Expert on High Performance
Paul Rulkens
Paul Rulkens is a global keynote speaker. He is an expert on the topic of strategic high performance
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About Paul Rulkens
Paul Rulkens is a global keynote speaker, doing over 20 keynotes per year. He has spoken in 12 countries, on three continents, often to global corporate audiences of 500 people or more. His clients include companies like McKinsey, KPMG, ExxonMobil, Boston Scientific, DSM, Novartis, UBER, BASF, SHELL, ASML, DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, Nestlé, and Canon.
Paul is an expert in strategic high performance: the art and science of achieving bigger goals with less effort. His most requested speaking topics cover the secrets of consistent execution, fast innovation, effective leadership, growth focus, and seamless teamwork. His popular TED talks have been watched by more than six million people.
Originally trained as a chemical engineer and with more than 20 years of experience in various corporate leadership roles, Paul’s work is based on deep knowledge and extensive experience in the practical business applications of behavioral psychology, neuroscience and, especially, common sense. His two business books—The Power of Preeminence and How Successful Engineers Become Great Business Leaders—are used frequently by others at professional training and development sessions all over the world.
His solid background as a scientist and corporate executive, combined with his training as a standup comedian, make his keynotes both substantive and hilarious.
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Jack Phillips, CEO & Co-Founder
"Three qualities in Richard have made him an ideal fit to address our technical security audiences: Level of preparation, ability to make complex topics consumable, and his humor & wit. In every case, Richard came well prepared to address the material we had discussed in advance.
In my business, “no surprises” is the key to success, and Richard was always among the most reliable moving parts of our conference. Every fact shared is researched and footnoted, every claim backed up, and every opinion well thought through. His level of preparation makes him predictable. That is an essential quality.
“Mind-bender” and “he really made me re-think how I think” are common remarks from our attendees who hear Richard speak. He has a knack for taking technical topics and boiling them down to essential human concerns, and that sells well among my audience. He is a “futurist” in the truest sense of the word.
Finally, if you need someone to increase the energy of a delegation group, Richard is a great choice. His humor and wit are sophisticated, but really put a room full of professionals at ease. Richard is able to draw from so many experiences outside of technology to bring a lighter side to so many technical topics.
In sum, Richard unfailingly brings inspiration and hope to our audience. Attendees walk out of our events with Richard’s words stuck in their brains, and a sense of what’s possible. They then think of IANS as the source of that inspiration, and that’s good for my business."
References
"He will boost you with positive ideas and will leave you with a friendly smile".
"Paul has a very clear and down-to-earth approach how to accelerate high performance organisations. His undoubtable scientific knowledge combined with his typical sense of humour, will give you a clear and practical view on how you can simply make a difference the very next day. He will boost you with positive ideas and will leave you with a friendly smile."
Marcel Knols
"Inspiring our stake holders is a constant challenge which needs excellent audience orientated communication and story telling skills. If you can bring our message in an inspiring and attractive way to a divers stake holders platform you must be a true professional. Paul has proven to us to be such a professional. The whole meeting room was carefully listening to him when he told his story, which was our message. People were enthusiastic, motivated, talked about it and it affected the support for our organization in an impressive way."
"Paul’s presentation was fun and created a lot of energy as he connects and interacts well with the audience"
"Paul’s contribution to the Ordina Open Innovation Days was insightful, constructive and even provocative. The combination of powerful insights into human behaviour and humor gave the audience food for thought and created lively discussions. Paul’s presentation was fun and created a lot of energy as he connects and interacts well with the audience."
"Paul’s use of humour and delivery of message always ensures that our colleagues remain engaged throughout our meetings"
"We have worked with Paul for the past couple of years as we have taken a journey of improving the performance of our business. Paul always challenges our thinking and conveys his thoughts and questions in a way which resonates very well with all of our team members. Paul’s use of humour and delivery of message always ensures that our colleagues remain engaged throughout our meetings. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Paul as we strive for excellence across our business."
"Paul, I wanted to thank you for coming to join us in Barcelona"
Paul, I wanted to thank you for coming to join us in Barcelona last week and for your excellent keynote speech. Your topic of innovation was positioned exactly right in the context of our overall agenda priorities. And your anecdotes and humour were just terrific.
"We would strongly recommend you to anyone looking for a new perspective!"
"I am writing to say a big THANK YOU for your wonderful presentation yesterday – also on behalf of our CEO and the whole team. We’ve received a lot of great feedback from the participants. You clearly delivered as what can only be described as a very witty, funny, insightful and very inspiring presentation that really captured many of the ongoing topics in our company. Thank you for that! We can honestly say that it was a pleasure to work with you – also in the preparation phase – and we would strongly recommend you to anyone looking for a new perspective!"
"Our portfolio event was a huge success with many participants weeks later continuing to refer to the metaphors shared and applying them!"
We organised a portfolio event for a diverse group of leaders who are investors in the companies they lead and in which we also invest. One of our goals was to create an environment whereby each participant would feel connected to a larger and supporting platform and to create an environment in which he/she would feel comfortable to network and feel stimulated to find common ground with others. Another goal was to create a common language around a shared experience with the aim to further intensify the relationship between Rabo Private Equity and the management teams/shareholders we work with. The audience was energised by Paul’s key note address on Strategic Acceleration, and by how it was delivered by Paul. He held up many mirrors to the audience allowing everyone to be touched personally. Our portfolio event was a huge success with many participants weeks later continuing to refer to the metaphors shared and applying them!
"Impressive, clever, educational and entertaining"
"Every two years, Dutch purchasing directors gather in the so called Erenstein conference. The objective of the conference is to have more questions than answers. A conference without consultants and sales people. Paul has introduced us to the world of High Performance, the inner workings of our lizard brain, the Valley of Death and other odd behavior. In a tempered way he hits a nerve and makes the room roaring with laughter. Impressive, clever, educational and entertaining."
Raymond Maas
"Paul has really helped my leadership team in developing new insights and strategies for focus and business development. He is inspiring in content, a great storyteller and also a focussed advisor; not afraid to confront you with his observations and feedback. I have recommended him frequently to my own clients with great impact. Boardroom level! "