Richard van Hooijdonk
Most organisations are not short of signals about technological change – they are short of a coherent way to read them. AI, robotics, quantum computing, and biotech are not arriving in sequence; they are arriving together, and their strategic implications compound. The real risk is not moving too slowly on one technology. It is misreading how several converging forces will combine to reshape a sector before the organisation has positioned itself to respond.
Richard van Hooijdonk helps boards and executive teams translate the simultaneous convergence of AI, robotics, and frontier technologies into coherent strategic decisions, through Trendforce.one, the Netherlands-based future intelligence agency he founded and leads.
Full Profile
Why organisations work with Richard van Hooijdonk
- He maps the intersection of multiple converging technologies – AI, robotics, quantum computing, biotech, autonomous systems – in a single strategic framework. Most technology speakers go deep on one domain; van Hooijdonk shows how these forces compound, which is where the strategic risk and opportunity actually sits.
- His material comes from an active research operation. Trendforce.one (Futurezone.ai) runs a permanent international research team, meaning his content reflects current technological trajectories rather than the publication date of a book or the half-life of a conference circuit.
- He speaks credibly across both commercial and institutional mandates. Clients range from Interpol, the European Commission, and NATO to Google, Deloitte, and Heineken – giving him a grounded view of how the same technology behaves under different regulatory, security, and commercial conditions.
- His RFID chip implants – used in daily life to open doors and operate his vehicle – are a verifiable, concrete expression of a research philosophy built on direct experience rather than observation. It is unusual, and it is documented.
- His Dutch-language bestseller De wereld van morgen and his multi-year recognition as the most sought-after futurist in the Netherlands demonstrate a sustained public credibility that extends well beyond the conference stage.
Biography highlights
- Founder and CEO of Trendforce.one / Futurezone.ai, a future intelligence agency with a permanent international research team tracking emerging and disruptive technologies
- Author of De wereld van morgen (The World of Tomorrow), a Dutch bestseller published by Bertram + De Leeuw Uitgevers (2017); author of 2,000+ articles and 60+ books, e-books, and whitepapers
- Delivered presentations to more than 600,000 attendees across 30+ countries since 2014
- Clients include Google, Microsoft, IBM, Gartner, Interpol, NATO, the European Commission, PwC, Deloitte, Heineken, Unilever, and Nike
- Guest lecturer at Nyenrode University and Erasmus University
- Regular television contributor on RTL (RTL Late Night, RTL Boulevard, RTLZ) and former host of Mindshift on BNR Nieuwsradio
- Voted most sought-after trendwatcher and futurist in the Netherlands for multiple consecutive years from 2015
Biography
Technology leaders have been warning organisations about AI and automation for years. What has changed is the simultaneity: AI, robotics, quantum computing, and biotech are not a sequence of challenges to address in turn – they are arriving together, and their combined effect on business models is harder to read than any single technology in isolation. Richard van Hooijdonk has built his practice around exactly this problem.
His research base is institutional rather than individual. As founder and CEO of Trendforce.one – now operating as Futurezone.ai – he leads a permanent international research team that tracks emerging technologies across sectors, geographies, and regulatory environments. Where many futurists work from published sources and their own networks, van Hooijdonk’s content is generated from ongoing intelligence work. The material he brings to a board conversation reflects the current state of the field.
His client base spans both sides of the public-private boundary. Organisations including Interpol, NATO, the European Commission, and Dutch Customs sit alongside Google, Deloitte, Heineken, and Samsung in his client history. That cross-sector exposure matters: the same autonomous system or generative AI application functions differently under a security mandate than under a commercial growth brief, and van Hooijdonk can articulate both.
His public platform extends his research reach beyond the executive audience. De wereld van morgen (The World of Tomorrow), a Dutch-language bestseller, brought his frameworks to a wider readership. Regular appearances on RTL television and BNR Nieuwsradio – where he hosted the Mindshift programme – and guest lectureships at Nyenrode University and Erasmus University have established him as a sustained public voice on technological change, not simply a conference circuit presence.
Key speaking topics
- Artificial intelligence and generative AI
- Robotics and autonomous systems
- Quantum computing and frontier technologies
- Technology-driven sector transformation
- The organisation of the future
- Cybercrime, security, and technology-enabled risk
- The future of work and human-machine collaboration
Ideal for
- Boards and executive leadership teams making technology investment decisions with long strategic horizons
- Chief Digital Officers, Chief Technology Officers, and Chief Innovation Officers
- Strategy and innovation functions within large enterprises navigating multi-technology disruption
- Public sector, government, and law enforcement organisations managing the security and governance implications of emerging technology
Audience outcomes
- A framework for assessing multiple converging technologies simultaneously, rather than evaluating each in isolation
- Sector-specific perspective on how AI, robotics, and adjacent technologies will alter competitive dynamics in their industry
- Practical orientation on where to begin with AI adoption – which processes are immediately affected, and how to sequence the transition
- Awareness of the security and governance risks created by emerging technologies, including AI-enabled crime and deepfakes
- Strategic clarity on the leadership behaviours and organisational structures required to adapt continuously, not reactively
Talks
An exploration of how robotics, sensors, and self-learning algorithms are converging to reshape operational processes and decision-making before 2040.
Key takeaways:
- How robotics, sensors, and algorithms are redefining operational processes at scale
- How self-learning systems deliver faster, data-driven decision-making across sectors
- A forward-looking framework for positioning an organisation against the technological landscape of the coming two decades
A strategic briefing on how converging technologies – cyber warfare, autonomous systems, biotechnology, deepfakes, and orbital risk – are redrawing the threat landscape for nations, institutions, and large organisations, and what that demands of leadership.
Key takeaways:
- How digital dependency, information warfare, and attacks on critical infrastructure have moved from geopolitical concern to operational business risk – and why the boundary between national security and corporate security is narrowing
- How new threat domains – space, biotech, autonomous decision-making, synthetic media – are developing in parallel and compounding one another, creating a risk environment that sector-by-sector analysis consistently underestimates
- A framework for building organisational agility and decision-making resilience in conditions where threats are less visible, faster-moving, and increasingly difficult to attribute
An examination of the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence – including generative AI – and its consequences for jobs, structures, and entire industries.
Key takeaways:
- The progression from early AI tools to generative AI, and what comes next
- How AI reshapes roles, departmental structures, and competitive dynamics
- How organisations can prepare for the next phase of AI development rather than respond to it after the fact
An immersive masterclass demystifying AI and equipping leadership teams with a practical framework for adoption and scaling.
Key takeaways:
- A clear, jargon-free account of what artificial intelligence actually entails
- Which organisational processes are most immediately suited to AI adoption
- How to evaluate AI opportunities with confidence and scale responsibly
A strategic keynote on navigating exponential technological disruption and building the leadership and organisational capacity to adapt continuously.
Key takeaways:
- How exponential technologies are reshaping business models in real time
- Case studies illustrating how organisations have successfully adapted – and why others have not
- A structured framework for building a future-ready organisation
An analysis of how rapid technological and social change reshapes what effective leadership requires, and how to lead through uncertainty rather than wait for stability.
Key takeaways:
- How technological change alters the demands placed on leadership at every level
- The characteristics and behaviours required of leaders in environments of continuous disruption
- Practical perspectives on turning uncertainty into strategic advantage