Keynote speaker

Truly outstanding talks can have a remarkable impact. But, let’s be honest, they are rare.

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A few times in my life, I have attended talks that did far more than expand my knowledge. They changed the way I looked at the world. They opened new doors, and they continue to resonate with me to this day. These are the kinds of talks I enjoy—both as a listener and as a speaker.

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For this reason, I now accept speaking invitations only when I feel I have something to share that genuinely matters to me and feels meaningful.

 

I do not primarily give talks to convey information. Today, good information is available everywhere. What interests me far more is whether words and stories can sometimes open a space in which people begin to see themselves, others, or the world differently. In this sense, I see a talk less as the delivery of ready-made answers and more as an invitation to think together.

My talks emerge at the intersection of scientific research, personal experience, and philosophical reflection. As firmly as they are grounded in my academic work, they are ultimately stories told from one human being to another. I am interested in the arc that connects the global with the personal—from current scientific insights to fundamental questions of meaning and, ultimately, to the realities of our everyday lives. To me, these dimensions are inseparable. I find it frustrating when we look only at isolated fragments.

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If a talk is successful, I hope people leave the room not with the feeling that they have received all the answers, but perhaps with a new question, a different perspective, or the desire to relate what they have heard to their own lives. That, to me, is the true value of a talk.

 

Most of my talks revolve around questions of transformation, sustainability, complexity, and mindsets—particularly in the context of leadership, science, and societal change.

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Questions that guide my talks

• How can we find orientation in an increasingly complex world?

• What forms of leadership do we need in times of profound transformation?

• Does sustainability begin with societal change—or with change within ourselves?

• Which mindsets enable us to take responsibility in complex times?

• How can we bring scientific understanding and the search for meaning into dialogue?
   

Typical talk titles

• The Bigger Picture – Mindsets for the Anthropocene

• Leadership and Responsibility in Complex Times – A Systems Perspective on Transformative Leadership

• Sustainability as Love for Life

• Does Sustainability Begin with Change Within Ourselves?

• Being More, Needing Less – What Sustainability Has to Do with Our Relationships