Bob de Wit is emeritus professor, author, lecturer and international keynote speaker. His work explores how AI, technology and the digital revolution are fundamentally changing organisations, leadership and society. His keynotes help audiences understand these shifts and challenge them to shape the future themselves.
For conferences, seminars, strategy days and leadership programmes.
Bob connects AI, technology, strategy and social developments into an inspiring narrative that makes people think and helps organisations choose direction in the digital age. Inspiring, clear and hopeful.
Many organisations face fundamental choices about their future role and added value. A sound strategy therefore starts with a shared view of the future. Strategy Works guides organisations in developing that shared vision. Together with your stakeholders and employees, we translate it into a strategy and implementation plan. This creates energy, ownership of decisions and momentum for change.
Making Strategy Work.
Society 4.0 is Bob de Wit's vision of tomorrow's society: a future where technology serves people and freedom, ownership, democracy and love are central. Through this movement, Bob brings entrepreneurs, administrators, academics and citizens together to build a free human society in the digital age.
The world is changing fundamentally. What choices will your organisation make?
Technological, economic and social developments reinforce one another and herald a new era. Artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain and digital platforms are changing not only how organisations work, but also how value is created and how economies and societies develop. Bob de Wit argues that this transition requires organisations to reconsider their role, strategy and the value they want to create.
In this keynote, Bob explains the fundamental changes taking place and what they mean for organisations and their leaders. He offers a coherent perspective on the transition to the digital age and the questions organisations must answer in the years ahead.
Suitable for: Boards, executive teams, management teams, entrepreneur networks, leadership programmes and organisations reconsidering their strategy and position.
What remains uniquely human when artificial intelligence surpasses us?
The rise of artificial intelligence and, ultimately, Artificial Super Intelligence raises fundamental questions—not only about technology, but above all about ourselves. As machines become increasingly intelligent, what remains of humanity's unique value?
In this inspiring keynote, Bob de Wit explores the future of humanity. He argues that our unique strength lies not in intelligence or computing power, but in our soul and our capacity for love, meaning, creativity and genuine connection. The keynote invites reflection on what it means to be human in a world where AI plays an ever-greater role.
Suitable for: Leadership conferences, education, healthcare, government, businesses and organisations that want to look beyond AI's technological possibilities and consider its human dimension.
What kind of society will we leave to the next generation?
The digital revolution is changing not only our economy and organisations, but also how we live together. We face a fundamental choice: will we use technology to direct and control people ever more closely, or build a free human society where technology serves people and leaves room for autonomy, democracy, love and soul?
In this keynote, Bob de Wit challenges audiences to rethink the relationship between technology, humanity and society. Through his Society 4.0 vision, he shows that the future is shaped not by technology itself, but by the choices we make today. An inspiring keynote for organisations committed to keeping human values at the centre.
Suitable for: Governments, civil-society organisations, administrators, education, think tanks, leadership conferences and organisations committed to a human society.
Every keynote is tailored · 30 to 90 minutes · Dutch and English
“For years, Bob de Wit has ranked among the highest-rated speakers in our healthcare programmes. He makes complex technological and social developments accessible and places them in historical context. Bob recognises today's weak signals that predict tomorrow's disruption. With academic depth and Rotterdam humour, he gives audiences a wake-up call about the future we are creating together.”
Joanne Bijleveld
Programme Manager, Zorgvisie Academy – Nyenrode
“Bob de Wit translates complex developments into the future of organisations and leadership in a clear, provocative and inspiring way. He has delivered several successful lectures for Menselijke Revolutie. His sharp analyses, fresh perspectives and compelling examples make people think—and act.”
Sven Rickli
Chairman, Menselijke Revolutie
“Strategy: An International Perspective is essential reading for every leader seeking to strengthen their strategic approach. It combines fundamental theory with practical application and equips leaders with the key questions needed to develop and execute better strategies. Its perspectives and clear structure help leadership teams deepen their strategic thinking.”
Marc Sniukas
Global Strategy Advisor, Luxemburg
“Bob de Wit stimulates an integrated strategic view developing perspectives and creating solutions for an increasingly complex and dynamic world.”
Hans-Erich Müller
Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany
“Society 4.0 is a timely warning about the immense long-term social risks of technological developments. Leaders must pay attention to the book's analyses and observations, and take responsibility for building a better society.”
Prof. dr. Jan Peter Balkenende
Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands (2002–2010) and Emeritus Professor, Erasmus University Rotterdam
“Regio 4.0 shows that social renewal begins close to home. As the founder of an innovation impact hub, I see every day that major breakthroughs often start in our own backyard: in local initiatives where people learn, build businesses and create a new society together.”
Jenny Elissen
Founder of Giantleapers.com and author of From Big Ideas to Giant Leaps
Clients
Six authoritative publications for readers who want to explore Bob de Wit's view of the challenges and opportunities of the digital age.
8th edition · Cengage · 2025 · English
Strategy: An International Perspective is Bob de Wit's internationally renowned textbook on strategic management, now in its eighth edition. By placing contrasting strategic perspectives side by side, it challenges readers to approach complex issues critically, creatively and from multiple angles. For decades, it has inspired students, managers and leaders worldwide to make better strategic decisions.
The eight key issues in building a citizen society · Vakmedianet · 2021 · Dutch/English
Society 4.0 presents an inspiring vision of a future in which citizens, supported by new technologies, build a vital and human-centred society together. Bob de Wit explores social developments, technological innovations and pioneering initiatives that can provide the foundation for a citizen-led future. The book invites readers to actively contribute to the development of Society 4.0.
Reinventing democracy · Vakmedianet · 2023 · Dutch
Democracy 4.0 is a fundamental redesign of democracy. Because democracy serves the interests and needs of the people, Bob de Wit starts with citizens and the human scale. He shows how technologies such as blockchain can contribute to a more transparent, direct and scalable democratic system—from regional communities to global cooperation. Building on Society 4.0, the book offers a fresh blueprint for democratic renewal in a rapidly changing world.
A guide to developing regions in Society 4.0 · Vakmedianet · 2023
In Region 4.0, Bob de Wit shows how the ideas from Society 4.0 and Democracy 4.0 can be put into practice. The book offers citizens, entrepreneurs, civil-society organisations and governments practical guidance for building strong, resilient regions together. It demonstrates how social renewal begins not only in national or European capitals, but close to home.
Inaugural lecture · Nyenrode · 2017
In his inaugural lecture, Bob de Wit explains that the digital revolution reaches far beyond technological innovation. It affects the economy, democracy and ultimately humanity's position itself. He therefore calls for a new form of strategic leadership in which human values guide the society of tomorrow.
Valedictory lecture · Nyenrode · 2024
In his valedictory lecture, Bob de Wit examines three fundamental questions for Society 4.0: what distinguishes people from increasingly intelligent AI, how the growing power of corporate states and NGOs can be democratically constrained, and how AI can support a new form of democracy. He argues that our soul, spirit and humanity—not intelligence—distinguish us as human beings. His hopeful conclusion is that AI, combined with human wisdom and civic power, can contribute to 'True Freedom'.
A selection of podcast conversations with Bob de Wit.
Bob de Wit is one of the Netherlands' leading thinkers on technology's impact on society. As Emeritus Professor of Strategic Leadership at Nyenrode Business University, he has spent more than thirty years researching how digitalisation, artificial intelligence and biotechnology fundamentally change organisations, democracy and the human role. Through his books, keynotes and advice, he inspires leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals to actively shape the future.
Ask your question about strategy, AI or Society 4.0—the digital Bob is always available.
Bob not only explores the future—he challenges audiences to shape it themselves.
