Sonja Jost
CEO DUDE CHEM GmbH
Sonja Jost is a German inventor, engineer, and chemistry entrepreneur. She co-founded DUDE CHEM, a green deeptech chemical manufacturer, and serves as its CEO since 2021. Jost is the elected Vice President for innovation of the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce, representing over 300,000 businesses. Recognized for her global leadership in sustainable reindustrialization, she advises organizations and governments across the EU, the U.S., and Germany. In 2025, she was appointed to the Supervisory Board of the University of Technology Berlin’s tech transfer subsidiary, promoting scientific innovation and in 2018 to the editorial board of the US scientific journal Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews. Jost has received numerous awards, including the Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Award 2021 and the International Novi Award 2024 in London. In 2025, SPIEGEL listed her among “100 people who give Germany hope”. A regular panellist and author, she was also a participant in the Bilderberg Meeting.
Building the New, Transforming the Old: A Blueprint for Industrial Reinvention
As we navigate global uncertainty and rising sustainability demands, competitiveness will depend not only on transforming existing industries—but on our ability to build entirely new ones. Sonja Jost, international entrepreneur and CEO of green deeptech company DUDE CHEM, brings a hands-on perspective from the frontline of industrial renewal. Drawing from lessons in our industrial history, Jost suggests that renewal has always been at the heart of economic progress—and that we urgently need it to address today’s climate and competitiveness goals. Without dwelling on the past, her keynote points to a future where green chemistry, entrepreneurial ecosystems, and science-based policy offer a dual path forward: enabling deep transformation of legacy industries while accelerating the emergence of new, sustainable sectors. Her keynote bridges high-level vision with operational clarity, making the case for reinvention not as disruption—but as a prerequisite for independence and prosperity. With deep experience in industrial policy, tech transfer, and Western innovation advisory roles, Jost outlines how we can lead not just by preserving what we have, but by boldly renewing our industrial foundation— step by step, molecule by molecule.
Business Forum – 11 September 2025 – 9:50– 10:30 – Chamber Hall