Paul Rulkens Profile Picture

Keynote SpeakerPaul Rulkens

The High Performance Mastermind

Paul Rulkens is a global keynote speaker, doing over 20 keynotes per year. He has spoken in 12 countries, on three continents, often to global corporate audiences of 500 people or more. His clients have included companies such as McKinsey, KPMG, Siemens, DSM, Novartis, UBER, SHELL, ASML, DuPont, Exxon Mobil,... Read more

Biography

Paul Rulkens is a global keynote speaker, doing over 20 keynotes per year. He has spoken in 12 countries, on three continents, often to global corporate audiences of 500 people or more. His clients have included companies such as McKinsey, KPMG, Siemens, DSM, Novartis, UBER, SHELL, ASML, DuPont, Exxon Mobil, Johnson & Johnson, and Bosch.

Paul Rulkens is an expert in strategic high performance. His most requested speaking topics cover the secrets of consistent execution, fast innovation, effective leadership, growth focus, and seamless teamwork. His popular TED talks have been watched by more than six million people.

Originally trained as a chemical engineer and with more than 20 years of experience in various corporate leadership roles, Paul’s work is based on deep knowledge and extensive experience in the practical business applications of behavioral psychology, neuroscience and, especially, common sense. His two business books – The Power of Preeminence and How Successful Engineers Become Great Business Leaders – are used frequently by others at professional training and development sessions all over the world.

Rulkens’ solid background as a scientist and corporate executive, combined with his training as a stand-up comedian, make his keynotes both substantive and hilarious.

"Paul’s key note address at our international management conference was a resounding success. We had asked him to give the group something to think and talk about during the conference. Weeks later, we are still hearing references to his talk on Strategic Acceleration. Worthwhile points, delivered in an entertaining and memorable way, have staying power. " Erik Oostwegel, Chairman of the Executive Board, Royal HaskoningDHV
"Paul, I wanted to thank you for coming to join us in Barcelona last week and for your excellent keynote speech. Your topic of innovation was positioned exactly right in the context of our overall agenda priorities. And your anecdotes and humour were just terrific." Stephen Hall, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company
"Paul has a very clear and down-to-earth approach how to accelerate high performance organisations. His undoubtable scientific knowledge combined with his typical sense of humour, will give you a clear and practical view on how you can simply make a difference the very next day. He will boost you with positive ideas and will leave you with a friendly smile." Arjan van Oosten, Partner Grant Thornton
Paul’s contribution to the Ordina Open Innovation Days was insightful, constructive and even provocative. The combination of powerful insights into human behaviour and humor gave the audience food for thought and created lively discussions. Paul’s presentation was fun and created a lot of energy as he connects and interacts well with the audience. Stepan Breedveld, CEO Ordina

Popular Talks by Paul Rulkens

  • How successful engineers become great business leaders
    How can you accelerate your business career as an executive, manager, or professional with an engineering background? The road to business success for leaders with engineering backgrounds is common and predictable, but not always obvious: There is a method to the madness. This talk is full of thought-provoking insights, practical...
  • The Psychology of Innovation – How to innovate when you’re already on top of your game
    One of the biggest business myths is that innovation is expensive, takes a lot of time, and involves huge risks. What if most successful innovations are actually cheap, fast, and almost risk free? In this popular talk, Paul will discuss an intriguing, practical, and proven approach to make high performance...
  • Secrets of Strategic Quitting - How to Thrive in Turbulent Times
    What’s the big secret to take back control in turbulent times and turn uncertainty into opportunity? The answer is strategic quitting: A systematic approach to take out everything which makes you fragile and become much more robust in the process. In this thought-provoking talk, Paul will discuss radical, but highly...
  • Leaving the Field Behind – How the best get better
    How do successful people, teams, and organizations become even more successful? In this entertaining, fascinating, and confronting talk, Paul will not only explain, but also let you experience the inner workings of your brain, and how this affects your own leadership behavior. As a result, you will be inspired with...
  • The Lean Mean Execution Machine – Why you don’t have to be ill to get better
    Business and professional success is predictable: If you want to achieve results you have never achieved before, you need to do things you have never done before. In this popular talk, Paul will discuss the most important counter intuitive, almost controversial, but highly effective strategies to rapidly move towards achieving...