Netherlands & USA: Innovation & AI Strategy Expert. Ex-Google Innovation Labs USA
Europe
Holland
North America
Chris Heemskerk is a sought-after innovation speaker, author, and practitioner. He has addressed, amongst many others, the United Nations in Rome and the Arizona Technology Council’s CEO Summit of 2023.
Drawing from over a decade of experience at leading technology firms, including Google and Apple, Chris Heemskerk showcases his vision of corporate innovation by heading The Innovation Alliance, a global network of tech executives and innovation leaders.
As former Head of Scaled Acquisitions for Google in North America, Chris transformed his business into a global innovation and operational excellence centre. Hence, he was asked to advise Google’s Innovation Lab and established a partnership with Harvard Business School to document the lab’s endeavours in two HBS Case Studies, which he features in.
In pursuit of providing organizations with the necessary resources to innovate consistently, he authored The Innovation Scorecard™️. This comprehensive framework enables firms to maximize innovation capabilities and discover new growth opportunities.
He has been a sought-after innovation speaker and workshop facilitator both internally at Google and externally, including features at The United Nations in Rome and the Arizona Technology Council’s CEO Summit of 2023.
Chris’s educational journey is rooted in his passion for lifelong learning. He is a faculty member of The European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability (eiis.eu), holds Executive Certifications in Innovation Leadership from Harvard Business School (HBS), and acquired sponsorship to attend the HBS High Potential Leadership Program of 2019. He’s certified in Design Thinking at Stanford University and holds an MSc in Marketing from the London School of Business and Finance.
He alternates between Europe and The United States with his wife and three-year-old son.
Chris Heemskerk – Speaker
Key Audience
As a keynote speaker, Chris Heemskerk’s primary audience is C-level and senior executives. He is fluent in English and Dutch, has limited working proficiency in French and German, and has elementary proficiency in Italian. He divides his time between Amsterdam and the USA.
Speaking Topics
Audience Takeaways
The audience will learn about the art and science of innovation practiced by the world’s leading organizations and what we can learn from them.
The following questions will be addressed:
‘’How can some firms innovate consistently, while most cannot?’’
‘’How can you build an Innovation Engine for your organization?’’
‘’How can you build and lead a culture of Innovation in your organization?’’
‘’How can we leverage AI in our business?’’
‘’How can we build an AI strategy for our business?’’
The keynote provides concrete, actionable steps to drive innovation in your organization using the proprietary Innovation Scorecard™ framework.
''Chris's session on building a culture of innovation was phenomenal. His wealth of experience and actionable insights deeply resonated with our Google team, leaving them energized and equipped to drive innovation in their daily work. Thank you Chris!''
“I had the privilege of leading Chris in my role as Head of Americas for Google Inbound Sales for Google Ads. Chris was responsible for our Vendor Inbound Sales sites in North America, and distinguished himself as a leader with outstanding integrity and work ethic. In addition to driving consistent revenue performance, impressively, he developed the Phoenix vendor site into an operational excellence hub to drive innovation & growth within our org. As a seasoned Acquisitions Leader on the team, he was a key mentor for fellow sales leaders and worked closely with fellow regional heads in bringing our Inbound Acquisitions organization to the next level. I would work with Chris again in a heartbeat, and I hope our paths cross again in the near future.I had the privilege of leading Chris in my role as Head of Americas for Google Inbound Sales for Google Ads. Chris was responsible for our Vendor Inbound Sales sites in North America, and distinguished himself as a leader with outstanding integrity and work ethic. In addition to driving consistent revenue performance, impressively, he developed the Phoenix vendor site into an operational excellence hub to drive innovation & growth within our org. As a seasoned Acquisitions Leader on the team, he was a key mentor for fellow sales leaders and worked closely with fellow regional heads in bringing our Inbound Acquisitions organization to the next level. I would work with Chris again in a heartbeat, and I hope our paths cross again in the near future.”
“Chris has a keen ability to translate proven innovation strategies to any organization. He is an agile thinker and incredibly easy to work with. His passion and years of experience shine through all of his interactions. The Innovation Experience was invigorating, insightful, fun and useful. Thank you, Chris, for opening my mind.”
“Chris is a great speaker on innovation, able to both motivate diverse senior leaders and effectively convey powerful contextual message. Amazing professional!Chris is a great speaker on innovation, able to both motivate diverse senior leaders and effectively convey powerful contextual message. Amazing professional!”
“Your keynote was well received by all, and especially our president. It elevated our event and perfectly fit in the innovation focused program. We truly appreciate you being part of this important R&D gathering.”
“What an inspiring and insightful masterclass! We have received great feedback from our audience. People want to learn more about the applications of the Innovation Scorecard to sustain development, so we hope to have you back at The United Nations in Rome very soon!”
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