Impressions: IAA Pitstop Breakfast – Future Digital Sales meets the Media-Scape

Dr.  Steffen  P.  Walz has led strategic innovation, experience design, partnership alliances, tech scouting, and capital initiatives across media and mobility, for topics including the in-car experience, gaming, and health & wellbeing—working with Volkswagen Group/CARIAD, icon group/WPP, OEMs like Mercedes Benz and BMW, start-ups as well as universities in the EU, Switzerland, the U.S., Australia, and China. As co founder and Co CEO of Dirigent Intelligence (Berlin/The Hague), he now explores how agentic AI shapes behavior and strategic communication, including at the edge during the mobility situation.

Maria Grazia Davino is Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director at BYD Europe, overseeing operations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Previously, she served as Managing Director of Stellantis UK and held senior leadership roles in sales and marketing across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. She began her career at Lamborghini, was named an “Automotive News Rising Star” in 2017, and is recognized for her analytical, performance-driven leadership and expertise in business transformation and operational excellence.

Christian Wiegand has been with NIO since June 2022 and serves as Head of German & European Marketing, Communications & Community, as well as Deputy General Manager of NIO Deutschland GmbH. He is responsible for brand and product communication, digital marketing, PR, brand experience, and community management across Germany and Europe. Previously, he held senior marketing roles at MG Motor Germany, Audi, and Nokian Tyres. Christian studied Sports Economics at the University of Bayreuth and began his career as a Marketing Specialist at Allianz Australia in Sydney.

Jürgen Bilo headed global program management and sales in the Hybrid Electric Vehicles division at Continental from 2011, before moving to Strategy & Innovation at Corporate Systems & Technology in 2015. Since July 2017, he has been managing director of co-pace GmbH, Continental’s start-up organization, where he establishes partnerships and minority shareholdings.

Aymen Ismail is Director Customer Services at smart Europe GmbH. He is responsible for customer engagement and aftersales services across European markets, developing scalable, technology-driven models. Since 2020, he has been part of the founding team of smart Europe, establishing the Customer Engagement Center and service infrastructure in over 15 markets. Previously, he worked at the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center in Maastricht and brings over 20 years of international experience in customer service.

Sven Eckoldt is Global Partnerships Lead for the Group Application Store at CARIAD, part of the Volkswagen Group. He is responsible for developing and supporting the app ecosystem for third-party providers in vehicles. Before moving into the automotive industry, he worked in the media industry for over a decade – in the areas of technology, platforms, and content. He is committed to establishing vehicles as a digital experience platform, for example with streaming, gaming, or context-based content.

Florian Fischer has been active in the mobility industry for over ten years – including at ADAC, BMW and CARIAD VW Group. He combines digital innovation with a clear view of customer needs and new business models. He works closely with partners and teams from various companies to create solutions with real added value.

Boris Esser holds a degree in business administration and has been an entrepreneur and expert in digitalization for over 25 years. He is a board member and partner at Qvest Digital AG, where he leads the development and consulting of digital business models and products in Germany and Romania. In addition, he works as a business coach and contributes his expertise in “SMarketing” – the integration of sales and marketing in an agile context.

Frederik Vosberg is Head of Product at Qvest Digital AG, where he shapes digital product offerings and solutions for clients. With a background in IT consulting and agile software engineering, he brings Lean Startup methodology into corporate environments. Frederik holds a BSc in Business Informatics from FOM University of Applied Sciences and has extensive experience in product development, microservices, and cross-functional alignment within digital transformation contexts.