Martin Gutmann is a business historian who works as a professor at the Lucerne School of Business and senior lecturer at ETH Zurich. He writes about how the past can enlighten us on today’s most pressing issues and is the bestselling author of The Unseen Leader: How History Can Help Us Rethink Leadership. Martin is an international keynote speaker who impresses his audiences with his knowledge on history, leadership, and innovative management strategies.
Born in Sweden, Martin has lived and worked all over the world, with locations including Japan, the US, Canada, Mauritius, Germany, and Switzerland. He started work in 2002 as a Campus Activities Officer at Colorado College, before going on to become a Teaching & Research Associate at Syracuse University between 2005 and 2009, during which time he completed his Certificate of International Relations & National Security Studies at the same establishment. Between 2009 and 2010, he was a CLIR Mellon Fellow at Council on Library and Information Resources, and he graduated from Syracuse University with a Doctor of Philosophy. From there, Martin became a University Lecturer at University of Lucerne, and then a Visiting Professor at Quest University Canada.
Martin further progressed is career in roles such as Research Project Head – EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, Consultant: ALU MBA Program Design & Curriculum Development at ALU Education, and Professional of International Relations at AUS (The American University in Switzerland). In 2016, he became Managing Director at ETH Zurich Swiss School of Public Governance for four years, before becoming senior lecturer there, and graduating from IE Business School with a Master of Business Administration. He began teaching at Lucerne School of Business in 2020. Most recently, he published The Unseen Leader and became a contributor for Forbes, reaching more than 60 million people with his writings on history and thought leadership.
Martin is highly experienced in delivering thought-provoking talks steeped in evidence taken from history and modern psychology, having recently delivered his TED Talk, Are We Celebrating the Wrong Leaders? He is available to hire as a speaker at your event, where he will provide valuable insights on how to lead a happy, productive team, how to lead during crisis and uncertainty, and leadership in the age of artificial intelligence. Audiences can expect to discover how history can influence our present-day take on leadership and be inspired as the leaders of tomorrow.
Books
The Unseen Leader
How to hire Martin Gutmann
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Martin Gutmann 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.
Martin Gutmann's official speaking topics are listed below:
Leading Happy & Productive Teams
Martin explores how ensuring your teams are happy and health is the only way to sustain productivity, using examples from sports teams, businesses, and the latest art research.
Leadership in a Time of Crisis & Uncertainty
Martin references the 1927 race to fly across the Atlantic and Charles Lindbergh’s successful flight, comparing this historic event with today’s leadership challenges, defined by VUCA, BANI, and Poly-crisis. He presents three leadership principles: subtract rather than add, use a compass, not a map, and balance confidence and humility. Audiences will discover timeless methods of overcoming crisis and uncertainty.
Organisations & Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Martin contrasts key technological disruptions in history to the modern-day AI, unveiling three predictions about the implications of AI on business and society (and what leaders can and should do to prepare accordingly).
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
“Martin brings a unique historian’s perspective that keeps us grounded in human-centred values, learnings, and future endeavours. In times of AI and fast technological advancement, Martin invites us to think creatively and exercise critical reasoning.” - Google
"Martin captivated our 500+ person audience of risk, resilience, and response practitioners with his engaging and poignant talk on crisis leadership and what it means to lead in a crisis-dense world. We followed Charles Lindbergh’s journey across the Atlantic to glean lessons that crisis leaders can use today. Martin has a great appeal when he speaks to an international audience; he is humble and authoritative at the same time. His credentials speak as clearly as he does - Martin is a great candidate for a corporate talk, capturing the attention of the most senior audience. Bravo!" - Dow
"Martin is a masterful and engaging speaker who blends captivating stories with clear, actionable takeaways. Our audience loved every minute of his talk!” - Zurich
“Martin was a very open and engaging speaker. He generously shared a lot of valuable research from his work, but also openly shared his own experiences in life and leadership in a very relatable way.” - UBS
- 2024 – Contributor at Forbes
- 2023 – Published The Unseen Leader
- 2022 – Professor at Lucerne School of Business
- 2020-2022 – University Lecturer at Lucerne School of Business
- 2016 – Graduated from IE Business School with Master of Business Administration
- 2016 – Senior Lecturer at ETH Zurich
- 2016-2020 – Managing Director at ETH Zurich Swiss School of Public Governance
- 2015-2017 – Professional of International Relations at AUS (The American University in Switzerland)
- 2015-2016 – Consultant: ALU MBA Program Design & Curriculum Development at ALU Education
- 2014-2016 – Research Project Head – EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow
- 2014 – Visiting Professor at Quest University Canada
- 2012 – University Lecturer at University of Lucerne
- 2010 – Graduated from Syracuse University – Maxwell School with a Doctor of Philosophy
- 2009-2010 – CLIR Mellon Fellow at Council on Library and Information Resources
- 2005-2009 – Graduated with a Certificate of Advanced Studies, International Relations & National Security Studies from Syracuse University – Maxwell School
- 2005-2009 – Teaching & Research Associate at Syracuse University
- 2002-2003 – Campus Activities Officer at Colorado College
