Conference Description
Key Takeaways
- Event focus: Executive-level summit addressing cyber resilience, scalable AI, digital twins, digital sovereignty and AI-native operating models
- Target audience: CIOs, CTOs, IT directors, VPs and senior decision-makers from large enterprises and public sector organisations
- Regulatory context: Sessions address NIS2 and Cyber Resilience Act compliance requirements
- Format: Interactive workshops co-led by enterprise IT leaders and solution providers, panel discussions and keynotes
- Key themes: Transitioning from AI experimentation to enterprise-wide transformation, balancing innovation with governance, and building board-level cyber resilience strategies
Introduction
INKOP2026 is an executive IT leadership summit organised by FINAKI, bringing together CIOs, IT directors and senior technology decision-makers to address the strategic and operational challenges of digital transformation in an era defined by artificial intelligence. Taking place from 24–27 September 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki in Greece, the event positions itself around the theme “From Complexity to Clarity” and focuses on building innovation, automation and resilience capabilities within enterprise IT organisations.
The timing reflects a critical inflection point for IT leadership. Organisations have moved beyond initial AI experimentation and now face pressure to scale these initiatives while managing regulatory obligations, cybersecurity threats and questions of digital sovereignty. INKOP2026 addresses this transition directly, offering a peer-driven environment where IT executives can develop actionable strategies rather than observe vendor presentations.
About INKOP2026
The four-day programme combines interactive workshops, keynote presentations, panel discussions and structured networking opportunities. Daniel Thomas, Vorstand IT at HUK-COBURG, serves as the event president. The format emphasises collaborative problem-solving, with workshops co-moderated by enterprise IT leaders and technology partners working together on specific challenges.
Each workshop produces tangible outputs designed for immediate application within participants’ organisations. This approach distinguishes INKOP2026 from conventional conference formats where attendees passively consume content. The event structure includes rotating dinners and informal networking sessions intended to facilitate relationship-building among peers facing similar challenges.
Cyber Resilience as a Board-Level Priority
One workshop, titled “Naked Companies Are Not Resilient. Get Dressed,” addresses cyber resilience as a leadership responsibility extending beyond traditional IT security. Led by Romeo Ayemele Djeujo, Head of Corporate Business Information Security at ZEISS, alongside Christian Vogt, Vice President EMEA North at Fortinet, the session examines resilience strategies under realistic constraints including budget pressure, geopolitical uncertainty and compliance with NIS2 and Cyber Resilience Act requirements.
Participants engage in role-playing exercises, peer reviews and crisis simulations to test decision-making capabilities, governance structures and technical readiness. The workshop aims to produce a validated best-practice model with measurable, auditable and board-appropriate resilience metrics, culminating in a Cyber Resilience Agenda 2030 delivered as a practical playbook.
Scaling AI Through Data Architecture and Governance
The workshop “Scale AI! From Data to Value” tackles a fundamental obstacle facing many organisations: the gap between AI potential and AI reality. Jutta Rössner, Leiterin Ecosystem & EAM at DATEV, and Benjamin Strehl, CEO at USU Solutions DACH, lead participants through the interdependencies between data governance, architecture and AI services.
The session addresses how to create trustworthy data products as foundations for scalable AI, how to measure AI initiatives using meaningful KPIs, and how to balance innovation pressure against regulatory responsibility. Rather than treating AI as isolated use cases, the workshop frames it as part of an integrated platform strategy with attention to risk management and sustainable value creation.
Digital Twins for Enterprise Decision-Making
Digital twin technology has evolved beyond its origins in manufacturing visualisation. The workshop “Drive Better Decisions: Digital Twins for Smart Companies” explores how service organisations and insurers now use digital twins to improve process, planning and strategic decisions across entire enterprises. Rolf Reinema, VP Production IT at ZF Group, and Dr. Markus Schlobohm lead this session.
The focus is explicitly on using digital twins for decision-making rather than on modelling techniques. Participants examine how these tools make processes, services, risks, portfolios and operating models transparent and manageable—including the integration of AI agents within twin environments.
Digital Sovereignty in an Era of Cloud Dependency
Questions of digital sovereignty have intensified as organisations navigate cloud dependencies, AI platform choices and data control requirements. The workshop “Build Competitive Advantages Through Digital Sovereignty” provides a structured environment for CIOs to share experiences, identify dependencies and clarify priorities. Ralf Gernhold from DB Fernverkehr, Sven Brandelik from Deloitte Consulting and Dr. Manuel Audi from Beltios facilitate discussions on making informed decisions about critical data and workloads while consciously managing trade-offs between control, innovation and cost efficiency.
Evolving Operating Models for AI-Native Organisations
The workshop “Get Ready for AI! Evolve Your Operating Model” takes a deliberately provocative approach, exploring the concept of an “IT Management Twin”—an AI system with access to the same information, communication flows and decision-making foundations as a CIO. Gernot Möller, Vice President IT at DRÄXLMAIER Group, and Jennifer Diersch, Director & CC Lead IT Org at Kobaltblau, guide participants through questions about how leadership roles change when decision logic becomes digitally reproducible, which tasks remain inherently human, and what organisational prerequisites must exist for such capabilities to emerge.
Addressing Bias and Diversity in Technology Leadership
A dedicated Women in Tech panel examines bias in IT and its impact on organisational competitiveness. Moderated by Jutta Rössner, the discussion features Aude Vik, CIO at Techniker Krankenkasse; Debora von Scheliha, Director and Head of Marketing Central Europe at Red Hat; Zamina Ahmad, CEO at SHADES&CONTRAST; and Bojana Dorzi, Director at Cyfidelity Security Services. The panel addresses why diversity functions as a competitive advantage rather than a compliance exercise, and explores the notable trend of women assuming leadership roles in AI transformation initiatives.
Moving Beyond AI Experimentation
Zamina Ahmad delivers a keynote addressing the transition from AI experimentation to genuine transformation. The session focuses on how IT decision-makers can move beyond tool implementation to lead organisation-wide AI transformation successfully—a challenge that requires changes to governance, culture and operating models rather than technology adoption alone.
Who Should Attend
INKOP2026 is designed for senior IT leaders including CIOs, CTOs, Heads of IT, Directors, SVPs and VPs from large enterprises and public sector organisations. The event also welcomes next-generation IT professionals and representatives from IT solution providers and consultancies. Participants should expect an intensive, collaborative format that prioritises peer exchange and practical outcomes over passive learning.