Jaromír Hanzal Re-elected to the DIGITALEUROPE Executive Board

DIGITALEUROPE has elected a new Executive Board comprising representatives of leading European technology and industrial companies. Peter Weckesser of Schneider Electric will continue as President, while Una Fitzpatrick of Technology Ireland becomes Vice-President as Ireland assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. AAVIT Director Jaromír Hanzal will once again represent the Czech Republic on the new Board.

DIGITALEUROPE has grown significantly in recent years and is now five times larger than it was nine years ago. This growth has been driven primarily by the involvement of sectors at the forefront of digital transformation, including defence, healthcare, energy, finance, mobility and the public sector.

“The exceptional interest in joining our Executive Board, with the number of candidates significantly exceeding the number of available seats, confirms the growing importance of our association as the voice of Europe’s digitally transforming industries,” said Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director-General of DIGITALEUROPE.

“Our role is to listen to Europe’s technology and industry leaders, understand their real needs and bring them directly to the European Commission, the European Parliament and national governments in a way that leads to tangible results. Companies particularly expect us to help reduce the regulatory burden in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data legislation, ensure that the real needs of industry are reflected in the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework, and support European sovereignty through greater business competitiveness rather than overregulation or protectionism,” Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl added.

The new Executive Board

The Executive Board consists of 20 representatives: ten from member companies and ten from national trade associations. This structure ensures the balanced representation required both to set the organisation’s priorities and to reflect the interests of the broad range of European industries undergoing digital transformation.

The new Executive Board will be led by President Peter Weckesser of Schneider Electric and Vice-President Una Fitzpatrick of Technology Ireland.

“It is an honour to continue serving as President. Digitalisation now affects every industry, and Europe’s real advantage lies in the strength of its industrial base. Over the next two years, our mission will be to connect business and technology leaders with Europe’s competitiveness and security agenda and to serve as a trusted partner to the European Union in delivering it,” said re-elected President Peter Weckesser, Executive Vice-President and Chief Digital Officer at Schneider Electric.

“Europe has its champions. Now it needs the courage to support them,” said Una Fitzpatrick, Vice-President of DIGITALEUROPE and Director General of Technology Ireland.

Jaromír Hanzal’s re-election to the DIGITALEUROPE Executive Board confirms the trust placed in AAVIT’s long-term work at the European level. The Czech technology sector will therefore remain represented within Europe’s leading digital association, which brings together technology companies, industry and national associations and actively contributes to discussions on competitiveness, innovation, artificial intelligence, data, cybersecurity and the future of digital regulation in Europe.

“I am joining the DIGITALEUROPE Board for another two years with a clear conviction: Europe cannot protect what it does not create. Before adding another layer of regulation, we should make sure that innovators have the right conditions and sufficient space to build in the first place. In my view, two issues will be particularly important in the coming period, as they will shape the space for innovation and the conditions in which it takes place more than most individual rules: the new EU Multiannual Financial Framework and the 28th regime,” said Jaromír Hanzal.

The way forward

The new Executive Board begins its mandate with a clear priority: to bring practical experience from industry and business into Europe’s competitiveness and security debate and to work closely with policymakers and other partners to turn these priorities into action.

Europe’s strength does not lie solely in its technology companies. Businesses across every sector – from energy, connectivity and manufacturing to finance and mobility – play an equally important role and are becoming increasingly dependent on digital technologies.

As greater emphasis is placed on European competitiveness, it is essential to maintain a strong connection between business leaders and European policymakers – not as two separate groups, but as partners working towards a shared goal: a more competitive and secure Europe.

New DIGITALEUROPE Executive Board

President | Peter Weckesser – Executive Vice-President and Chief Digital Officer, Schneider Electric

Vice-President | Una Fitzpatrick – Director General, Technology Ireland

Member company representatives

• Andrea Falleni – CEO, South and Central Europe, Capgemini
• André Rogaczewski – Co-founder and CEO, Netcompany
• Martijn Hartjes – Global Business Leader, Care Intelligence Platforms, Philips
• Robert Jozić – Senior Vice-President, Digital Strategy, Schwarz Group, and Managing Director, Schwarz Media
• Marc Nézet – Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Division Officer, Nemetschek
• Mirjam Storim – Head of Strategy and Technology Relations, Siemens
• Marielle Ehrmann – Global CSO, Senior Vice-President, Chief Security Compliance and Risk Officer, SAP
• Marc Vancoppenolle – Vice-President, Policy and Government Affairs, EU and Europe, Nokia
• Robert Condon – Head of Government and Policy Advocacy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Ericsson
• Chris Gow – Head of the Brussels Office and Senior Director of EU Public Policy, Cisco

National association representatives

• Valérie Dagand – CEO, Numeum, France
• Sarah Bäumchen – Managing Director, ZVEI, Germany
• Åsa Zetterberg – CEO, IT&Telekomföretagen, Sweden
• Taina Susiluoto – CEO, Technology Industries of Finland, Finland
• Cesar Tello – CEO, Adigital, Spain
• Bart Steukers – CEO, Agoria, Belgium
• Jaromír Hanzal – CEO, AAVIT, Czech Republic
• Francesco Giuffrè – Deputy Director General, Anitec-Assinform, Italy
• Julian David – CEO, techUK, United Kingdom