Critical Systems: What's at Risk and What to Do
Session Overview
Critical Systems: What's at Risk and What to Do
Digital infrastructure is now the operational backbone of industrial systems. When it fails, production stops. This panel examines cloud concentration risk, cybersecurity at operational scale, AI governance for business-critical systems, and data continuity when things go wrong. Panelists include CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and companies that have navigated major disruptions. Followed by open conversation on practical next steps.
Digital Infrastructure: AI Governance, Cybersecurity, Operational Stability
Digital infrastructure has become the operational backbone for industrial systems. When it fails or gets compromised, production stops, supply chains break, and organizations lose capability.
This panel examines resilience across three areas:
Cloud DependenciesMost organizations now run critical operations on cloud infrastructure, often concentrated with 1-2 providers. What happens when a provider has an outage, changes terms, or becomes subject to geopolitical pressure? How do organizations assess and manage concentration risk?
Cybersecurity for OperationsIndustrial systems, manufacturing operations, and supply chain networks are increasingly targeted. Attacks can halt production, compromise data, or create physical safety risks. What security measures actually work at operational scale, and how do organizations balance security with operational speed?
AI Governance and InfrastructureAI is being embedded into core business operations—forecasting, quality control, logistics, decision support. This creates new dependencies and new failure modes. How do organizations govern AI systems when they become business-critical? What infrastructure is needed to run AI reliably at scale?
Data ContinuityWhen systems fail—whether from cyberattacks, technical failures, or provider outages—how quickly can organizations restore operations? What data needs to be protected, and what continuity models work in practice?
Panelists include CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, cybersecurity firms, cloud providers, and companies that have navigated major digital disruptions.
Host / Speakers
Lisa Bechtold — Global Head of Group Risk Management Nestlé S.A.
Sebastian Heyneman — CEO Verdico AI
Tammy Schuring — CEO & Cofounder Polymathic
Sean Donald John Musch — Founder AI & Partners
Mike Butcher — Editor-at-large TechCrunch
Developing a Roadmap for Industrial Resilience
After examining digital infrastructure, critical minerals, and strategic capital, this open discussion focuses on what comes next—with primary focus on Europe.
Policy PrioritiesWhat should European governments prioritize to strengthen industrial competitiveness? Where can policy reduce dependencies without creating new vulnerabilities? How should Europe respond to US subsidies and China's coordinated industrial strategy?
Company ActionsWhat can firms do without waiting for policy? How do organizations assess exposure to digital disruption, mineral dependencies, and supply chain concentration? What measures deliver results within 6-12 months versus 3-5 years?
Public-Private CoordinationIndustrial resilience requires coordination between governments, corporations, and investors. Where has this worked in Europe? What models can be scaled? How do you align incentives when timelines differ?
Technology and InvestmentWhat technologies deserve accelerated support—through grants, procurement, or strategic investment? Where should Europe build capability, and where should it partner with allies?
Standards and RegulationCan Europe use standards to strengthen its position? How can regulatory alignment speed adoption of resilience technologies? Balance between protecting against risk and enabling speed?
Open discussion format. Participants propose priorities, challenge assumptions, debate trade-offs. The goal: practical recommendations organizations can act on, not aspirational statements.
Participants include policymakers, CEOs, investors, supply chain leaders, and technology executives.
Manifesto for Action - Working Session
Industry Resilience
Infrastructure, supply chains, capital, and policy for industrial resilience.
Industrial systems face three converging forces: geopolitical fragmentation exposing supply chains and trade flows; competing industrial models where China, India, and the US can reorganize capacity faster than Europe; and technological shifts—AI, automation, quantum, biotech, advanced materials—reshaping cost structures and resilience requirements.
This program, convened in partnership with CVC | Open Innovation Summit and Inside CVC, examines how businesses and governments build durable industrial capacity. Four panels cover the domains where resilience has highest systemic impact:
Strategic Capital and Corporate Venture Building – how CVCs and venture builders deploy capital with different logic than traditional VCs: longer timelines, harder problems, competitive advantage measured in decades
Digital Infrastructure and Resilient Businesses – cloud concentration risk, cybersecurity at operational scale, AI governance, data continuity
Critical Minerals and Secure Supply Chains – mineral dependencies, refining bottlenecks, recycling, geopolitical exposure
Europe's Roadmap for Industrial Resilience – cross-sector dialogue on priorities
Each session combines a diagnostic panel with moderated working discussion. Participants will jointly develop a Manifesto for Strategic Investment—practical principles on capital deployment, de-risking mechanisms, and execution models. The goal: leave Davos with clear next steps and working groups that continue beyond WEF.
This is not a sponsor event, policy showcase, or vision panel. It is designed for candid exchange and practical outcomes.