​INSPIRATION SALON (in English)

​Energy, Power, and Resilience: Navigating a New Geopolitical Reality

​(in collaboration with Dentons)

​Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Registration & Networking: 6:30 p.m.; Start: 7:00 p.m.

at Dentons
Markgrafenstr. 33, 10117 Berlin

with
Dr. Wolfgang Gründinger
Political Scientist, Author, Podcaster; Chief Evangelist, Enpal GmbH

in conversation with
Joerg Geier, ANSC Program Chair & Member, Club of Rome

​Thomas Schubert LL.M, Partner & Co-Head of German M&A Group, Head of German Energy Group, Dentons

The evening will be musically accompanied by Bakr Khleifir’s wide repertoire of solo Oud pieces.

​The event includes drinks and finger food.

​Requested donation: EUR 15 (free for ANSC members)

​ABOUT THIS SALON

​How can we navigate profound transformation while building greater resilience—for our societies, our organisations and the planet? As geopolitical tensions, energy dependencies, technological disruption and climate change reshape the world around us, the question is not simply how to adapt, but how to actively shape the transformation ahead.

​Wolfgang Gründinger

​This salon will explore the connections between energy, power, geopolitics and resilience. Drawing on his experience at the intersection of politics, digitalisation and the energy transition, Wolfgang Gründinger will offer perspectives on how Europe can strengthen its energy independence, respond to a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape and turn disruption into an opportunity for innovation and renewal.

​The transition to a new energy system is not only a technological or environmental challenge—it is also a profound shift in economic and geopolitical power. Renewable energy, decentralised infrastructure, electrification and digitalisation are changing established dependencies while creating new ones. At the same time, competition for critical resources, technologies and infrastructure is reshaping relationships between states, businesses and regions.

​Thomas Schubert

​The conversation will ask what resilience means in a world of accelerating change—and whether Europe can turn the energy transition into a source of greater strategic autonomy, economic strength and societal resilience. What role can business and entrepreneurship play alongside political action? And how can we ensure that the systems we build for a more sustainable future are also more secure, adaptable and capable of withstanding disruption?

​Underlying questions the salon attempts to explore: Can transformation become a source of power rather than vulnerability? Can Europe shape the emerging energy landscape rather than simply respond to it?

​Wolfgang Gründinger is Chief Evangelist at Enpal, Europe’s leading energy-tech company, and host of the podcast STROM & DRANG on energy and society. A political scientist and Climate Reality Leader trained by Al Gore, he is a prominent voice on energy, climate and digital transformation. An award-winning author and European Digital Leader of the World Economic Forum, he has worked at the intersection of politics, technology and innovation, including at the Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub. He is also an Associate Member of the German Society Club of Rome and a member of Scientists for Future.

​Schedule:

​6:30 p.m. – Arrival/Networking
7:00 p.m. – Music
7:15 p.m. – Welcome
7:30 p.m. – Impulse Talk
7:50 p.m. – Moderated Panel Discussion; Q&A
8:45 p.m. – Music
10:00 p.m. – End of Event

​Please note that the discussion may be recorded. With your registration and participation, you agree to the recording and allow a video/audio recording transmitted over the Internet and excerpts thereof to be posted on social media by the organizers and agree to indemnify and hold harmless the organizers and their partners, agencies, employees, and representatives for any unauthorized use by others of my voice and image as provided above and any claims arising from and/or as a result of the presented content.