Former Google Innovation Leader & Keynote Speaker on Innovation, AI & Business Culture
Europe
Holland - Netherlands
North America
Chris Heemskerk is a leading keynote speaker on innovation, AI strategy, and business transformation. A former Google executive and founder of The Innovation Alliance, Chris brings deep insight and actionable frameworks to global audiences. Whether addressing C-suite leaders or tech innovators, Chris Heemskerk’s keynotes inspire companies to embed innovation and adapt to disruption.
Chris Heemskerk served as Head of Scaled Acquisitions for Google North America, where he transformed the business into a global centre for innovation and operational excellence. His work with Google’s Innovation Lab and collaboration with Harvard Business School resulted in two widely referenced HBS case studies on innovation.
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.
In pursuit of providing organisations with the necessary resources to innovate consistently, he authored The Innovation Scorecard™️. This comprehensive framework enables firms to maximise innovation capabilities and discover new growth opportunities.
He has been a sought-after speaker on innovation and workshop facilitator, both internally at Google and externally, including appearances at the United Nations in Rome and the Arizona Technology Council’s 2023 CEO Summit.
Chris holds an MSc in Marketing from the London School of Business and Finance and has completed executive programs at Harvard Business School and Stanford University, focusing on innovation leadership and design thinking.
Key Audience
As a keynote speaker, Chris’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.
Keynote: Building an Innovation Engine
In this keynote, audiences will gain insights into the art and science of innovation as practised by the world’s leading organisations. We’ll explore what sets these innovation leaders apart and examine the lessons we can apply to our organisations.
Case Studies: Discover why some companies can innovate consistently while others struggle, and what we can learn from their approaches.
Innovation Strategy: Learn how to create an Innovation Engine within your organisation to make innovation a repeatable, scalable process.
Innovation Culture: Uncover strategies for fostering and leading a culture that prioritises innovation, aligning people and processes around creative thinking and execution.
The session will provide practical, actionable steps for embedding innovation into your organisation using the proprietary Innovation Scorecard™️ framework.
Keynote: Building an AI-First Company
This keynote introduces the foundational concepts of artificial intelligence (AI) and demonstrates how to leverage AI for transformational impact.
Understanding AI: Gain a clear understanding of AI fundamentals and explore real-world applications and use cases relevant to your organisation.
Why AI Matters: Examine why AI is critical for today’s competitive landscape and why embracing it now is essential.
Building an AI-First Organisation: Learn a step-by-step approach to creating an AI-ready organisation, including strategies to identify high-impact AI projects and the skills required.
Fostering AI Adoption: Understand how to encourage teams to embrace AI by building awareness, trust, and expertise across the organisation.
Identifying AI Use Cases: Discover techniques for spotting valuable AI opportunities in different parts of your organisation.
Would you like to book Chris Heemskerk for your next conference or leadership event?
Contact P Speakers for speaker availability, fees, and tailored recommendations.
Explore more speakers on AI & future trends or leadership and transformation.
''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!”
Is a renowned speaker in creativity expert in Innovation, and resilience expert – bestselling author
Spanish based digital economy, information technology, and innovation speaker
Is a world-renowned digital anthropologist and futurist who serves as the Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow
Thought leader and keynote speaker on Leadership, Digital Transformation, Corporate Innovation & Retail
Silicon Valley innovation strategist and investor
Expert in Business Transformation, Innovation & Culture – Bestselling author of “Riding The Blue Chain: A Leadership Plan for Explosive Growth”
Former Head of Innovation and Creativity for Disney
Amsterdam based: TV Host in 171 countries, Technology, innovation, and creativity ‘wonder junkie’ – TED Global Speaker
Globally recognised expert speaker on innovation and change management
Europe 