Traditional Event at Hotel Bayerischer Hof on 26 January 2017
Munich, 3 February 2017 – On 26 January 2016, for the eleventh time already the annual „Business Talk“ was held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof, again jointly organised by Warth & Klein Grant Thornton and BEITEN BURKHARDT, hosting some 450 guests. The guiding theme of this years event was "Distribution of Income and Wealth".
As keynote speaker the organisers were able to win lawyer and politician Dr. Gregor Gysi. Having the former party chairman of the Left Party in the German Bundestag deliver the key note is an arrangement which guarantees fine rhetoric, controversial topics and top entertainment, and certainly accounts for the record number of participants. Karen Webb, presenter at the German TV broadcaster ZDF and known from the tabloid show „Leute heute“, moderated the evening, just like in last year's anniversary celebration.
The short welcome of Karen Webb and both hosts Dr. Stefan Kusterer (Warth & Klein Grant Thornton) and Dr. Axel Goetz (BEITEN BURKHARDT) was followed by an overview of last year's most important political and economic events such as, for instance, the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, the Brexit and the reform of the inheritance and capital transfer tax and its legal and tax implications.
After the introductory words of Dr. Kusterer, Dr. Gregor Gysi took the floor, addressing in his one-hour lecture the distribution of income and wealth from a national and an international perspective as well as the tax system in Germany from his point of view. He further commented current global political and economic events such as the US presidential election, the
sanctions against Russia, the Brexit and the refugee crisis.
The subsequent panel discussion focussed on „Digitisation & Innovations“. Sabine Herold, Managing Partner of DELO Industrie Klebstoffe and member of the Executive Board of BDI and VDI, the organisers presented a successful SME manager to challenge Dr. Gysi. Moderated by Karen Webb, Ms Herold and Dr. Gysi discussed in a heated verbal exchange of just about an hour the state ofdigitisation and the innovation capacity of German SMEs, the creation of new jobs due to digitisation and how the State could enhance this – with the result that German mid-sized companies are extremely innovative but the State must modernise and react faster with its legislation.
After the round of discussion the guests could enjoy the rest of the evening with culinary delicacies and networking.
About the Speakers, the Presenter and the Hosts
Dr. Gregor Gysi is lawyer and politician. Since 2005 he is again a member of the German Bundestag; from 2005 until 2015 he was party chairman of the Left Party in the German Bundestag and has assumed the office of President of the Party European Left in Mid- December 2016.
Sabine Herold is the owner and Managing partner of the undertaking DELO Industrie Klebstoffe in Windach am Ammersee and member of the Executive Board of BDI and VCI.
Karen Webb is a German TV presenter with ZDF. As an author she is writing books and she is also a lecturer at the Chair of Communication Science at the University of Munich.
Dr. Stefan Kusterer is Partner at Warth & Klein Grant Thornton AG in Munich. He particularly focuses on tax planning and structuring of mid-sized companies and corporate groups.
Dr. Axel Goetz is Partner at BEITEN BURKHARDT in Munich and co-head of the Corporate / M&A practice group. His main areas of activity comprise M&A and private equity transactions as well as providing legal advice on corporate law issues (restructurings), advice and representation in special corporate law disputes and the management of general meetings.
About the Business Talk
The Business Talk celebrated its premiere in 2007. With annually changing topics and speakers, the Business Talk has become a traditional event in Munich. The overall focus of the event is on the lecture of a high-profile guest speaker and the evening is rounded off by an entertaining, yet informative round of discussion. The Business Talk event at Hotel Bayerischer Hof provides entrepreneurs and businessmen with a perfect platform for sharing information, exchanging personal experiences and networking once a year. For further information see www.business-talk-muenchen.de.