Influential Strategy Architects Powering Growth through AI & Insights in 2025
In a world where artificial intelligence and digital transformation redefine the essence of business leadership, true influence is measured not only by innovation but by the ability to keep humanity at the center of progress. Niels Thomsen, Partner at Artefact and Artefact Germany, stands as a rare kind of leader who blends strategic intellect with human insight. His journey from the Danish countryside to the forefront of European AI transformation captures the evolution of a leader who believes that technology achieves its highest potential only when guided by trust, empathy, and purpose.
On Cover
Niels Thomsen
Partner, Artefact and Artefact Germany (Deutschland) GmbH
In the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence and digital transformation, where technology often overshadows human connection, Niels Thomsen stands as a compelling reminder that the most powerful innovations emerge when human values meet cutting-edge capabilities. His journey from a Danish boy scout to a leading AI strategist across Europe reveals how foundational principles can guide transformative leadership in an age of unprecedented change.
Adam Hocek
Founder and CEO of Aecho
In the race to create more powerful artificial intelligence, something essential has been left behind—the ability to understand how we feel. While AI systems can process our words with remarkable accuracy, they remain blind to our emotions, deaf to the subtle variations in our voice that signal anxiety, excitement, or distress. Adam Hocek recognized this critical gap and set out to solve it. At Aecho, he’s pioneering technology that enables AI to hear not just what we say, but how we say it—reading between the lines of human communication in ways that could transform our relationship with technology.
Venkatesh C.R.
CEO of Dot Com Infoway
In the bustling tech landscape of early 2000s India, while Chennai and Bangalore were emerging as IT powerhouses, a young mechanical engineer in Madurai was nurturing a different vision. Venkatesh C.R. looked at his hometown and saw not what it lacked, but what it could become. This perspective would eventually transform him from a fresh graduate into a global digital strategist whose ventures now span across 60+ countries.
Dr. Mihaela Ulieru
President | IMPACT Institute for the Digital Economy
In the rapidly evolving landscape of emerging technologies, few individuals possess both the technical expertise and the creative spirit generating humanitarian vision to truly guide innovation toward human flourishing. Dr. Mihaela Ulieru stands as a rare exception. As President of the IMPACT Institute for the Digital Economy, Dr. Ulieru has devoted her career to ensuring that the convergence of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things serves to empower individuals rather than control them.
