Overview

• Held in Berlin on October 9 and organized by Business Insider, Politico and WELT, the summit brought together more than 100 executives and decision‑makers to tackle Germany’s stalled growth and innovation performance.
• Research Minister Dorothee Bär urged optimism while acknowledging Germany’s slip to 11th in the global innovation ranking.
• Speakers called for predictable, long‑term rules to unlock investment, with Opel CEO Florian Huettl saying battery plants need 10–15 years of certainty given unresolved combustion‑engine phase‑out timelines.
• Workforce measures featured prominently, citing an IW estimate of over 530,000 missing skilled workers and DIHK data that 44% of firms cannot fill vacancies, alongside proposals to extend working lives and broaden hiring practices.
• A new dual award format recognized social entrepreneur Till Wahnbaeck via live in‑hall and stream voting and honored René Obermann as established thought leader, with Obermann emphasizing action and measurable results over narrative.