The Future-Ready Podcast: Industry & Beyond

The process industries may be in flux, but the changes needed to make their future a reality are not built on changing everything at once. Architectures will change, but as smaller evolutions, not a monolithic revolution. That starts with finding ways to modularize and standardize processes before moving into software-defined automation that can leverage the portability and reusability of a cohesive architecture.To talk about this and more, we brought back Rebecca Vangenechten to talk with Mark Hindsbo for another episode of Siemens’ Future Ready Podcast.In this episode you’ll learn about:(00:00) Introduction(03:23) Evolving existing facilities(07:54) Pitfalls of inaction(11:22) Software as connective tissueAbout the voices:Mark Hindsbo joined Siemens in 2025 as Head of Operations Software. He is leading a team to build an integrated and modular industrial operations software suite that allows customers to design, engineer, and operate their factories, data centers, or plants – powered by agentic AI and digital twins. His extensive career includes leadership roles at Ansys, Parallels, and Microsoft, alongside experiences at The Boston Consulting Group, Novo Nordisk, and CERN. Mark is also an Adjunct Professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Born and educated in Denmark, he holds an M.S. in Applied Physics & Mathematics from the Technical University of Denmark.Rebecca Vangenechten has been the Head of Automation and Engineering for Process Automation at Siemens since 2023 – helping customers and partners through the entire plant lifecycle with engineering, consulting and modernization. But her background in Biomedical Sciences and Endocrinology is perfect for understanding the challenges of process industries.Nick Finberg is a technical marketing writer for Software-Defined Everything, with a background in Nuclear Engineering. He has worked with experts on many industries and topics including Automotive, Battery, sustainability, and systems engineering.

In this episode, host Conor Peick is joined by Katharina Westrich, Global VP of Electronics and Semiconductors at Siemens, to talk about the world of electronics and semiconductors and how it is changing amid the artificial intelligence transformation in industry.In the episode you’ll learn about:(00:20) Katharina’s journey to working in the electronics and semiconductor industry(03:14) What’s changing most dramatically in the industry now and in the near future(06:01) Other trends flying under the radar(09:11) The challenge of talent scarcity(10:13) More details on how AI is impacting the semiconductor industryAbout the voices:Katharina Westrich is Global VP of Electronics and Semiconductors at Siemens. In this role Katharina heads a team focused on unlocking the potential of resilient, smart, and sustainable semiconductor and electronics manufacturing across the entire value chain.Conor Peick is a Marketing Professional creating forward-looking content for the Thought Leadership team at Siemens Digital Industries Software. Conor collaborates with industry experts and executives to produce impactful content exploring the challenges companies face and the technologies that can provide solutions.

The focus of Industrial AI is shifting to systematic implementations across tools and workflows in engineering, manufacturing, operations and more. For Siemens, that means building AI capabilities around three clear pillars and delivering measurable results at each layer.In this episode of the Future Ready Podcast, host Spencer Acain is joined again by Samir Desai, Senior Director for AI and Data Strategy at Siemens Digital Industries Software. Samir and Spencer explore how Siemens is putting its industrial AI strategy into practice, from dramatically accelerating simulation and verification workflows to embedding copilots and agents directly into engineering tools, and finally to connecting data across disparate enterprise systems for faster, more confident decision-making.In this episode you will learn:(00:53) How AI is accelerating simulation and verification workflows(06:39) The distinction between copilots, domain agents, digital thread agents, and in-app AI and how they are helping engineers work faster and more effectively(15:39) The importance of human-in-the-loop design for AI agents in mission-critical industrial environments(17:14) Why connected data is critical for industrial AI and how modern solutions orchestrate across PLM, MES, ERP, and CRM systems(22:45) Intelligence Center X and the vision for a fully contextualized, AI-powered data environmentAbout the voices:Samir Desai is the Senior Director and Global Program Head for Data and AI at Siemens Digital Industries Software with more than 30 years of experience developing and managing industrial software suites.Spencer Acain is a technical marketing writer for AI and verticals thought leadership at Siemens Digital Industries with a background in Applied Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering.

How can manufacturers create value with Industrial AI? What does it take to move towards an AI-powered autonomous production? In this episode of the Future Ready Podcast, Rainer Brehm and David Humphrey return for a third episode how software-defined automation is enabling these exact kinds of solutions.They also explore the role of AI agents, data fabrics and physical AI in the future of industry while sharing practical insights on where companies can start today. And gain a competitive advantage for tomorrow.In this episode you’ll learn about:(00:00) Shifting industrial expenditures(04:24) Creating value from investment(07:03) Solving the data challenge(10:23) From rule-based to goal-based automation(15:13) Humans, autonomy and what’s nextAbout the voices:Rainer Brehm is the Chief Operations Officer (COO) for the automation business and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Siemens Digital Industries. In these roles, he drives the strategic advancement of Siemens’ automation portfolio and leads the development of technologies such as Industrial AI and Software-Defined Automation to unlock the full potential of automation. His focus is on making production more adaptive, resilient, and sustainable. His vision is an automated automation that solves unknown tasks independently.David Humphrey is an analyst at ARC Europe. And is a member of ARC’s hybrid manufacturing, packaging and industrial networking teams. He has over 25 years experience in industrial automation across specification, design and programming in a variety of industries.Conor Peick is a Marketing Professional creating forward-looking content for the Thought Leadership team at Siemens Digital Industries Software. Conor collaborates with industry experts and executives to produce impactful content exploring the challenges companies face and the technologies that can provide solutions.

As artificial intelligence (AI) adoption spreads, more companies are confronting realities around data storage, access and integration. As the future of increasingly autonomous AI agents looms, companies are eager to resolve issues in their data foundations in preparation for the future.In this episode of the Future Ready Podcast, we are joined again by Samir Desai, Senior Director for AI and Data Strategy at Siemens Digital Industries Software. Samir and Spencer explore how Siemens is putting its industrial AI foundation to work, from securing customer data in AI-powered workflows to the emergence of AI agents across the portfolio.In this episode you will learn:(00:10) Data security and access control in AI workflows(03:40) Future AI agents at Siemens(06:59) What makes Siemens stand out in the Industrial AI spaceAbout the voices:Samir Desai is the Senior Director and Global Program Head for Data and AI at Siemens Digital Industries Software with more than 30 years of experience developing and managing industrial software suites.Spencer Acain is a technical marketing writer for AI and verticals thought leadership at Siemens Digital Industries with a background in Applied Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering.