As Chief Digital Officer at Bühler, Stuart Bashford is responsible for setting and delivering the company’s digitalization strategy. He began his career at Bühler in 2013 in London, as Head of Software and Hardware Development. Prior to joining Bühler, he worked at a high-tech start-up company for ten years designing control systems for lasers used in the solar panel and display industry. Prior to this he worked in the semiconductor industry for Applied Materials. He is MBA qualified and has a background in hardware and software design and a passion for technology and innovation.

René Honcak is currently Head of Digital Twin in the Electrified Powertrain Technology division at the ZF Group. In this role, which he has held since January 2024, he leads the development and implementation of digital twins for e-mobility. Previously, he was Manager for Digital Twin for E-Drives at ZF Friedrichshafen AG from September 2022 to December 2023.

René Honcak began his professional career as a research assistant at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich, where he worked from September 2011 to May 2015. He then moved to ASAP Engineering GmbH, where he initially worked as a development engineer and later as a technical project manager and technical project manager.

René Honcak holds a Bachelor's degree in Scientific Computing and a Master's degree in Stochastic Engineering. His expertise includes technical project management, modelling and simulation, data analysis and machine learning, agile development and DevOps as well as system and simulation architecture.

Through his extensive experience in the automotive and manufacturing industry, René Honcak has been instrumental in optimising development processes and integrating new technologies to improve efficiency and sustainability. His leadership skills and ability to coordinate teams make him a valuable expert in his field.

Rene Wolf has been Director Manufacturing Vehicle Operations at Ford of Europe since 2017 and a member of the Management Board of Ford-Werke GmbH since October 2021, responsible for the Manufacturing division1. His career at Ford began in 1991 in the Quality department at Ford of Europe1.

Born in Thuringia, he studied electrical engineering/electronics at the Technical University of Dresden. Over the course of his career, he has worked in various areas of manufacturing, quality and production start-ups at the Ford plants in Cologne, Saarlouis, Kocaeli (Turkey), Craiova (Romania), England and South Africa2. From 2015 to 2017, he was Vice President Manufacturing at Ford Sollers in Russia before returning to Cologne.