Nicole Dreyer-Langlet, a member of the management team at Airbus Germany, spoke about the company’s commitment to digital sovereignty. For Airbus, it’s about actively shaping the AI revolution, while making sure that customer data and internal information remain secure. Technological independence, she said, is essential to staying competitive.
Ammar Alkassar, Managing Director of GovTech Campus Germany, urged a shift in focus: instead of dwelling on limitations, we should concentrate on what’s possible—especially when it comes to data sovereignty and managing technological dependencies.
Dr Ralf Wintergerst, President of Bitkom, described digital sovereignty as a strategic imperative and called for a playing-to-win mindset. In his view, now is the time to take action—to invest, build expertise and move forward. The financial resources, he noted, are already in place.
Dr Thomas Olemotz, CEO of Bechtle, outlined Bechtle’s approach: using a Sovereignty Index to systematically assess the current state of digital sovereignty among customers. This pragmatic method helps identify areas where sovereign digital solutions can deliver real value.
The panel was united in its view that digital sovereignty isn’t achieved through isolation, but through IT architectures that foster choice and resilience.
Bechtle’s position on digital sovereignty.
Our positioning statement on digital sovereignty is based on the work of the Bechtle Group’s Digital Sovereignty think tank.
The authors are Dr Martin Kaloudis (left), Executive Vice President Cluster Central & West Germany, and Steven Handgrätinger, Executive Vice President Public Sector, both of Bechtle AG.
Read the positioning statement