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Switzerland
Think-tank leader, author & strategist known as one of the world's leading media futurists and for his inspirational style
Request fees and availability5 out of 5 stars
"Gerd was fantastic, super responsive to attendee questions and knew his stuff. He made a point to work closely with our team and our client to understand their challenges and needs. Gerd then included those specifics in his presentation which made it all the more relevant to all the conference attendees. We very much appreciated the customization of his presentation for this specific audience."
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The WSJ calls Gerd ‘one of the leading Media Futurists in the World’. He is the Coauthor of the influential book ‘The Future of Music’ (Berklee Press, 2005), as well as the author of ‘The End of Control’ (2007), ‘Music 2.0’ (2008), and ‘Friction is Fiction’ (2009, Lulu Publishing).
Gerd’s background is in the music business; in 1985 he won Berklee College’s ‘Quincy Jones Award’ and subsequently worked 12 years as a professional guitar player, composer and producer. He then spent a decade as digital media entrepreneur and start-up Internet CEO, based in San Francisco. In 2001, Gerd returned to Europe and started his career as a Futurist and Strategic Advisor. He now travels around the globe and speaks at major conferences and business events, company retreats and thinktanks on the Future of Business, Media, Content and Entertainment, Technology, Marketing, Advertising & Branding, Telecommunications, and Culture.
The keynote speaker Gerd Leonhard is considered a leading expert on topics such as online commerce models, the tele-media economy, social media and social commerce, TV & Radio 2.0, mobile content, innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship, consumer trends, UGC and peer production, copyright, licensing and IPR issues, next-generation advertising, marketing and branding, digital content strategies, and the development of next-generation business models for the content, communications & technology industries.
Gerd’s keynotes, speeches, presentations and think-tanks are renowned for his hardhitting and provocative yet inspiring, personal and motivational style. With over 1’300 engagements in 43 countries since 2003, Gerd has addressed over 150.000 executives and professionals, and is considered a key influencer.
His diverse client list includes Nokia, NSN, Amdocs, The Guardian, Google, Sony-BMG, Telkom Indonesia, Siemens, RTL, ITV, the BBC, France Telecom, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, MTN, The Financial Times, DDB / TribalDDB, Ogilvy, Omnicom, the European Commission and many others.
A brilliant mind, our speaker Gerd Leonhard is a fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts (London), a member of the World Future Society, and a visiting professor at the Fundação Dom Cabral in Brazil. A native German, he now resides in Basel, Switzerland.
See keynotes with Gerd LeonhardKeynote by Speaker Gerd Leonhard
Keynote by Speaker Gerd Leonhard
Keynote by Speaker Gerd Leonhard
Keynote by Speaker Gerd Leonhard
Keynote by Speaker Gerd Leonhard
Keynote by Speaker Gerd Leonhard
Click on the video to get a foretaste of a keynote by Gerd Leonhard
Gerd was fantastic, super responsive to attendee questions and knew his stuff. He made a point to work closely with our team and our client to understand their challenges and needs. Gerd then included those specifics in his presentation which made it all the more relevant to all the conference attendees. We very much appreciated the customization of his presentation for this specific audience.
Ron Foxworthy
What is the message you hope people take away from your presentations?
Nobody can wait for the future – everyone creates his / her own, either way. It wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark: foresights are crucial, so spend some time on it every day. For each presentation I hope that people remember at least one of my key memes.
How are your keynotes unique?
I use very high quality images and the latest graphics, stats, resources, videos. I like to employ multimedia storytelling tools and some humor. I don’t follow a script – every talk is different
How do you see the world of social media evolving over the next 10 years?
We are heading into a Social OS (Operating System), ‘social is the new online’ i.e. just a default — like mobile:)
Who or what inspires you most?
What types of audiences gain most from your keynotes?
Many different ones, from creatives to businesses to governments.
If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?
San Francisco Bay Area – it’s my 2nd home, followed by Bali – the best place to rethink everything.
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