Lena Kemna

Lena Kemna is a keynote speaker whose voice blends high performance insight with grounded experience in extreme environments. As Germany’s first female Big Wave Surfer, she brings a calm and precise style to the stage, shaped by a decade spent training in the Atlanti. Her work as a freediver, athlete and consultant gives her talks a rare mix of physical courage, academic understanding and business relevance.

Lena grew up in Germany and followed a broad academic path that shaped her curiosity about human behaviour. She studied at University College Maastricht, spent a semester at UNSW and completed her master’s degree at the Nova School of Business and Economics where she is now completing her PhD in Marketing and Consumer Behaviour. While building this academic foundation, she worked across Europe and Australia in roles that connected marketing, community projects and social impact work. Moving to Portugal more than ten years ago marked a turning point. The powerful coastline of Ericeira and later Nazaré became her training ground where long days in the water taught her focus, humility and the importance of trust. 

Lena’s achievements span sport, academia and consulting. In 2025 she became the first female German Big Wave Surfer, a milestone captured in the international film L E N A, which has been screened across Europe and selected for release on several global platforms. That same year she competed in the German National Freediving Championships and finished third in the newcomer category. Alongside her athletic journey she has built a respected academic career, including her role as Assistant Professorat Nova SBE and six years as a Teaching Assistant and Master Thesis Supervisor in brand management. She has worked as a Branding Consultant for organisations such as BMW, Deutsche Bank and EoM. Her invited speaker role at ISPO 2025 reflects her position as a trusted voice at the intersection of sport, brand strategy and purpose driven leadership.

People book Lena because she brings real clarity to complex topics. She speaks about leading under pressure, building strong communities in a world shaped by algorithms and empowering women who move through male dominated environments. Her stories from the ocean give these ideas weight. She recalls training for her first season in Nazaré, learning to manage fear by focusing on preparation and trusting her team.