Speaking & executive sessions
Keynotes, workshops and in-house sessions on data, AI and governance, for audiences who have to make decisions, not just follow the news. Every talk draws on having built data and AI governance across 17 brands in 9 countries.
What I offer
Keynotes and panels. For conferences and executive events. A clear argument, grounded in practice, that the audience can take back to their own organization.
Workshops and peer exchanges. For groups of senior leaders who want to work through a question together rather than listen to a presentation.
In-house executive sessions. For supervisory boards and leadership teams: a session on your own data and AI decisions, such as AI governance, EU AI Act readiness, or the questions a board should ask before approving an AI investment.
Topics
- Why decision-making, not technology, determines who wins with AI. The technology has never been more capable. Organizations get stuck on who is allowed to decide.
- Governance that unlocks instead of blocks. How AI governance becomes the fastest path to production rather than the queue in front of it.
- Europe isn't behind; it's playing a different game. The case for specific AI over general AI, and why fully autonomous agents are not the answer to everything.
- What boards should ask about data and AI. Four questions every decision has to pass, and what a strong answer sounds like.
Recent talks
At a invite-only networking event hosted by Veneficus, Roel Willems made the case that technology like AI has never been more powerful, but that's not where organizations get stuck. Why decision-making, not technology, determines who wins with AI.
At The Next Tech Frontier Executive Day, Roel Willems led a peer exchange on AI governance with 25 senior leaders, exploring how governance can become a business accelerator rather than a bottleneck.
At KickstartAI, Roel Willems challenged the dominant AI narrative: Europe isn't behind, we're playing a different game. He made the case for specificity over generality, exposed the simple math that makes fully autonomous agents not the magic solution for everything, and outlined three key concepts to pivot AI governance to unlock, not block innovation.
Podcasts & interviews
A conversation with Sebastiaan van Essen and Mark van Boxsel about data and AI governance at Dutch and European organizations.
Podcast (in Dutch) | Transformers by T-Systems
Listen on Spotify or in your browser.
Invite me
Planning an event or a session for your board or leadership team? Book a 30-minute call or email info@roelwillems.com. It helps to include the date, the audience and the format you have in mind.