Jurgen Appelo
Top 50 Leadership Expert Jurgen Appelo empowers companies to outlearn disruption with agile thinking and algorithmic management.
Why you should book Jurgen Appelo for your next event
- With over a decade of experience delivering high-impact keynotes globally, Jurgen Appelo is a sought-after speaker by Fortune 500 companies looking to future-proof their leadership and workforce strategies.
- Recognized by Inc.com as a Top 50 Leadership Expert and Top 100 Leadership Speaker, Jurgen Appelo is a globally trusted voice in the evolution of modern leadership and organizational design.
- Jurgen's books—Managing for Happiness, Startup, Scaleup, Screwup, and Human Robot Agent—are essential reads for organizations navigating the complexities of transformation and the AI revolution.
Non-binding request for Jurgen Appelo
Leading Organizations into the Age of AI
Jurgen Appelo delivers transformative keynotes that equip organizations to lead with agility, innovate at speed, and harness the full potential of AI. As a top 50 Leadership Expert and pioneering voice in the future of work, he challenges outdated models and inspires bold reinvention. Through practical tools, disruptive insights, and engaging storytelling, Jurgen empowers leaders to build adaptive, human-centric systems—where autonomous teams, algorithmic management, and human-AI collaboration drive real, measurable results.
Keynote Speaker Jurgen Appelo is a globally recognized thought leader on agility, innovation, and the future of work. Known for his provocative ideas and pioneering mindset, Jurgen helps organizations adapt to the fast-changing landscape of AI, algorithmic management, and digital transformation.
As the founder of Management 3.0 and The unFIX Company, and author of bestselling books like Managing for Happiness, Startup, Scaleup, Screwup, and Human Robot Agent, he equips leaders with actionable strategies to drive agility, foster autonomy, and build anti-fragile teams.
Jurgen is not your typical business speaker—he is a radical synthesist, a rule-breaker, and a designer of change. His keynotes combine bold vision with practical frameworks, helping companies rethink leadership, embrace human-AI collaboration, and rewire organizational structures for resilience and innovation. Named a Top 50 Leadership Expert by Inc.com, Jurgen blends storytelling, interactive tools, and cutting-edge insights to engage executive audiences and catalyze real transformation.
Whether you're navigating AI disruption, scaling agile practices, or reinventing your company culture, Jurgen delivers keynotes that are insightful, energetic, and deeply relevant to today’s challenges.
Book Jurgen Appelo for your event to inspire forward-thinking leadership, challenge the status quo, and ignite meaningful change across your organization.
Managing for Happiness | Jurgen Appelo | TEDxLille
Watch Jurgen Appelo in action
Keynotes
Keynote by speaker Jurgen Appelo: Human Robot Agent: Scouting AI Beyond Hype & Doom
Are software engineers headed for the end of coding, or will they have more legacy mess to solve than ever? Is AI eliminating gig work or enhancing freelance opportunities for everyone? Will algorithmic bosses enslave human workers or free them from traditional management? Is AGI already here or can we wait a while longer? And what role will humans have in the future of work?
This session unpacks highlights from the new book Human Robot Agent so that we can explore dilemmas, navigate complexity, and harness AI to thrive in a socio-technological and wicked world.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand AI's Role in New Ways of Working: Identify how technology reshapes traditional business structures and ways of working.
- Embrace Disruptive Innovation: Learn an actionable mindset to lead change and be the disruptor rather than embracing change and be the disrupted.
- Cultivate New Skills and Mindsets: Explore the shift towards multi-skilled (M-skilled) workers, critical thinkers, and adaptive leaders in AI-driven environments.
Keynote by speaker Jurgen Appelo: Ai Ai Ai, What Happens to Our Way of Working?
In a world captivated by artificial intelligence (AI), where ChatGPT, deep learning, and Large Language Models dominate the headlines, a remarkable transformation is underway. While the debate rages on about job displacement versus job creation, the true impact of AI might lie elsewhere.
It's time to look beyond the surface. The essence of a complex system lies not in its components but in the dynamic relationships between them. How will AI reshape our collaboration? Traditionally, humans instructed computers, but now we witness machines setting objectives for people. Prepare yourselves for a future revolution in our work methods. What might change in how people work together? Join us as we delve into the fascinating realm of AI's (possible) future influence on our Ways of Working.
Keynote by speaker Jurgen Appelo: Networked Goal-Setting
Let’s move beyond the conventional mix of KPIs with OKRs and embrace a new approach to goal-setting that encompasses Purpose, Values, Vision, Strategy, Initiatives, Habits, and Metrics. Networked Goal- Setting is a groundbreaking concept that goes far beyond all traditional models.
In this session, Jurgen Appelo weaves dozens of goal-setting models and frameworks into a cohesive and revolutionary approach. There is no good reason to reserve Strategy only for the leadership team. And it’s untrue that only operational units execute on goals. With Networked Goal-Setting, you can empower every individual in your organization to contribute and excel. Networked Goal-Setting cultivates a culture of ownership, innovation, and accountability. Say goodbye to the limited approaches of the past and embrace a future where everyone can actively participate in shaping and achieving organizational goals. Leverage the collective intelligence of your workforce.
In this session, Jurgen Appelo weaves dozens of goal-setting models and frameworks into a cohesive and revolutionary approach. There is no good reason to reserve Strategy only for the leadership team. And it’s untrue that only operational units execute on goals. With Networked Goal-Setting, you can empower every individual in your organization to contribute and excel. Networked Goal-Setting cultivates a culture of ownership, innovation, and accountability. Say goodbye to the limited approaches of the past and embrace a future where everyone can actively participate in shaping and achieving organizational goals. Leverage the collective intelligence of your workforce.
Keynote by speaker Jurgen Appelo: Stop Product Management, Start Experience Management
Ask anyone what business agility means and you often hear something along the lines of adapting to change and delivering value faster. But you will never innovate when you just give customers what they want at a faster rate. True innovators dig deeper into customer needs and desires and look for the real Job-to-Be-Done.
The customer experience is more than just the sum of all your product features. Do you truly understand what makes your clients happy? Do they even understand this themselves? It’s not the customer’s job to know what they truly need or want. That’s your job.
The customer experience is more than just the sum of all your product features. Do you truly understand what makes your clients happy? Do they even understand this themselves? It’s not the customer’s job to know what they truly need or want. That’s your job.
Keynote by speaker Jurgen Appelo: What Is Business Agility, Actually?
Surviving and thriving in the 21st century requires more than just running shorter feedback cycles and “celebrating failure”. Let’s focus on growth through innovative leadership. Let’s have continuous experiments, faster learning, happier users, and playful work environments.
In this talk, Jurgen Appelo offers his personal view on what agility and innovation means, based on what he has observed as a manager, entrepreneur, and customer. In his opinion, Lean-agile companies adapt to change while innovative companies cause the change.
In this talk, Jurgen Appelo offers his personal view on what agility and innovation means, based on what he has observed as a manager, entrepreneur, and customer. In his opinion, Lean-agile companies adapt to change while innovative companies cause the change.
Keynote by speaker Jurgen Appelo: Versatile Organization Design with the unFIX Model
What comes after Management 3.0, SAFe, Holacracy, and the Spotify Model? Well, it’s not hard to see in which direction the world is moving: organizations that consist of networked individuals who work from anywhere, who form teams on the fly, who focus on the customer experience (CX) and make that a whole lot of fun for themselves. Let’s unFIX our organizations!
The unFIX model is a simple tool that helps you with versatile organization design. Unlike many agile scaling frameworks and self-management methods, unFIX has its focus on continuous innovation and the human experience. It facilitates gradual change, dynamic teams, and an important role to play for managers.
The unFIX model is a simple tool that helps you with versatile organization design. Unlike many agile scaling frameworks and self-management methods, unFIX has its focus on continuous innovation and the human experience. It facilitates gradual change, dynamic teams, and an important role to play for managers.
