Heitland Media Group

CEO Thought Leadership as a Service 

We make your credibility visible.

Responsibility:
- Executive client collaboration

Achievements:
- Enabling individuals to utilize their credibility and step up into Thought Leadership in their field

Owner

Rising Stars Community

A Rising Star...

...is more than an individual with a dream. They are trailblazers, crafting a legacy by building powerful personal brands, captivating audiences on stage, and creating opportunities that transform lives. A Rising Star is a beacon of inspiration, courage, and ambition, determined to shine brighter with every step.

We...

Inspire Others Through Our Stories:
We believe every personal journey holds the power to uplift, motivate, and create meaningful change. By owning our narratives, we connect with audiences and ignite transformation.

Empower Personal Brands:
We help individuals discover their unique voice, package their expertise, and position themselves as sought-after authorities in their fields.

Turn Passions Into Professions:
Speaking on stage is not just an art but a business. We equip Rising Stars with the tools to monetize their skills, attract high-paying opportunities, and thrive in the world of public speaking.

Unlock Career Breakthroughs:
Whether generating leads, advancing careers, or stepping into leadership roles, we empower Rising Stars to turn their brand into a stepping stone for professional success.

Create a Platform for Change:
Through speaking, we spark ideas, inspire innovation, and bring communities together to solve global challenges.

Celebrate Progress and Growth:
We believe in the joy of the journey. Every small win, every new milestone, and every stage conquered is a celebration of relentless effort and perseverance.

This Is...

...more than a mission—it’s a movement. Rising Stars is a family of dreamers, doers, and disruptors who uplift and support one another. Each person’s success is a shared triumph. Together, we’re creating a world where every voice has the power to shine, inspire, and lead.

We are driven by a singular vision: to build a community of individuals who not only succeed on stage but leave a legacy of empowerment, influence, and change.

Join Rising Stars Free here: http://risingstars.community

Community Host

JENSHEITLAND.com

Speaking Engagements:
- International Innovation Event, Moscow, RUS
- Airbus, Hamburg, GER
- Cundall, London, UK
- Aragon Exterior, Zaragoza, ESP
- Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, Copenhagen, DK
- Bank of America, London, UK
- PicknPay, Cape Town, SA
- International Innovation Jam, Zaragoza, ESP
- UrbanOvation, London, UK
- Borealis, Antwerp, BEL
- StartUB University, Barcelona, ESP
- Innovation Event AI-Fortuna, Boise, Idaho USA
- Amsterdam University, Amsterdam, NL
- Matchr Human Resource Event, Amsterdam, NL
- Tech Recruitment Conference (TRC), Amsterdam, NL
- The Climbing Castle, London UK
- Mobile World Congress - 4YFN, Barcelona ESP
- Invest in Africa Summit The Hague, NL
- Polaroid Therapeutics - Zurich CH
- Sketch - Tokyo JP
- Berlin Fashion Week BHT - Berlin GER
- BAT - British American Tobacco - Hamburg GER
- Bayer - Eindhoven NL
- WXO (World Experience Organization) - London UK
- Designregio - Kortrijk BE
- Startup Nights - Zurich CH
- Tech Recruitment Conference TRC 2024 - Amsterdam NL

Learn more at -> jensheitland.com/speaking

Keynote Speaker

WeAreSucceed

The Succeed Leader Index. We make Leadership visible by calculating the leadership index for individual managers, departments and even entire organizations.

Responsibilities:
- Branding & Marketing
- Recruitment
- Investor Relations
- Business Development

Achievements:
- Enabling +50 startup founders to learn to lead 
- 100s of people use Succeed to assess their leadership skills

Co- Founder & CEO

HEITLAND Innovation

Transformative solutions to innovate organizations from the inside with people in the center.

Responsibilities:
- External Representation & Branding
- Business Development 
- Hands on Innovation with clients 

Achievements:
- Enabling international clients from industries like Exhibitions, Engineering, Construction, Design & Architecture and Retail based in US, UK, SE, NL, DK, DE, ES to innovate people centric

University of Amsterdam

Lecturer Corporate Innovation & Entrepreneurship

StartUB! Universitat de Barcelona

Startup Mentor,  Advisor & Lecturer

4YFN - 4 Years from Now

Women Innovators
Programme (WIP)
The Women Innovators Programme (WIP) is a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Arab States and Four Years From Now (4YFN), the start-up platform of the global mobile operators' association, GSMA.
WIP is a mentorship programme for women-led, digital, social impact-oriented start-ups in the Arab States. While women-led start-ups are becoming more common in the region, women face many barriers to entrepreneurship, such as lack of access to finance and discriminatory gender norms. Among the barriers are also a lack of business-relevant mentorship opportunities and networks, which this programme seeks to address.
50 women innovators have received mentoring in the first two editions of the programme. During the course of the 3rd edition 34 additional innovators will receive expert mentoring.

Startup Mentor

Rockstart

Foot Locker EMEA

Global Store Development 

Innovating the Real Estate and Property Services to all Stores of the Foot Locker Family.

Responsibilities:
- Portfolio Strategy development
- Service Scope Development
- Reorganization of the existing Service Portfolio
- Team Development
- Leadership Development
- Stakeholder Management

Achievements:
- Development and leadership of an office lab concept (back to the office)
- Reorganization of the service delivery model
- EMEA wide tender of Integrated Facility Management Services 
- Increase of internal customer satisfaction by +80%

Director FS EMEA

Founder & CEO @ SUCCEED the leadership platform designed to equip Startup Leaders with the skills and knowledge to lead with confidence and drive success.

Looking for the Link? 👉 https://www.jensheitland.com/links

In 2019, I held the prestigious position of global Head of Innovation at IKEA Centres. 

One evening, after a late flight, I found myself on a packed train from Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo, Sweden, eager to be reunited with my family on the other side. As I stood there, restless and anxious, I decided to tune into a podcast by Seth Godin.

Godin spoke about the education system and how society has become adept at collecting information but often fails to connect the dots. In that moment, a sudden realization hit me. I couldn't help but question my own purpose and the direction my life was taking.

That night, I made the difficult decision to step down from my high-profile role at IKEA Centres. This was the beginning of a new journey for me, one where I was determined to follow my passions and make a meaningful impact in the world.

Earlier.

In 2004, redundancy from my first job after seven years of hard work changed my life. I felt betrayed, I vowed never to leave my destiny in someone else’s hands and committed to rewriting my story.

As I climbed the corporate ladder, human leadership captivated me. I studied Leaders, the inspiring, the indifferent, and the detrimental and uncovered the secret to innovation: empowered teams flourish under empathetic leaders. 

My mantra became: empower to be empowered.

In 2019, a train ride and Seth Godin’s words reshaped my perspective. Leaving IKEA Centres wasn’t the end; it was the beginning. 

My mission crystallized: to connect innovative leaders with their dreams, blending systems thinking, leadership and innovation.

This led to HEITLAND Innovation, a consultancy for human innovation. It wasn’t just about process improvement; it redefined how organizations empower teams to drive sustainable innovation. I co-founded XYZ-Playground a Reverse Mentor Lab and launched WeAreSucceed a leadership Assessment Platform.

To amplify my Thought Leadership, I mastered social media, video production and website design, sharing my insights through my podcasts which inspired Heitland Media Group, an agency helping CEO's to make their credibility visible.

Public speaking has taken me across 30+ global stages, from Moscow to Barcelona, including events like Mobile World Congress and Berlin Fashion Week.

From my construction site beginnings in 1997 to international stages, my journey has been about building ladders for others. 

That train ride wasn’t just a trip; it marked my commitment to reshaping innovation—one human at a time.

Let's innovate the human way

Jens Heitland

dillali 

Built a B2B SaaS platform for financial management, achieving 23,000 users with 20% month-on-month growth. Raised over $350k from international investors, growing the platform by securing key partnerships.

Led a team of 15 across product, operations, marketing, and tech. Spearheaded product strategy and user acquisition efforts.

Business Analyst

Abuja Technology Village Free Zone

Led the Business Development team to develop a number of products and services including technology management solutions for operations optimisation. 

Responsible for product development and strategic planning for the free zone, which is designed as a green city for 140,000 people with a development timeline of 35 years. 

Oversaw the Innovation & Partnerships department in relaunching the company's flagship innovation hub - enspire, Abuja Nigeria.

Business Development Lead

Maihoto

- Founder and lead photographer of Maihoto, specialising in food, portrait, travel, and event photography.
- Captured stunning visuals using Nikon equipment, growing the business’s reputation in Abuja.
- Photographs featured on CNN special on Nigeria 100 year anniversary in 2014.

CeedCap

Head of Partnerships

Homestudy OU

Senior business analyst and scrum master for digital education management software for schools and educators. 

Key activities included:
- Business analysis
- Project Management
- Research
- Process mapping
- User stories and acceptance criteria
- Communication and stakeholder management

Senior Business Analyst

WeissFari 

- Managed product development and customer engagement for a creative web agency.
- Led strategic roadmaps, product launches, and client negotiations, driving company growth and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Co-Owner

HIGOE

Digital solutions consulting company serving startups and corporate clients in emerging market.

Crossbow Oilfield Industries & Services Limited

Played a key role in the establishment of an oil services company, specialising in drilling fluids and production chemicals. Led business planning, financial modelling, acquisitions, and negotiations with global partners. Oversaw the financial management for the setup of a liquid mud plant located at Onne Oil & Gas Free Zone, Rivers State Nigeria

Interim Executive Director

dotTXT Solutions Limited

Provided IT consulting services to clients, managing medium-scale projects for private and public sector clients. Projects included a push SMS platform for an international radio station. Deployed various communications platforms using Cisco based solutions.

Co-Founder

Neoplex Limited 

- Founded a web consulting firm providing end-to-end solutions for web development, rich internet applications, and desktop applications.
- Led web strategy and project delivery for clients, building scalable solutions that drove client success across industries.
- Consulted on web technologies for major clients in Nigeria, helping them transition into the digital space.

Founder

I am a generalist with over 26 years of experience across product development, business analysis, and strategy, helping startups move from idea to product and beyond. Currently, I work as a Business Analyst at Bolt, while also advising early-stage startups through 525 Ventures, the advisory firm I co-founded.

My journey started as a self-taught web developer, fuelled by a deep passion for technology and its ability to transform businesses. Over the years, I transitioned into entrepreneurship, co-founding startups and using technology to create scalable solutions that empower SMEs and drive economic independence. I have had the privilege of raising investments for my startup Dillali, an income and expense management tool tailored for SMEs, serving over 20k users.

I focus on helping founders with product development, go-to-market strategies, and scaling businesses—especially in the B2B and SaaS spaces. I believe in the power of mentorship and advisory, and I’m passionate about guiding founders through the challenges of startup life, from ideation to launch and growth.

Career Milestones:
- Co-founded Dillali, scaling the platform to over 20,000 users.
- Led product development on over 100 web projects, including for clients like MTN Nigeria, Ekiti/Jigawa State Governments, and The Infrastructure Bank.
- Worked with diverse companies, including Tavia Technologies, Suburban Group, AMA Investment & Infrastructure Holdings, and Abuja Technology Village FZC.
- All to companies I have worked with have generated over $200 million is annual revenue.

Personal Interests:
When I am not building products or advising startups, you’ll find me behind the lens as an enthusiastic photographer. From food to travel, I capture life’s moments through my camera. Follow my photography journey on Instagram: @maihoto.

taplio

The Battle

Jens Heitland

Ibrahim Bashir

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