Interpreters at the European Cities Conference

ECC "Digitalization – Secure & Sovereign"

20. - 21.11.2025

In the course of the dynamic development of urban areas, European cities are facing ever new challenges. Topics such as IT security, resilience, and digital sovereignty have gained significant importance. Complex threat scenarios and interdependencies call for networked thinking, joint action, and close cooperation at many levels – from the city to the European Union.

The European Cities Conference "Digitalization – Secure & Sovereign" provides a platform for exchange on the topics of IT security and digital sovereignty. Experts and decision-makers from the City of Vienna and its partner cities will discuss strategies, best practice examples, and cooperation opportunities.

The conference will take place on Thursday, 20 November 2025, in a closed session focusing on IT security. Following the first conference day, all participants of the European Cities Conference are invited to a public evening exchange.
On Friday, 21 November 2025, the focus will be on digital sovereignty – this day will be open to the public.

Start: Thursday, 20 November 2025, 12:00 noon

End: Friday, 21 November 2025, 2:00 p.m.

Venue: Urania, Uraniastraße 1, 1010 Vienna

The conference language is German. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided into and from English.

Please note that photos will be taken at the venue and may be published for the purpose of documenting the event – including on social media channels.

Programme Speakers

Programme

Day 1, 20 November 2025 – IT-security

Moderation: Sonja Kato

12 pm Registration and Brunch
1 pm Welcome by Wolfgang Müller, Deputy Head of Municipal Department, Head of Division for Organisation and Security

1.10 pm Keynote: Markus J. Schmid, Major of the general staff service, Austrian Federal Army, Directorate 6 – ICT and Cyber, department ICT Provisioning & Usage Management, ICT Management Unit
Panel 1: The current cybersecurity situation for cities
Markus J. Schmid, Austrian Federal Army
Coffee break
Panel 2: Risk mitigation and trends in cybersecurity
August Vanek, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the City of Vienna
6 pm Wrap-up
from 6.30 pm Networking with stand-up buffet

Day 2, 21 November 2025 – Digital sovereignty

Moderation: Sonja Kato

8.30 am Registration and coffee
9.05 am Welcome and keynote speech by City Councilor Barbara Novak, Executive City Councilor for Finance, Economy, Labor, International Affairs, and Digitalization

9.35 am Keynote: Beth Simone Noveck, Professor, Northeastern University, Director The Burnes Center for Social Change, Director The Governance Lab, Chief AI Strategist The State of New Jersey
Panel 3: Digital sovereignty of European cities
Benedikt Schraik, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the City of Vienna; Oliver Stribl, Wien Holding Managing Director
Coffee break
Panel 4: Digital cities of the future
Klemens Himpele, Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the City of Vienna; Dominic Weiss, Managing Director, Vienna Business Agency;
Summary and closing remarks
2 pm Buffet

Speakers

Klemens Himpele

Klemens Himpele has been the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the City of Vienna since 2020. Before that, he headed the Department for Economic Affairs, Labour and Statistics (MA 23) for eight years. Born in Baden-Württemberg, he studied economics at the University of Cologne and initially worked as a research associate at the Institute for Educational and Socio-Economic Research in Berlin. From 2007 to 2010, Klemens Himpele was a project manager at Statistics Austria in Vienna. Most recently, he served as an advisor for higher education and research at the head office of the Education and Science Workers’ Union in Frankfurt am Main.

Benedikt Schraik

Benedikt Schraik is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the City of Vienna. He brings over ten years of experience across industry and consulting, combining strategic insight with technological expertise. In his role, he is responsible for IT technology, architecture, data, and governance, driving the modernization of Vienna’s major systems and digital platforms. Through his initiatives, he embeds modern technology approaches and establishes data-driven foundations that enable innovative, citizen-centered services for the people of Vienna.