German American Business Outlook 2024

This in-person event takes place in partnership with the German American Chamber of Commerce Inc. New York and is hosted here in Boston by J.P. Morgan.

Date: Tuesday, February 13th, 2024
Time: 6PM to 9PM
Location: J.P. Morgan, 50  Rowes Wharf in Boston
Tickets: $30 member | $60 non-member

Update 2/13/24 10AM: The event will take place as scheduled in person today. 

Update 2/12/24 at 1PM:  Together with our hosts at J.P. Morgan, we are monitoring the weather situation very closely. We understand that the storm will likely be effecting Boston and areas outside of the Metro Boston region very differently depending how the storm tracks. As of today, we will keep the event as planned in person starting at 6PM (doors open) and 6:30PM event start. Should anything change, we will notify you during the day on Tuesday and post an update here.

Limited tickets available. Please contact Emily Westhoven at info@gabc-boston.org to request tickets. 

Schedule:

6:00PM to 6:30PM  Registration and check-in

6:30PM GABC Welcome followed by

• International Business Update, Dr. David Kelly, Chief Global Strategist, J.P. Morgan Asset Management
• Presentation of GABO 2024 Survey Results by Irene Fuchs, Director Business Network, Startups and Event,  German American Chamber of Commerce, New York
• Followed by a Panel Discussion with Business Leaders from German companies in New England
  • Karen Madden, Chief Technology Officer, MilliporeSigma (Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt)
  • Fabian Schober, President & CEO, TÜV SÜD America
  • Christopher Hohns, Chief Financial Officer, Arvato North America & Brazil
  • moderated by Bernhard Brinker, Managing Director at J.P. Morgan

• Reception / Networking to conclude the event.

Dr. David Kelly, Chief Global Strategist, J.P. Morgan Asset Management

Dr. David Kelly is the Chief Global Strategist and Head of the Global Market Insights Strategy Team for J.P. Morgan Asset Management. With over 20 years of experience, David provides valuable insight and perspective on the economy and markets to the institutional investor and financial advisor global communities. David’s research focuses on investment implications of an evolving economic environment. He has written extensively on all aspects of the U.S. economy and his proprietary U.S. economic forecasting model helps shape his views on both the economic landscape and prospective asset class returns. He currently sits on JP Morgan Fund’s operating committee. Throughout his career, David has developed a unique ability to explain complex economic and market issues in a language that financial professionals can use to communicate to their clients. He is a keynote speaker at many national investment conferences and a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, and other financial media outlets.

Prior to joining J.P. Morgan Asset Management, David served as Economic Advisor to Putnam Investments. He has also served as a senior strategist/economist at SPP Investment Management, Primark Decision Economics, Lehman Brothers and DRI/McGraw-Hill. David is a CFA® charterholder. He also has a Ph.D and M.A. in Economics from Michigan State University and a B.A. in Economics from University College Dublin in the Republic of Ireland.

Karen Madden, Chief Technology Officer, MilliporeSigma

Karen Madden is Chief Technology Officer for the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (and/or its affiliates). In this role, she is shaping the Technology Roadmap and long-term R&D strategy, systematically exploring emerging opportunities that lead to breakthrough innovations. She is also responsible for leading the Life Science Innovation board with a focus on ensuring a balance of long-term, high-impact programs with short-term, critical growth projects by using a rigorous portfolio management process and technology Key Performance Indicators. Karen represents Life Science in the global scientific community by building and managing relationships with key universities, start-up companies and industry organizations, as well as our customers.

Before joining the company, Madden served as Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at PerkinElmer. She was responsible for driving innovation across all the company’s businesses and end markets. Since 2014, she has been part of Perkin Elmer’s senior leadership team and was a key contributor to helping transform the business into a significant life sciences and diagnostics enterprise.

Fabian Schober, President and CEO, TÜV SÜD America

Dr. Fabian Schober is President and CEO at TÜV SÜD America, a global testing, inspection and certification company, where he previously served as CFO. He joined TÜV SÜD Group in Munich in 2008, spending his initial years in the Corporate M&A department before holding various management positions.

Dr. Schober received a PhD from the University of St. Gallen and completed the General Management Program at the Harvard School of Business.

Christopher Hohns, Chief Financial Officer North America & Brazil, Arvato

Christopher Hohns is Chief Financial Officer North America and Brazil of Arvato, part of the Bertelsmann-owned Arvato Group, a global supply chain management and e-commerce solutions provider. Christopher began his career at Bertelsmann, the German media and services conglomerate, in Corporate Strategy and Controlling. Following several years as Head of Strategy and Co-Chief Transformation Lead for Arvato, Christopher moved to the United States to become VP of Finance and Operations of DK, an imprint of the world’s largest publishing company, Penguin Random House. He took over the role of CFO for Arvato North America in January of 2023. Christopher graduated from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, one of Germany’s leading business schools, with a M.Sc.

Bernhard Brinker, Managing Director, J.P. Morgan
Head of Corporate Client Banking & Specialized Industries, DACH Region

Bernhard Brinker joined J.P. Morgan in January 2019 as Head of Corporate Client Banking & Specialized Industries, DACH Region in Frankfurt.

Prior to assuming this role, Bernhard spent eleven years at Unicredit / HypoVereinsbank, where he started in 2007 in investment banking – first covering international corporates, then as Co-Head of investment banking and Head of Financial Institutions Group. For the last five years, Bernhard was, as a Divisional Board Member, responsible for HypoVereinsbank’s Private Banking business in Germany.

Before his time at Unicredit / Hypovereinsbank, Bernhard started his career at McKinsey & Company, Inc. in Munich, Frankfurt and New York, where he was spending most of his 13 years (the last six as a Partner) with financial services / banking clients, and where he was for his last four years also responsible for the Firm’s Corporate Finance & Strategy Practice in Germany.

Hosted and supported by

Organized in cooperation with