Drawing from over a decade of experience at leading technology firms, including Google and Apple, Chris Heemskerk showcases his vision on corporate innovation as the head of The Innovation Alliance, a global network of tech executives and innovation leaders. As the former Head of Scaled Acquisitions for Google in North America, Chris transformed his business operation into a global centre for innovation and operational excellence.
His success led him to serve as an advisor to Google’s Innovation Lab, where he established a partnership with Harvard Business School to document the lab’s endeavours in two HBS Case Studies, in which he is featured. In pursuit of equipping organisations with the resources needed to innovate consistently, he authored The Innovation Scorecard, a comprehensive framework that helps firms maximise their innovation capabilities and discover new growth opportunities.
Chris is a highly sought-after innovation speaker and workshop facilitator, delivering impactful sessions both within Google and on international stages. His global engagements include speaking at prestigious organisations such as the United Nations in Rome, Amazon, Salesforce, and Verizon.
His passion for lifelong learning shapes his educational journey. He is a faculty member at The European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability, holds Executive Certifications in Innovation Leadership from Harvard Business School, and was sponsored to attend the HBS High Potential Leadership Program in 2019. He is also certified in Design Thinking at Stanford University and holds an MSc in Marketing from the London School of Business and Finance.
Chris Heemskerk's official speaking topics are listed below:
Building a World-Class Innovation Culture
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 own organisations.
Innovation Culture: Uncover strategies for fostering and leading a culture that prioritises innovation, aligning people and processes around creative thinking and execution.
Innovation Strategy: Learn how to create an Innovation Engine within your organisation to make innovation a repeatable, scalable process.
Case Studies: Discover why some companies can innovate consistently while others struggle, and what we can learn from their approaches.
The session will provide practical, actionable steps for embedding innovation into your organisation using the proprietary Innovation Scorecard™ framework.
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.
Innovation Masterclass for CEOs
This masterclass is designed for the C-suite and Senior Executives who want to embed innovation into their organisation’s core strategy. Using the Innovation Engine framework and the proprietary Innovation Scorecard™, this session provides practical tools, real-world case studies, and a strategic roadmap to drive measurable innovation at scale.
· Innovation Strategy: Learn how to implement The Innovation Engine to create a repeatable, scalable, and strategic approach to innovation.
· Culture of Innovation: Build an executive-led culture that fosters creativity, risk-taking, and cross-functional collaboration.
· Innovation Scorecard™: Use a proven framework to measure, track, and optimise innovation performance across your organisation.
· Case Studies & Best Practices: Gain insights from industry leaders like Google, 3M, and top innovation-driven enterprises.
· AI & Emerging Technologies: Understand how AI, automation, and disruptive technologies can create new business opportunities.
· Tangible Outcomes: Walk away with an innovation blueprint, performance scorecard, and leadership toolkit to implement immediately.
· This session equips C-suite leaders with the strategy, tools, and execution playbook to drive transformational growth, ensuring their organisation remains competitive, agile, and future-ready.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"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 sustainable development, so we hope to have you back at The United Nations in Rome very soon!" - Gladys, Senior Officer, Global Head of Innovation, United Nations
"Your keynote was well received by all, and especially by our president. It elevated our event and perfectly fit in the innovation-focused programme. We truly appreciate you being part of this important R&D gathering." - Milan, VP of Global R&D, CooperSurgical
"Chris is a great speaker on the topic of innovation. He's able to both motivate diverse senior leaders and effectively convey a powerful, contextual message. I find him an amazing professional." - Borislav, CPO & Member of the Executive Board, 1&1 Versatel
"Chris has a keen ability to translate proven innovation strategies to any organisation. 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." - Odette, Honorary Consul of the Netherlands, Arizona
"Chris Heemskerk was a standout keynote speaker at the Arizona Technology Council's annual CEO Leadership Retreat. His presentations on 'Innovation Management for CEOs' were a tour de force - both enlightening and thought-provoking. Chris presented an inclusive breakdown of a CEO's role in the innovation process, effectively illustrating how leaders can catalyse meaningful change within their organisations. With his discussion on the 'Innovation Engine', he presented a compelling case for integrating traditional corporate strategies with dedicated innovation strategies. Moreover, he transformed the abstract concept of leading innovation into a practical and tangible endeavour. By incorporating the elements of the Innovation Scorecard, he provided CEOs with a powerful tool to assess their innovation capabilities across culture, organisational design, external dimensions and effectiveness. Witnessing an engaged and energised public throughout the entire session, I cannot overstate my recommendation of Chris for C-Level audiences. His outstanding delivery and profound insights distinguished him as one of the premier speakers at our event." - Steven, President & CEO of the Arizona Technology Council and SciTech Institute
"Chris Heemskerk was a real highlight for me, we met him the night before the presentation to ensure that the presentation was on message, Chris had gone to great lengths to ensure that he drew examples from the Energy sector that were relevant for the audience." - Alex, Client Development Director, First Event
‘‘A Phenomenal Innovation Session’’ - Google USA
''Chris provoked much thought and discussion and sparked several follow-on conversations amongst the attendees'' - Salesforce, UK
- 2023 - Founder & CEO of The Innovation Alliance
- 2019 - Adjunct Faculty at the European Institute for Innovation and Sustainability
- 2016 - Head of Scaled Acquisitions at Google North America
- 2014 - Senior New Business Development Manager at Google
- 2011 - Account Management at Publicis
- 2011 - Global Account Management at J. Walter Thompson Worldwide
- 2010 - Sales Operations Management Project at Apple Inc.
- 2009 - Marketing Intern at Audi
How to hire Chris Heemskerk
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Chris Heemskerk for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
