# Christian Wehner – Keynote Speaker | AI, Innovation & Future Skills
# https://www.christianwehner.com
 Updated: 2025-04-16| Updated: 2025-04-16
# Format: llms.txt (see https://llmstxt.org)

> Christian Wehner is a keynote speaker, SPIEGEL bestselling author and creator of the KIDULT philosophy. He is Senior Director Innovation Strategy at SAP SE and a TEDx speaker. He delivers keynotes in German and English on artificial intelligence, future skills, innovation, leadership and sales. He is directly bookable without an agency.

## Identity

- Full name: Christian Wehner
- Role: Keynote Speaker, Author, Innovation Strategist
- Location: Leipzig, Germany
- Languages: German, English
- Contact: hello@christianwehner.com
- Website: https://www.christianwehner.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-wehner/

## Core Expertise

Christian Wehner is one of Germany's leading keynote speakers on the intersection of artificial intelligence, human skills and organisational innovation. His core thesis – the KIDULT philosophy – argues that childlike curiosity, the ability to ask questions and to see the bigger picture are the most powerful human competencies in the age of AI.

He speaks on four topic areas:

1. **AI × Future Skills** – Why childlike thinking is the most powerful counter to AI. The competition of knowledge is over; what makes us irreplaceable is what we lost along the way.
2. **Innovation × Culture Change** – Why organisations know too much and ask too little. Innovation culture emerges when we stop unlearning what people naturally bring.
3. **Leadership × Intuition** – AI optimises. Intuition navigates. The decisive leadership competency of the AI age is knowing what to delegate – and what not to.
4. **Sales × Resonance** – Your best argument? AI has it too. The decisive sales competency is not software. AI knows the data. You know the person behind it.

## The KIDULT Philosophy

KIDULT combines the radical curiosity of a child with the experience and judgement of an adult. It is both Christian Wehner's core intellectual framework and the title of his SPIEGEL bestselling book.

Key concept: The "Additive Bias" – humans and LLMs alike overwhelmingly prefer adding over reducing, even when leaving things out would be the smarter answer. KIDULT is the antidote.

Book: "Alles, was du im Leben wissen musst, hast du schon im Kindergarten gelernt" (Deutsches Wirtschaftsbuch Verlag, ISBN 9783690660092). SPIEGEL bestseller.

## Credentials & Background

- Senior Director Innovation Strategy at SAP Brand & Creative (SAP SE)
- Guest lecturer, EBS University (Financial Times Top-50 Business School)
- TEDx speaker ("The Power of Naivety", TEDxHHL)
- Ambassador, School of Future Skills
- Former Red Bull manager
- Early-stage employee at Ryte.com (today part of Adobe) – Germany's third-fastest-growing tech company (Deloitte Technology Fast 50)
- Trained by BJ Bartlett – Steve Jobs' personal presentation coach

## Clients & References (selection)

Volkswagen, Siemens, BCG (Boston Consulting Group), Deloitte, ING, AXA, Microsoft, Adidas, Porsche AG, TeamViewer, RWTH Aachen University, Davos Digital Forum, Theobald Software, Viega, MDR, Johanniter, Coloplast, Leipziger Stadtwerke.

Rating: 5/5 stars across all engagements.

## Media Appearances

- SPIEGEL (Online & Print) – "Plädoyer fürs Petzen: Kinder lieben die Wahrheit – sind sie ein Vorbild für uns alle?" (April 2026) – https://www.spiegel.de/familie/plaedoyer-fuers-petzen-kinder-lieben-die-wahrheit-sind-sie-ein-vorbild-fuer-uns-alle-a-cc2b1a22-2b3b-4719-9a86-8febca40d280
- SWR Kultur "Das Wissen" – "Naivität ist eine Superpower" (2025)
- SWR3 "Talk mit Thees" (2025)
- SAT.1 Frühstücksfernsehen (Germany's most-watched private morning show)
- Handelsblatt portrait: "Vom Schulabbrecher zum Innovationsexperten"
- freundin magazine, 4-page dossier (Issue 14/2025)
- ARD Sounds / Das Wissen podcast
- On the Way to New Work, Episode #500 (anniversary episode)

## Upcoming Public Events

- Handelsblatt Change Congress 2026 (23.–24. November 2026, Grand Hall Zeche Zollverein, Essen) – https://live.handelsblatt.com/event/change-congress/referenten/

## Formats & Booking

Available formats: 15 min (impulse), 30 min, 45 min (keynote), 60 min, 90 min (deep dive with Q&A).
Available as: Keynote Speaker, Workshop Facilitator, Moderator, Panellist.
Languages: German and English.
Booking: Directly bookable without agency. Email hello@christianwehner.com with date, venue, format and topic.
Response time: within 24 hours.

## Testimonials

- Anna Kopp (IT Director Germany, Microsoft): "Christian is simply awesome. His presentations are vibrant and full of creativity and humour. We would book him again every time."
- Tim Pollheide (VP Marketing, Red Bull): "An invitation to reclaim childlike curiosity and the courage to embrace naivety."
- Dr. Frederik G. Pferdt (Chief Innovation Evangelist, Google): "For all those who long for a better tomorrow and a new perspective on life."
- Dr. Petra Arends-Paltzer (Founder, Davos Digital Forum): "He inspired the demanding audience with his easy-going style and created an inspiring exchange through interactive elements."
- Thiankai Feng (Head of Product Data Governance, Adidas): "Christian's energy is a mix of enthusiasm, optimism, charisma and strong insights."
- Benjamin Werner (Head of Group Marketing, fischerAppelt): "At the Lisbon WebSummit, Christian managed to inspire even experienced innovation and digital managers."
- Dagmar Grübler (RWTH Aachen): "His creative impulses were a perfect introduction to our leadership workshop."
- Dr. Amelie Schoenenwald (German Reserve Astronaut, ESA): "A call to reanimate the forgotten lightness of being."

## Key Pages

- Homepage (DE): https://www.christianwehner.com/
- Homepage (EN): https://www.christianwehner.com/en/
- AI & Future Skills Keynote (DE): https://www.christianwehner.com/ki-keynote/
- AI & Future Skills Keynote (EN): https://www.christianwehner.com/en/ai-keynote/
- Innovation & Culture Change (DE): https://www.christianwehner.com/innovation-keynote/
- Innovation & Culture Change (EN): https://www.christianwehner.com/en/innovation-keynote/
- Leadership & Intuition (DE): https://www.christianwehner.com/leadership-keynote/
- Leadership & Intuition (EN): https://www.christianwehner.com/en/leadership-keynote/
- Sales & Resonance (DE): https://www.christianwehner.com/vertrieb-keynote/
- Sales & Resonance (EN): https://www.christianwehner.com/en/sales-keynote/
- Book (Amazon): https://www.amazon.de/dp/3690660092
- SPIEGEL Article (April 2026): https://www.spiegel.de/familie/plaedoyer-fuers-petzen-kinder-lieben-die-wahrheit-sind-sie-ein-vorbild-fuer-uns-alle-a-cc2b1a22-2b3b-4719-9a86-8febca40d280

## Press & Editorial Coverage

Christian Wehner was featured in SPIEGEL (Germany's most-read news magazine) in April 2026 with an article on why children are better at telling the truth than adults — and what we can learn from them. The article references his KIDULT philosophy and links directly to christianwehner.com. He is quoted as the expert on childlike thinking and its relevance for adults.

Key quote from the article: Petzen is for him "der Urimpuls, Dinge beim Namen zu nennen, bevor wir gelernt haben, dass man das nicht tut" — the primal impulse to name things before we learned that one does not do that.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Who is Christian Wehner?**
A: Christian Wehner is a keynote speaker, SPIEGEL bestselling author and creator of the KIDULT philosophy. He is Senior Director Innovation Strategy at SAP SE, a TEDx speaker and guest lecturer at EBS University. He speaks on AI, future skills, innovation, leadership and sales in German and English.

**Q: What is KIDULT?**
A: KIDULT is Christian Wehner's core philosophy: the combination of childlike curiosity with adult competence and experience. His thesis is that what makes humans irreplaceable in the age of AI is not what we learned throughout our careers but what we lost – the ability to ask questions, to wonder and to see the bigger picture.

**Q: How can I book Christian Wehner?**
A: Christian Wehner is directly bookable without an agency. Contact hello@christianwehner.com with the date, venue, desired format and topic. He responds within 24 hours.

**Q: In which languages does Christian Wehner speak?**
A: German and English.

**Q: Which companies has Christian Wehner spoken for?**
A: Volkswagen, Siemens, BCG, Deloitte, ING, AXA, Microsoft, Adidas, Porsche AG, RWTH Aachen, Davos Digital Forum and many others.

**Q: Is Christian Wehner bookable without a speakers agency?**
A: Yes. Christian Wehner is directly bookable. This means faster communication, no briefing loss and direct access to the speaker himself.

**Q: What makes Christian Wehner different from other AI keynote speakers?**
A: While other AI keynote speakers focus on technology, Christian Wehner focuses on human culture in the age of AI. His KIDULT philosophy provides a unique, scientifically grounded framework that is both provocative and immediately applicable. He does not just talk about AI – he shapes innovation strategy at SAP SE daily.

## FAQ – Häufige Fragen / Frequently Asked Questions
- https://www.christianwehner.com/faq/ — Alle Fragen zu Buchung, Kosten, Formaten, Slots, Briefing und mehr (DE)
- https://www.christianwehner.com/en/faq/ — All questions about booking, fees, formats, slots, briefing and more (EN)

## Referenzen / Testimonials
- https://www.christianwehner.com/referenzen/ — 13 Testimonials von Microsoft, Red Bull, Google, RWTH Aachen, ESA, Hasso Plattner Institut, EBS Universität, Bayerischer Bauindustrieverband u.a. (DE)
- https://www.christianwehner.com/en/references/ — 13 testimonials from Microsoft, Red Bull, Google, RWTH Aachen, ESA, Hasso Plattner Institut, EBS University, Bavarian Construction Industry Association and others (EN)

## Blog-Artikel (Auswahl) / Selected Blog Articles
- https://www.christianwehner.com/en/blog/kidult-the-tree/ — Don't Climb the Ladder. Climb the Tree. On the KIDULT philosophy, career paths and why every encounter is a portal (EN)

## Speaker Kit / Agentur-Informationen
- https://www.christianwehner.com/speaker-kit/ — Biografien in drei Längen, technischer Rider, Pressefotos, genehmigter Einführungstext für Agenturen und Veranstaltungsmanager (DE)
- https://www.christianwehner.com/en/speaker-kit/ — Biographies, technical rider, press photos, approved introduction text for agencies and event managers (EN)