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Keynote speaker · event chair · change expert

Most organisations have more talent than they can see.

I help them set it in motion. Because the biggest challenge of our time is not the technology, but human movement. Keynotes on AI, work and people: accessible for the whole room, sharp enough for the boardroom. And always with something your audience can start on Monday.

Book Laurens as a speaker → Explore the topics

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Clients say “Laurens brings energy and clarity into the room.”

Stage experience From UNLEASH World to the Dutch House of Representatives.

Trusted by audiences at

Netflix✦Accenture✦Achmea✦ABN AMRO✦a.s.r.✦AFAS✦Randstad✦Indeed✦Rijkswaterstaat✦Ministerie van EZ✦Defensie✦IND✦UWV✦CBS✦Gemeente Rotterdam✦Amsterdam UMC✦UMCG✦Radboudumc✦MUMC+✦Sanquin✦Humanitas✦Center Parcs✦Verbond van Verzekeraars✦VNO-NCW✦AWVN✦UNLEASH Paris✦HR Tech Europe✦Zukunft Personal✦Digitaal Werven✦Werf&✦Recruitment Tech Event✦Zorg & ICT✦Global Talent Intelligence Conference✦

The real question

Changing technology is relatively easy. Changing human systems is the real work.

Most organisations have long known rationally what is needed. The real challenge lies elsewhere: in behaviour, patterns, control, safety and collaboration. AI accelerates that tension — and forces us to rethink human value, meaning and how we organise work. Which is why you can’t solve scarcity by recruiting harder.

Not with more vacancies. Not with scattered AI pilots. But with different choices about tasks, skills and deployment.

Laurens Waling on stage with live audience research on AI

🍞→⚡

The baker who became an EV-charger technician.

My favourite example. On paper: a completely different job. In skills: 80% overlap. Once you look at tasks and potential instead of diplomas and job titles, you suddenly see thousands of matches like this. The best person for every job, and the best job for every person. That’s the story I tell on stage — with the evidence to back it up.

What I see happening

Six observations on work, AI and change

No futurist predictions, but patterns I encounter every week in healthcare, government and business.

Most organisations don’t have a staff shortage. They have a visibility problem. The talent is already there. You just can’t see it yet.

AI exposes how rigidly work is organised. That’s not a technology question — it’s a leadership question.

Change rarely fails on strategy. It almost always fails on behaviour, control and the patterns nobody names out loud.

Skills-based organising is not an HR trend. It’s a different way of seeing people — and that touches everything.

Potential matters more than the past. Organisations that make that distinction win structurally on the labour market.

Responsible AI sometimes means moving faster, not slower. Waiting has a price too.

On stage

From main stage to board table.

Carrying a room of 800 people is a craft. Getting a board to ask deeper questions is another. Laurens does both — with the same energy, the same story and concrete examples from the daily practice of 8vance, healthcare, government and corporates.

15+

international stages, from UNLEASH World to Zukunft Personal

50+

talent ecosystems guided in healthcare, government, education and business

languages on stage: Dutch and English, both at full speed

Keynote topics

What my talks are about

Six topics at the intersection of AI, work and humanity. Always tailored to your audience and programme.

The future of work: from jobs to agility

Why organisations get stuck while talent is abundant.

AI in organisations: from hype to decisions

What AI concretely means for work, decision-making and talent.

Skills-based organising: making talent visible

The labour market is full of talent organisations can’t see yet.

Leadership and behaviour in change

Change rarely fails on strategy. Almost always on behaviour.

From strategy to movement

What actually works when you want real movement, beyond the PowerPoint.

Humanity in times of AI

What stays human as AI gets smarter — and what does that ask of leaders?

Theatre hall with Laurens Waling on stage

Laurens Waling on a large stage for a full room

Laurens in conversation during an executive roundtable

Laurens Waling focused on stage, black and white

Laurens speaking at Recruitment Tech Event

Why organisations invite Laurens

Four reasons clients mention

Reason 01

He makes it accessible.

Complex topics become recognisable stories. From boardroom to shop floor, without jargon, with examples that stick.

Reason 02

He works in the middle of it.

No borrowed slides. As Chief Evangelist at 8vance he works on the AI transition every day, with healthcare, government and corporates.

Reason 03

He takes behaviour seriously.

As a change expert he knows good ideas don’t fail on technology, but on patterns, safety and ownership.

Reason 04

He leaves something behind.

Your audience goes home with urgency — and with something to do tomorrow. And Laurens gladly thinks along about what comes next.

What clients say

“

Laurens brings energy and clarity into the room. During our HR & AI session he kept everyone engaged with concrete, recognisable examples and we went home with fresh ideas.

Joost SluijsHR Director, Radboudumc

“

Laurens makes topics like AI and skills-based working both accessible and inspiring, with great energy and directly applicable insights.

Jolanda SappelliCHRO, a.s.r.

“

He brings strong energy, a clear vision and a deep understanding of organisational challenges. His flexibility and collaborative approach made the cooperation both effective and enjoyable.

Bianca BuaNetflix

“

Laurens connects technology and people, and creates space for open conversation and new perspectives.

Marcel BerghuisCHRO, Center Parcs

Why I do this work

It’s never just about technology.

In 2014 I founded Part-up: a platform where work revolved around tasks and contributions, not job titles. We discussed it in the Dutch House of Representatives and sold the company in 2021. What I learned: people move when they understand why — and when they feel seen.

That insight drives everything I do. On stages, inside organisations and at 8vance, where we make talent visible that organisations can’t see yet.

Read my story →

What I believe

Work is bigger than jobs.

Organisations are human systems.

Organisations don’t lack potential — they lack sight of potential.

AI makes human qualities more important, not less.

Change starts with people who feel seen and taken seriously.

Technology accelerates. People process more slowly. Good leadership bridges the gap.

Humanity is becoming a strategic capability.

Responsible AI sometimes means moving faster.

The biggest challenge of our time is not technological change, but human movement.

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Shall we meet?

A keynote, event chairing or a session with your board: tell me about your event and I’ll immediately think along about the format. Short lines, quick response.

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📅Grab a slot in my calendar20 minutes, straight into my agenda ✉Send a messageVia the contact form, reply within 48 hours 💬+31 6 100 35 001Calling or texting is always fine