Non-binding request for Cyriel Kortleven
Cyriel Kortleven
Cyriel Kortleven inspires leaders and teams to embrace change with energy, creativity and practical tools that create action.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 347 223 5128
5.00 of 5
Top rated!
Why you should book Cyriel Kortleven for your next event
- Cyriel Kortleven delivers energetic keynotes filled with practical tools that help leaders and teams navigate change with confidence.
- With experience in more than 42 countries, Cyriel combines humour, interaction and simple strategies that audiences remember and use instantly.
- Trusted by organisations like IKEA, NASA and Unilever, Cyriel inspires people to transform uncertainty into creativity and action.
Non-binding request for Cyriel Kortleven
The Simplifier who turns change into opportunity
Book Cyriel Kortleven for a keynote that makes change feel simple, practical and energizing. With more than 20 years of experience in creativity and innovation, Cyriel helps leaders and professionals develop the mindset needed to embrace uncertainty and turn challenges into opportunities. His sessions combine humour, interaction and actionable tools that audiences can immediately apply in their daily work. Known as “The Simplifier”, Cyriel Kortleven has inspired organisations across 42 countries and leaves audiences motivated, confident and ready to take action.
Book Cyriel Kortleven for your event
Cyriel Kortleven is an internationally recognized keynote speaker who helps leaders and professionals embrace change with courage, creativity and confidence. For more than 20 years, he has inspired organizations around the world to look differently at uncertainty and transform challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.
Known as “The Simplifier”, Cyriel has built a strong reputation for making complex topics accessible, practical and engaging. His presentations are designed to energize audiences while providing simple tools and language that people can immediately use in their professional lives. Whether the topic is innovation, behavioural change, leadership or creativity, Cyriel delivers sessions that are inspiring, interactive and highly actionable.
When you book speaker Cyriel Kortleven, you get far more than a traditional keynote. You get an experience that encourages people to think differently, challenge routines and rediscover their appetite for creativity and experimentation.
Inspiring organizations around the world
Cyriel Kortleven has delivered presentations and workshops in more than 42 countries across 5 continents, giving him a truly international perspective on change, innovation and leadership. His experience working with global organizations allows him to connect with audiences from different industries, cultures and professional backgrounds.
Over the years, Cyriel has inspired companies such as IKEA, NASA and Unilever with his refreshing and practical approach to change management. His keynotes resonate with both leaders and employees because they focus on realistic challenges and everyday behaviour rather than abstract theories.
His expertise and impact have also been recognized within the professional speaking industry. Cyriel is one of only 40 people worldwide to receive the prestigious Global Speaking Fellows award — a recognition reserved for speakers with exceptional international influence and contribution.
Participants consistently describe his sessions as:
- Inspiring and full of energy
- Practical and easy to apply
- Interactive and engaging
- Fun, refreshing and motivating
His ability to combine humour with clear and actionable insights makes him a popular choice for conferences, leadership events and company gatherings worldwide.
Practical tools that create real change
One of the main reasons organizations book Cyriel Kortleven is his ability to make change feel manageable and approachable. In a world where uncertainty and rapid transformation have become part of everyday business, many teams struggle to stay motivated and adaptable. Cyriel helps audiences simplify complexity and focus on practical actions that create momentum.
His keynotes provide audiences with concrete tools and new language that support behavioural change, innovative thinking and stronger collaboration. Instead of overwhelming people with theories or complicated models, Cyriel focuses on practical strategies that can immediately be applied in the workplace.
Audiences leave his sessions with:
- More confidence in uncertain situations
- A stronger mindset around change
- Practical ideas they can implement immediately
- Renewed energy and motivation
His presentations help people stop seeing change as a threat and start recognizing it as an opportunity for development and growth.
An energetic and interactive keynote experience
Cyriel Kortleven is known for creating an informal and highly engaging atmosphere during his presentations. His speaking style is energetic, warm and interactive, making audiences feel involved from the very beginning.
Rather than delivering a traditional one-way presentation, Cyriel uses humour, interaction and storytelling to create experiences that spark reflection and action. He believes people learn best when they are emotionally engaged, and his sessions are designed to make participants both think differently and feel energized.
Organizations often choose Cyriel because they want a speaker who can lift the energy in the room while still delivering meaningful and practical value. His presentations work especially well for conferences, leadership meetings, innovation days and events focused on transformation or company culture.
The combination of simplicity, humour and interaction ensures that audiences stay engaged and leave with ideas they can remember and use long after the event has ended.
Don’t mind the change. Change your mind.
At the core of Cyriel Kortleven’s philosophy is a simple but powerful message: “Don’t mind the change. Change your mind.”
This reflects his belief that the real challenge is often not the change itself, but the way people think about it. By shifting perspectives, leaders and teams can unlock creativity, discover new opportunities and navigate uncertainty with greater confidence.
Cyriel’s mission is to help people replace fear and resistance with curiosity, courage and action. His sessions encourage audiences to break routines, challenge limiting habits and approach change with more optimism and creativity.
With more than 345 recommendations on LinkedIn and a long track record of satisfied clients around the world, Cyriel Kortleven continues to inspire organizations to embrace change with energy, simplicity and enthusiasm.
If you are looking for a keynote speaker who combines practical tools, global experience and an engaging stage presence, Cyriel Kortleven is a strong choice for your next event.
Customer Reviews
5 of 5
"As an event organizer I can only say good things about the relationship I have with Cyriel as he's pro-active, interested, easy to work with and a pleasant person. However, what I have to base myself on is how participants view him: at our last conference, Cyriel got the highest score of all speakers with a 4,6/5 followed by comments such as "Absolutely brilliant", "By far the best inspiration and needed session", "Excellent thinking",...This says it all and makes my day"
Michael NielsenManaging Director TENEO meetings
5 of 5
Cyriel delivered one of the best conference talks I've ever seen.
Ben Flavel - co-founderCheckinLine (Australia)
5 of 5
Cyriel is able to apply enormous amounts of creativity to his sessions. Whether it's
about behaviour, strategy, team-spirit or out-of-the-box-thinking, it's always
worthwhile exchanging thoughts with Cyriel!
Peter Lathouwers - Europe Business Intelligence DirectorNike
5 of 5
Cyriel worked with the Belgian Unilever Change Leaders on innovative and
creative thinking. He delivered a splendid and energizing keynote presentation
and afterwards facilitated a workshop in which we developed new ideas and
solutions for some Unilever challenges. A great experience.
Sabine Blanchet - Country HR managerUnilever
Rated 5.00/5 based on 4 customer reviews
Keynotes
Keynote by Cyriel Kortelven:
Guerrilla Change: Unstuck. A guide for Change Leaders.
You have the plans. You have the buy-in. And still, nothing moves.
Guerrilla Change is for people who lead change from the inside - and who see every day how it gets stuck in plans, reports, and good intentions. Not because people don't want to change, but because organizations are weighed down by bureaucracy and work that once made sense but today mostly slows things down.
Guerrilla Change works around heavy systems - using small, unconventional actions to get change moving again.
Three enemies stand in the way:
The Rule Mafia - rules and meetings that once did their job but no longer add value. Time to cut what slows you down.
The Yes But Brigade - voices that pull your attention toward the 10% who will never come along. Stop watering the desert. Follow the places where things already work.
The Doubt Dictator - the little voice in your head that waits for permission. The antidote: small experiments, local action, and the trust that movement starts with doing - not with knowing.
No grand theory. No step-by-step framework. Just sharp insights, unexpected examples - and the energy to truly get things moving.
Keynote by speaker Cyriel Kortleven:
The Change Mindset – Survival kit for professionals in change
Every day, we're confronted with new challenges: global competition; demanding clients; new technologies; ... We need professionals who dare to leave their comfort zone and suspend their judgement. We need professionals who explore the world from a different perspective and can turn problems into opportunities. We need professionals who get into action and who aren’t scared to fail fast, often and forward by experimenting with BaNano actions. Are you one of those professionals?
In this interactive and entertaining presentation, you will get the spark, tools and language to influence others to be more creative & entrepreneurial and give a big boost to your own Change Mindset. Yes And Act … Now.
Boost the creative & entrepreneurial mindset of yourself & your colleagues
New language that will reduce the resistance to change
Simple and pragmatic tools to suspend your judgement & broaden your perspective
Explore the power of a BaNaNo-actions and dare to fail more to get more success
The whole audience gets access to a digital handout with slides and tool cards with ideakillers & boosters
In this interactive and entertaining presentation, you will get the spark, tools and language to influence others to be more creative & entrepreneurial and give a big boost to your own Change Mindset. Yes And Act … Now.
Boost the creative & entrepreneurial mindset of yourself & your colleagues
New language that will reduce the resistance to change
Simple and pragmatic tools to suspend your judgement & broaden your perspective
Explore the power of a BaNaNo-actions and dare to fail more to get more success
The whole audience gets access to a digital handout with slides and tool cards with ideakillers & boosters
Keynote by speaker Cyriel Kortleven:
Making Change Simple - Embrace the power of Simplification to boost the effectiveness of change initiatives
Explore the fascinating 'Brainflix' metaphor, where you'll delve into the workings of our unconscious mind in decision-making. And discover how we can use simple principles to steer our unconscious mind in the direction of the desired behaviour. The key to overcoming common obstacles in change projects lies in creating momentum and engagement by focusing on 3 principles: Make it Specific, Smooth and Small.
Specific: Define clear goals and translate them into tangible behaviours. Create a vivid image of desired change and trust the locals to make it specific.
Smooth: Follow the path of the least resistance to engage your people. Give them autonomy, security and energy to go along in the desired change.
Small: Take incremental steps that lead to significant change, acknowledging that action today shapes a brighter future.
Specific: Define clear goals and translate them into tangible behaviours. Create a vivid image of desired change and trust the locals to make it specific.
Smooth: Follow the path of the least resistance to engage your people. Give them autonomy, security and energy to go along in the desired change.
Small: Take incremental steps that lead to significant change, acknowledging that action today shapes a brighter future.
Keynote by speaker Cyriel Kortleven:
Break, Burn or Ban The Box
In several studies, creativity comes back as one of the most important skills for all business professionals. In essence, creativity means solving problems in original ways.
In this interactive presentation, we will focus on how you can break fixed thinking patterns. You will get hands-on tips and tricks to give your creativity (and of your colleagues) a big boost. You will be amazed by how fast your brain will switch to the automatic pilot of pattern-thinking. You get six simple and practical tools to stimulate creativity in your daily (work)life.
Understand why human beings love to think in patterns
Learn 6 creative skills to generate hundreds of ideas in a short amount of time
Unlock your creative potential (& stimulate others to do the same)
Build a more innovative culture at work
Access to my handout slides, 7 inspiration-movies, tool card with ideakillers & boosters.
In this interactive presentation, we will focus on how you can break fixed thinking patterns. You will get hands-on tips and tricks to give your creativity (and of your colleagues) a big boost. You will be amazed by how fast your brain will switch to the automatic pilot of pattern-thinking. You get six simple and practical tools to stimulate creativity in your daily (work)life.
Understand why human beings love to think in patterns
Learn 6 creative skills to generate hundreds of ideas in a short amount of time
Unlock your creative potential (& stimulate others to do the same)
Build a more innovative culture at work
Access to my handout slides, 7 inspiration-movies, tool card with ideakillers & boosters.
Cyriel Kortleven's Showreel
Watch speaker Cyriel Kortleven in action!
Intro video Cyriel Kortleven
Watch Cyriel Kortleven in action!
Blog posts by Cyriel Kortleven
Guerrilla Change: Why Big Change Has to Start Small
"Why do we actually do that extra check?" Three months after she started, a new employee asks the question nobody has asked for years. For a moment, it is quiet. "That was introduced once because Max made a mistake." "Does Max still work here?" "No. Not for a long time." Max left years ago. His proc
“I don’t need to do anything!” – Or why do we resist change?
I’ll admit it, I hate being told what to do. The moment someone says, “You have to do this,” my brain immediately yells, “Oh yeah? Watch me not do it!” Sounds familiar? Rest reassured, you’re not alone. This knee-jerk defiance isn’t just stubbornness, it’s something psychologists call reactance: our
