Katja Schipperheijn

Leading through uncertainty with human wisdom, imagination and consilience.

In a world shaped by AI, the changing nature of work and profound social transformation, leadership is no longer about control or certainty. It is about navigating perpetual liminality: a continuous state of transition in which yesterday’s models no longer apply, while tomorrow’s reality has not yet emerged. In this keynote, Katja Schipperheijn introduces Liminal Leadership as a way to lead in this continuous state of transition. At its heart is Human Wisdom, or Phronesis: bringing knowledge, experience, values and imagination together through consilience, so leaders can see beyond a single perspective and act wisely in complexity.

You’ll discover:

-Why liminal leadership requires letting go of outdated assumptions and using uncertainty and imagination as a space for exploration and possibility

-How Human Wisdom (Phronesis) helps us make better choices when data, technology or expertise alone cannot provide the answer

-How to empower people and teams through learning and shared intelligence, both human and artificial

-Which human competencies and mindsets help create resilient, inclusive and adaptable organisations

-How to work with AI responsibly and future-oriented while protecting human agency, values and global ethics.

-What all of this means for the future of work, leadership and the evolving relationship between people and intelligent technologies

Who is this keynote for?

For executives, leadership teams and anyone taking responsibility for direction, change or self-leadership. In perpetual liminality, leadership is not only a hierarchical role; it is the capacity to navigate uncertainty, make choices, and help yourself and others move in a positive direction.

Unleash potential with a learning mindset keynote to navigate uncertainty in the AI era.

Based on Katja Schipperheijn’s acclaimed book The Learning Mindset and enriched by global data from the Learning Mindset Amplifier, her own diagnostic tool and underlying algorithm, this keynote explores how people can thrive and adapt to new realities by strengthening the drivers, mindset and human competencies needed to learn, adapt and innovate.

In this talk, Katja unpacks:

-What a learning mindset truly means and why it matters for individuals, teams and organisations

-The human competencies that strengthen it, including imagination, curiosity, empathy, resilience, openness and consilience

-How neurodiversity and different ways of thinking can become a source of learning, creativity and innovation

-How different generations can learn from one another, rather than allowing differences in experience, expectations and technology use to divide them

-The role of AI and neuroscience in supporting learning, creativity and performance

-Why leaders need to foster social learning and create psychological safety so that more people can contribute their potential

Who is this keynote for?

Practical, positive and thought-provoking, this is one of Katja’s most versatile keynotes. It resonates with employees and leaders alike and has connected with audiences across cultures and continents. It is especially relevant for organisations looking to empower a diverse, multigenerational workforce, strengthen adaptability and build a positive mindset towards learning, innovation and AI.

Amplify the impact

Use the free Mini Learning Mindset Amplifier as an accessible follow-up to the keynote, helping participants reflect on their own learning mindset and discover a first personal insight.

For a deeper experience, use the Professional Learning Mindset Amplifier before the keynote. Katja can then integrate anonymised audience data into the session, making the keynote more relevant and personal while extending the impact through Reflect – Relate – Reframe.

Designing organisations where human wisdom and intelligent technologies continuously strengthen one another.

Based on the extensively rewritten 2026 edition of Katja Schipperheijn’s Learning Ecosystems, this keynote explores how organisations can build Cognitive Learning Ecosystems in which people, knowledge, data and technology continuously strengthen one another.

As AI, Agentic AI and predictive technologies reshape how knowledge is created, accessed and applied, learning needs to become part of the organisation’s architecture rather than remain a separate function. Katja deliberately pushes audiences beyond what feels possible today, using innovations that seem to come from the future, such as brain-computer interfaces, lab-grown neural systems and emerging human-machine superminds, to explore how human and artificial intelligence may increasingly amplify one another.

You’ll discover:

-Why understanding Cognitive Learning Ecosystems is essential for adaptability, innovation and continuous improvement

-How to connect people, knowledge, data and technology so knowledge and learning can flow across the organisation

-How Agentic AI and MCP-based architectures can enable a freer flow of knowledge between systems, agents and people

-Why organisations need to move beyond skills and connect tasks, competencies, knowledge and emerging needs

-How predictive technologies and data can help anticipate what people and organisations need next

-How to combine artificial intelligence with human competencies, psychological safety and experimentation

Who is this keynote for?

For executives, CIOs, CDOs and senior leaders responsible for strategy, transformation, technology, people or organisational design. The strongest impact comes from bringing different perspectives together, as Cognitive Learning Ecosystems cannot be designed from within a single silo.

Optional Strategic Workshop

The keynote can be extended with a cross-functional workshop bringing together leaders from strategy, technology, data, HR, L&D, innovation and operations. Using Algorithmic Business Thinking, Design Thinking, Katja’s Organiational Maturity Model, and the Paradigm of Learning Needs, participants assess the current ecosystem and design a more connected, cognitive, and future-ready architecture.

What children across cultures can teach us about human potential, innovation and ethics in a globally divided world

Drawing on her work with more than 15,000 children and young people across very different cultures and circumstances, Katja brings their perspectives into the debate on innovation, ethics and the growing global divide.

AI is profoundly reshaping how younger generations learn, connect and imagine the future, a shift that adults completely underestimate. From children building their own AI study buddies and learning about digital ethics at a very young age to cognitive cities, brain-computer interfaces and lab-grown neural systems, she uses their world to challenge assumptions about what is already possible, who gets access to it and what responsible progress should look like.

The result is a keynote that bridges generations, cultures and technological realities, challenging audiences to look beyond their own assumptions and imagine a future in which human competencies and intelligent technologies strengthen one another.

You’ll discover:

-What younger generations can teach us about imagination, adaptability, curiosity and responsible technology use

-How technology shapes different expectations of the future across generations, and why failing to recognise those differences can widen the gap between them

-How generations can explore the value of technology together, combining different experiences, expectations and perspectives

-Why understanding how young people experience AI, virtual worlds and digital identity matters for the future of work and society

-How perspectives from different cultures can reveal ethical blind spots and assumptions about responsible innovation

-Why innovation requires us to look beyond what feels possible today and question assumptions shaped by our own generation and context

-How to build a more human-centred and inclusive future without slowing technological progress

Who is this keynote for?

For organisations, governments, education leaders and international audiences looking for a human and hopeful perspective on AI, innovation and the future. It is particularly powerful for events focused on bridging generations, cultures, digital transformation, ethics and social impact.

A keynote with impact beyond the stage

This keynote connects directly to Katja’s philanthropic work with children around the world. Part of her speaking fee contributes directly to the social projects she supports, making it especially suited to purpose-driven events and organisations looking to connect innovation with meaningful social impact.