Improve the world, start with ambition. Moral ambition, that is. Rutger Bregman is a strong advocate for it. In September, he will speak about it at the Amsterdam Business Forum 2023. We asked him 5 questions in advance. 1. The Amsterdam Business Forum is about making an impact. What do you think about it? “A […]
Ikenna Azuike started his career as a lawyer, but is now a sought-after journalist, presenter, speaker and filmmaker. Ikenna was born in Lagos, Nigeria, grew up in the UK, studied law in the UK and France and has been living in The Netherlands with his family since 2004.
FROM LAWYER TO BROADCASTER
After working as a lawyer with Shearman & Sterling in London, Singapore and New York, and with Clifford Chance LLP in Amsterdam, he decided to change course and follow his passions for broadcasting and social activism.
Together with his wife, Mette te Velde, he created the satirical news show What’s Up Africa. Since 2017 Ikenna has worked on a variety of longer form journalistic projects including the 6-part travel series ‘Planeet Nigeria’ (Planet Nigeria) for BNNVARA and the documentary ‘De Post-Racistische Planeet’ (The Post-Racist Planet) for VPRO Tegenlicht.
CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBER
In addition to his work as a journalist, Ikenna was also the chairman of The Correspondent Foundation, a foundation launched by the Dutch journalism platform De Correspondent from its inception to 2023. In 2023 he was appointed to the Board of Tony’s Chocolonely Mission Foundation B.V.
EVENT HOST
Ikenna is regularly invited to host national and international events where he interviews professionally and enthusiastically with his trademark disarming charm and sense of humour.
Ikenna was host of Amsterdam Business Forum 2022 and got an insanely high rating of 9.04/10. And 35% gave him a perfect 10/10. The highest rating of all people on stage that day. We had no doubt: Ikenna needs to return to Amsterdam Business Forum!
Michiel Muller is perhaps Holland’s most famous disruptive entrepreneur. He enjoys shaking up industries with creativity, bravery and drive.
FOUDER PICNIC
Michiel is co-founder of Picnic, an innovative online supermarket, started in Holland but rapidly growing into Germany, Belgium and France. One of the investors in Picnic is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust.
FOUNDER TANGO & ROUTE MOBIEL
As a serial entrepreneur, Michiel Muller, along with co-founder Marc Schröder, developed the unmanned gas station chain Tango into a remarkable success story. Subsequently, he and Marc Schröder founded Route Mobiel, a competitor to ANWB Wegenwacht, effectively disrupting another market.
AWARDS AND BOOKS
As a Top 100 marketer, Muller has won numerous marketing awards, frequently appears on radio and television, and has been honored with awards such as the Effie and an Accent. He authored ‘Ondernemen is een ABC-tje’ and ‘Ervaringen van een Serial Entrepreneur’, which was voted entrepreneurship book of the year.
OUTSTANDING SPEAKER
On stage, Muller enjoys revealing the business models behind enterprises, offering genuine insights. His ability to think creatively and originally, coupled with his skill in engaging the audience, makes him the perfect closing speaker at a seminar on Courageous Leadership.
Margriet Sitskoorn is a neuropsychologist and professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at Tilburg University. She is perhaps the best-known brain expert in the Netherlands. She owes her fame to bestsellers such as ‘The makeable brain’ and her many TV appearances in popular science programs.
RESEARCH ON MANIPULATION
Sitskoorn conducts research into the relationship between the brain and behavior. She is mainly concerned with the question of how we can develop our brains by changing our behavior and our environment. Margriet Sitskoorn has done a lot of scientific research into manipulation. She argues that influencing others is at the heart of all our social interactions. It happens at work, at home and in the supermarket. In fact, everywhere and by everyone.
USING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
Consciously and unconsciously, we put all our possessions into influencing the other. She shows how you can use scientific knowledge in a positive way to achieve your goals, live a happier life and even how you can easily reduce the experience of pain.
BESTSELLERS
Margriet Sitskoorn is author of an impressive list of books, including:
SPECIALST IN RESILIENCE
But she was drawn to the business world. Triggered by her scientific insights about mental resilience, she started the company Better Minds at Work, specializing in increasing mental resilience, energy and productivity of employees.
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Her big breakthrough came in 2015 with her bestseller Mentaal Kapitaal (Better Minds). She also wrote Het Nieuwe Mentaal (The New Mental), Authentieke Intelligentie (Authentic Intelligence) and The Mental Reset.
PSYCHOLOGY OF WORK
Elke’s trademark is without doubt the way in which she manages to translate new psychological insights into fresh and accessible day-to-day applications. This is how she inspires people and organizations to hone their mental resilience and to become the best possible version of themselves.
Dr. Brené Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, where she holds the Huffington Foundation Endowed Chair at the Graduate College of Social Work. She also holds the position of visiting professor in management at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business.
Brené has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy. She is the author of six #1 New York Times bestsellers and is the host of two award-winning podcasts, Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead.
Brené’s books are translated into more than 30 languages, and her titles include Atlas of the Heart, Dare to Lead, Braving the Wilderness, Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection. With Tarana Burke, she co-edited the bestselling anthology You Are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience.
Brené’s TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability is one of the top five most-viewed TED talks in the world, with over 60 million views. Brené is the first researcher to have a filmed lecture on Netflix, and in March 2022, she launched a new show on HBO Max that focuses on her latest book, Atlas of the Heart.
Brené spends most of her time working in organizations around the world, helping develop braver leaders and more courageous cultures.
She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband, Steve. They have two children, Ellen and Charlie, and a weird Bichon named Lucy.
Adam Grant: Organizational psychologist at Wharton, bestselling author of Think Again, and host of the podcasts WorkLife & Re:Thinking
Adam has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for 7 straight years. As an organizational psychologist, he is a leading expert on how we can find motivation and meaning, rethink assumptions, and live more generous and creative lives. He has been recognized as one of the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers and Fortune’s 40 under 40.
He is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 5 books that have sold millions of copies and been translated into 45 languages: Think Again, Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. His books have been named among the year’s best by Amazon, Apple, the Financial Times, and the Wall Street Journal. His viral piece on languishing was the most-read New York Times article of 2021 and the most-saved article across all platforms. His next book, Hidden Potential, launches in October 2023.
Adam hosts the TED podcasts Re:Thinking and WorkLife, which have been downloaded over 65 million times. His TED talks on languishing, original thinkers, and givers and takers have over 30 million views.
Everyone has a story. Joseph Oubelkas has a story about resilience and adaptation. About choice and perseverance. At the age of 24, Joseph is wrongfully convicted of drug smuggling. He receives a 10-year prison sentence and ends up in in a Moroccan prison. Innocent.
Independent investigations by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that there was no evidence whatsoever.
Despite his unjust imprisonment and the harsh prison life, Joseph decides to make the best of the situation. He puts things into perspective, values the little things, cherishes what he has, and turns his sorrow, anger, and frustration into positive energy.
After 1637 days, he is released: stronger, more positive, and more resilient than ever.
Joseph’s story is as extraordinary as it is inspiring. With his life-changing experience, he has touched, moved, motivated, and guided tens of thousands of people in their journeys. Professional and personal.
Get ready for an unexpected masterclass in resilience and courage.
Melati Wijsen is a young changemaker from Bali. In terms of personality, she is best characterized as a blend of Greta Thunberg, Bojan Slat and Barack Obama. At the age of only 12 (!) Melati and her sister managed to get single use plastic bags banned in Bali. Melati is the founder and figurehead of Youthtopia, a network of young changemakers around the world. A film about her and this movement launched in 2022: Bigger than Us. Melati is one of those speakers you may not know upfront, but will never forget after September 29.
Glenn de Randamie, better known as Typhoon, will wrap up this seminar. He will take us on a journey to connection, inclusion and fresh perspectives. How can we make even more impact by working together in a better way? How do we ensure that all voices are heard and blend into better decisions? How do we bridge gaps and break barriers? Glenn will share unexpected and valuable lessons about personal leadership, vitality, inclusion and diversity, growing, slowing down, trusting and connecting.
Tim Ferriss is one of the world’s leading experts on leadership, entrepreneurship and personal innovation. He is the author the iconic global bestseller: The 4-Hour-Workweek. He is an early investor in companies such as Uber, Shopify, Duolingo and Alibaba. Tim is on Fast Company’s list of “Most Innovative Business People.” His podcast The Tim Ferriss Show is the world’s most listened-to podcast for entrepreneurs and leaders with over 900 million (!!!) downloads.
“Tim Ferriss is the Oprah of Audio”
(The Observer)
Maryna Saprykina won the 2023 Speaker contest with her speech: “Sustainability in the Times of War”.
She is sustainability consultant from Ukraine who has seen the resilience of Ukrainian businesses firsthand.
Her keynote addressed the role of sustainability in business continuity during times of war.
Alix Jacobson is Former Vice President HR EMEA by Netflix. She is a commercially driven international HR executive with an extensive track record of building and sustaining healthy, efficient and high-performing teams.
Alix staunchly believes in company culture as a business driver – A clear and common set of values and behaviors can drive employee performance and team effectiveness, and ultimately business performance.
Lilian Geijsen is Managing Director of Ben & Jerry’s Europe, she embodies the company’s mission of delivering high-quality, socially responsible products while making a positive impact on the world.
She is responsible for driving growth while prioritizing social impact across all three parts of the business, including product, economic, and social.
Rutger Bregman is one of Europe’s most prominent young thinkers. The 35-year-old historian and author has been nominated twice for the prestigious European Press Prize for his work at De Correspondent. His articles have been featured in The Washington Post and on the BBC. His book, Human Kind (De Meeste Mensen Deugen) is a worldwide bestseller, with over 1.5 million copies sold and translations in 40 languages.
“Rutger Bregman is the Dutch Wunderkind of new ideas”
(The Guardian)
