In 2022, I cycled all 124 Swiss mountain passes in 26 days — 1,368 km, 56,380 metres of elevation, 110 hours in the saddle. No rest day. No stable conditions. No plan B.

In this keynote I show what it takes to truly commit to a challenge, instead of waiting for perfect conditions — and what happens when the plan suddenly stops working: a construction site, right below the summit. Turn back, descend, find a new route — and climb again.

In that moment, it isn’t fitness, skills or knowledge that carries you through, but the decision to own the path.

The audience leaves the keynote with a concrete understanding of ownership-driven performance, ready to apply it the moment their own plan falls apart.

30 mountains, 30 days, 40,000 metres of elevation — and a new team every day: familiar faces and strangers, different fitness levels, different expectations.

The keynote shows how teams stay sustainably effective under these conditions.

Take-Aways:
– How clarity about the goal and expectations makes ownership possible.
– How to enable people to take responsibility for their own path, despite uncertainty.
– How to make decisions when expectations diverge — in a way the whole team can stand behind.

I have failed often, and hard: I gave up my career at the World Bank to become a professional cyclist – and quickly had to admit that wasn’t my path either.

At 30, I had nothing but my bike, and was searching for my purpose.

Today I am no longer afraid of failing, because I know it’s part of success.

In this keynote I show why the fear of failure often does more damage than failure itself — and how teams build a culture of learning that turns setbacks into real progress, instead of avoiding risk altogether.

Ambitious goals are easy to set. The hard part is the climb: too many priorities, changes that challenge consistency, and a pace that is hard to keep.

Can AI help me with that? I am putting it to the test on myself. For six months, I am chasing two goals at once: the Milano Marathon and an ambitious business target.

At my side is an AI chief of staff, built on the CLIMB Framework® I developed from hundreds of conversations, coachings and workshops.

Its job is to keep me focused across both goals, make sure nothing important gets left behind, adapt the plan when things change, and help me keep a pace that avoids injuries and overtraining.

In addition, a small number of CEOs will work with their own AI chief of staff.

How much does this change how I execute on my goals? Where does AI really help, and where does it fall short? And what does it mean for leaders and their teams chasing ambitious goals?

In this keynote I will share what I learned along the way.

Keynote available from mid-April 2027.

Connecting sports with business

My 20 years of experience in high-performance environments doesn’t only come from sport.

I studied international security with a focus on nuclear weapons, worked for the IMF, the World Bank and in management consulting, and now lead my own business.

Having experienced myself what challenges business teams face, I understand them firsthand letting me translate the lessons from sport into the business world.

Common topics

• Change: why it feels hard until someone owns it
• New Work / heterogeneous teams: how to lead teams that look different every day
• Leadership under pressure: how to maintain execution and performance
• Accountability: why clarity is where it starts
• Sustainable performance: why ownership matters more than motivation
• Resilience: courage to fail – why failure is part of success