Gunhard Keil smiling in a white shirt in front of his audience, the listeners in the foreground

Keynote speaker · Change · Negotiation · Future

The future rarely fails on strategy.
What's missing is communication and commitment.

Keynotes that move people to act: carrying change, taking the first step, staying the course. For your leadership conference, kick-off or congress. In English and German, on stage and online.

Request a keynote See him on stage

Your enquiry goes straight to Gunhard Keil. Reply within 24 hours. Or call: +43 664 44 88 666

Stages and media

Handelsblatt Change Congress
Zukunftsinstitut
ORF 2 (Austrian TV)
Handelsblatt Live
egoFM
WU Executive Academy
4 books with Haufe

Fact

“The only certain thing about the future: it will come. Success or failure is decided by how we meet it.”

150 years

is how long an oak grows in the Keil family forest before it is harvested. Whoever plants it will never harvest it.

a few weeks

is how long a project takes in his IT companies. Planning happens in sprints, not in generations.

For your audience this means: the person talking about the future is not a researcher, but someone who makes decisions every day whose effects range from a few minutes to several decades. That is ambidexterity in practice.

Your situation

Which statement best matches your needs?

The strategy is set. Your people are not behind it yet.

The presentation has gone out. The corridors expect the worst. And at the top, everyone wonders why nothing moves.
The Change Dilemma
You need commitments, not applause.

Budget, price, partnership: your arguments are good. Still the other side won't say yes. And your team gives in at the first counter-demand.
Win People. Shape the Future
Your project looks impossible.

Too big, too long, too expensive. Everyone is waiting for the first step. Nobody wants to take it.
My castle is my home

Keynotes

Three keynotes – one criterion: Gunhard Keil gets people to act.

Every keynote is built after a briefing call, for your audience, your industry, your occasion: tailored to what matters to you. All three topics are also available as an interactive edunote.

Gunhard Keil on stage putting on a VR headset, a full room in front of him

Gunhard Keil on the stage of Handelsblatt's Change Congress 2022 with an open gesture, listeners in silhouette in the foreground — Handelsblatt Change Congress 2022.

Book cover “Change-Kommunikation”, Haufe TaschenGuide — **Change-Kommunikation** Change communication · with Kristin Hanusch-Linser · Haufe 2023, in German

4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon

A must-read even for hardened change managers.

Review on Amazon.de, 5 out of 5 stars, translated from German · average of 8 ratings, as of October 2026

The Change Dilemma

Whoever changes nothing falls behind.

Every change has a price: effort, conflict, uncertainty. So waiting feels safe. It isn't. There is no standstill, only decline. Your audience sees why change almost never fails on strategy, but on how it is communicated. And what to do differently from tomorrow.

What your audience will experience

Four foolproof recipes for failed change: from change as a top-secret operation to the well-meant announcement “Only 10 % of you will lose your job”. Why leadership is already moving on while the workforce is still in shock. And what a swimming teacher with a handful of plastic fish does better than any PowerPoint.

What your audience will do differently afterwards

Choose messages for the phase people are in, not the phase leadership has already reached.
Build trust through frequency: four 15-minute conversations instead of one four-hour meeting a month.
Move people with purpose rather than pressure. It is the biggest lever and costs the least.

Ideal forLeadership conferences before and during transformations · change programmes · HR and communication congresses

Created for Handelsblatt's Change Congress 2022 and continuously developed since. Based, among other sources, on the book “Change-Kommunikation” (Haufe 2023, in German), numerous change projects and a survey of more than 800 people in five companies.

Request The Change Dilemma

Gunhard Keil in a blue suit on stage, gesturing as he explains, in front of a full room

Gunhard Keil smiling, hands folded, at a polished table that reflects him — At the negotiating table.

Book cover “Durchsetzungsstark verhandeln”, Haufe — **Durchsetzungsstark verhandeln** Assertive negotiation · Haufe 2022, in German

4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon

Mr Keil knows what he is talking about.

Review on Amazon.de, 5 out of 5 stars, translated from German · average of 21 ratings, as of October 2026

Win People. Shape the Future.

If facts were enough, computers would close every deal.

The future is uncertain. Decisions are not. Leaders still have to win customers, partners and their own teams for a direction before the outcome is clear. That takes more than data. It takes persuasion, negotiation and the ability to create commitment when certainty is impossible.

This keynote combines the question of how to shape the future with lessons from more than 300 negotiation projects ranging from €30,000 to €30 billion.

What your audience will experience

Why facts alone rarely change minds. Why forecasts based on yesterday can lead you in the wrong direction – and why some of the leaders behind famously wrong predictions still succeeded. Why “no” is a complete sentence. And why people do not always choose the objectively best offer, but the one they understand, trust and are willing to commit to.

What your audience will do differently afterwards

Build messages that make people want to follow: clear on what, how and why.
Create value before dividing it – and negotiate agreements that work for both sides and still hold tomorrow.
Win commitment under uncertainty by combining clear goals, strong alternatives and genuine buy-in.
Make confident decisions in negotiations – free of fear, time pressure or anger, instead with focus, clarity and foresight.

Ideal forSales and procurement conferences · strategy kick-offs · leadership events in banking, consulting and industry

Based on the book “Durchsetzungsstark verhandeln” (Haufe, 2022, in German). Watch a short excerpt from the stage.

Request this keynote

The courtyard of Schloss Kohfidisch from above: yellow façades covered in Virginia creeper, fresh lawn, fan-shaped jets of the irrigation system and a round fountain — The castle courtyard today. Photo: Andreas Hafenscher (Effektfotografie).

The long castle façade before the renovation: peeling plaster, exposed brick, shutters nailed closed — Before: the façade and rooms of the castle before the renovation, which began in 1999.

Vaulted room full of removed, stacked window frames — Before: the façade and rooms of the castle before the renovation, which began in 1999.

Gunhard and Sarah Keil sitting and laughing in an open window of the Schloss Kohfidisch façade, Virginia creeper beside them — Gunhard and Sarah Keil in a window of Schloss Kohfidisch.

Film crew with tripod and boom microphone in the castle courtyard, farm buildings and flowering forsythia behind — Filming for ORF 2 in the castle courtyard, March 2024.

Book cover “So geht Agilität”, Haufe TaschenGuide — **So geht Agilität** How agility works · with Susanne Nickel · Haufe 2020, in German

4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon

Not a single line of waffle, right to the point.

Review on Amazon.de, 5 out of 5 stars, translated from German · average of 31 ratings, as of October 2026

My castle is my home

Steps to an unimaginable future.

“My home is my castle” means: close the door, defend the fortress. This keynote turns the phrase around. It is about plans that seem too big to start. And about how they succeed anyway.

The proof stands in southern Burgenland, Austria. Schloss Kohfidisch has been in the family for more than 500 years and had fallen into ruin. In 1999 Gunhard and Sarah Keil began: a huge bare shell without doors, windows, heating or electricity, 4,000 m² of dust and rubble. Side by side they turned it into a home again: 42 double box windows, 24 double doors, eleven chimneys, plus roof, sewers and wiring.

What your audience will experience

A story of courage, endurance and the quiet strength to keep going when it seems impossible. Told honestly, with heritage authorities, funding applications and rooms that are still waiting to be renovated. And with the question that decides every big plan: what is your first step?

What your audience will do differently afterwards

Break their own “impossible” into stages, and start the first one tomorrow.
Think in generations: what is planted today is often harvested by the next.
Use their roots as a source of strength, not as an excuse.

Ideal forEntrepreneur events · family businesses and succession · annual kick-offs · anniversaries and client events

Austrian public broadcaster ORF 2 filmed at Schloss Kohfidisch in 2024: “Herrschaftszeiten! Bei Familie Keil auf Schloss Kohfidisch”.

Request My castle is my home

Does the topic fit our industry?: Only if it is about courage and stamina, about resilience under pressure and the willingness to make the impossible possible. Automotive, rail and logistics, banking and tax consulting, industry, pharma and IT: the experience is broad. The examples on stage come from your world, so your audience recognises itself.

Live

How your audience experiences Gunhard Keil

Two excerpts from keynotes on negotiation, in German. The video only loads when you click.

Keynote trailer Quick tips for strong negotiation (in German)

Negotiating at the top Next level negotiation (in German)

When you click, YouTube (Google) loads the video via youtube-nocookie.com. No data is transferred before that.

Gunhard Keil speaking in a studio in front of a green screen, a monitor with the online participants on the right

Formats for your event

Keynote Orientation, connection, outlook – depending on where it sits in your event
Interactive edunote Available for all three topics, with exercises for your audience
Workshop In-depth work with your leaders
Panel and moderation As panellist or as chair
On stage and online In direct contact, or from the studio straight to your participants
English and German For international teams

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1984working with companies and organisations as trainer, consultant and coach since this year
300+negotiation projects worth €30,000 to €30 bn
1,800employees at the IT service provider, experience on its executive board
4books with Haufe: agility, leading remotely, negotiation, change communication
500years of family business in southern Burgenland

Voices

What decision-makers say after the keynote

From people who faced the same decision you are facing now. Quotes translated from German.

**Harry Gatterer** Managing Director, Zukunftsinstitut

What already convinces in interviews and media formats, Gunhard Keil delivers even more on stage: precise, pointed, human and at the same time uncomfortably effective. Our executives felt caught out, in the best sense.

Dr Clemens Först Chairman of the Executive Board, ÖBB Rail Cargo

Gunhard, you connect two worlds like no one else: long-term responsibility and fast business dynamics. Your keynote inspired us, made decisions easier and really lit a fire. And you can still feel it weeks later.

Dr Stefan Tasch CEO and founder, Lumitech

From consulting, training and negotiation programmes

**Dr Veronika Zügel** CHRO, including ÖBB, Constantia Packaging, Caldic

**Klaus Garstenauer** Member of the Board, Passenger Transport, ÖBB

**Oliver Düvel** Founder and CEO, H&D International Group

The full video interviews (in German) with Harry Gatterer, Klaus Garstenauer, Dr Veronika Zügel, Oliver Düvel, Dr Daniel Steinke and Vera Futter-Mehringer, six to ten minutes each, are available on request with the reply to your enquiry.

A selection of clients from consulting, training and negotiation: Volkswagen, BMW, Porsche Austria, ÖBB, voestalpine, Procter & Gamble, Novartis, KPMG, Lenzing, Constantia Flexibles, Raiffeisen, LeitnerLeitner and WTS.

Request a keynote

Gunhard Keil smiling on stage, with headset microphone and a presenter in his hand

Gunhard Keil in Malteser uniform with a red cap and sunglasses speaking into a microphone, two girls in red caps beside him, a full dining hall behind — Volunteering with the Order of Malta since 1996.

Gunhard Keil in his own words

What do forestry and IT, law and nursing have in common?

In my case, quite a lot.

Grew up with spruce trees and chainsaws. Law and psychology in Graz. Working with people in organisations since 1984, as trainer, consultant, coach and negotiator, for Volkswagen, ÖBB, voestalpine and many smaller businesses. Later on the executive board of an IT service provider with 1,800 employees, plus companies of my own, most recently digitalsee in 2018. After my first start-up there was also a time in Munich when I scraped together coins from the pockets of old jackets to buy a sandwich. That is part of it too.

Five years as honorary Vice Commander of the Malteser Hospitaldienst Austria (Order of Malta). Teaching at WU Executive Academy, IMC Krems and FH Wiener Neustadt. And since 1999, with my wife Sarah, turning a castle that has belonged to the family for 500 years from a ruin into a family home.

That is why my talks are not about theory. They are about decisions I have made and carried through, about experience, and about the people you want to win over for your own vision.

Gunhard Keil

Education: Degrees in law and psychology, University of Graz · MSc, Corvinus University
Certified: Certified Supervisory Expert · certified mediator · Professional Speaker GSA
Languages: German, English

Books and media

Four books and more from the media

So geht Agilität How agility works · with Susanne Nickel · Haufe 2020
Führen auf Distanz Leading remotely · with Susanne Nickel · Haufe 2021
Durchsetzungsstark verhandeln Assertive negotiation · Haufe 2022
Change-Kommunikation Change communication · with Kristin Hanusch-Linser · Haufe 2023

All books in German. Also co-author of “The Executive Diet”.

Handelsblatt Live · December 2022Resolving conflicts at work, as mediator and negotiation expert
ORF 2 · 2024Herrschaftszeiten! A visit to the Keil family at Schloss Kohfidisch
egoFM · November 2024How is our language changing?
SHEconomy · December 2025Five negotiation tips for women in male-dominated fields

Working together

Four steps to the stage. Your effort: one conversation.

You send an enquiry

Date, venue and audience, as far as you know them. It takes two minutes.
You get a personal reply

Within 24 hours, with availability and material for your announcement: short bio, introduction text, press photos.
Briefing call

Who will be in your room? What should be different afterwards? Your keynote is built from that.
The talk

On stage, online or hybrid. As a keynote or as an interactive edunote.

Fee

A proposal for your event

The fee depends on format, duration and location. You receive it in writing after the briefing call, without obligation and before you commit to anything.

Your part: the briefing call and the stage equipment, i.e. projector or screen, wireless microphone (headset) and presenter.

Request a keynote

Or call: +43 664 44 88 666

Questions

What event organisers want to know first

What does a keynote cost?

That depends on format, duration and location. After the briefing call you receive a written proposal without obligation.

How long is a keynote?

Usually 45 to 60 minutes. On request, all three topics are also available as an interactive edunote with exercises for your audience. Shorter talks are possible too.

Is the keynote available in English?

Yes. You can book the keynote in English or in German.

Can it be online or hybrid?

Yes, from the studio with camera, lighting and a view of your participants. Leading remotely is even the subject of one of his books.

Is moderation or a panel possible?

Yes. You can have him chair a panel discussion or take a seat on your panel.

Where does he travel from?

His base is southern Burgenland, Austria, about 90 minutes from Vienna and one hour from Graz. Your event can take place anywhere in the German-speaking countries or internationally.

What material do we get for the announcement?

A short bio in two lengths, an introduction text to read out and press photos. They come with the reply to your enquiry.

Three details are enough: first name, last name and email. Everything else is optional and helps with preparation.

First name

Last name

Phone (optional)

Organisation (optional)

Date of the event (optional)

Keynote (optional)

More details (optional)

Venue

Audience

Format

Message

No obligation, reply within 24 hours. Your details are only used to answer your enquiry: no sharing, no newsletter. See our privacy policy.

The future rarely fails on strategy. What's missing is communication and commitment.

“The only certain thing about the future: it will come. Success or failure is decided by how we meet it.”

Which statement best matches your needs?

The strategy is set. Your people are not behind it yet.

You need commitments, not applause.

Your project looks impossible.

Three keynotes – one criterion: Gunhard Keil gets people to act.

The Change Dilemma

What your audience will experience

What your audience will do differently afterwards

Win People. Shape the Future.

What your audience will experience

What your audience will do differently afterwards

My castle is my home

What your audience will experience

What your audience will do differently afterwards

How your audience experiences Gunhard Keil

Formats for your event

What decision-makers say after the keynote

From consulting, training and negotiation programmes

What do forestry and IT, law and nursing have in common?

Four books and more from the media

Four steps to the stage. Your effort: one conversation.

You send an enquiry

You get a personal reply

Briefing call

The talk

What event organisers want to know first

Talk to Gunhard Keil directly

The future rarely fails on strategy.
What's missing is communication and commitment.