Fireside Chat 2026
Guest speaker: Jochen Röttgermann
Thursday, 26 November 2026, 6.00 pm
Worms University of Applied Sciences (Building A, Room A125)
For this year’s fireside chat, Worms University of Applied Sciences welcomes Jochen Röttgermann, Director of Marketing & Sales at 1. FSV Mainz 05 e. V.
The focus of the evening will be on an exchange of experiences and perspectives from the worlds of elite sport and business.
Further details regarding the programme and the theme of the evening will be announced shortly.
The fireside chat is aimed at a select group of guests from the business community, the city, civil society and the university. Places are limited.
Fireside chat
The Worms University of Applied Sciences’ ‘Fireside Chat’ provides a unique setting for personal discussion on current topics from the worlds of business, academia and society. The event takes place at the personal invitation of the Executive Board and brings invited guests together in an exclusive yet relaxed atmosphere.
The focus is on open dialogue on an equal footing. The format creates space to discuss current developments, learn about different perspectives and engage in conversation with one another. The personal atmosphere facilitates an in-depth exchange that focuses not only on the topics themselves but also on the people behind them.
The fireside chat combines knowledge, discussion and networking, and lays the foundation for new ideas, valuable contacts and lasting relationships between the university, the business world and society.
Topics and guests from previous years
2025
- Made in Germany – at Chinese speed?
Daniela Schmitt, Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture for the State of Rhineland-Palatinate
2024
- One year before the election: Where is the Federal Republic heading?
Harald Christ, the experienced entrepreneur and native of Worms, offers fascinating insights
into current political developments in Germany
2023
People as a value-adding factor – Why HR and sustainability go hand in hand
Dr Elke Eller, a member of the supervisory boards of thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG and K+S AG, and a renowned ‘pioneer of modern human resources management’ (HR Hall of Fame)
2022
Attacks on companies’ digital infrastructure – what now?
Andreas Schröder, Head of Department 4 (Analysis and Investigations) at the Rhineland-Palatinate State Criminal Police Office
2020
Why Covid-19 is changing the (business) world
Markus Gürne, ARD stock market expert and Head of the ARD-Börse TV programme group at Hessischer Rundfunk
2019
A loss of trust in the media in the age of digitalisation?
Petra Gerster, journalist and presenter of the ZDF programme “heute”
Prof. Dr Oliver Quiring, Head of the Department of Communication Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz
Moderator: Prof. Dr Henning Kehr, Professor of Economics and International Trade, Vice-President of Worms University of Applied Sciences
2018
Artificial Intelligence as a Driver for Industry 4.0
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Wahlster, Technical and Scientific Director and Chairman of the Management Board of the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI GmbH)
, founded in 1988 Moderator: Prof. Dr Henning Kehr, Professor of Economics and International Trade, Vice-President of Worms University of Applied Sciences
2017
Worried contentment: On the profile of Germans at the end of the 2017 super election year
Prof. Dr Karl-Rudolf Korte, Professor of Political Science in the department ‘Political System of the Federal Republic of Germany and Modern Governance Theories’ and Director of the NRW School of Governance, University of Duisburg-Essen
Moderator: Prof. Dr Henning Kehr, Professor of Economics and International Trade, Vice-President of Worms University of Applied Sciences
2016
Financial Stability in a Period of Low Interest Rates
Dr Benjamin Weigert, Deutsche Bundesbank, Head of the Financial
Stability Division Dr Roman Glaser, President and Chairman of the Executive Board of the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative Association
Moderator: Prof. Dr Henning Kehr, Professor of Economics and International Trade, Vice-President for Research and Transfer at Worms University of Applied Sciences
2015
Highlights of the Financial Stability Report
Dr Edgar Vogel, Deutsche Bundesbank, Financial Stability Department, Macroprudential Policy Division
Moderator: Prof. Dr Henning Kehr, Professor of Economics and International Trade, Vice-President for Research and Transfer at Worms University of Applied Sciences
2014
Greater confidence in market processes; Annual Report of the German Council of Economic Experts
Dr Benjamin Weigert, Secretary-General of the
German Council of Economic Experts Moderator: Prof. Dr Henning Kehr, Professor of Economics and International Trade, Vice-President for Research and Knowledge Transfer at Worms University of Applied Sciences
2013
Against a backward-looking economic policy; Annual Report of the German Council of Economic Experts
Dr Benjamin Weigert, Secretary-General of the
German Council of Economic Experts Moderator: Prof. Dr Henning Kehr, Professor of Economics and International Trade, Vice-President for Research and Knowledge Transfer at Worms University of Applied Sciences
2012
A stable architecture for Europe – the need for domestic action; Annual Report of the German Council of Economic Experts
Dr Benjamin Weigert, Secretary-General of the
German Council of Economic Experts Moderator: Prof. Dr Henning Kehr, Professor of Economics and International Trade, Vice-President for Research and Knowledge Transfer at Worms University of Applied Sciences