Keynote speaker
Dr Stefanie Babst
Dr Stefanie Babst can look back at a remarkable professional journey in NATO's International Staff. In the course of 22 years she held different positions in the Public Diplomacy Division which she was appointed to lead as NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General from 2006 to 2012. The post made her the highest-ranking German woman in the International Secretariat. From 2012 to 2020, she led NATO's Strategic Foresight Team - a fabulous civil-military team, advising the NATO Secretary General and Chairman of the Military Committee on strategic unknowns and potential upcoming crisis situations in geographical and functional areas of relevance to the Alliance.
Stefanie began her career in 1991 as Assistant Professor for International Security Policy at the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany, moving on to become Professor of Russian and East European Studies at the Federal Armed Forces Command & General Staff College in Hamburg.
She is an internationally renowned strategic advisor, publisher, media commentator and speaker on international security issues and board member of the German Council on Foreign Relations, the Danish Center for War Studies and the Norwegian Forum for Nordic Security Policy. Stefanie is also active in various international security networks, including as Senior Associate Fellow with the London-based European Leadership Network. In recognition of her professional achievements, she received several state awards. In 2022, 2024 and 2025, Stefanie was formally recognized as one of the top female thought-leaders in Germany and top public speakers.
Undoubtedly, Stefanie is widely known as a passionate supporter of Ukraine’s fierce defense against Russia’s brutal aggression, a leading voice on strategic challenges in both international media outlets and for entrepreneurs across the globe. In April 2023, she published her thought-provoking book “Sehenden Augges – Mut zum strategischen Kurswechsel” (English title: Blind spots – Why the West must have the courage to alter its strategy towards Russia”) which has attracted wide international attention. It has also been published in Ukrainian and Estonian.
Gideon Rachman
Gideon Rachman is Chief Foreign Affairs Columnist at the Financial Times and one of the world’s most influential commentators on geopolitics and the international order. Based in London, he draws on decades of reporting from Asia, Europe and the United States to analyze global power shifts, diplomacy and the strategic implications of political change for governments and markets. He writes a widely read weekly column on international affairs and contributes in-depth features on global politics for the FT.
Rachman is also the host of the FT’s flagship geopolitics podcast, The Rachman Review, which was named International Podcast of the Year in 2025 and is followed by a global audience. Renowned for his exceptional access to world leaders and senior decision-makers, he is known for translating complex geopolitical dynamics into clear, actionable insight.
A multiple award-winning journalist, Rachman is the recipient of the Orwell Prize for political writing and the European Press Prize, among other honors. He is also the author of several acclaimed books on global politics, including The Age of the Strongman and Easternisation, which explore the forces reshaping democracy, nationalism and the global balance of power.
Alessandra Galloni
Alessandra Galloni became Editor-in-Chief of Reuters in April 2021. She oversees all editorial functions across video, text, pictures, and graphics. She is the first female editor-in-chief in the organization’s 170-year history. Previously, Galloni was global managing editor, overseeing news planning and creation, where she was responsible for managing Reuters coverage and developing stories with a cross-regional focus. She first joined Reuters in 1996 for the Italian-language news service in Rome, later moving to the equities reporting team in London. She re-joined Reuters in September 2013 as editor of the Southern Europe bureau following 13 years at The Wall Street Journal, where she worked as a reporter, economics and business writer and editor, in London, Paris and Rome. Galloni is the recipient of the 2020 Lawrence Minard Editor Award from the Gerald Loeb Foundation and the UCLA Anderson School of Management, one of the highest honours a business journalist can receive. She is also the recipient of an Overseas Press Club Award and a UK Business Journalist of the Year Award. An Italian national, Galloni is a graduate of Harvard University and has a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics.
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