Keynote Speaker
Clarity.compass.courage.
creativE strategic THINKING for leaders navigating complexity and change in the age of AI
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The Human Edge: creative strategic thinking in the age of AI
The most enduring organisations in the world are still built by human leadership - through imagination, judgment, and the courage to stand for something.
AI is extraordinary. It analyses faster, generates more, and optimises endlessly. What it cannot do is decide what matters. Choose what to stand for. Build genuine trust. Or find the insight hiding in plain sight that changes everything.
That gap isn't shrinking. It's growing.
Peter Wilken is the Father of Brand DNA, one of the few strategists ever to win a Cannes Gold Lion - the creative Oscars - author of Dim Sum Strategy and the founder of Lighthouse Brand Strategy Academy. With more than 30 years of leadership at Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, and as Head of BBDO Asia Pacific, working with Coca-Cola, Unilever, Shell, and some of the world's most recognised brands, Peter has spent a career in the rooms where brand decisions are made. He co-founded one of Asia's first specialist brand consultancies and co-developed Brand-Centred Management™, a methodology now used by thousands of brand professionals worldwide. He knows what great thinking looks like. And he knows what it costs when organizations stop doing it.
His talks are built around a single, urgent idea: when intelligence is no longer scarce, Creative Strategic Thinking becomes the defining human advantage. Not creativity for its own sake. Not strategy as a dry exercise. But the whole-brain, whole-self ability — what Peter calls Dolphin Thinking — to see what others miss, challenge the frames everyone else accepts, and act with conviction when the path is anything but clear.
He helps leaders find three things they need most right now:
Clarity. What do you truly stand for? What makes you genuinely distinctive? What are you promising your customers, your teams, your stakeholders - and are you keeping that promise?
Compass. A true north for decision-making. Your Brand DNA as a guiding star - not a map that may date, but a compass that works in any terrain.
Courage. The conviction to choose, to stand out, and to lead with what you believe - especially when it's easier not to.
Peter has spoken to executive teams, marketing leaders, and entrepreneurs across Asia, North America, and Europe - from leadership off-sites and strategy workshops with global brands to masterclasses through Lighthouse Brand Strategy Academy. He is a frequent podcast guest, sharing insights on brand strategy, creativity, and leadership with audiences worldwide - including a memorable conversation with contemporary and friend Terry O'Reilly, host of the acclaimed Under the Influence, one of Canada's most widely heard marketing podcasts, with over 75 million downloads.
Keynotes, Fireside Chats, After Dinner Talks, Breakout Sessions, Executive Workshops, Panel Discussions — Peter is equally at home on a main stage, in a boardroom, or leading an intimate masterclass.
AS FEATURED ON
Speaking Topics
Every speaking engagement is different. I tailor each talk to suit your audience. Three of the most popular are detailed below.
It’s all in Your DNA.
Would you like to know how the secret of how top brand consultancies develop winning brand strategies for the top brands?
In this talk, I demonstrate the principles of what makes great brands great.
Then, I share how the top brand consultants and branding agencies develop compelling brand strategies for the top brands.
The heart of great brand strategy is positioning and purpose, encapsulated in your unique Brand DNA Blueprint.
Your Brand DNA is a bedrock and a beacon. It guides everything you DO and SAY.
Illustrated with examples and anecdotes from a lifetime’s career working with some of the world’s top brands, I’ll share with you the essential elements of the trademarked Brand Centered Management™ 4Ds process.
If you’re looking for creative ways to build your business through your brand, this is for you.
Creative Strategic Thinking
We hear a lot about critical thinking but much less about creative thinking.
With increasing complexity, uncertainty and change in our lives - and the rise of AI and automation - the need to embrace human creativity to solve challenges has never been more critical.
Creative Thinking is the ultimate human advantage. It’s how we use our brainpower to think differently, generate ideas and create new from old. We use creative thinking to solve problems, challenge the status quo and envision a brighter future.
Entrepreneur or start-up Company? SME? Large established organization?
Stuck in a rut? Frustrated by bureaucracy? Worried that short-sightedness is blocking the bigger picture? Or that risk-aversion is leading to lost opportunity? Need solutions to deal with change, uncertainty and complexity?
You likely already have good ideas and want to look beyond your current boundaries. You may be looking for ways to maintain or stimulate growth or manage change in your market.
Creative thinking embraces Constructive Disruption. Constructive Disruption helps you:
Transform the way you approach change, opportunity and challenges
Facilitate positive change in your team
Instil innovation within your organizational culture
Learn how to break through bureaucracy and obstacles to progress
Generate fresh ideas to reorient or reconfirm your future direction
Learn to ‘Zig’
Think Like a Dolphin
How to Become a Creative Master of Your Own Universe
Do you feel you can make a difference in this world?
Do you want to take more control of your own destiny whilst respecting the need for others to do the same? Do you believe we can do better than win-lose solutions? Are you a creative thinker?
Peter illustrates how thinking through the lens of dolphins can change perceptions and lead to dramatic transformations to help you build a better world for yourself and for others. He shares experiences from the world of advertising, brand-building and change management to demonstrate the power of creative thinking to effect change.
If you’re looking to change your world in your own unique way, this is for you.
“Highly recommended.”
— Don Anderson, President, Legato Wealth Management Inc.
"From testing our knowledge of successful campaigns like Volvo's 'safest car money can buy' to challenging us to consider the alignment of our own marketing strategies, Peter kept us engaged, entertained, and learning throughout his presentation."
– Don Anderson, President, Legato Wealth Management Inc.
"Peter brilliantly explains strategic models and shares proven tools that can be used in today’s business world to help transform your brand."
- Wendy Hartley, Principal, Hartley PR
“Peter is much more than a speaker, he masterfully engages the audience to think creatively and share ideas.”
– — Natalie Brown, Mozart Communications
“Peter’s speaking engagement was thought-provoking; he inspires his audience to be creative when it comes to building or transforming their business or personal brand.”
– Dean StantonDirector, Custom Security Systems, Telus
“Not only does Peter bring vast creative industry experience to bear, with powerful insights and wonderful anecdotes, he does so in a way that is personal - and, above all - practical.”
– George Higgins President, Identity Management Inc.
