Martin Gutmann is a globally sought-after keynote speaker who brings fresh and urgent insights into how leaders can understand and navigate today’s uncertain world. Combining history, sociology, and organizational psychology, he delivers engaging, story-driven talks that challenge conventional wisdom and offer practical takeaways for leaders and organizations. His ability to bridge the past with the present helps audiences rethink leadership, decision-making, and strategy in an era of rapid change.
A professor at the Lucerne School of Business and a lecturer at ETH Zurich, Martin's research and thought leadership have reached over 60 million people through top business publications, including Forbes (where he is a regular contributor), Big Think, Fast Company, and Minute Hack, as well as appearances on leading management podcasts. His recent TED Talk, “Are We Celebrating the Wrong Leaders?”, has been viewed over 1.5 million times.
Martin is also the best-selling author of The Unseen Leader: How History Can Help Us Rethink Leadership. Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and thought leader, describes the book as a: “A provocative look at what history really teaches us about effective leadership. This book will challenge you to rethink some of your core assumptions about what it takes to align people around common goals.”
Born in Sweden, Martin has lived and worked in Japan, the US, Canada, Mauritius, Germany, and Switzerland. From 2016 to 2020, he was the founding Managing Director of the Swiss School of Public Governance, where he launched a program for future global public sector leaders. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, an Executive MBA from IE Business School in Spain, and higher education teacher’s training from Harvard University and ETH Zurich.
In his talk, Martin Gutmann draws parallels between historical technological disruptions and the rise of AI, offering three unexpected predictions about its impact on business and society. He emphasises the actions leaders must take to adapt and thrive in this new landscape. Attendees will gain valuable insights into preparing their organisations for the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence.
In this sweeping and thought-provoking talk, Martin Gutmann unpacks the forces reshaping our world—from artificial intelligence to geopolitical upheaval and economic uncertainty. Drawing on historical parallels, he reveals three unexpected but essential predictions for how these disruptions will impact business and society. With clarity and insight, he highlights the key actions leaders must take to navigate volatility, build resilience, and seize new opportunities. Attendees will leave with a clear framework for understanding today’s most pressing global developments—and a roadmap for leading through uncertainty.
What really drives high-performance teams? In this eye-opening talk, Martin Gutmann breaks with conventional wisdom to reveal the secret behind truly resilient, high-performing teams (hint: the key is balancing relationships and performance), the critical role leaders play in making this happen, and why this matters now more than ever. Drawing on exceptional teams from sports—such as the Chicago Bulls—and business, as well as cutting-edge research on psychological safety, team dynamics, and humble leadership, this talk delivers surprising insights and actionable takeaways that will change the way you think about leadership and team performance.
In his keynote, Martin Gutmann examines the early pioneers of aviation and the 1927 race to fly across the Atlantic, drawing parallels to contemporary leadership amid uncertainty and rapid change. He highlights three enduring yet counterintuitive principles for effective leadership: subtract rather than add, use a compass instead of a map, and practice humility. Attendees will gain valuable insights into navigating today's complex challenges with confidence and clarity.
Based on the TED talk that became a global sensation, Martin challenges your team in this keynote to reconsider their definition of effective leadership, highlighting that true greatness lies in preventing crises rather than responding dramatically to them. Drawing lessons from the disaster-prone explorer Ernest Shackleton and other similarly famous (but consistently unsuccessful leaders), he challenges conventional views and offers a fresh perspective on what makes a leader truly exceptional. Attendees will learn to appreciate the often-overlooked skill of crisis prevention and learn to cultivate the three universal traits of effective leaders: fluency in context, a balance of humility and confidence, and a pragmatic mindset.
