Innovations, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership in the Digital Age. Theory and Practice

Dominik K. Kanbach is Full Professor and Chairholder of Strategic Entrepreneurship at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management in Germany. He leads the Strategic Entrepreneurship Research Group at HHL and is the is co-founder and Academic Director of DIGITAL SPACE – The HHL Entrepreneurship Hub focused on incubating digital business models and serves as Academic Director of the Doctoral Program at HHL. He has published over 100 articles in leading international peer-reviewed journals and holds several editor positions. He teaches courses on strategic management, entrepreneurship and innovation management in top universities and business schools around the world. He has received numerous research and teaching awards, and he was listed among the Top 2% of scientists worldwide in the “Stanford-List” by Elsevier in 2026. 

Vice-Rector for Science and Education at WSB University and Chair of its Management and Quality Sciences Discipline Council. Her research focuses on managerial competencies, innovation, human resource management, knowledge transfer between academia and business, and sustainable development. She combines academic expertise with extensive experience in university leadership and the internationalisation of management education. In 2024, she received the CEEMAN Champion Award in the Institutional Management category in recognition of her leadership in management education.

Dr. Maurice M. Steinhoff is an entrepreneurship scholar and innovation ecosystem builder who plays a key role at HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management in Germany. He obtained his PhD in strategic entrepreneurship from HHL Leipzig, investigating how new ventures and corporate innovators achieve success. He also holds a Master’s degree in Management with a specialization in Strategic Management and Organizations from Europa-Universität Flensburg, and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems. As part of his formative education, Dr. Steinhoff participated in an international exchange program on business models and logistics in Douala, Cameroon, reflecting his early engagement with global business perspectives.
In his current academic role, Dr. Steinhoff is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurial Management at HHL, and he heads the Entrepreneurship Department’s cluster and ecosystem development. He is the co-founder and Managing Director of HHL Digital Space, an innovation hub and startup incubator, through which he mentors start-up teams and fosters entrepreneurship in practice. He also spearheaded the creation of “Stage Two,” which has grown into Europe’s largest university venture competition, linking entrepreneurs from across the continent. His teaching portfolio includes courses on entrepreneurship, strategic innovation, complexity management, and problem-solving, often delivered in international forums (he has served as a visiting professor abroad in these subjects).
Dr. Steinhoff’s research focuses on business model innovation, start-up ventures, and corporate venturing. He has an active publication record, including co-authored articles on radical business model change (for instance, studies on the Metaverse and digital platforms) and frameworks for corporate venture success. His work has appeared in high-ranking journals like the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research and the Service Industries Journal, and he regularly presents at global conferences such as the European Academy of Management (EURAM). Beyond academia, Dr. Steinhoff gained industry experience as a consultant in IT solutions and even as an entrepreneur himself—he founded a digital media project early in his career and undertook a management trainee program in South Africa with a multinational company. These experiences, spanning Europe and Africa, contribute to his multicultural understanding of business. Through roles like Board Member of the Startup Campus Alliance and involvement in global entrepreneurship networks, he stays at the forefront of international startup ecosystem trends. Dr. Steinhoff’s profile offers EMBA participants leading-edge insights into entrepreneurial management, innovation strategy, and the cultivation of start-up ecosystems, all grounded in his hands-on leadership and international research experience.

Co-founder and CEO of net-o-logy, responsible for the company's strategic development. He holds a PhD in Management Sciences. His academic research focuses on value creation in technology-sector companies. Involved in venture capital investments, supporting the development and growth of Polish technology startups.

President of the Management Board of TAURON Polska Energia S.A. A graduate of the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, he has also completed postgraduate studies in Business Management at the Silesian University of Technology, International Managerial and Marketing Studies at Brno University of Technology, International Management and Finance Studies at the University of Economics in Katowice, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme at the Brennan School of Business, Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois, USA.

He has been associated with the energy sector for 29 years. He has extensive experience in developing effective sales and marketing strategies and managing organisational change. His expertise includes the design and implementation of new products and services, marketing campaigns, customer communication channels, and IT tools and systems. He has led and successfully implemented numerous projects aimed at improving organisational efficiency and optimising business processes.

Mariusz Michałek, Vice President of the Management Board of PGE Energia Ciepła

Mariusz Michałek has over 25 years of professional experience in developing, leading, and managing business areas within the industrial and energy sectors, gained both in international corporations and commercial companies with State Treasury shareholding. In 2024, he also served as President of the Polish Association of Professional Combined Heat and Power Plants (Polskie Towarzystwo Elektrociepłowni Zawodowych).

He is a graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Częstochowa University of Technology. He also completed the postgraduate teacher training programme at the same university, postgraduate management studies at WSB University in Dąbrowa Górnicza, postgraduate studies in Economic and Commercial Law at the University of Silesia, and an Executive MBA programme organised by the Institute of Economic Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In addition, he has participated in numerous training courses and seminars covering management, finance, communication, and persuasion.

Throughout his professional career, he he has held a number of senior management positions. These include over four years as Director of PGE Energia Ciepła Branch No. 1 in Kraków; six years with the Tauron Group, where he served as Vice President of the Management Board of Tauron Wytwarzanie Serwis and as Chief Operating Officer and Commercial Proxy (Prokurent) at Tauron Serwis; and 14 years at Danfoss Poland, part of the Danish Danfoss Group, during a period of expansion in sales and manufacturing on the Polish market.

He has been involved in the implementation of major investment projects in the energy sector, strategic initiatives aimed, among other things, at improving business efficiency, as well as projects financed under the Norwegian and European Economic Area (EEA) Funds.

Innovation Director at Veolia Group in Poland. His work focuses on connecting technological opportunities with business needs and turning innovative ideas into practical solutions. He supports collaboration with startups and the development of an organisational culture that encourages experimentation, knowledge sharing, and cooperation across teams. His professional interests include the energy transition, digitalisation, and innovations that improve operational efficiency and employee safety. He emphasises the importance of people and their competencies in ensuring that technological and organisational change delivers lasting value.

Prof. Rafał Żelazny holds a habilitation degree in social sciences in the discipline of economics and finance and is an Associate Professor at the University of Economics in Katowice.
He serves as President of the Management Board of the Katowice Special Economic Zone S.A. (KSEZ). KSEZ is the leading special economic zone among Poland’s 14 zones. It was also named the best industrial zone in Europe, the world’s best zone for investor aftercare, and the ninth-best economic zone worldwide in the overall fDi Intelligence Global Free Zones of the Year 2026 ranking (Financial Times). Approximately 850 companies currently operate within KSEZ, having created more than 100,000 jobs and invested around PLN 56 billion across over 1,170 investment projects.
He has authored several dozen academic publications in Polish and English on innovation, the knowledge-based economy and the information society. His work also includes development strategies, expert assessments, monitoring reports and research reports.
His private-sector experience beyond KSEZ includes serving as Risk & Finance Manager at Future Processing S.A., a large IT company, and providing business consulting services to companies, local governments and business support organisations.

Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and External Relations at WSB University. His academic interests include strategic management, organisational change, entrepreneurship, and innovation management. He focuses on how digital transformation reshapes organisations, business relationships, and management processes. His research also covers business information systems and the application of technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and big data. His work connects contemporary management challenges with the development of cooperation between universities and their external partners.

Attorney-at-law, general parner in the legal office VINCI & VINCI Kancelaria Radcy Prawnego i Adwokata, M. Zychla, P. Vinci, spółka komandytowa, attorney-at-law, managing partner in the the legal office, since January 2004 to the present he is attorney-at-law and he runs the legal office - Kancelaria Radcy Prawnego, since January 2006 to the present - shareholder in the company Vinci & Vinci, since February 2007 to the present - limited partner in the limited partnership Vinci & Vinci Kancelaria Doradztwa Podatkowego R. Pioterczak i Wspólnicy, since 2008 to the present - Member of the Board Śląski Związek Pracodawców Prywatnych (Silesian Association of Employers Lewiatan) - part of the Konfederacja Lewiatan (Polish Confederation Lewiatan), since 2012 to the present - President of the Board Śląski Związek Pracodawców Prywatnych (Silesian Association of Private Employers), member of the Wojewódzka Rada Dialogu Społecznego in Katowice (in 2017 and 2025 the chairman of the Wojewódzka Rada Dialogu Społecznego in Katowice), since May 2013 – member of the Wojewódzka Rada Zatrudnienia in Katowice (present Wojewódzka Rada Rynku Pracy), since 2015 – Member of the Board Brembo Poland spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością in Dąbrowa Górnicza, President of the Board PBO Śląsk in Sosnowiec.

Plant Director at Ficomirrors Polska Sp. z o.o., a global leader in the automotive industry, manufacturing rear-view mirrors, windscreen washer reservoirs and gear shift levers for customers worldwide. Innovation and creativity are among the company’s core values, driving the continuous improvement of its products and processes through Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. At FICOSA, how products are made matters just as much as the products themselves. Its purpose is clear: “We transform mobility to improve people’s lives.” More than a slogan, this is a promise, a commitment and a driving force behind the company’s work.

President of WSB University and a scholar specialising in management and organisation studies. His research explores organisational culture, leadership, the digital transformation of higher education, and globalisation in business. His work connects theoretical perspectives with the practical challenges facing universities and contemporary organisations. An author of numerous academic publications, he received the CEEMAN Champion Award in the Research category in 2024 for his contribution to the development of management knowledge and practice.

Director of the Commercialisation, Communication and Promotion Department at Łukasiewicz – Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. She has extensive experience in research institutions, particularly within the Łukasiewicz Research Network, with a professional focus on commercialisation, science communication, and innovation management. She contributes to discussions on applied research and the relationship between science and business at industry events and conferences. A graduate of the University of Silesia, she is also a doctoral candidate at the Silesian University of Technology, specialising in innovation management.