Speaking

New! Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement to Regenerate Nature, Society and the Economy – Enquire about keynote speeches and workshopsPre-order the book

An innovation agenda for turning our biggest global societal challenges into opportunities to thrive. The future will be better than you think. Thriving shows how innovation can regenerate nature, society, and the economy by taking us from degradation to restoration of ecosystems, from depletion to renewal of resources, from disparity to responsibility in communities, from disease to revitalization of health, from disconnection to rewiring through technology, and from disruption to resilience of infrastructure and institutions. Whether you’re a progressive leader, a professional in the sustainability field, or someone who simply wants to be better informed about ways to take positive action, this thorough guide is for you. Pre-order the book today | Book Dr Visser to speak or run a workshop on Thriving

Keynotes, Lectures, Workshops and Training

Dr Wayne Visser has delivered nearly 500 professional speeches, courses, lectures and training sessions all around the world, with his work taking him to over 75 countries in the last 30 years. You can read an interview by Speaker’s Corner with Dr Visser about his life as a professional speaker, which began when he won the Jordison Cup for Public Speaking in 1987. The topics that Dr Visser frequently talks on include:

  • Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement to Regenerate Nature, Society and the Economy
  • Creating Integrated Value (CIV): Beyond CSR and CSV
  • The Future of Business: How to Survive & Thrive
  • The Art and Practice of Sustainability Leadership
  • CSR 2.0: Beyond ISO 26000 to the Future of CSR
  • The Business Case for Sustainability & Responsibility
  • Sustainability Strategies for Global Challenges
  • Purpose-Inspired Enterprise & Entrepreneurship
  • CSR/Sustainability Best Practices Around the World
  • Sustainability Innovation & Change Management
  • Making a Difference: Society, Organisations & Individuals

Audience Feedback 

Dr Visser has been frequently lauded for the quality of his presentations. He is known for his informative and visually engaging slides and extensive use of case studies from around the world. For example, when he was lecturing at Warwick Business School in the UK, he won the Outstanding Teacher Award of the Warwick MBA two years in a row. Here is an indicative sample of the feedback he has received from his audiences:

  • “You delivered exactly what we wanted in terms of getting some thought provoking issues out there for the audience to start contemplating as we started off the day.” – International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group, USA
  • “Everyone talking about how your session was the best of the week! We want more Wayne (in person)!” –University of Cambridge, UK
  • “Very informative and helpful” – Korea Institute for Strategic Social Responsibility, South Korea
  • “My favourite [speaker]. He is interactive, uses different mediums, knows subject, is current. I left wanting to go and specialise in sustainability.” – Gordon Institute of Business Science, South Africa
  • “Very inspiring and encouraging for the Sri Lankan attendees” – CSR Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka
  • “One of the greatest courses ever, nothing bad to say.” – Kedge Business School, University of Bordeaux, France
  • “Everyone was extremely positive about the event afterwards and very impressed by your comprehensive knowledge, your convincing argument and the great clarity and persuasiveness with which you delivered your message.” – University of Winchester, UK

Training Courses

In addition to public speaking, Dr Visser delivers training workshops on behalf of Kaleidoscope Futures, in collaboration with his training partner and fellow Director of Kaleidoscope Futures, Indira Kartallozi. These can be tailored, mixed and matched and delivered to any audience and in any city or country. Find out more about delivering these courses at your organisation.

Sample of Speaking Engagements

ARGENTINA – Beyond CSR to CIV: Creating Integrated Value, Buenos Aires, September 2014.

ARMENIACSR, Marketing and Public Relations, British Council, Eurasia Partnership Foundation, UNDP/Global Compact, Yerevan, Armenia, 16-17 November 2009.

AUSTRALIACreating Shared Value: Revolution or Clever Con? Deakin Business School Alumni Network, Melbourne, May 2014.

AUSTRIA Why Sustainable Mindsets Matter, EPCA 52nd Annual Meeting, Vienna, October 2018

AZERBAIJANSustainable Frontiers: Unlocking Change Through Business, Leadership & Innovation, 1st Azerbaijan Conference on Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility, Baku, October 2015

BELGIUMThe Six Keys to Thriving, SDG Forum 2021, Brussels, October 2021

BRAZILCSR Trends: Q & A with Wayne Visser, Pares, Rio de Janeiro, August 2010.

CANADAClosing the Loop: Sustainability Innovation and Change Management, Keynote, National Zero Waste Conference 2018, Vancouver, Canada, 8 November 2018

CHINAThe Future of CSR, China Europe International Business School, Shanghai, June 2010.

COLOMBIACSR 2.0: Towards the Age of Responsibility, Fundesmag (EcoPetrol), Barrancabermeja, October 2013.

CROATIATransformational Leadership & Becoming a Future-Fit Organisation, IDOP, Zagreb, May 2018.

DENMARKRegeneration: Creating Integrated Value through Business, Grundfos, Bjerringbro, November 2021

DOMINICAN REPUBLICCSR 2.0: The Future of Corporate Social Responsibility, INTRAS Corporate Social Responsibility 2012 Conference, Santa Domingo, September 2012.

ECUADOR – Sustainability Leadership and Social Responsibility, Secretaria de Ambiente del municipio de Quito, Quito, June 2016.

ESTONIA – Creating Shared Value Through CSR, MTÜ Vastutustundliku Ettevõtluse Foorum, Tallinn, December 2012.

FINLANDSustainability as a Strategic Choice: Creating Integrated Value through Thriving, Office of the Prime Minister & Aalto University, September 2021

FRANCEThe Values Dividend: 7 Ways to Create Integrated Value for Business, the Economy and Society, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, January 2019.

GEORGIACSR, Marketing and Public Relations, British Council, Eurasia Partnership Foundation, UNDP/Global Compact, Tbilisi, November 2009.

GERMANYInnovation for Sustainable Transformation @ Work: Towards Integrated Value,  Sustainability Leaders Congress, Berlin, May 2019.

GUATEMALAThe A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility, Inter-American Development Bank Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility, Guatemala City, December 2007.

HUNGARYThe Future of CSR: What Is The Relationship Between CSR 2.0 and Web 2.0? CSR Hungary conference, Budapest, November 2011.

INDIAThe Future of CSR: From Corporate Social Responsibility to Creating Integrated Value, International Workshop on ‘Governance of State Owned Enterprises’, New Delhi, December 2015.

ITALYScanning the Horizon: The current state of play and what’s next in the global fight for healthy seas, Ocean Race Summit, Genoa, September 2019.

JORDAN – CSR Benchmarking & The Future, Wazayef Masr, Amman, October 2011.

KENYA – CSR in Developing Countries, Ufadhili Trust, Nairobi, January 2010.

KOSOVOSystems Thinking & Global Trends, Sustainability Leadership Kosovo Champions Program, Prishtina, September 2019.

LATVIACSR 2.0: The Future of CSR, Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Riga, December 2012.

MALAYSIAThe Race Towards a Low Carbon Economy: Implications for Businesses, Panel at the Cooler Earth Summit, Kuala Lumpur, September 2021

MEXICOCompetencies for Our Global Challenges: Leading Change Through Sustainable Innovation, Monterrey Institute for Technology, Guadalajara, May.

NETHERLANDSConnecting Consumers and Sustainability,  Salesforce Roundtable, Amsterdam, May 2019.

NEW ZEALANDPurpose-Inspired Leadership, Sustainable Business Network, Auckland, June 2010.

NIGERIACSR Challenges in Africa, International CSR Conference, Lagos Business School, Lagos, February 2012.

PHILIPPINESAre You Fit for the Future? Global Trends Towards Integrated Value, Keynote, League of Corporate Foundations CSR Expo, Manilla, July 2017.

POLANDCreating Integrated Value: Seven Pathways to Sustainable Transformation and Innovation, UN Global Compact & 3M Poland Sustainability Conference, Wroclaw, October 2019.

PORTUGALSustainable Design, Innovation and Technology, Sustain Azores, São Miguel, February 2020.

RUSSIACreating Integrated Value: Transforming Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility, DHL 2015 E-Tailing Summit, Moscow, June 2015.

SINGAPORECreating Integrated Value: Beyond CSR and Creating Shared Value, City Developments Limited, Singapore, August 2015.

SLOVENIAThe Ages and Stages of CSR: Towards CSR 2.0, Ekvilib Inštitut, Bohinj, May 2012.

SOUTH AFRICAThe Disruptors: Reinventing Business & Society Through Conscious Capitalism, Serious Social Investment Conference 2016, Tshikululu Social Investments and Gordon Institute of Business Science, Johannesburg, April 2016.

SOUTH KOREA – Beyond CSR: Are You Fit for the Future? Korea Social Responsibility Institute, Seoul, May 2013.

SPAINDigitalization and Integrated Value, DELMIA Quintiq World Tour, Barcelona, November 2019

SRI LANKAMaking CSR Part of Your Company’s DNA, CEO Forum, CSR Sri Lanka, Colombo, April 2015.

SWEDEN – Sustainable Development & CSR, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, November 2016.

SWITZERLANDFive Strategies for Future Fitness, Lorange Institute of Business Zurich, March 2013.

TANZANIA – Corporate Social Responsibility in South Africa in the Ten Years Since Democracy, International Academy for African Business & Development (IAABD) Annual Conference, Dar Es Salaam, April 2004.

THAILANDInnovation for the Future Fitness, Sasin School of Management, Bangkok, November 2019.

TURKEYCorporate Governance and Competitiveness, 3rd International Corporate Governance, Istanbul, January 2010.

UAE – Closing the Loop, Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE, December 2018.

UKThe Future of Electric Vehicles: Context Setting, BusinessCar & E.ON Roundtable, London, October 2019.

UKRAINEThe Future of CSR: Beyond ISO 26000 to CSR 2.0, IV International Conference on CSR, Expert Ukraine & UN Global Compact, Kiev, April 2010.

USACreating Impact, ONE Doctoral Consortium, Academy of Management (AOM), Boston, August 2019.

VIETNAMCSR Benchmarking & The Future, Vietnam Chamber of Commerce, Ho Chi Minh, September 2011.

ZIMBABWECSR 2.0: Beyond CSV and CSR 1.0, Regional Centre for Social Responsibility, Harare, May 2014

Speaker Biography and Bookings

Speaker Biography (Pdf)

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