Kaihan Krippendorff is the Founder of Outthinker, a global think-tank and peer network of chief strategy, innovation, and growth officers and executives of large global public, private, and Fortune 500 companies.
Author of the bestselling books including Outthink the Competition, Driving Innovation from Within, and Proximity, Kaihan is recognized by Thinkers50 and Global Gurus as one of the top 20 global management thinkers in strategy and innovation.
Known for rigorously researched tools and engaging programs, Kaihan is an innovation catalyst and sought-after strategic advisor for some of the world’s most recognizable companies including Aetna-CVS, JP Morgan, Lockheed Martin, Bank of America, Procter & Gamble, IBM, and Yahoo. His work has created in excess of $3.0 billion of new annual recurring revenue.
He hosts the Outthinkers podcast, The Chief Strategy Officer Podcast, and Strategy at Scale podcasts;- teaches strategy and innovation as a Senior Fellow at Wharton Business School, NYU, Florida International University and other programs across the world; is a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review and Fast Company; and sits on two corporate advisory boards.
A passionate cook, Kaihan lives in Miami, Florida, with his wife, is the father of three teenagers, two cats and a dog.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has said, “Kaihan shows that with a compelling idea anyone can change the world”. Please welcome… Kaihan Krippendorff
PODCAST HOST | TOP 20 RANKED GLOBAL THINKER | AUTHOR | FOUNDER | CEO
Kaihan Krippendorff is the founder of Outthinker, a global think-tank of chief strategy, innovation, growth, and transformation officers and executives from large public, private, and Fortune 500 companies.
A former McKinsey consultant and author of 6 books including bestsellers Outthink the Competition, Driving Innovation from Within, and Proximity, Kaihan is recognized by Thinkers50 and Global Gurus as one of the top 20 global management thinkers in strategy and innovation.
Known for rigorously researched tools and engaging programs, Kaihan is an innovation catalyst and sought-after strategic advisor for some of the world’s most recognizable companies including Aetna-CVS, JP Morgan, Lockheed Martin, Bank of America, Procter & Gamble, IBM, and Yahoo!. His work has created in excess of $3.0 billion in new annual recurring revenue.
Kaihan is host of the Outthinkers podcast, The Chief Strategy Officer Podcast, and Strategy at Scale podcast. His ideas are frequently published in Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and other leading media outlets. He is a Senior Fellow at Wharton Business School and teaches strategy and innovation at NYU, Florida International University and other programs across the globe. He is an advisory board member of two tech startups.
Kaihan holds a doctorate in economics and business and engineering degrees from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering, Wharton, Columbia Business School, and London Business School. With a mother from Bangladesh, father from Germany, and wife from Latin America, Kaihan is a global citizen who brings a holistic, diverse, and worldly perspective to everything he does. He is a passionate cook and lives in Miami, Florida, with his wife, three teenage kids, two cats, and a dog.
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus has said, “Kaihan shows that with a compelling idea anyone can change the world” and that message has made Kaihan one of the most sought-after business speakers in the world.
Outthink the Competition: Proven tools and future-ready insights to win the future
We live in an accelerated age of technology, disruption, volatility, and uncertainty. It demands that we lead our teams and organizations in radically new ways. Success depends not only on our own ability to think and act strategically, but on our ability to enable our team to think boldly, think differently, share ideas, and act.
Next-era leaders and teams need practical tools, structures, and frameworks that liberate them to achieve better business outcomes and problem-solve using AI, technology, contextual knowledge, and their own human creativity. Companies that activate this Outthinker Mindset are proven to be 6X more likely to recruit and retain top talent and 3X more likely to outperform financially – faster revenue growth, higher profit margins, greater business value.
Top 20 globally recognized management thinker, best-selling author, podcast host, and Founder of Outthinker, Kaihan Krippendorff helps you Outthink the Competition with his proven 5-step framework and toolset that can be applied immediately to move to the next level of success.
Participants will leave with:
Unleashing Agile
In a world marked by accelerated change, disruption, and volatility, leaders must be able to rapidly observe, analyze, and connect information to seize opportunity and defend against possible threats to their business. Mental agility and agile adaptation are now a non-negotiable part of the business skillset.
In this interactive and practical keynote, globally recognized strategy expert and best-selling author Kaihan Krippendorff shares a proven framework and tools for unleashing agile problem solving and strategic thinking in everyday work. Inspiring stories handpicked for your event bring to life a playbook of the top five strategies being used today by agile disruptors to beat the competition.
Make agility a part of your organizational DNA so you can respond faster to change, seamlessly shift focus to the right priority for now, efficiently build and sustain momentum, and boost resilience that endures beyond any single initiative.
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Proximity Revolution: Leading Beyond Disruption
In a world of constant disruption, technological change, and megatrend turbulence, how do we transform the way we lead and work? How do we see through the noise and make sense of what is important to our business?
The answer is Proximity – a simple yet powerful idea that helps leaders turn chaos into clarity.
Based on the groundbreaking new best-selling book, Proximity, which was hailed by Malcolm Gladwell’s Next Big Idea Club as a must-read and Thinkers50 as one of the most important new ideas in business this year, Kaihan will guide the audience on a journey of understanding to make sense of disruptors like artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, data proliferation, renewable energy, virtual reality, quantum computing, IoT, 3D printing, and new ways of working.
This high-impact keynote arms leaders with a Proximity Roadmap to navigate the future with a fresh mindset and the practical tools they need to take bold action and thrive.
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Driving Innovation from Within: Drive growth, agility and resilience by turning employees into intrapreneurs
In our accelerated world of technology and disruption, the benefits of turning employees into innovators are well documented. Companies that treat their people as “Intrapreneurs” are building a competitive advantage that infuses innovation, adaptability, and future-readiness into their DNA.
Kaihan Krippendorff’s research debunks the story of the disruptive startup and shows that 70% of society’s most transformative innovations were conceived within large established organizations. with active Intrapreneur networks are 3X more likely to be in the top quintile of financial performance and enjoy a 6X advantage in their ability to recruit and retain top talent.
In this high-impact keynote, top 20 ranked innovation expert, podcast host, and Founder of Outthinker, Kaihan Krippendorff shows how leaders can build capacity for enterprise-wide transformation and smart innovation. Using his proven IN-OVATE framework Kaihan offers a playbook for intrapreneurs to navigate barriers, overcome resistance, and take the initiative to drive transformation without quitting their job.
Participants will leave with:
Be the Disruptor, Not the Disrupted
We are experiencing a historic acceleration in the pace of change in our world. Artificial intelligence, digitization, robotics, 3D printing, climate change, political instability, deglobalization, and the rise of purpose-driven enterprises are reconfiguring how every conceivable industry operates. These changes are dividing us into two camps: the “Disruptors” and the “Disrupted”.
Kaihan Krippendorff, Founder of Outthinker, author, and podcast host has spent decades studying patterns of disruption. Thinkers50 and Global Gurus have recognized him as a top 20 management thinker globally for his strategic analysis of why some companies thrive, others fall behind, and the emerging approaches companies can use to create competitive advantage and transform continually.
Don’t underestimate the cost of standing still. Choose to Be the Disruptor with this engaging and practical keynote. Learn a proven design-thinking process to spark disruptive ideas and drive immediate results. Through entertaining stories of innovation — both successes and failures— your audience will leave inspired and armed with actionable tactics they can use right away.
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Outside-In Strategy: Expanding Your Strategic Aperture
The greatest competitive threats — and the boldest growth opportunities — rarely come from your industry peers. They increasingly come from unexpected players applying ideas, new business models, and technologies outside of your industry.
Leaders excelling in today’s fast-moving world broaden their aperture, scanning across industries for patterns and practices that can be adapted to reduce their risk of disruption, cover blindspots, create efficiency, and unlock new growth. They use Outside-In Strategy.
Give your team a booster shot of Outside-In Strategic thinking with author, podcast host, and Founder of Outthinker, Kaihan Krippendorff. Drawing from decades of tracking and analysis of outperformers and 500+ annual conversations with CXOs from across industries – Kaihan will guide your team through a curated selection of strategic approaches, business models, and mindsets from outside your industry — the very ideas reshaping the global business landscape — to help you mitigate risk, solve problems, drive growth, and unlock efficiences that impact on your top and bottom line. Put Outside-In thinking into action with a proven process, tools, and frameworks developed with practitioners in mind.
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Outlead the Competition: Mindsets and Leadership for the Next-Era
Today’s business environment rewards leaders who can think strategically, act with agility, and inspire their people to do the same. While many organizations focus on technology and innovation, the real differentiator is leadership — the ability to align, empower, and mobilize teams to act decisively amid uncertainty.
In this high-impact keynote, author, podcaster, and Founder of Outthinker, Kaihan Krippendorff shares how the most forward-thinking companies are developing leaders who continuously learn, adapt, and out-lead the competition. This inspiring talk crafted just for your audience draws insights from across Kaihan’s best-selling books (including Outthink the Competition, Driving, Innovation from Within, and Proximity), latest Harvard Business Review articles, and new research.
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Winning with AI, Technology, and People: Leading in the Age of Intelligent Systems
Artificial intelligence and automation are reshaping every industry, redefining how we work, make decisions, and compete. Yet amid all the hype around data, platforms, and
algorithms, one truth remains: people are the differentiator. From the boardroom to the front line, success in this new era depends on our ability to integrate technology’s power with human creativity, intuition, and strategic thinking.
In this forward-looking keynote, globally recognized business thinker, podcaster, and author Kaihan Krippendorff, offers insights and proven tools that you can use to make sense of AI and emerging technologies from both a top management perspective and a personal, day-to-day lens.
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2026 Trends, Tech, and Forces: Threats and opportunities defining the year ahead
Change is and will always be the only constant in business. As the pace of change accelerates more each day, businesses need to look ahead and create options to ensure their survival. Leaders must monitor and embrace AI, APIs automation, platform thinking, and intelligent predictive data systems while simultaneously managing regulatory shifts, global uncertainty, talent transformations, and sustainability imperatives.
In this trends keynote, futurist Kaihan Krippendorff outlines the critical trends, technologies, and strategic opportunities that will mark the coming years of business. Drawing on insights gathered from Chief Strategy Officers (CSOs) across diverse industries, decades of trend tracking, and ongoing research– Kaihan challenges leaders to not just sense the future but to shape it—calling for organizations to rethink how they allocate attention, build capability, create their next competitive advantage, and orchestrate partnerships.
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Cutting edge and inspiring. Innovative business concepts.
Concrete and practical. Universally received by our tough and discerning audiences.
We have had outstanding feedback from Kaihan’s sessions and it was an honour to have him take part.
Kaihan shows that with a bold idea, anyone can change the world.
Practical and intelligent. A must for companies seeking to intelligently analyze and manage the competition.
Interesting and thought provoking ideas. A thoroughly stimulating session.
Powerful messages and energizing examples that resonate. Incredible process. Can’t wait until next time.
Kaihan shows how large organizations can innovate, build, and adapt for the future.
Kaihan provides practical, actionable steps for breaking down siloes, and ignites the drive to collaborate and accept the new opportunities that will soon come your way.
The highlight of the event was undoubtedly our keynote speaker, Kaihan Krippendorff. His visionary strategies left us inspired and ready to take on any challenge that comes our way.
Kaihan- your talk was a perfect blend of inspiring, practical, and actionable. As a leader who is working to implement many of these ideas and structures, I found it so helpful to see a research-based, broader view of what successful innovation looks like! Thank you so much for the expertise and enthusiasm
Kaihan is a uniquely engaging speaker who energizes and inspires audiences. His cutting-edge ideas and hand-picked business examples make complex subjects simple while delivering the perfect balance of entertainment and deep insight. He was the highlight of our event.
Feedback from Kaihan’s sessions at IMEX Frankfurt was outstanding. It was an honour to have him take part.
Kaihan is truly an extraordinary, world-class thinker, strategist and disruptive innovation practitioner. His books and talks demonstrate his ability to sense and elevate trends and disruptive forces when they are still fringe, to use his vast strategic understanding and cross-industry experience to clearly illuminate unheard-of but potent INSIGHTS (e.g., keys to driving large-scale innovation in companies through engaging employees) and a remarkable ability to ACTIVATE those insights in ways that resonate with practitioners in the field who struggle with transforming theory into action. His ability to drive clarity and offer actionable frameworks and approaches is unparalleled. And his ability to ‘connect the dots’ across his vast network of
other leading thinkers (listen to his podcasts!), and his ability to facilitate on-the-ground feedback and results is truly exemplary. I gain meaningful, novel insights in each of my interactions with Kaihan. These have been pivotal in shaping work I do and initiatives I spearheaded as Chief Strategy Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Finally, Kaihan’s style is equally extraordinary — he is exceptionally sincere, humble and inviting of others’ perspectives and creates an inspiring and engaging forum for others. Having had the pleasure of working with many brilliant minds in the past both as a partner at Oliver Wyman, and at Harvard Business School, I can say unreservedly that Kaihan is ‘tops’ in my book.”
Kaihan- you really crushed it – thank you…. Our group SERIOUSLY loved your content. You were the highest rated speaker we’ve had in 6 years. We’ll be following up to have you come back to speak at our global conference.
Kaihan did an outstanding job as keynote speaker at our Leadership Conference. He made a concerted effort to make his message tailored to our audience and went above and beyond in terms of learning about the issues that our company and its leaders are currently facing. I was impressed by his use of stories or choosing examples very relevant to our leaders to tie into his themes. We have gotten a lot of positive feedback regarding his message and would recommend him for additional talks.
Kaihan, it was a pleasure to work with you. Your presentation at our annual partners meeting was engaging and thought-provoking. You left us all with a better understanding of innovation and actionable ideas we can start working on right away. Thanks again for how you customized your session; it felt like you were talking directly to us. Thank you!
Kaihan had over 700 business leaders captivated with his relevant content on how to build a business that disrupts your industry and distances yourself from your competition. He delivered!
I would highly recommend Kaihan for your next event. Kaihan’s presentation at our annual meeting was the most thought-provoking and inspiring part of the conference. He spent extra time listening to us to learn more about our industry and was an absolute pleasure to work with. His passion and enthusiasm came across extremely well to our audience. We already know we want to bring him back to another event.
Essential if you are itching to be more creative and tap into the resources of your company to create something amazing.