On May 7 and 8, 2026, the Software Excellence Network brought together a selected group of senior executives from European industry and technology companies for an invitation-only Executive Exchange at Schloss Fürstlich Drehna, one of the most distinctive venues in Brandenburg and Berlin.
The topic: AI, software governance, and corporate control. AI-assisted coding is fundamentally changing how fast software gets built. With that comes a shift in control over what actually gets produced — a question that deserves more attention at the executive level than it typically receives.
Contributions came from Dr. Jürgen Sturm (former CIO, ZF Group), Dr. Jürgen Müller (former CTO, SAP), Dr. Henrik Hahn (Chief Digital Transformation Officer, Evonik), Tobias Naumann (CFO, SAP), Lars Neumann (SVP T Cloud, Deutsche Telekom), and Dirk Wollschläger (former IBM General Manager Global Automotive). Dr. Johannes Bohnet, founder of Seerene, made the case for why C-level governance is the critical lever for a successful transition into the age of AI coding — and why that decision cannot be delegated to the engineering team.
The format was deliberate: no stage, no audience, no pitch. Schloss Fürstlich Drehna, managed by Châteauform, sets the right tone for that kind of conversation. The castle's architectural roots go back to the Renaissance, while the interiors draw on Bauhaus modernism and Berlin street art. A setting that creates the space for deeper, more focused exchange.
The Software Excellence Network was built around a single ambition: to give senior leaders the forum they need to address software production as a strategic business priority. The network brings together decision-makers from technology, industry, and academia for an open, peer-level exchange. It is organized jointly by the Hasso Plattner Institute, German Deep Tech Group, and Seerene.
→ Full impressions and presentations on the event page
Executive Exchange 2027
The next Executive Exchange is planned for 2027. For more information on participation, contact Oliver Viel: oliver.viel@seerene.com
