Ralf Baust is the Country Manager for the DACH region at Sofico, responsible for all regional customer relations.
With over 35 years in the Financial Services Industry, he’s held key roles in banks, subsidiaries, and Financial Service Consulting.
Before joining Sofico in 2022, Ralf was the Head of Financial Services for NTT DATA in the DACH Region. Throughout his career, he’s driven innovation in Payments, Core Banking, Mobility Finance, and IT-Consolidation. Currently, he also focuses on Digitalization and Cloud Services, successfully delivering transformative projects.
Daniel is the Chief Product Officer and one of the co-founders at DRUID AI. He is a seasoned professional in the enterprise business applications space, with over 25 years of experience in running large software development teams and building enterprise solutions. With a PhD in Business Computer Studies and a keen eye for User Experience, Dan has taken the opportunity to infuse AI, Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Understanding (NLU) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) into one of the most advanced conversational business applications platform – DRUID. His passion for Artificial Intelligence led him to solve challenging business requirements with revolutionary technologies – Conversational AI, Generative AI, and automation – which he successfully infused into DRUID’s DNA.
With over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, Chris Hanlon has a proven track record of successful leadership and innovation. He began his career with Woodchester (GE) in 1986 before joining permanent tsb Finance in 1991 as Sales and Marketing Director. He was appointed Managing Director in 1999, where he led the company to become the largest car finance provider in Ireland. Over the next 10+ years, Chris acquired, managed and developed formal relationships with Distributors, Manufacturers and Dealers across 14 marques including brands such as BMW, Opel, Kia and Hyundai.
Under Chris’s leadership, permanent tsb Finance experienced tremendous growth, thanks in part to his ability to attract and retain top talent. He has also developed and implemented successful sales aid finance programmes for major companies such as Dell, Gateway, Eircom, and Sony.
In 2011, following a Management Buyout, Chris led his team to complete Ireland’s first auto-only receivables securitisation, paving the way for the establishment of Ireland’s newest player – First Citizen Finance.
As Managing Director of First Citizen Finance, Chris has had full balance sheet and profit and loss responsibility, leveraging his expertise to drive profitability and maintain financial stability. He has cultivated a team of highly skilled professionals, many of whom have spent their entire careers working alongside him.
Chris is a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland and a graduate of the Harvard Business School. He continues to be an influential figure in the financial services industry, applying his wealth of knowledge and experience to achieve exceptional results.
Karim is a French-German professional with a background in Physics and Mathematics. He boasts a successful career in the financial sector, with 14 years at CreditPlus Bank AG, including roles as CIO and Board Member. Prior to that, he had 17 years of IT consulting experience, working at IBM and Accenture. His expertise spans consumer credit, Agile transformation, and digitalization, with international experience in France, the USA, and Germany. Currently he’s CIO for Mobilize Financial Services, responsible for the DACH cluster.
