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

Ken Stearns

Insurance Consulting

Leveraging more than 25 years distribution and executive leadership transforming organization, through vision & execution.

Director

Ken Stearns is a seasoned public speaker with nearly three decades of diverse global experience in the insurance industry. His speaking engagements are marked by a unique style of storytelling tailored to resonate with each audience member. Having delivered thousands of presentations worldwide, he has garnered attention through his podcasting journey, recording over 500 episodes across three distinct platforms covering topics from Mental Health, Business Leadership, and personal human stories of overcoming adversity.

Throughout his corporate tenure, Ken has had the privilege of working with and observing hundreds of CEOs and thousands of leaders, both during the most adverse and difficult times and in moments of ease. This exposure has provided him with tremendous insight, which, combined with his corporate background, fuels his forthcoming book, "Dear Leaders." In this book, Ken shares letters addressed to leaders, offering guidance on creating a vision, executing it, empowering people through communication and adaptability, building resilient teams.

Transitioning from the corporate sphere at the age of 60, Ken ventured into hosting impactful podcasts like "The Jar Podcast," "Mental Health Today," and “The Humanist,” offering real insights on human resilience, mental health, and leadership, while also bringing a wealth of experience to revolutionize team dynamics and leadership paradigms through initiatives like "Jar Works" and the "Jar Works Leadership Program."

Public Speaker

In his forthcoming book, "Dear Leaders." bringing story telling and valuable leadership lessons to 16 ideas leaders can learn and grow from. 

As a sought-after speaker, facilitator and host of multiple podcasts, including "The Jar Podcast," "Mental Health Today," and "The Humanist Podcast," Ken's dedication to understanding diverse perspectives positions him as a trusted authority shaping the future of compassionate leadership

Author

The Jar Works

Founder and Director of a non-profit Organization focused on combating the mental Health crisis in America through initiatives centered on education, stigma reduction, and enhanced access to mental health resources.

iHSG Insurance

iHSG Insurance: Pioneering rental insurance in Portland, USA. Dedicated to protecting renters and landlords nationwide with tailored solutions and cutting-edge technology.

Insurance Advisor

The Jar Podcast

Founder and Director of a non-profit Organization focused on combating the mental Health crisis in America through initiatives centered on education, stigma reduction, and enhanced access to mental health resources.
Covering topics like love, compassion, tomorrow, hope, forgiveness, acceptance from his recent book Dear God, we will get a deep understanding of the person we are meeting. We will hear their story.

Creator & Host

Phu Hung Life Insurance

Two years with a great company and fabulous people, building the next big local insurance provider.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Future Generali India Life Insurance

Advising on a Regional Program focusing on Recruitment, Onboarding, Activating and Retaining (ROAR) new agents to aggressively grow Agency in India and across Asia. Working and living in Mumbai with to  Advise on ROAR and lead the Sales Management Activate Retain Train (SMART Academy) team of 100 across India. Covering content development, delivery, recruitment and activation of agency.

Agency Development Advisor

Prudential Life Assurance Public Company Ltd. (Thailand)

Increase contribution from Full Time Agency and deliver the ePOS solution

Responsible for agency strategy and development, covering all aspects from Recruitment, Activation, Training, Incentives, Compensation and mobile applications.

• Developed, gained regional approval for and implemented Phase I of a 3 year Agency Compensation roadmap designed to drive manpower growth, increase active agents and improve persistency with a focus on Full Time Agency
• Implemented the ePOS sales platform for Agency, achieving 70% adoption rate in 18 months
• Sourced and gained approval for CAO/ADD replacement consolidating both roles into a
EXCO level role

Agency Development Director

Prudential Indonesia (PT Prudential Life Assurance)

Driving Agency through building and implementing strategies and activities to achieve sales targets for agency channel by leveraging 250,000 agents in more than 400 sales offices in 163 cities.

Responsibilities included Agency training department, Agency Support Services, Training, management of General Agency model, all related committees and budgets.

• Implemented company driven sales and recruitment events in over 100 cities to and increase in active recruiters 30% and active agents 12% over a 12 month period
• Instituted several agency compensation and structural changes to better manage claims, persistency and leader validations leading to better claims management, leveling of persistency and stronger leader metrics

Prudential Vietnam Assurance Private Ltd.

Leading agency sales management through building and implementing strategies and activities to achieve sales targets for agency channel by leveraging 100,000 agents in more than 200 sales offices covering all 63 provinces, including Agency training department, Distribution Operation Services, management of the 220 GA offices and multiple EXCO operating committees.

• Implemented the restructure of 200+ Agent Sales Staff (AD) and 80 trainers managing the Agency force leading to consistent growth across all metrics through 2016.
• Designed a new training and certification program for AD which reduced turnover and provided high Quilty agency development staff in each GA office in 63 provinces
• Helped create and implement a Mini-MBA program through local University for all GA
owners

Chief Agency Officer

Ken Stearns is a seasoned public speaker with nearly three decades of diverse global experience in the insurance industry. His speaking engagements are marked by a unique style of storytelling tailored to resonate with each audience member. 

Having delivered thousands of presentations worldwide, he has garnered attention through his podcasting journey, recording over 500 episodes across three distinct platforms covering topics from Mental Health, Business Leadership, and personal human stories of overcoming adversity.

Throughout his corporate tenure, Ken has had the privilege of working with and observing hundreds of CEOs and thousands of leaders, both during the most adverse and difficult times and in moments of ease. This exposure has provided him with tremendous insight, which, combined with his corporate background, fuels his forthcoming book, "Dear Leaders." In this book, Ken shares letters addressed to leaders, offering guidance on creating a vision, executing it, empowering people through communication and adaptability, and building resilient teams.

Transitioning from the corporate sphere at the age of 60, Ken ventured into hosting impactful podcasts like "The Jar Podcast," "Mental Health Today," and “The Humanist,” offering real insights on human resilience, mental health, and leadership, while also bringing a wealth of experience to revolutionize team dynamics and leadership paradigms through initiatives like "Jar Works" and the "Jar Works Leadership Program."

Founder

Imagine a workplace where empathy and resilience are not just encouraged but embedded in the culture. I’m Ken Stearns, and with over 25 years of leadership experience, I've founded The Jar Works. Building on the success of The Jar—300+ interviews across 90+ cities—this new venture aims to revolutionize employee engagement in organizations. It employs innovative methods drawn from my leadership experience, fostering meaningful connections and robust team dynamics. In a corporate landscape that increasingly prioritizes authentic engagement, The Jar Works emerges as a timely solution, poised for substantial impact and scalability.

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