Innovation Is Entrepreneurship
Chris Heemskerk is an internationally recognised Keynote Speaker on Innovation Strategy, Innovation Culture and Artificial Intelligence (AI). With more than a decade of experience at Google and Apple, Chris brings rare insights into how the world’s most influential companies design, implement and scale innovation.
As former Head of Scaled Acquisitions for Google in North America, Chris transformed his business unit into a global hub for innovation and operational excellence. His leadership led to an advisory role with Google’s Innovation Lab, where his work was featured in two Harvard Business School case studies.
Chris is the Founder of The Innovation Alliance, a global network of executives and thought leaders driving the future of corporate innovation. He is also the author of The Innovation Scorecard™️, a practical framework that helps organisations strengthen innovation capability and unlock new growth opportunities.
A trusted advisor and sought-after Speaker, Chris has worked with leading organisations including the United Nations, Salesforce, Amazon, Verizon, L’Oréal, Engie and Google. He also serves as faculty at the European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability, sharing his expertise with the next generation of business leaders.
Educated at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, Chris holds certifications in Innovation Leadership from Harvard Business School, Design Thinking from Stanford University, and an MSc in Marketing from the London School of Business and Finance. He is based between Amsterdam and New York City and speaks at events across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Talking Points
Innovation Strategy
How do you build an innovation engine for your organization?
Innovation Strategy
Innovation Culture
How do you ensure that everyone can and wants to innovate?
Innovation Culture
AI Strategy
How do you make sure your AI initiatives take off and create real impact in the organization?
AI Strategy
Video
Chris Heemskerk | Innovation Keynote Speaker | Demo Reel 2025
In this 2025 demo reel, innovation keynote speaker Chris Heemskerk shares why theory-heavy business plans often fail—and how real innovation demands testing ideas in the market. He introduces his Innovation Scorecard, a framework that helps organisations build repeatable, scalable innovation processes. Chris explores concepts like the adjacent possible, showing how companies like Netflix evolved by leveraging existing conditions, and why having multiple paths to yes is crucial for ideas to thrive. From AI disruption to cultural transformation, Chris explains how innovation reshapes leadership, hiring, and strategy.Innovation Success: Discover The Innovation Scorecard™ | Chris Heemskerk
Innovation keynote speaker Chris Heemskerk unveils The Innovation Scorecard™, a practical tool to measure and accelerate innovation across four key areas: culture, internal structure, external collaboration, and effectiveness. Learn how aligning your team with a clear vision, mission, and values empowers decision-making, why incentives must support innovation, and how to engage emerging customer segments. Heemskerk also introduces innovation accounting and the R&D-to-sales conversion metric to track impact before financial returns appear. A must-watch for leaders aiming to foster sustainable innovation.A phenomenal innovation session. ... keep reading Google USA
What an inspiring and insightful masterclass.
Chris provoked much thought and discussion and sparked several follow on conversations amongst the attendees.
