Speakers
Carmen Hentschel
Moderator Cable Car Congress
Carmen Hentschel is a moderator and keynote speaker for the topic of digitization. In her work, she discusses all aspects of digital transformation with executives and thought leaders on a daily basis. She speaks particularly often about mobility of the future and Smart City and moderates the major industry events in the DACH region. In her assignments, she brings the experience of over 2000 moderations, lectures, interviews and consultations to the table. In 2021 she was nominated for Speaker of the Year in the category Business at the Red Fox Awards. She is also the owner of the two digital agencies Future Shapers and Online Conferences . With the agency "Future Shapers" she places special keynote speakers on digital topics. And with the agency "Online Conferences" she advises companies and institutions on successful and lively communication in the digital space. As a podcast moderator, she moderates the "Born to Transform" format, the podcast covering all digital topics from Fujitsu, as well as "MobiliTALK", the podcast covering all aspects of mobility of the future. The initiator is the Alliance for Mobility of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Moderator Cable Car Congress
Hartmut Höppner
State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport
State Secretary Hartmut Höppner is an agricultural engineer and environmental scientist. He was office manager in the German Bundestag for MPs Marita Sehn and Dr Volker Wissing, chief executive and press spokesman for the FDP Rhineland-Palatinate, deputy spokesman for the Rhineland-Palatinate state government and head of the office of the Rhineland-Palatinate Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture, Dr Volker Wissing. Since 2022, Hartmut Höppner has been State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport, where he is responsible for climate protection in mobility and public transport, among other things. Since summer 2019, the BDMV has been regularly and intensively involved in this topic as part of the newly initiated urban cable car working group. At the end of 2022, the guidelines for the urban and transport planning integration of cable cars in German cities for local public transport were published together with the Stuttgart-based planning and consulting company Drees & Sommer SE and the Verkehrswissenschaftliches Institut Stuttgart GmbH (VWI).
Day 1 | Greeting | 10:00-10:07 a.m.
Alhaji Fanday Turay
Minister of Transport, Sierra Leone
Rtd. Col. Ambassador Alhaji Fanday Turay Esq. took over as the Minister of Transport and Aviation on 11.08.2023. Previously he served as the Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the United Nations. He has also served as Security Adviser at the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Syrian Golan and brings 14 years of experience in United Nations peacekeeping to his new position. He chaired the National Commission for Privatization in Sierra Leone in 2019. In 2009, Mr. Turay was appointed Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff at the Office of Military Affairs in the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Before that, he served as Legal Advisor at his country’s Ministry of Defence and as a brigade commander in the national armed forces between 2008 and 2011. From 2006 to 2008, he was a battalion commander. In the 1990s, he assumed various posts, including Chief of Personnel Manning Joint Forces Headquarters, Aide-de-Camp to the Head of State and Military Adviser to the Permanent Mission of Sierra Leone to the United Nations in New York. He also participated in the Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group in Liberia, in both command and staff roles. A lawyer by profession, Mr. Turay holds master’s degrees in international transport and maritime law from the London Metropolitan University and also in international affairs from the University of Ghana. He also earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of West London. Born on 23 September 1967, he is married and has three children.
Day 1 | Greeting | 10:07-10:14 a.m.
Mag. Jörg Schröttner
President, OITAF
The OITAF is the international organization for the cable car industry, which was founded as an umbrella organization for cable car companies, manufacturers, authorities but also other institutions in the field of cable car research and development with the aim of jointly shaping technical, economic and legal developments, including their challenges and problems and solve. In urban areas, cable cars are becoming more and more important due to growing residential areas and increasing traffic obstruction. In this area, however, one encounters completely different difficulties and obstacles than in mountain regions. These international developments show that OITAF still has an important function today. A high security standard must be established and maintained worldwide. OITAF recommendations are very important.
Day 1 | Greeting | 10:14-10:20 a.m.
Prof. Luis Angel Guzmán
Associate Professor, Universidad de los Andes
Luis A. Guzman is an Associate Professor at the School of Engineering at Universidad de los Andes in the Civil and Environment Department in Bogotá, Colombia. He holds an M.Sc from the Universidad de los Andes and a Ph.D. cum laude in Systems of Civil Engineering at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (2011). Luis’research interests are extensive, including transport and land-use interaction, policy evaluation, economic evaluation of transport and urban systems, and social, economic, and spatial analysis of inequalities related to urban transport. He is currently a researcher of national studies including the development models and tools regarding land occupation and land-use changes and their implications on urban planning, social equity, livability, and well-being. He has also been a consultant and adviser in different urban transport projects in Colombia, a consultant to the World Bank, and an adviser to the Urban Development Institute of Bogotá on issues of value capture instruments for financing transport infrastructure. Adviser of the Bogotá Urban Planning Office in the reform of the Land-Use Planning Master Plan in transport planning. He is an associate editor of npj Sustainable Mobility and Transport and an editorial board member of Research in Transportation Business & Management Journal, Latin American Transport Studies Journal, and Journal of Public Transportation. Author of several articles published in international journals related to evaluating transport policies, public transport, poverty, equity, and urban structure.
Day 1 | Keynote | 10:20-10:40 a.m.
Dr. Frank Dudda
Lord Mayor of the City of Herne
Dr Frank Dudda has been Lord Mayor of the city of Herne since 2015. He has been the first directly elected Chairman of the Association Assembly of the Ruhr Regional Association since 2020 and Chairman of the Emschergenossenschaft Cooperative Council since 2021. In his political functions, he shapes regional transformation processes with international aspirations. His declared goal is for the Ruhr region to become the greenest industrial region in the world, with sustainable, blue-green infrastructure and modern mobility that inspires and connects people.
Day 1 | Lecture 1.2 | 11:00-11:20 a.m.
Mark Huckshold
Managing Director, Industrieverband Feuerverzinken e.V.
Mark Huckshold studied Technical Environmental Protection at the Technical University of Berlin (Dipl.-Ing.). After 3 years as an assistant at the TU Berlin, Mr Huckshold moved to the Institut Feuerverzinken GmbH in Düsseldorf in 2002 as a technical consultant. In 2007, Mr Huckshold moved to the management of the Industrieverband Feuerverzinken e.V. Also since 2007, Mr Huckshold has been responsible for research and development within the framework of joint industrial research and is the managing director of the Forschungsvereinigung Gemeinschaftsausschuss Verzinken e.V. in Düsseldorf.
Day 1 | Lecture 1.3 | 11:20-11:40 a.m.
Jürgen Heinzel
Senior Architect & Associate, UNStudio
Jürgen holds the position of Associate Design Director and Senior Architect at UNStudio. He graduated from the OWL University of Applied Sciences - Detmold School of Architecture and Interior Design in Detmold in 2008. He has been an integral part of UNStudio since 2006 and has contributed significantly to a number of the firm's pioneering projects of various sizes and typologies. With his extensive expertise in architecture, Jürgen excels in the conceptualisation, design and management of complex built environments. His approach is deeply rooted in creating compelling stories for unique design scenarios, fuelled by a deep interest in using design to create positive impact on global issues as well as on people's daily lives. His distinguished career is underlined by a portfolio of over 50 internationally recognised projects in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Day 1 | Lecture 1.4 | 11:40-12:00 a.m.
Stella Nikolakaki
Senior Architect & Associate, UNStudio
Stella is a Senior Architect and Associate at UNStudio with over 15 years
of international experience across a diverse range of project typologies.
She joined UNStudio in 2018. In addition to her time at UNStudio, Stella
has practiced professionally in Greece and in the United Kingdom,
where she is a Registered Architect. At UNStudio she has held design
coordination and management roles in various projects from concept
to execution stages, among which are the Gothenburg Cable Car,
the Bellona Tower and Palas Residential. Her project experience has
focused on realizing complex programmatic requirements with a strong
underlying concept, through innovative design and technological
applications. She oversees the full design and detailing process and
focuses on project delivery and coordination. Stella is also involved in
the acquisition process of the studio with an effective approach in client
and stakeholder management.
Day 1 | Lecture 1.4 | 11:40-12:00 a.m.
Alix Doberstein
Head of Project Management & Consulting, Future Mobility Solutions GmbH
Alix Doberstein studied industrial engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich and gained experience in drive and function development at an automotive manufacturer. She specialised in automotive and mobility management during her Master's degree at the Technical University of Ingolstadt, further consolidating her path into the mobility industry. She joined FMS Future Mobility Solutions GmbH in the mobility consulting unit "Mobility & Transport" in product management with a focus on the electrification of public transport and is now head of project management and consulting. FMS GmbH deals with the future topics of mobility such as digitalisation, highly automated driving and innovative mobility concepts.
Day 1 | Panel I | 12:00-12:30 p.m.
Helmut Wiesner
City Planning Councillor, Federal City of Bonn
Helmut Wiesner was elected City Planning Councillor of the City of Bonn in February 2016. He heads the Planning, Environment and Transport Department, which includes the Urban Planning Office, the Environment Office and the Civil Engineering Office. Wiesner is Chairman of the Administrative Board of bonnorange AÖR. He is also a member of the Building and Transport Committee of the NRW Association of Cities and Towns and the Transport and Environment Committee of the NRW Association of Cities and Towns. Wiesner studied spatial planning at the University of Dortmund and graduated in 1988. He also successfully passed the second state examination in urban planning and has been a building assessor since 1991. He was head of the environmental department in Brühl from 1996 and was Technical Councillor in Troisdorf from 2013 to 2016. The father of three lives in Brühl with his wife and three children.
Day 1 | Panel I | 12:00-12:30 p.m.
Johannes Wieczorek
Head of Climate Protection in Mobility, Environmental Protection, Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport
Johannes Wieczorek is Deputy Director-General of the policy department in the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV). He heads the directorate "Climate Change Mitigation in the Mobility Sector, Environmental Protection". Until April 2019 he was responsible for Policy Issues and Strategies for Passenger and Freight Transport. Prior to that, he held various positions in the ministry, such as Head of the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport Task Force, Head of Division for Freight Transport and Logistics and European Cooperation Officer. From 2010 to 2015 he worked in various areas in the German Bundestag. Between 2002 to 2006 he was employed by the Federal Foreign Office as Head of the Transport Division at the German Embassy in Washington D.C.
Day 1 | Panel I | 12:00-12:30 p.m.
Jan große Beilage
Head of cable car projects, Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence
Jan GROSSE BEILAGE is an expert in the planning of infrastructure projects, particularly in public transport, integrated transport and spatial planning and multimodal transport concepts. As part of his Franco-German professional career, he has worked in planning practice in both countries. Since 2017, Jan GROSSE BEILAGE has been working for the Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence association of municipalities as head of department for public transport infrastructure planning and project manager. His fields of intervention concern in particular the extension of the Marseille tramway network and cable car projects. From 2006 to 2017, he was head of the Lyon branch of the planning office Transport TechnologieConsult Karlsruhe GmbH (TTK) and project manager for transport studies. From 2002 to 2006, Jan GROSSE BEILAGE managed the transport division of the regional planning community of Mulhouse in Alsace. He also worked for the Rheinhessen-Nahe and Westpfalz planning communities and the Federal Highway Research Institute.
Day 1 | Panel I | 12:00-12:30 p.m.
Dr. Jan Deuster
Lawyer in the law firm CBH Rechtsanwälte
Dr. Jan Deuster studied and did his doctorate at the University of Cologne. He specializes in the field of public commercial law, in particular European state aid and public procurement law. He primarily advises the public sector on the financing, organization and market access of municipal services of general interest and infrastructure companies, in particular in public transport, in the broadband sector and in the utility industry. At the moment he mainly supports public transport authorities and municipal transport companies in the process of re-awarding the public passenger transport service contract in accordance with Regulation (EC) No. 1370/2007 and the PBefG, taking into account the preservation of existing tax advantages. Another focus of his advisory work lies in providing support for the financing of municipal companies under state aid law, be it through shareholder contributions, in the cross-tax association or through municipal guarantees.
Day 1 | Lecture 1.5 | 3:00-3:20 p.m.
Ricardo Oliviera
Business Development, Mota-Engil Concessões, S.A.
Business Graduate with a professional career spanning more than 30 years in Corporate, Structured and Project Financing. Initially focused on banking and lending over a period of ten years (both in commercial and investment banking), over the last sixteen years he moved on to the corporate/equity side of the business working on the origination and deliver of infrastructure transportation projects in three continents (Europe, Africa, and Latin America), covering different asset classes in pre and operational stages. Its experience also includes working has an Independent Evaluation Expert from a technical, economical and managerial aspect of projects seeking European Union support in the field of Innovation Research for Transport and Smart Cities Mobility ( EASME ), Water & Sewage Regulation and advising a Portuguese State Forest Company in the design, modelling and negotiation of its 40 year investment plan that included biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration stations. Right now works has a Business Development Manager for Mota-Engil Concessoes, a division of the Portuguese Mota-Engil Group.
Day 1 | Lecture 1.6 | 3:20-3:40 p.m.
Sandra Perisic
Senior Associate / Attorney at Law, Karanovic Partners
Sandra is an independent Attorney at Law qualified in Montenegro, practicing in cooperation with Karanovic & Partners. She is a senior member of our Montenegrin practice and has a solid career of more than 10 years in various legal areas as well as in management. Sandra provides advice to the clients on corporate/commercial matters as well as on matters of real estate, banking and finance, and employment law.
Sandra was the local legal team leader on the project financing of the Žičara (cable car) connecting the coastal town of Kotor and the Lovćen National Park. In addition, Sandra was part of the major legal transactions in Montenegro involving acquisitions, project development and financing in the field of energy and natural resources, as well as in the financial services’ regulatory changes.
Day 1 | Lecture 1.7 | 3:40-4:00 p.m.
Ingo Strater
Head of the Sustainable Urban and Rural Mobility, Networks, Digital Municipal Transport Systems-G 21 Division, Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs
Ingo Strater heads the "Sustainable urban and rural mobility, networks and digital municipal transport systems" unit in the policy department (sub-department "Climate protection in mobility, environmental protection") at the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV). Here he is responsible for the topic of "Urban cable cars in public transport". In 2022, the BMDV published a guide to action that offers municipalities, transport companies and transport associations concrete assistance and transferable planning principles - from the project idea to planning, construction and operation. The department is also in charge of the "Urban Cable Car Working Group", in which representatives from local authorities, federal states and science exchange information on cable car projects and discuss realisation options. Ingo Strater has a degree in political science and worked as a journalist for many years. He has been at the BMDV since 2008, until 2021 in the Communications department.
Day 1 | Lecture 1.8 | 4:00-4:10 p.m.
Han Joosten
Head of Area Development & Market Research, BPD
Han Joosten has been with BPD for more than 25 years and has been Head of Area Development & Market Research in Germany since 2019. In 1995 he joined BPD (then Bouwfonds) in Berlin as Manager Marketing & Strategy. In 1997, BPD appointed him Deputy Managing Director in Frankfurt, where he built up a new, successful branch with 20 employees in four years. In 2002 he was appointed Business Development Manager at Bouwfonds International in the Netherlands with the task of giving form and substance to the European growth strategy. Since 2005, Han Joosten has been Director of Market Research, responsible for all market research at BPD. From October 2013, Han Joosten was also Head of Acquisitions, Project Development and Marketing of the new BPD office in Berlin. Han Joosten studied social geography.
Day 1 | Lecture 1.9 | 4:10-4:20 p.m.
Ramatou Magagi
Principal Investment Officier, IFC Washington
Ms. Ramatou Magagi is a Principal Investment Officer based in Washington at the Department of Transaction Advisory Services of IFC. She is the PPP Transport Lead for the Department with more than 15 years of experience in numerous infrastructure PPP mandates supporting governments across regions, principally in urban transport, aviation, roads, ports and logistics. Her experience is global and covers all 5 continents. Prior to joining IFC, Ms. Magagi worked in Canada and in Africa for large scale organization and state owned entities and her experience includes project finance, infrastructure projects, corporate finance and economic analyses in various sectors: transport, power, manufacturing, construction and telecoms and high technology. Ms. Magagi, an Economist by training, also holds an M.B.A. in finance and international business from HEC Montréal, Canada.
Day 1 | Panel II | 4:20-4:50 p.m.
Andreas Funke
Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH
For ten years now, Andreas is Partner in the Infrastructure Finance Team based in Hamburg. Andreas joined PwC directly after university in 2000.
Over his 20 years with PwC, Andreas has advised a large number of Public and Private Clients on the financing of large-scale, capital intensive infrastructure projects. His core expertise comprises financial analysis, running funding competitions, arranging debt and equity capital and negotiating project- and financing documentation.
Between 2007 and 2008, he spent one year with PwC UK’s Infrastructure Practice in London. Andreas now leads the German Infrastructure Finance Team. In the closer past, Andreas provided financial advise on projects like Container Terminal Damietta II in Egypt, Rolling Stock Concession Main-Weser or Mobil Network Concession 450Connect in Germany or on the Quito Cable Car PPP Project in Ecuador.
Day 1 | Panel II | 4:20-4:50 p.m.
Tijana Arsenijevic
Senior Associate / Attorney at Law, Karanovic Partners
Tijana is a senior member of the Banking and Finance Practice Group with substantial experience in general banking, finance, insurance, capital markets and regulatory matters. She advises clients in relation to a full range of financial services, including complex syndicated and bilateral loans, project finance, acquisition finance, infrastructure transactions, restructuring, refinancing, and sovereign debt. She regularly advises foreign and local banks and payment institutions in relation to regulatory compliance questions and procedures. Tijana was a senior member of the legal team that advised a Montenegrin bank, as a borrower, in relation to the project financing of the Žičara (cable car) Kotor-Lovćen. It is the first cable car project in Montenegro. Tijana has significant experience in advising international institutions and tech companies in relation to the introduction of innovative payment services, new funds transferring models, formation of the pioneering investment funds structure under the new law on alternative investment funds, etc.
Day 1 | Panel II | 4:20-4:50 p.m.
Prof. Dr. Harry Wagner
Professor for Intermodal Mobility and AI, TH Ingolstadt
Prof. Dr. Harry Wagner studied industrial engineering at the TU Darmstadt. In 2006 he received his doctorate from the University of Stuttgart. From 2001 to 2014, Harry Wagner held various management positions in consulting and industry in Germany, the USA and Japan. In 2014 he was appointed to the Technical University of Ingolstadt (THI) and has been working on the research focus "Mobility of the Future" ever since. The focus is on intermodal, innovative and sustainable mobility concepts. As part of various teaching and research activities, cable cars as part of public transport are always a focus of his work. In addition to his professorship, Mr. Wagner is also co-founder and managing director of FMS Future Mobility Solutions GmbH. FMS GmbH deals with future mobility issues such as digitization, highly automated driving and innovative mobility concepts.
Day 1 | Lecture 1.10 | 4:50-5:10 p.m.
Simone Raskob
Councillor for Environment, Transport and Sport of the City of Essen
Simone Raskob has been with the city of Essen since 2005 and is the city's Councillor for Environment, Transport and Sport. She has a degree in landscape architecture from the Technical University of Munich and worked as a landscape architect in Kolding, Denmark, from 1986 to 1988. In the following four years, she took over the project management of the Pforzheim State Garden Show in 1992. Until the beginning of 1995, she worked for the International Building Exhibition Emscherpark and was also Managing Director of Ökozentrum NRW GmbH & Co. KG, Hamm. This was followed by a call to Göttingen, where she was responsible for the Planning and Building Department as City Planning Councillor until mid-2001 and was also Managing Director of the Society for Economic Promotion and Urban Development. She then managed the business of both Wasserstadt GmbH in Berlin and Société de Développement AGORA s.à.r.l. et Cie, Secs, Luxembourg, until mid-2005. Simone Raskob was also the project manager of the "European Green Capital - Essen 2017" for the city of Essen.
Day 2 | Greetings | 10:00-10:10 a.m.
Maximilian Rohs
Director, PwC
Maximilian Rohs has been working at PwC Germany since 2011 and is a Director in the Infrastructure & Mobility division. Mr Rohs' work focuses on the future-proof and sustainable design of the mobility sector with a focus on public transport. Mr Rohs is particularly concerned with the strategic design and economic impact of the mobility transition for the public sector. He primarily advises ministries, local authorities, transport companies and transport associations. He holds a degree in industrial engineering from TU Dortmund University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Mr Rohs also holds a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Smart Mobility Management from the University of St. Gallen.
Day 2 | Lecture 2.1 | 10:10-10:30 a.m.
Mathis Lepski
Senior Associate, PwC
Mathis Lepski, Senior Associate Infrastructure & Mobility at PwC Germany, has been advising various industry players and the public sector on public transport issues since 2021. His work focuses on strategy, structure and supply issues. He studied business administration, media management and corporate development at the University of Cologne and the University of St. Gallen. As an enthusiastic public transport expert, he is convinced that urban cable cars have the potential to sustainably improve urban mobility as a targeted addition to public transport.
Day 2 | Lecture 2.1 | 10:10-10:30 a.m.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyer OBE
Lord Mayor, City of Freetown & Co-Chair of C40 Cities
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE was Mayor of Freetown from May 2018 to
February 2023 and was re-elected to serve for a second term in June 2023. A finance professional with over 25 years of private sector experience in strategic planning, risk management consulting and project management, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr has adopted an inclusive, data-driven approach to addressing challenges in the city. In her first term, she championed the 4-year “Transform Freetown” plan which detailed 19 concrete targets across 11 sectors; annually published Transform Freetown reports that document progress made against targets can be found at https://fcc.gov.sl. Aki-Sawyerr’s notable achievements include the construction and operation of Freetown’s first ever wastewater treatment plant, the digitalization and expansion of the city’s property rate system, the planting and tracking of 977,000 trees as part of the #FreetownTheTreeTown 1m trees target and securing the ongoing feasibility study for the introduction of a mass transit cable car system for the city. Aki-Sawyerr’s second term development plan “Transform Freetown – Transforming Lives” is focused on the creation of dignified jobs for women and youth through climate action, the growth of heritage tourism and the digital economy underpinned by investments in human development. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE was a Schwab Foundation Outstanding Public Social Innovator for the Year 2023, she was featured by Time Magazine in the inaugural Time100 Climate List 2023, the Time100 Next 2021 List and by the BBC in the BBC 100 Women 2020 List. She is the Co-Chair of C40 Cities Global Group Steering Committee, a network of almost 100 cities committed to addressing climate change.
Day 2 | Lecture 2.2 | 10:30-10:50 a.m.
Ton Vergeldt
Senior Project Manager, Arcadis
Ton is an accomplished Senior Project Manager and Cable Car Engineer. Ton focuses primarily on mobility developments, serving as a Project /Technical Manager and Process Manager for cable car systems in complex urban contexts. With a visionary approach to public transport, Ton has spearheaded the development of cable car expertise within Arcadis since 2008. He holds the pivotal role of overseeing urban cable car projects
worldwide, encompassing feasibility studies, design, technical expertise, and construction management. Ton's extensive experience and leadership make him a key figure in shaping the future of urban transportation.
Day 2 | Lecture 2.3 | 10:50-11:10 a.m.
Stephan Salzmann
CEO, Salzmann Engineers ZT GmbH
After completing his technical training as a mechanical engineer at HTL Bregenz, Dipl.Ing. Stephan Salzmann studied mechanical engineering and transport technology at the Vienna University of Technology. After completing his studies, Stephan Salzmann worked in contract management at Bombardier Eurorail, where he was involved in international project management for light rail projects. He then joined the family company Salzmann Ingenieure, which has been successfully active on the market as a planning specialist for cable cars since 1972. Stephan Salzmann has been Managing Director of the planning company since 1995 and has since managed over 200 cable car projects across all project phases, i.e. from the feasibility study to the operating licence. In addition to his many years of experience in alpine ropeway projects, he has also gained specific experience in the implementation of international urban ropeway projects since 2022.
Day 2 | Lecture 2.4 | 11:10-11:30 a.m.
Philipp Hillebrand
Head of Transport Planning, BERNARD Gruppe
Philipp Hillebrand is Head of Transport Planning at the BERNARD Gruppe. After studying spatial planning at TU Dortmund University and working at PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG (2007), he worked at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy GmbH from 2008 to the end of 2014 and as a research assistant at the Institute of Urban Planning and Transport (ISB) at RWTH Aachen University in 2015 and 2016. He has been working at the Cologne branch of the BERNARD Group since the end of 2016. His consulting work focuses on transport planning aspects of urban land-use planning, urban transformation processes and innovative mobility offers and services. Mr Hillebrand has experience in accompanying scientific research on the climate protection potential of public transport, cycling and walking as well as application-oriented research projects on integrated settlement planning in the context of climate change.
Day 2 | Lecture 2.4 | 11:10-11:30 a.m.
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Follmann
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering & Pre-Dean and Mobility Officer, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences
Professor at h_da since 2001, specialising in transport engineering. From 2017 to 2023 he headed the department as Dean. He has been a member of the h_da Senate since 2017. He has been a member of the steering committee of the Hesse Local Mobility Working Group since 2015 and has headed the "Road Safety Management" committee at the FGSV since 2011. He has extensive expertise from realised projects with new routes in the transport sector. He is known for pilot projects on local mobility in the region with the involvement of students. This is how the idea for the fast cycle link from Darmstadt to Frankfurt came about. Since 2018, he has been committed to urban cable cars as a supplement to public transport in Frankfurt Rhine-Main and Rhine-Neckar. In 2019, he was awarded the h_da Science Prize: According to the jury, he cooperates "extremely successfully with various regional partners" in the Transfer category. In this way, he helps the h_da to become more visible, informs political decision-makers about the latest findings on the topic of transport and supports their implementation." It enables students to realise their own projects on local mobility and road safety.
Day 2 | Panel III | 11:30-12:00 a.m.
Dr. André Schaffrin
Team Lead Urban Infrastructure, ifok GmbH
Dr André Schaffrin joined ifok in May 2019 in the field of energy and infrastructure and heads the Urban Infrastructures team. He studied social sciences at the University of Mannheim and completed his doctorate at the University of Cologne. In addition to his scientific work in the Netherlands, the USA and Russia, Dr Schaffrin led a transdisciplinary research network with 16 network partners, including eight municipal institutions, in a five-year dialogue process on the regional energy transition in the Ahrweiler model region. André Schaffrin supports numerous municipal planning processes through strategic consulting, process management, participation, conflict moderation and mediation. His range of experience covers various municipal topics - from the mobility transition, public transport, rail and road infrastructure, land development and urban development to deliberative decision-making processes. He has moderated and managed participation and communication processes at all planning stages - from the development of guiding principles and framework planning to construction site communication.
Day 2 | Panel III | 11:30-12:00 a.m.
Frank Achenbach
Member of the Management Board, IHK Offenbach am Main
As a geography graduate, I network a wide range of topics and keep an eye on the big picture. In my view, this overarching connection is often missing in the world of mobility in particular. Roads for some, railways for others and yet others are responsible for cycle paths. Not to mention the cable cars.
As a representative of a chamber of industry and commerce, it is my job to represent the overall interests of the regional economy. But what is the overall interest if some are calling for new roads and others for new cycle paths? In my view, the key is communication, mutual understanding and not losing sight of the big picture.
As a political consultant, I recognise complexity and fear in the (planning) system in many places. My aim is to encourage new approaches, new compromises and, last but not least, a much faster and simpler realisation of projects.
Day 2 | Panel III | 11:30-12:00 a.m.
Stefan Schautes
Head of New Construction & Authorised Officer, HOWOGE Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH, Berlin
Stefan Schautes has been Head of New Construction at the state-owned Berlin-based HOWOGE Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH since 2013. The architect is responsible for the management and expansion of HOWOGE's new construction activities. With around 55 employees, he drives the development, planning and execution of new construction projects and neighbourhood development through to handover to portfolio management. The central theme here is housing construction for the common good as part of the HOWOGE Group's sustainability strategy. The New Construction division comprises the New Construction in Neighbourhoods, Development, New Construction Projects and Residential Project Controlling departments. From the conceptual neighbourhood strategy to competitions and building construction, the New Construction division creates innovative, ecologically and socially balanced new buildings and entire urban districts. Stefan Schautes pays particular attention to the promotion of timber construction, contemporary mobility and energy concepts as well as decentralised neighbourhoods with short (walking) distances. Stefan Schautes can look back on over 27 years of experience in the property industry: as part of various management functions, he has implemented project developments in the office, retail and residential segments, among others. Stefan Schautes has also worked in the areas of project management and development as well as consulting for an international auditing company.
Day 2 | Panel III | 11:30-12:00 a.m.
Christian Kleinenhammann
Managing Director for Operations (COO), Transdev GmbH
Christian Kleinenhammann, born in 1978, was born in Mülheim an der Ruhr and has been Managing Director for Operations (COO) at Transdev GmbH since October 2023. He previously held various management positions at Transdev, including Managing Director of Transdev Rhein-Ruhr GmbH, Managing Director of Transdev Verkehr GmbH and Regional Manager North-West. In addition to his work at Transdev, Christian Kleinenhammann has been a member of the Management Board of Niederrheinische Verkehrsbetriebe AG (NIAG) in Moers since 2014, which is linked to Transdev via the joint shareholder, the RETHMANN Group. Christian Kleinenhammann has been responsible for various areas at NIAG since 2003.
Day 2 | Lecture 2.5 | 2:00-2:20 p.m.
Dr. Georg Schober
Head of the test center / notified body for cable cars at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH
Georg Schober is head of the testing and notified body for cable cars at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH. As an expert for ropeways, he has been involved in a large number of urban ropeway projects in Latin America and Asia. The cable car experts from TÜV SÜD take on all legally required tests and certifications that are necessary for the placing on the market and the safe operation of the systems. These include, for example, the acceptance tests and recurring tests of cable cars and funiculars as well as safety analyzes and safety reports.
Day 2 | Lecture 2.6 | 2:20-2:40 p.m.
Guido Bruggeman
International expert for urban transport
Guido Bruggeman is an urban transport expert with 40 years of experience. After he graduated as a transport engineer at the Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, he started his career at the Municipal Transport Company in Amsterdam. In 2000, he joined the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London as an Urban Transport Specialist and was involved in many transport projects in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Since 2007 he is acting as an independent consultant and advising international clients on the planning, organisation, regulation and operation of urban transport. Among others, Guido acts as project advisor for the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. He is also a Lead Trainer at the UITP Academy. As an international expert he has worked in over 30 countries worldwide.
Day 2 | Panel IV | 3:20-3:50 p.m.
Patrick Vial
Project Leader Public Transportation Systems, TISSEO COLLECTIVITES
After training as an engineer, Patrick Vial worked in the field of transport for more than 30 years: first on the realization of motorway systems, then urban, with roles of management of studies and project management. Then he joined the Toulouse mobility organizing authority, notably as project manager for the cable car.
Patrick Vial is working on the subject with the ministerial organizations on the acceptance and accessibility of this kind of urban system. He is also part of the board of ATEC ITS France. He has a major interest in the contribution of the Intelligent Transport Systems and smart and soft mobility.
Day 2 | Panel IV | 3:20-3:50 p.m.
Patrick Kayemba
Associate Director Africa, European Institute for Sustainable Transport EURIST Africa
Kayemba Patrick is a Development Practitioner, Researcher, Trainers, NGO Manager, and Social Development Change Agent with an MA in Community Based Development of Nkumba University and a Bachelors Degree of Development Studies from Nkumba University Uganda. He has MBA - Transport Economics and Logistics Management (MBA TELM) of ESAMI College Arusha Tanzania. He has a Post Graduate Diploma in Transport Planning and Management from Galilee International Management Institute – Israel, A Diploma in Project Planning and Management of Uganda Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Higher Diploma in Business Studies – Accountancy; He has specialized in Policy advocacy on issues of Sustainable Transport and Governance. He has over 25 years’ of experience in Coordinating and Managing Development Projects of all nature. He initiated the idea of adopting the CABLES CARS as a public transport innovation for Kampala in 2013 among other things and positions of responsibility and an advocate of the same in Africa.
Day 2 | Panel IV | 3:20-3:50 p.m.
Dominik Berndt
CEO, Cable Car World GmbH
M.Sc. Dominik Berndt (*1995) studied spatial planning at TU Dortmund University. During his studies, he focussed on sustainable urban development with multimodal mobility. He is particularly interested in the utilisation of the plus-one level. He wrote his master's thesis on urban cable cars as a solution for reducing the environmental impact and land consumption caused by private transport. The end of his studies coincided with the start of the pandemic. During the pandemic, he set up his own business with the idea of connecting like-minded people and promoting public mobility with cable cars worldwide. To this end, he organised the first congress trade fair on this topic in 2022, where these approaches were discussed and further developed. He represents his idea of comfortable public transport by cable with his company Cable Car World.