Jury

Jan Bieser is a professor of Digitalization and Sustainability and head of the Data + Infrastructure research group. His research examines the opportunities and risks of digitalization for society and the environment. Before joining BFH, Jan Bieser conducted research and taught as a senior researcher, postdoctoral fellow, and doctoral candidate on digitalization and sustainable development at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute, the Department of Computer Science at the University of Zurich, and the Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental and Engineering Sciences at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

As a Fellow of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cities of Tomorrow, Jan Bieser worked with representatives from cities, the private sector, and international organizations to address how digital technologies can make cities more sustainable and equitable. Jan Bieser has led several collaborative research projects on the environmental impacts of digital technologies in partnership with industrial companies, trade associations, and NGOs. Previously, he served as sustainability manager at the University of Zurich, where he was the lead author of the university’s first sustainability report, and worked as an IT and sustainability consultant at IBM and Deutsche Telekom.

LinkedIn

Dr. Christian Hugo Hoffmann is the founder and director of the AI Startup Center, where already over 30 AI startups have been established in less than a year, including renowned spin-offs from ETH Zurich and Cambridge University. He sees himself as a cluster-preneur, who successfully builds and manages entire clusters or business and innovation ecosystems rather than individual ventures. He is particularly driven by translating innovations of startups into sustainable impact in the economy and established companies – so-called success stories.

He has been himself an entrepreneur and AI entrepreneur for many years, with a successful exit and start-up experience in various countries, including Germany, Switzerland, and Malawi. With not only extensive practical experience, but also a PhD in finance and a PhD in philosophy (Ethics of AI), Christian is a proven expert and thought leader on questions of ethical capitalism.

LinkedIn

Lisa Gutermuth is a Senior Program Officer with the Mozilla Foundation’s Incubator, where her work focuses on identifying and supporting technologies that give power back to people and communities. She brings experience from previous roles at Ranking Digital Rights, Humboldt Institute of Internet and Society, and Tactical Technology Collective

LinkedIn

Dr. Daniel Dobos bridges cutting-edge research with real-world customer solutions, most recently as Research Director at Swisscom. He co-chairs the ITU AI for Good Impact Initiative and chairs the Swiss AI Standardisation Commission. Previously, he led AI and data analysis projects at CERN — contributing to the landmark Higgs boson discovery — and at the United Nations. His research spans artificial intelligence, quantum computing, graph neural networks, and particle physics, with publications cited tens of thousands of times. Educated at TU Dortmund with affiliations at Lancaster University and CERN, he is a leading voice at the intersection of science, AI, and societal impact.

LinkedIn

Dr Thomas Haeussler is a Media Specialist at Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) who brings experience from previous roles at the University of Bern, Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen and Universität Bern.

LinkedIn