René draws much from his own unique experiences on the boards of some of the biggest international organisations; from Marks and Spencer and Pepsi, to IPC Media and the Inland Revenue.

René has acquired a reputation for providing first-hand advice and support for a series of successful CEOs in the Fortune 500, FTSE 100 and all around the world. Many may claim to have worked at the ‘sharp end’ with CEOs, but in actual fact very few have. He has worked closely with Jim Yong Kim (President, The World Bank), Eric Schimdt (Chair, Google), Clare Barclay (President, Microsoft), Mario Greco (CEO, Generali), Ralph Hamers (CEO, ING Bank) and Maria Ramos (CEO, Absa Bank). Hardly any can match his sustained track record of success.

The CEO is the most important and most challenging job in the business. On day one, it is all brand new to the incumbent, and there is no one around to show them what needs to be done. It is the role that rarely has an appropriate job description and even rarer is there any form of handover. It is, without a doubt, the toughest job in the world but with the right team around them everyone flourishes.

René believes leaders today must create environments where everyone can flourish no matter what their background. The biggest driver of business performance today is leadership.

In today’s volatile and unpredictable times, the focus for the senior leaders shifts to vision, people, teams, and culture. Every leader requires the support of a diverse and high performing team.

René provides executive leadership teams with straightforward, compelling advice and guidance to inspire change and improve their own corporate culture through Inclusive Leadership.

From sitting in the boardrooms to coaching world leaders, René’s extensive experience in business has provided him with case studies and stories from the frontline. There are exciting adventures, emotional anecdotes, and enough C-suite drama to excite any audience. René delivers learning wrapped up as unforgettable stories told by a master storyteller. You will want to hear them again and again.

René is co-author of bestselling books Corporate Voodoo and My Voodoo. His critically acclaimed latest book, ‘Spike – What are you great at?’, enables all of us to unleash our inherent strengths and realise our true potential. As René says, “If you accept your limitations, you go beyond them”.

SPIKE, is a strengths based leadership philosophy. It is a journey of self-discovery. It will positively change your views of both yourself and importantly, your teams.

“My experience of working with some of the world’s best leaders of this generation; from Prime Minister David Cameron, Sir Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela, and many others, informs me that none of them are flawless or ‘all-rounders’.

But they all tend to know their 2/3 SPIKES and have taken the time and focus to fine tune them to near Olympian standards”.

René will share the magic and simplicity of the compelling SPIKE philosophy. In his world of SPIKE, there are no losers anymore – everyone has something they are great at.

The new world order is struggling to deal with constant uncertainty, René provides a compelling approach to the future that is built on ‘managing a little less and leading a little more’.