Keynote speaker for leadership, agility & change
As a keynote speaker for leadership, agility and change, Peter Tümmers von Schoenebeck combines entrepreneurial experience with high-performance coaching from elite sport. His talks translate the parallels between whitewater expeditions, ski jumping and top management into concrete, actionable impulses—supported by images that stick and examples that hold up in everyday work.
Service Overview:
Informative, inspiring and engaging. Extreme athlete and agility expert Peter Tümmers von Schoenebeck translates parallels between elite sport and top management. His talks show how agile leadership, mental strength and the ability to change can be implemented effectively in companies—practical, inspiring and with lasting impact.
Suitable for:
This service is aimed at:
- Leadership or team-building events
- Leadership conferences
- Companies undergoing change
- Organisations with a risk-management focus
Which challenges we solve:
The topics of his keynotes strike a chord with organisations in motion—from corporations focused on risk management to leadership teams after a disruption. Instead of general advice, four specific areas of tension take centre stage, where Peter Tümmers connects his elite-sport experience:
- Risk management between technology and people
- Making decisions under pressure
- Building mental strength
- Reigniting team spirit after disruption
From these areas of tension, Peter Tümmers has distilled three talk formats—fed by elite sport, consulting practice and more than two decades of stage experience.
Topics and Goals:
Three talk formats, each tailored to one area of tension. Each talk links a specific elite-sport situation with a business question—from whitewater expeditions and agile team strength to stress competence from ski-jumping coaching.
No risk no fun - Leading through turbulence
Intuitive competence instead of the gut-feeling myth: how leaders make robust decisions in fractions of a second. Your gut knows more than your brain dares to believe.
Empower your Team - Agile team strength
Whitewater, 400 km on the Colorado, clear team roles: what a real expedition teaches about agility and empowerment—with GoPro footage from the most agile element in the world.
Stress, give me a break - Success under pressure
Four pillars of life, hamster-wheel mechanics, perfectionism vs. burnout: how to remain capable of action even under constant strain—a participatory talk.
What participants take away:
Whichever of the three talk formats you choose—five effects are built into every Peter Tümmers keynote. They make the difference between an inspiring moment on stage and an impulse that truly carries into everyday working life:
Breathtaking images and GoPro action footage
Peter Tümmers does not present his talks with standard PowerPoint, but with his own GoPro footage from whitewater expeditions, ski-jump training sessions and mountain tours. The images are not decoration—they are the argument. What participants see leaves a lasting impression and is still accessible weeks later.
Fascinating parallels between sport and business
Instead of theoretical models, Peter translates specific elite-sport situations directly into leadership and decision-making topics. The Lava Falls Rapid becomes a risk-decision matrix, the ski-jump mindset becomes stress competence, and the whitewater team role becomes agile clarification of responsibilities. This creates bridges that hold up in everyday work.
Concrete recommendations for action instead of theory
Every keynote ends not with “interesting thoughts”, but with three to five actionable impulses that the audience will find in their calendar the following Monday. Practical rather than academic—and always aligned in advance with the industry, target group and occasion.
Activating intuitive competence
“Your gut knows more than your brain dares to believe.” Peter Tümmers is an expert in intuitive decisions under pressure. In his talk, he shows how to train your intuition, trust it and use it consciously in everyday business—especially when classic analysis would be too slow.
An inspiring, captivating speaking style
This is not self-promotion—it is the unanimous feedback from Daimler and Mercedes-Benz through to the German Risk Management Association. Peter captivates the audience within the first two minutes and keeps the energy up until the last question. On big stages, with international audiences, even after long conference days.
Kayak expedition Kyrgyzstan:
Talk on the expedition as a PDF
How a kayak expedition through the remote gorges of Kyrgyzstan became a case study in leadership in the CIS region—with observations on hierarchy, risk culture and decision logic.
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Peter Tümmers von Schoenebeck
400 km of whitewater. 7 athletes. A masterclass in leadership.
2014 — Lava Falls Rapid, Grand Canyon. Two-week expedition, one of the most dangerous whitewater runs in the world. Three lessons from this tour shape every talk Peter Tümmers gives today:
Team roles before hierarchy
Who in the crew could do what was clarified in the Grand Canyon before the first rapid: lead kayaker, safety position, sweep, photographer/lifesaver. Anyone who escalated in the boat already had the wrong role beforehand. Translated into business, this means: roles before hierarchy—always.
Trust that no workshop can simulate
In two weeks of whitewater, you cannot "look forward to trust-building". Trust is created at the first rapid you run together—or not at all. The depth forged by 400 km on the Colorado cannot be replicated by any off-site. In the talk, it becomes tangible.
Decision-making under pressure
Lava Falls Rapid: seconds, no pause button, no reset. In his talk, Peter Tümmers shows how moments like these become a repeatable decision pattern—one that also holds up in the board meeting.
"The logical link between success principles in extreme sports and effective management of opportunities and risks in everyday professional life is fascinating. Peter Tümmers demonstrates very vividly and originally how positive energies can be unleashed for change processes and used sustainably. No risk—much fun!"
"ICO has highly effective images and models to make the requirements of future leadership between self-efficacy and risk management manageable."
"In risk management, many companies still focus too strongly on technical aspects. Through Peter Tümmers' talk, I learned the importance of the 'human factor' and concrete ways of managing it. This will stick."
"In his talk 'No risk, no fun? — The human factor in risk management', Peter Tümmers vividly links the parallels between business and extreme sports. He convinces with fascinating images and his captivating speaking style. A highly instructive excursion into two worlds that have more in common."
Why ICO for your keynote speaker
Peter Tümmers does not speak about what he has read—he speaks about what he has experienced. Four reasons why ICO, as your keynote partner, makes a difference that the audience will still quote the next day.
Extreme athlete and agility expert in one person
It is rare to find someone who leads whitewater expeditions while also facilitating agile transformation in corporations. Peter Tümmers combines both authentically—and this rare combination has an immediate effect on stage: credibility without showmanship, depth without an academic tone. The audience is not listening to a theorist, but to someone who has lived through what he is talking about.
Images that are arguments
The GoPro footage shown in the talk was filmed by Peter himself—at Lava Falls Rapid, on the ski-jump take-off table, in a kayak in Kyrgyzstan. No stock photos, no symbolic imagery, but evidence. When an image comes first-hand, no PowerPoint slide can compete. That is why participants still remember specific scenes weeks later.
Practical examples from elite sport and the corporate world
Grand Canyon. Whitewater national team. Uzbekistan. Kyrgyzstan. Plus more than two decades of consulting and coaching experience with Daimler, Mercedes-Benz, IBM, Audi, Avira and the German Risk Management Association. From this wealth of experience, Peter selects the right examples for your industry—discussed in advance, researched and individually tailored. Not a standard talk, but a format tailored to your event.
Established thought leader
Over 25 years of stage experience, his own Wikipedia entry, a GEO Wissen profile, an ARD feature and international speaker slots—Peter Tümmers is quoted far beyond the industry. When you book him, you add the weight of an established thought leader to your event—and a name that makes an impact on the invitation before the talk has even begun.
How keynote booking works at ICO
From the first enquiry to a standing ovation:
A keynote booking with ICO follows a clear arc—from a non-binding briefing to follow-up with bonus materials for your participants. Not a standard off-the-shelf talk, but a tailored stage for your event.
01 Initial consultation
Non-binding, free of charge. We clarify the occasion, target group, industry and desired effect—and whether the format is a good fit at all.
02 Briefing & concept
Peter researches your industry, selects suitable examples and visual worlds, aligns key messages and sends a talk outline for approval.
03 Talk
Live on your stage, as a webinar or in a hybrid format. 45–60 minutes plus Q&A—German or English on request.
04 Follow-up
Materials for your participants: talk PDF, reading list, optional follow-up webinar to deepen the core impulses.
Feedback on keynote speaking at ICO
Book a keynote speaker — request a date
Are you planning a leadership event, a leadership conference or a kick-off with real impact? We will be pleased to align the topic, target group and framework with you individually.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically 45–60 minutes plus Q&A. On request, also as a short impulse talk (20–30 min) or workshop format (half day/full day).
At your company, at conferences or at our ICO Skywalk Center in Oberstdorf—and internationally. Online talks are also possible.
The talks are primarily delivered in German and English.
Fees depend on the format, preparation, travel time and usage rights. We coordinate this individually with you—an initial conversation is always non-binding.
Yes. Every keynote is discussed with you in advance—industry, target group, occasion, message. Peter adapts examples and emphasis individually.
Charisma Leadership
Language as impact—how leaders deliberately build their communicative presence, voice and presence profile. The methodological depth behind a keynote.
Crisis Leader
When "No risk no fun" becomes crisis communication—decision-making under pressure, stakeholder management and leadership in unstable situations.
More about Peter Tümmers
CV, awards, and media presence of ICO founder Peter Tümmers von Schoenebeck.
Communication & conflict resolution
What inspires in the talk is trained in the workshop—non-verbal communication, intercultural competence and constructive conflict resolution for teams.