Man with glasses holding microphone giving a presentation in front of an audience of children in a classroom or conference room.

Speaking

A man wearing glasses, a navy blazer, and a maroon t-shirt, sitting on a stool, speaking with hand gestures in a brightly lit room with white walls.
A man in a checked blazer, glasses, and a conference badge is speaking on stage with a large ocean wave background.

story-rich, research-driven keynotes that challenge conventional wisdom and inspire action

I bridge insights and evidence from the social sciences, management studies, and history to explore questions of leadership, management, and technology.

My talks are fast-paced, story-rich, and crafted to surprise—delivering the kind of counterintuitive, “I never thought about it that way” insights that stick with audiences long after the session ends.

Compilation from European HR Week 2025

Find out how to book me

  • “Martin brings a unique historian’s perspective that keeps us grounded in human-centred values, learnings and future endeavours. In times of AI and fast technological advancement, Martin invites us to think creatively and exercise critical reasoning. It is a pleasure to have Martin as a guest speaker; he is a very fearless one!”

    —Elisabete Ramalho, Google

  • "Martin captivated our 500+ person audience with his engaging and poignant talk on crisis leadership and what it means to lead in a crisis-dense world. Martin has a great appeal when he speaks to an international audience, he is humble and authoritative at the same time."

    —Patricia Sánchez, Global Crisis Preparedness Director, Dow

  • Martin is a masterful and engaging speaker, who blends captivating stories with clear, actionable takeaways. Our audience loved every minute of his talk!

    —Leo Staub, Zurich Corporate Law Event

Recent Audiences

The Google logo with multicolored letters: blue 'G', red 'o', yellow 'o', blue 'g', green 'l', red 'e'.
Logo for ICON BIOTECH with the word 'ICON' in large, bold letters inside circles, and 'BIOTECH' written below in smaller font.
Stylized logo with the word 'UBS' in red and a black ornate cross symbol to the left of the text.
The logo of Societe Generale with a square icon divided into a red upper section and a black lower section, next to the black text 'SOCIETE GENERALE'.
Clear Bank logo in blue text on a white background.
Colorful geometric abstract pattern with shades of blue, purple, and teal.
Swiss Re logo with stylized column icon and the words Swiss Re.
Logo of the Saudi Ministry of Health featuring Arabic text, an English translation, and a palm tree with a curved line
Zurich logo with a blue circle and the word 'Zurich' in blue text
The Dow logo featuring a red diamond shape with the word 'DOW' in white capital letters inside.
The word "yokoy" in navy blue text on a white background.
The logo for Citywire featuring the words 'CITYWIRE' with a stylized 'W' that resembles a check mark or upward trend, in black and blue colors.
The logo of the comic book series 'Lucifer' with a red infinity symbol above the title.
TravelPerk logo with an airplane icon and the company name in blue text.
Logo of Urban Land Institute with green and gray colors.
Snapchat logo with yellow background and white ghost icon with black outline, and the word Snapchat in bold black letters below.
Qatar Airways logo with the word 'Qatar' in large maroon letters and 'Airways' below it in smaller gray letters, with the name translated into Arabic.
A series of colored blocks and lines on a black background, with text labeled 'Top of the Desk' and 'Bottom of the Desk'.
Siemens logo in teal text on a white background
A colorful graphic with a blue background displaying the text '#HR Week Europe' in white, with a red hashtag.

Keynote topics

My keynotes are always evolving to meet the needs of companies and the realities of our ever-changing, complex world.

Here are the four core areas I tend to speak on:

Purple outline of a pocket watch showing the time as 12:22.

Effective Leadership

Based on the TED talk that became a global sensation, this talk reconsiders our definition of effective leadership, highlighting that true greatness lies in preventing crises rather than responding dramatically to them.

Attendees learn to appreciate the often-overlooked skill of crisis prevention and learn to cultivate the three universal traits of effective leaders in times of uncertainty: fluency in context, a balance of humility and confidence, and a pragmatic mindset.

Illustration of a purple molecular or chemical structure on a black background.
Illustration of a purple molecular or chemical structure on a black background.

Uncertainty and Crisis

The greater the uncertainty, the more the world needs good leaders. This talk explores the nature of uncertainty and crises-dense times (and the impact it has on organizations and humans) and charts a clear course for leaders to tackle it.

A purple line drawing of three people standing together against a black background.

Leading High-Performance Teams

What really drives high-performance teams in today’s complex, high-pressure environments? In this provocative and energizing talk, Martin dismantles conventional leadership myths to reveal a more grounded truth: the best teams aren’t built on star talent alone.

Neon outline of a robot with a light bulb on its head, glowing in purple against a black background.

Leadership and Work in the Age of AI

Combining sharp historical insight, witty anecdotes, state-of-the-field research, and actionable foresight, this talk delivers a powerful new lens for understanding AI, not as a technical challenge, but as a leadership imperative.

Drawing parallels to past technological disruptions, the talk shows why this moment demands not just digital adaptation, but a fundamental shift in how we relate to each other at work (and in society in general) and therefore a shift in how leaders must lead.

Conference room with ornate wood-paneled ceiling, tall windows, and columns. Attendees seated at round tables listening to a presenter at a podium.

To book me or to find out about my availability and rates, Please contact my speaking agency:

PepTalk - New York & London

US: +1 737 888 5112

UK: +44 203 835 2929