Antonio Sanchez-Cordero is the Vice President, Strategy & Business Development (M&A) for Thermo Fisher Scientific’s multi-billion dollar global Diagnostics group (NYSE:TMO). Antonio is a versatile global executive with more than 15 years of experience in the healthcare and technology industry, leading mid-to-large size multinationals in the areas of business development, strategy and M&A. Formerly, Antonio was Worldwide Vice President of Business Development and Strategy at Becton Dickinson (NYSE: BDX), Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Business Development and Licensing at PDI Inc, a global leader in the infection prevention market, and Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategy at Werfen, a privately-owned, global diagnostics company. Mr. Sanchez-Cordero has also experience as an investor, having spent a portion of his career with healthcare-focused private equity funds like Ampersand Capital and Accelmed, as an Operating Partner.

Overall, Antonio is experienced at leveraging inorganic growth to build sustainable businesses in healthcare while further developing the strategy, capabilities and the innovation pipeline of an organization. Mr. Sanchez-Cordero completed an MBA from ESADE Business School and University of Michigan, and has received a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona, Spain). He regularly participates as a speaker and a panelist in global conferences in the fields of strategy, innovation and corporate development.

Markus Blume is the Bavarian State Minister of Science and the Arts, as well as an active member of the Bavarian State parliament. He has been a constant driver for modernization, as well as the implementation of new technologies, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Markus Blume’s political career started in 2008 when he first became a member of the parliament and has since evolved with a focus on topics like economic and media affairs, energy, transportation, the intersection of life science and technology, and being part of an Energy and Technology Committee on Health and Care. He was appointed Secretary General of the CSU party in 2018, before serving as the Bavarian State Minister of Science and the Arts since 2022. Before his political career, between 1994 – 1998, Markus Blume attended the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) in Munich to study physics, and the Bavarian School of Public Policy for studies in political science. Also part of Markus Blume’s successful career has been being the founder and CEO of a mid-sized Bavarian company.

Professor Sami Haddadin is the Acting Director of the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) where researchers are developing intelligent machines that can assist humans, not replace them. He holds the Chair of Robotics and Systems Intelligence at TUM, under which the Geriatronics User and Research Centre in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, is developing intelligent assistance robotics systems for the elderly.  His research interests include robotics, machine learning, non-linear control, and human motor intelligence.

From 2014 to 2018, Sami Haddadin was Full Professor and Director of the Institute of Automatic Control at Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany. Prior to that, he held various positions as a research associate at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). He received degrees in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology Management from the Technical University of Munich and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. He received his doctorate with high distinction from RWTH Aachen. He has published more than 200 scientific articles. He has been honored with numerous prestigious awards and prizes for his scientific work. His patent on “Tactile Robots” is listed as the most recent addition to the “Milestone made in Germany” (DPMA) collection.

David Tswamuno is Managing Partner of Fairbridge Park, a venture capital firm focused on solving meaningful problems in economic health, digital health, healthcare and the environment. He is a mentor to startups at various accelerators. Most recently, David was Partner at Emil Capital Partners where he sourced and managed many of the firm’s investments. David started his career at Credit Suisse in Investment Banking and then as part of a Special Opportunities Fund. David received a Bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. David is an active volunteer with local community organizations in New York. He supports causes in education and the performing arts and enjoys long distance running, writing, and mentoring early career professionals.