Keynote topics

Three keynotes on AI, skills and the future of work.

Each keynote stands on its own and is tailored to the sector, audience and purpose of the event. From jobs to tasks, from planning to matching.

Laurens Waling in conversation on stage, beside a large screen with a data visualisation
Keynote 01

More talent than meets the eye

Looking beyond job titles to skills, potential and new possibilities.

Organisations are searching for people while much of the available talent remains out of sight. We look at qualifications, previous roles and experience, but often know far less about what someone else could do or learn. AI helps make those possibilities visible at scale.

I explore what this means for recruitment, internal mobility and development. What happens when you start with the work that needs doing and the skills it requires? Your audience discovers how to make better use of talent and how redistributing tasks can open up new possibilities.

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Who it is for

  • HR and recruitment professionals
  • Executives and leaders working on talent development and employability
  • Organisations facing workforce challenges, with examples tailored to sectors including healthcare, government and business

Your audience takes away

  • How to look beyond CVs and job titles to recognise talent.
  • What AI can contribute to matching skills and potential, and where human judgement remains essential.
  • A starting point for looking differently at people and work in their own organisation.
Keynote 02

From planning to matching

Rethinking work around people, skills and AI.

AI can carry out a growing range of tasks: gathering information, analysing data, developing proposals and preparing actions. As a result, the work within jobs is shifting. Some tasks disappear, others become more important and new combinations become possible.

I take your audience from fixed job descriptions to tasks, skills and collaboration between people and AI agents. How do you connect the work that needs doing with the people and technology capable of doing it? What does this ask of leadership, accountability and development? Concrete examples make a major shift understandable and open it up for discussion.

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Who it is for

  • Conferences on AI, innovation, leadership and the future of work
  • Executive teams
  • Organisations connecting their AI strategy to everyday work

Your audience takes away

  • How AI changes tasks and roles, and why that affects organisational design.
  • The choices needed around collaboration, accountability and human work.
  • A practical question to explore: which tasks could be shared differently between people and AI?

HR focus

Agentic HR is the tailored version for HR and recruitment audiences. It explores HR’s changing role, the use of AI agents and the decisions professionals need to retain.

Keynote 03

Change begins with a future worth wanting

From uncertainty about AI to a future people want to help create.

A change plan explains what needs to happen. People also want to understand what the change means for them. What will improve? How will it affect their profession, their role or their sense of security? And can they help shape the direction?

I connect my experience as an entrepreneur and change practitioner with what AI makes possible today. We explore how to acknowledge discomfort while developing an appealing picture of the future. Experiencing AI, having an honest conversation and choosing a first step can help people move forward, even while the old ways are still needed and the new ones are taking shape.

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Who it is for

  • Leadership events and company gatherings
  • Change programmes
  • Conferences exploring the human side of AI and transformation

Your audience takes away

  • How to discuss concerns about AI and make room for curiosity.
  • How a concrete picture of the future helps people engage with change.
  • A first conversation or experiment the team can take forward.
“

Laurens challenges leaders who continue to rely on a traditional command-and-control approach. His message is also hopeful: a new generation approaches change differently. Recognise that momentum and work with it, rather than against it.

Martin van RijnFormer Dutch Minister for Medical Care and former State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport

Which story fits your audience?

Tell me who will be in the room and what conversation you want to start. I will recommend the keynote or combination that fits best.

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