Welcome to CxO Connection — an exclusive invite-only dinner where senior leaders come together for meaningful exchange, fresh perspectives and high-level conversation in a carefully curated setting.

This is not just a dinner. It is an experience where insight and conversation unfold course by course. Each edition features a guest expert who does not simply speak to the room, but opens up real leadership questions for discussion around the table. For this edition, we welcome Elisabeth Pähtz, Germany’s strongest female chess player and Grandmaster. In chess, as in business, the hardest moments are often not defined by a lack of options, but by the need to make clear decisions under pressure, uncertainty and incomplete information. The central question of the evening is:

How do you make precise decisions when none of the available options seems ideal?

Elisabeth will show how she transfers strategic thinking from the chessboard to complex business situations. She will share how to recognise patterns in chaos, stay focused when outcomes are uncertain and make decisions when waiting is no longer an option. In this session, we will discuss:

• Navigating Uncertainty: How can leaders evaluate options when success can only be roughly estimated?
• Strategic Transfer: Which chess principles can be applied directly to business decisions?
• Choosing the Lesser Evil: What do you do when no option looks truly good, but a decision still has to be made?