Farid Tabarki

Farid Tabarki is a sought-after international keynote speaker and conference moderator. He makes connections that surprise his various audiences: he may explain how CEOs can learn from Rihanna’s song ‘Diamonds’ or a bank manager from philosopher Peter Sloterdijk. He captivates his audience by embedding a strong vision for the future in the current reality for his client.

Farid, who has a Tunisian father and a Dutch mother, possesses passports of the countries of both parents. He has sought for his true identity and found it in world citizenship. As a logical consequence, he is an avid traveller, keen on visiting all countries of the world. The counter now stands at 171 countries.

Farid presented various television programs: MTV Coolpolitics during several Dutch parliament elections, and ‘Dare to Think, from Socrates to Sartre’ which was about how to integrate philosophical insights in ones daily life. He regularly publishes articles in books and magazines, and has been a columnist for Dutch daily newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad for more than five years.

In 2012, Farid was awarded the title of Trendwatcher of the Year 2012-2013. The jury report states: ‘Farid impresses, with his mix of clients and his broad international orientation. He stands for quality and transparency and despite the serious content, he manages to present that on a smooth and witty way. He certainly can be seen as a shining and passionate driver in professionalisation of the sector trend watching.’

Since 2013 Dutch daily newspaper De Volkskrant included Farid in the top-200 of the most influential people in the Netherlands. Back then he was the youngest on the list although fast forward to the present day and he’s still one of the youngest on the list.

Next to researching and presenting, Farid takes an active role in bringing about change. He’s amongst others member of the supervisory board of Stadgenoot (a housing corporation in Amsterdam) and the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund (one of the largest culture funds in The Netherlands). As a member of Platform Education2032, commissioned by the Dutch government, he formulated the framework of a future curriculum for primary and secondary education.

His book, ‘The End of the Middle – what a society of extremes means for people, companies and states’ was received with critical acclaim. In the book, Farid gives a vivid account of megatrends he sees in business and society as a whole: radical transparency, radical decentralisation and the liquid society. One of the main drivers is technological development, enabling all three of these megatrends. His book addresses the consequences of these massive changes for business, civil society, education and the individual.

Recently, Studio Zeitgeist (of which Farid is the founder) has published the whitepaper ‘The Transformation Playground, Reinventing Business Principles. It presents in-depth analyses of the seven organising principles, which Farid believes are the most important ones for businesses to put in practice.

Keynotes by Farid Tabarki will always encompass an enthralling vision for the future, tailored to the audience he is addressing.

Farid Tabarki’s Current/Past Roles & Positions

• Founding director of Studio Zeitgeist, which researches and shapes the zeitgeist
• Author of ‘The End of the Middle’
• former columnist at Dutch daily newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad
• Since 2013 listed among the 200 most influential Dutch people by De Volkskrant
• Often uses rich visuals with his presentations with many references to high and low culture
• Main focuses:  liquid society, radical decentralisation, radical transparency, the Transformation playground