Arjan Keizer speaking

Speaker & Advisor

Arjan
Keizer

Sustainability and corporate transition — with the experience of Shell, McKinsey, and co-founder of "Employees for our Future" as my compass.

Arjan Keizer

An insider who names the urgency — constructively

With a background at Shell, McKinsey, INSEAD and TU Delft, I'm the prototype corporate professional. Until November 2022 I trusted the system blindly — a techno-optimist who believed innovation would fix everything without changing how we live.

Reading The Climate Book changed that. I'm not a born believer, but someone who was awoken — which is exactly why I can put myself in the shoes of the majority who aren't there yet. I chaired Shell's green team for two years, then left in 2025 to found Employees for our Future (ANBI).

I speak the language of business from the inside, and I build the bridge few can: between the corporate world, politics, and the climate movement.

Speaking topics

Three perspectives on the transition

01
The economic & geopolitical urgency
Why the transition is no longer a choice — connecting the reality of shareholder interests and geopolitics to what the window for action actually looks like.
02
From techno-optimist to urgent actor
My own shift in 2022 from true believer in the system to someone who felt the urgency deeply enough to act — and why that makes reaching the majority possible.
03
Change from within — growing your handprint
How to mobilise the silent majority of employees to contribute to positive change, without needing a mandate from the top. Everyone has a way to act.

On stage

See a session in action

What changes

What people do differently afterwards

From powerlessness to agency
Participants realise their sustainable choices at home aren't enough — and that their greatest lever is at work. That shift moves people from feeling stuck to seeing what they can do.
They speak up
A comment on the intranet, a question in a team meeting or townhall. People discover far more colleagues think the same way, so it takes less courage to say what they always wanted to.
They organise
Joining or starting a green team, proposing a sustainable alternative, opening a conversation with the works council, pension fund, or their manager — small, concrete steps that fit who they are.
Feel for the field of forces
As American shareholders gain influence, many European firms have shifted from the Rhineland model toward an Anglo-Saxon one — which limits a CEO's options. Employees who understand this sense better where they can make positive impact.

Track record

Where I've spoken and been covered

Speaking
KLM, INSEAD, Fronteer, EY, CNV, Shell,
School for Moral Ambition, EBN, Change.inc (Transition 2026)

Upcoming: Springtij, Nationaal Klimaatplatform
Media
Radio 1, RTL Z
FD, NRC, Volkskrant, Trouw, Change.inc
Experience
Shell (Fleet Solutions, NewMotion)
McKinsey & Company, TU Delft
CEO & co-founder, Employees for our Future (ANBI)
Representation
Speakers for the World

In their own words

What clients say afterwards

Refreshing. This is a way of looking at sustainability and the transition that makes me want to get involved too.

Arjan relates to how I and my colleagues feel. That builds trust and creates the connection that really matters.

After the session I asked a critical question in our management team for the first time — and found my colleagues felt the same way.

Arjan knows so much. On every point he can contribute from science or business reality. That makes him invaluable on this journey.

Advisory

Stakeholder engagement

The role of employees
Dutch corporate governance recognises employees as a key stakeholder — but engagement runs almost entirely through the works council. There is real room to do more, and do it better.
Shareholders & supervisory boards
Advising on how institutional investors and supervisory boards can engage more substantively with climate strategy — including shareholder resolution dynamics.
Engagement with climate NGOs
Companies that move from risk avoidance to genuine dialogue find more durable outcomes. I help organisations approach that shift honestly and credibly.

In the media

Recent coverage

Articles & radio
Podcasts & video

Curious what I could mean for your organisation?

Available for keynotes, panel sessions, workshops, and advisory work.

Or email directly: arjan@arjankeizer.nl