Keynotes & Workshops
Decision quality when the old standards stop working
I was a professional big wave surfer and am the first European to surf Jaws. For more than 20 years I have worked in leadership and organizational development. Today I turn my experience at the world’s biggest waves into questions that matter to leadership teams:
- How do we decide well when information is incomplete?
- When do proven standards stop working?
- How do teams stay able to act under pressure?
My model for decisions under pressure: Set the priority. Test the assumptions. Change the standard.
Keynotes
Decision quality when the old standards stop working
A true story from Jaws to Nazaré. Not “be brave”, but the question whether what made you successful still holds in the new environment.
AI-READY is not DECISION-READY
What big wave surfing teaches about data, risk and decision quality. Technology gets teams faster into situations their existing skills were not built for. Skills, roles, guardrails and accountability have to grow with the technology.
Keynote and workshop, Nazaré, November 2024
Web Summit, Lisbon, November 2023
Web Summit, Lisbon, November 2023
Workshops
Half day (3 to 4 hours) or full day (6 to 7 hours), online or on site. Three modules that can be combined:
Workshop, Nazaré, November 2024
Leading Myself
Self-leadership under pressure: focus, stress control, preparation routines.
Leading Others
Trust, communication and feedback: roles, intent, clean handovers.
Leading as a System
Team decision readiness, go/no-go gates, stop criteria, debrief, standards, training.
“A true masterclass in preparation, trust, and commitment.”
René Nagl, Founder, FIVSEN
“If anyone can make a room of several hundred people go completely silent within a short time, it is Alex Wippel with his presence and his story.”
Günther Schabüttl, Head Advantage Austria Lisbon
Selected appearances
- Web Summit, Lisbon, 14 and 15 November 2023
- Advantage Austria, business trip to Portugal, Nazaré, November 2024
- SAP Business Data Cloud Roadshow, June 2026 (commissioned by All for One)
- OBERWASSER: recurring expert sessions for young leaders
- Upcoming: CONEO Cometogether (9 October 2026)
- Upcoming: FIDEN congress, Marrakesh (16 October 2026)
Enquiries
For keynotes and workshops, please get in touch via the contact page or directly by email at wippela@icloud.com.