxy helping to shape the future of a world leader in people counting sensors.

Since November 2024, having gone from “sensors” to “sense”, she leads DILAX as managing director and focuses on supporting customers in making sense of the data and unlocking its true potential.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Pischon (58) studied economics at the universities of Berlin and Heidelberg and graduated with a degree in economics in 1993.

Following his doctorate at Heidelberg University and various national and international positions at ABB and Deutsche Bahn, Prof. Dr. Pischon took up his current positions as Chairman of the Management Board of Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe GmbH (VBK), Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft mbH (AVG), Karlsruher Schieneninfrastruktur-Gesellschaft mbH (KASIG), Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund GmbH (KVV) and as Managing Director of the holding company, Karlsruher Versorgungs-, Verkehrs- und Hafen GmbH (KVVH).

Since 2019, he has been active in various public transport industry associations for Karlsruhe, as Chairman of the VDV Baden-Württemberg regional group, as a member of the VDV Presidium at the federal level and as a member of the Policy Board of the UITP international industry association. In addition, he has been giving lectures on competition, planning and financing in public transportation at KIT for several years and has been awarded an honorary professorship for his contribution.

Dainon Setzer is a strategic leader with over 15 years of experience in customer experience, business development, and service innovation across public and private sectors. Currently at Spokane Transit Authority, he leads key initiatives to grow ridership and enhance customer engagement through technology and partnership development. Dainon drives STA’s CRM and pass program strategies, including the successful launch and adoption of the STA Connect App, which modernizes fare payment and improves transit accessibility. His background spans complex portfolio management, digital product delivery, and cross-functional leadership focused on transforming public transit experiences.

Mr. Spatz is Deputy Head of Sales and Fares and has held various positions in the sales division of rnv for 26 years. As head of department, he has been responsible for the technical and strategic development of all sales channels at rnv since 2010.

Innovations such as the introduction of the subscription portals in 2017 contributed significantly to the positive development of the subscription business and optimally supported the centralization strategy. Under his leadership, the division successfully completed the introduction of PT-Nova in April 2025.

Dr. Anjes Tjarks was born in Hamburg on 12 March 1981. He studied English and Politics, training to be a teacher, and received his doctorate in political science and cognitive linguistics in 2011. Anjes Tjarks has been a member of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen since 1998 and was Deputy State Chairman in Hamburg from 2008 to 2011. Tjarks has been a member of the Hamburg Parliament since 2011. From 2015 to 2020 he was Chairman of the parliamentary group and since 10 June 2020 he has been President of the Authority for Transport and Mobility Transition (in his second term of office since 7 May 2025).

Ingo Wortmann, President of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), is one of the most prominent proponents of the mobility transition in Germany. Owing to his many years of shaping and driving local public transport, he has extensive experience in strategic transport planning, digitalization and sustainable mobility. Ingo Wortmann has been Managing Director Mobility at Stadtwerke München GmbH (SWM) since 2016 and is Chairman of the Management Board of Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH (MVG).