Dr. Florian Langenscheidt is widely regarded as one of the leading authorities in Germany on innovation and the future of multimedia family-owned companies, venture capital and education as well as an author, publisher and TV presenter.

Born in Berlin to the Langenscheidt dynasty, whose name has become synonymous with the famous dictionary group, Florian took on the running of the 150 year-old family business in 1986, the Langenscheidt Publishing Group. Now in its fifth generation, the family company has expanded from learning the French language by letter to the 24-hour translation services via the Internet.

In 1994, Florian Langenscheidt departed from running the day-to-day business of the Langenscheidt Group to seek new challenges. Now widely respected for his innovative approach to publishing, the future of new media, and consequently the future of e-business, he is also a successful children's book author and holds prestigious chairs and board memberships with organisations such as Transatlantic Ventures AG, Bibliographisches Institut & F.A. Brockhaus AG, the BDI Committee for Multimedia and Telecommunications.

He studied German, Journalism and Philosophy in Munich. He wrote his doctoral thesis on advertising, studied publishing at Harvard University and obtained an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau. Langenscheidt was Chairman of the study group 'Initiative Future' in Germany from 1996-1999, founding spokesman for the study group "Electronic Publishing" and columnist of Capital, Forbes and Max. Florian is also an active promoter of reading and a Board Member of the German Children and Youth Foundation in Germany. He founded the global children's organisation 'Children for a Better World' and serves on the Board of Trustees for the World-Wide Fund for Nature. Furthermore he is an active Business Angel for more than 20 companies.

Dr Langenscheidt engages his audience with a unique 'return to innocence' theme whilst discussing the trendiest topics of innovation and future media. Though far advanced into the world of the e-book, Florian Langenscheidt still believes in the emotional experience of reading a book. "You hold it, you smell it, you feel it!"