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.
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