My Biography
If I had to pick two leadership skills worth practicing, I’d go with kindness and curiosity.
Hi, I am Robin. I am a leadership strategist and entrepreneur operating at the intersection of strategy and organizational change… and the open ocean. I help executives develop and execute strategies for organizational transformation by combining leadership practices with an entrepreneurial mindset and technological understanding. The result: Systems that actually work in dynamic environments and develop teams that are robust enough to survive the next crisis. My philosophy is simple: Leadership starts where control ends. It's the art of activating people toward a common goal, even when the context shifts. I don’t just teach this but I live it. As a founder of the venture capital firm Njordis and the education company Global Institute of Leadership and Technology, I’m a builder first. For more than a decade, I’ve been advising leaders and executives across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas on how to develop progress-driven teams. I also work with HR teams to design organizational learning programs that not only deliver content but instead focus on behavior change and actual skill adoption. I don’t hand out generic motivation. I partner with you to fix problems, seize opportunities, and move from stagnation to progress. Over the last decade I:→ Worked with 3,000+ executives on their transformation efforts to deliver results in dynamic environments across Europe, the US Asia, and the Middle East.→ Designed leadership development strategies for Deutsche Telekom, Lufthansa, Volkswagen, and Banco Santander, among others.→ Advised 650+ founders and startups on strategy, fundraising, scaling, and organizational development.→ Taught leadership, entrepreneurship, and innovation at universities including the European Business School, Frankfurt School, the University of Barcelona and NYU.→ Advised global bodies like the European Commission and the World Economic Forum on innovation ecosystem strategies.→ Built ventures in software, education, healthcare, logistics, and retail — and am now launching an investment platform to scale innovations in the blue economy In my work, I’m most interested in what people do when things are unclear. Not what they say in slide decks, but how they sense the next step, adjust to take action, and challenge their decisions. I believe leadership should feel real and that kindness and curiosity are key skills to focus on. And that the most useful question is often: “What’s one thing we can do by the end of today?” If you’re looking for someone who brings structure without rigidity, energy without theatrics, and clarity without fluff, I’d be happy to talk. If there’s good coffee and a marker in the room, even better.
Essays
A Love Letter to Enough
Over-preparation can be a beautiful way to avoid reality. This is a love letter to enough: one meaningful choice instead of ten anxious drafts.
When the map stops matching the world, calm competence beats perfect planning. Cut the noise, keep the signal, and trust your competence to carry the moment.
The High Tide of Doubt: What Imposter Syndrome Looks Like at the Top
Success doesn't eliminate imposter syndrome. It's a by-product of growth at the top. This doubt, if unchecked, undermines leadership through paralysis, false certainty, and isolation. Reframe it as a spark for Activated Progress, signaling new territory. You can't kill the doubt, but you lead with it by seeking counsel, facilitating clarity, and getting real feedback. If you've stopped doubting, you've stopped taking risks worth taking.
Tonight, I have to die for the mess you made
Once a year, Cologne burns the Nubbel. A ritual that is a leadership masterclass in metabolizing failure. Most teams don’t struggle with making mistakes, but they struggle with ending the story. By blaming the system instead of the person, you clear the "emotional fog" and protect trust. It is the art of burning the guilt while keeping the obligation. Stop poisoning your future with the unburied ghosts of yesterday.