Jury of the German Datacenter Talents & Impact Awards
The award winners are selected by an independent jury headed by Dr. Alexandra Thorer and Prof. Dr. Peter Radgen. Experts from various fields were recruited for the jury of the German Datacenter Talents & Impact Awards - GDA would like to thank the jury members for their commitment.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Radgen
Chair of Energy Efficiency at the Institute of Energy Economics and Rational Energy Use (IER) | University of Stuttgart
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Radgen holds the Chair of Energy Efficiency at the Institute of Energy Economics and Rational Energy Use (IER) at the University of Stuttgart and is a board member of the German Data Center Association e.V. Peter Radgen researches and teaches in the field of energy efficiency and sustainability in data centers and industry. He pays particular attention to the potentials in the area of cross-cutting technologies and waste heat utilization.
Dr. Alexandra Thorer
Chief Development Officer | BCS Consultancy
Dr Alexandra Thorer is Chief Development Officer at BCS Consultancy and board member of the German Datacenter Association e.V. As an architect and urban planner, Alexandra Thorer is particularly dedicated to infrastructural development for digitalisation, municipal and international cooperation and strategic expansion into new markets.
Alessa Gangl
Education Lead Public Sector – Europe & Government Relations Specialist // Member of the Board | Bechtle // Initiative D21 e. V.
As Education Lead Public Sector – Europe at IT service provider Bechtle, Alessa Gangl supports schools across Europe on their digital journey. Driven by her passion for education and technology, she builds trust in digital solutions and turns transformation projects into lasting successes. Since 2024 she has also served on the board of Initiative D21, Germany’s largest cross-sector network for the digital society, using her expertise to shape the country’s digital future. A key focus of her work is inspiring young talent to pursue IT careers, thus strengthening the skills base that underpins a resilient data-center ecosystem.
Dr. Daniel Hackenberg
Deputy Director / Research Group Leader Energy Efficiency at the Centre for Information Services and High Performance Computing (ZIH) | TU Dresden
Dr. Daniel Hackenberg is Deputy Director and Research Group Leader at the Centre for Information Services and High Performance Computing (TU Dresden) and has been researching energy-efficient HPC architectures and the resource-efficient operation of data centres for many years. With more than 50 specialist publications and a doctorate on energy and cost-optimised cooling concepts, he combines in-depth scientific expertise with practical approaches such as hot water cooling and waste heat utilisation.
Alexander Handschuh
Deputy | German Association of Towns and Municipalities
Alexander Handschuh has headed the Press / Public Relations, Communication and Digitalisation department at Deutscher Städte- und Gemeindebund (DStGB, German Association of Towns and Municipalities) since 2024 and has been shaping the municipal digital and innovation agenda there since 2006. As a long-standing spokesperson for the DStGB, head of the planning and policy department and initiator and managing director of the "Innovators Club", he networks mayors, business and science in order to drive forward practice-oriented future projects.
Heike Koch
Head of the Hessian data center office, project manager | Hessen Trade & Invest
Heike Koch is the Head of the Hessian Data Center Office and Project Manager Digital Transformation at Hessen Trade & Invest, the economic development agency of the state of Hesse.
Stefanie Kreusel
Senior Vice President, Customer & PR | Deutsche Telekom
Stefanie Kreusel is the Group Representative for Digital Education and Schools and is responsible for Customer & Public Relations in the Public segment. As a representative of senior executives, she is a member of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Telekom AG, Chairwoman of the University Council at the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences and a member of the Board of Trustees of Goethe University.
Prof. Dr. Helena Liebelt
Programme Coordinator Master High Performance Computing and Quantum Computing | Technische Hochschule Deggendorf
Prof. Dr. Helena Liebelt is a computer scientist and entrepreneur: she founded her first digital start-up at 18, led Intel’s HPC business in Germany from 2010 and received the 2018 Intel Achievement Award for her contributions to high-performance computing. Since 2018 she has been a full professor at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology, where she is establishing a new HPC department, launched the first master’s programmes in HPC / quantum computing in 2021, and has directed the newly founded Institute of Future Technologies since June 2023.
Prof. Dr. Volker Lindenstruth
Computer science and AI systems | FIAS, University of Frankfurt
Prof. Dr. Volker Lindenstruth holds the Chair of High-Performance Computer Architecture at Goethe University Frankfurt, directs the Helmholtz Research Academy Hessen for FAIR and previously headed Scientific IT at the GSI Helmholtz Centre; as founder of several HPC startups and recipient of the Green-IT award and a top Green-500 ranking for the ultra-efficient L-CSC system, he unites cutting-edge research with proven concepts for sustainable data centres.
Maximilian Vomhof
Founder & CEO | anytwo
Maximilian Vomhof is an architect at the interface of construction and technology: after working for leading organisations along the construction value chain, he founded the software startup vyzn AG and the association opensource.construction. In 2024, he founded anytwo GmbH. The Zurich-based consulting and software company anytwo supports construction and property companies in the transition from file-based to data-based processes, develops customised applications and automates workflows - primarily in the fields of AI-supported knowledge management, BIM-supported planning and cloud/hybrid infrastructure.
Dr. Thomas Weber
Co-founder and CSO | etalytics
Dr.-Ing. Thomas Weber is Co-Founder and Managing Director of etalytics, a software company specialising in AI-based energy intelligence solutions and focusing on the operational optimisation of data centres and energy-intensive industrial plants. With a background in energy science and a PhD in "Mathematical optimisation for the optimal control of industrial energy systems", Thomas Weber developed the foundations of the AI solution used by etalytics. The first projects with customers were realised under his leadership. With this concept for AI-supported optimisation of cooling systems in data centres, he won the GDA Young Talent Award 2022 in the start-up category. He is currently responsible for the growth of etalytics in new and existing markets.
Janet Winkler
Managing Director and Co-Founder | bunton
Janet Winkler is Managing Director and co-founder of bunton GmbH, an anonymous, AI-powered career platform and business community launched in 2022 that matches female executives and supervisory-board candidates with organisations committed to diversity. Supported by a strong network of mentors, partners and advisors, bunton blends executive search, career development and consultancy with state-of-the-art technologies such as deep-tech analytics and natural-language processing to accelerate gender balance at the top.
In parallel, she has headed FAE Consulting GmbH for more than a decade; as a seasoned finance expert she develops innovative financial solutions and optimises her clients' financial processes across industries, delivering measurable impact for her clients.
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