The unique nature of Bertrand’s career and his persuasive, convincing words lead those listening to consider other ways of thinking and acting.

The pioneering spirit - a philosophy of surpassing oneself and a whole attitude to life - is what drives Bertrand, and he promotes this whenever he speaks. He invites his audience to enter into the unknown, question their preconceived ideas, and use doubt and questioning to stimulate creativity and boost performance. He sees these as keys to adopting new attitudes, solutions and strategies. His carefully chosen words bring to life the messages he transmits to companies and the general public, as well as to younger generations.

« Creativity is not one idea more, but one certainty less. »
Bertrand Piccard

Public speaking topics

How to achieve the impossible? The pioneering spirit – key to inventing the future

The impossible does not exist in reality but only in the way we think. How then can we get rid of the old thought-patterns that prevent us from moving forward and innovating?

« Exploration is a state of mind. If we want to innovate and achieve impossible goals, we have to understand that the only obstacle to succeed is our own way of thinking; it’s the accumulation of beliefs and habits that keep us prisoner of old certitudes. »

« From vision to implementation, innovation is a state of mind that falls outside established paradigms. »

Dealing with crises: developing through change

Our first instinct in a crisis is to fight to regain the balance we have just lost. But to develop, what we really need to do is to look for new resources to build an improved state of equilibrium. This will allow us to emerge stronger from a situation that could have destroyed us.

« An adventure is a crisis that we accept; a crisis is an adventure that we refuse. At any time, we can decide whether the disruption that is happening to us is there to destroy us, or on the contrary to make us develop, forcing us to find resources within ourselves that we did not even know existed. »

« Our visceral fear of doubt and the unknown is at the root of most of our problems. »

Become a balloon pilot for your company: change altitude in the winds of life

How can you play with what you can't control? A balloon flight can be viewed as a model for management and for personal development. Dropping the ballast of our certainties allows us to find new strategies for increasing our degree of freedom - just like a balloonist who explores different flight levels.

« In this metaphor for life, the balloon is trapped in the air currents that carry it along, in the same way that man is imprisoned by his certainties, his problems or his destiny. Just as a balloon can drop ballast to change altitude and find air currents that will cause it to change direction, a human being can rise up - professionally, psychologically, philosophically, even spiritually -and take responsibility once again for the direction of his existence. To do this, he must - as in a balloon - learn to drop the ballast of his certainties, habits, convictions and other such paradigms. »

Clean technologies, sustainable development and environmental policy

masters and will willingly speak on, drawing on his experience as United Nations Ambassador for the Environment, special advisor to the European Commission and initiator of the 1000 Solutions Challenge, launched through his Solar Impulse Foundation.

« Clean and profitable solutions offer formidable leverage for economic growth that is qualitative rather than quantitative. »

« I do not believe in degrowth, which leads only to social unrest, nor in the myth of unlimited growth, which leads to ecological disaster. I believe rather in qualitative growth where we create jobs and make profits by replacing pollutants with things that protect the environment »

Failure and success, two faces of the same reality

How is it that the same event can either destroy us or build us up? What should we learn about life and about ourselves from our failures and successes? Are we the victims or the agents of our destiny?

« All too often, we forget that to ask questions makes for an open heart and mind, whereas certainty is an end in itself. »

« The main thing is to find ways of questioning our certainties in order to open ourselves to other ways of thinking and of seeing the world. »

Hypnosis and autohypnosis

Exploration of the inner world: another way of communicating with ourselves and others, tracking down what guides our actions.

« We need feelings to exist. And it is precisely deep down in this feeling of existing - a new kind of self-awareness - that disruptions of routine can offer us not only better strength and efficiency, but also happiness. Simply being then becomes more important than doing. »

Main clients

Banques

  • Deutsche Bank
  • UBS
  • HSBC
  • Credit Suisse
  • Pictet & Cie
  • Rothschild
  • Julius Baer
  • Crédit Agricole
  • Royal Bank of Scotland
  • BNP Paribas
  • First Abu Dhabi Bank
  • American Express

Finance / Economy

  • Swiss Business Council
  • Mc Kinsey
  • KPMG
  • Ernst and Young
  • Sotheby’s
  • Cap Gemini
  • Deloitte
  • IMD
  • PWC

Insurance

  • AXA
  • Swiss Re
  • MunichRe
  • SCOR
  • Skandia
  • La Mobilière
  • Life Insurance Association
  • Elvia Assurances
  • Association Suisse des Assureurs

Luxury Goods / Cosmetics

  • Breitling
  • Swatch Group
  • LVMH
  • Clarins
  • Richemont

Medical / Pharmaceutical

  • Nobel Biocare
  • Roche
  • Novartis
  • Medtronic
  • Merck
  • Sanofi
  • Pfizer
  • Eli Lilly
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Procter&Gamble
  • AstraZeneca
  • Firmenich
  • Colgate Palmolive

Industry

  • Engie
  • Solvay
  • Schindler
  • ABB
  • Air Liquide
  • Peugeot
  • Toyota
  • SGS
  • Lafarge Holcim
  • Dupont
  • Tetrapak
  • BP
  • Total
  • British American Tobacco
  • Japan Tobacco
  • Covestro
  • Soprema
  • SIG
  • International Paper

Telecommunications / Computing

  • SAP
  • Nortel Networks
  • Dell Computer
  • HP
  • British Telecom
  • Nokia
  • Sony-Erickson
  • Siemens

Travel / Transport

  • Airbus
  • Swissair
  • Lufthansa
  • Unique Zürich Airport
  • Panalpina
  • Danzas
  • Imholz
  • Kuoni
  • Maersk

Food / Household

  • Nestlé
  • Danone
  • Wein International
  • CIES - World Food Forum
  • World Beer & Drinks Forum
  • Duty Free and Travel Retail Industry Associations
  • Cora
  • Ikea

Medical Practice

  • American Psychiatric Association
  • Différents Hôpitaux Universitaires
  • Société Médicale Suisse d'Hypnose
  • Fédération francophone d’hypnose et de thérapies brèves
  • Fédération dentaire internationale
« It’s not the answer that’s important, but the attitude to the question. »
Bertrand Piccard

References

VMWare

on line conference

”We have just gone through the webinar session with Bertrand and the feedback is Amazing, although not surprising to me! Our 2700 attendants just loved him. I wish Bertrand could have seen the enthusiasm himself. Nobody thought it was recorded. Hundreds of positive messages in the chat box while Bertrand was going through his presentation, and I also received directly plenty of messages saying how interesting, inspiring, life changing these 50 minutes have been. Many told me Bertrand was the most inspiring speaker they have seen those past 30 years. Lots of people asking if they can receive a link to show this to their kids. He has made so many people happy, and feel better in their life, something not easy to achieve for a psychiatrist usually in just 50 minutes…”

CEMEX, México

Fernando González Chief Executive Officer
on line conference, March, 2021

« I would like to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for your participation in our Global Executive Meeting. I sincerely appreciate the time you spent and your encouraging and motivational words. More than 400 top executives were inspired and challenged to be brave and leave their comfort zones…Your message about getting rid of old habits and shifting our paradigms is especially important given the challenges faced by our company to innovate and decarbonize in an accelerated manner. Your personal achievements illustrate very well how to set stretch goals and then find creative ways to make them happen. You truly have made possible what seemed impossible, and that’s a very powerful message to all of our executives. »

Bongrain

« Because you have spoken directly to people’s hearts, we have all been touched by the warmth and humanity of your words. You have been able to give another dimension to the daily concerns of our managers by showing them that to succeed in all that they do, whether individual or collective work, private or professional, it is necessary above all not to fear failure but to understand and accept its usefulness. Confronted with the challenges we all have to face, you made us appreciate the importance of relationships with others and of choosing your teammates. You also underlined how much intellectual performance is inseparable from what we have learned and experienced. »

Deloitte

Deloitte
Event in Copenhagen
London Speakers Bureau.

“Deloitte were thrilled with Bertrand’s performance and said he was the highest rated speaker of the whole event!”

IKEA

Jesper Brodin, CEO

“A big thank you for your contribution to One Home, One Planet. This event was all about bringing together creativity and knowledge to scale ideas, collaborating on challenges, and partnering for positive change. Your presence was not only inspiring but provided a thought-provoking perspective on the context we are in, as well as a feeling of optimism that we can solve these challenges together...”

Medtronic

« Your talk was undoubtedly the key to the success of the evening. You illustrated your fascinating adventures beautifully. The lessons you learned and shared with us will stay in our minds for a long time to come. In short, the brief time we spent together has taught us a lot about others and about ourselves. »

Rektor der TV

Graz und Präsident der Österreichischen Rektorenkonferenz a.D.

« Die gestrige Veranstaltung des „Club Zukunft“ mit Herrn Dr. Bertrand Piccard war ein einzigartiger Erfolg. Nur sehr selten im Leben hat man das Vergnügen, einen derart hochkarätigen Vortrag erleben zu dürfen. Ich und mit mir wahrscheinlich alle Teilnehmer waren hellauf begeistert. »

Rector of TV

Graz and former President of the Austrian Rectors' Conference

«Yesterday's “Club Zukunft - Future Club” event with Dr. Bertrand Piccard was a unique success. Only very rarely in life do you have the pleasure of attending such an outstanding talk. I, and with me most likely all of the other participants were simply thrilled. »

Siemens

« Your participation played a decisive role in the success of our event, and we thank you very much for this. We congratulate you on completing your great adventure and also thank you wholeheartedly for having shared your feelings and thoughts with us. »

Danzas

« The content of your talk as well as the way you presented it made an outstandingimpression on the audience. All the participants were full of enthusiasm and emotion. We are sure that everyone will be able to adapt at least some of your thoughts in their daily life - whether professional or private... »

Banque Bruxelles Lambert

Switzerland

« It was an honor and a real pleasure for us to be able to allow our guests to hear your sincere words, inspired by such magnificent and rich experiences. You were able to convey a message of great philosophical depth with simplicity and emotion, and this earned us nothing but compliments. We would like to pass them on to you with this little note, expressing also our own deepest gratitude.»

UBS

« The “highlight” of our seminar was undoubtedly your presence I am convinced that your intervention will contribute to injecting a new dynamic into our teams. According to the feedback I have received, they have hoisted on board your message that “it is useless to fight against the wind, and much better to understand how to use it to achieve one’s goal in life”.»

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