Thimon De Jong

What can leaders & organisation do today to prepare for the future? Thimon de Jong helps you understand what’s going on in the world and what people are going to do next.

Thimon de Jong is a behavioural expert and the founder of Whetston / strategic foresight. He has helped clients like Ikea, Morgan Stanley, Google and Novartis to future proof their leaders and business strategies. He lectures at Utrecht University (social-psychology) and published the book Future Human Behavior – Understanding What People Are Going To Do Next in 2023.

 “His expert views put a totally new light on current reality, and most importantly, where to go next.” -IKEA

Thimon is a sought-after global keynote speaker and leadership trainer and has been ranked ‘highest-rated speaker’ at more than a 100 business conferences & leadership programs. Audiences praise his entertaining, interactive sessions, full of practical take-aways that are rooted in research.

Thimon’s Keynote Topics include:

Future Proof Leadership
What can leaders practically do today to be ready for the future? On how to navigate the polycrisis, ride the next wave of digitalisation, embrace new ways of working, increase trust and take care of the planet and themselves?

The Future of Work
What are the practical implications of the future of work? How much flexible / WFH / remote / hybrid / metaverse work are we going to do? And how to attract the next generation of workers: what does the talent of the future want? How to attract and keep them?

The Human Side of Technology
How will people respond to future technologies? How can leaders get themselves and their people to rationally ánd emotionally embrace new technology? And what is the perfect balance between the virtual and the physical?

Navigating the Polycrisis
It is time to envision how human behaviour will change the coming years now that society is hit by a so-called ‘polycrisis’: where several crises in a row (Covid, Ukraine, inflation, recession & the climate crisis) shake up society and rattle our mental wellbeing. How does this affect our behaviour? Decision-making? And leadership?

Generation Z: Collaborative Action
Gen Z is making quite an impact! How do they differ from older generations? And how to create a thriving collaborative multi-generational work place where their entrepreneurialism and their action mindset can thrive?

The Future of the Planet
The 2010’s were mostly about raising awareness, the 2020’s are all about Action with a capital A. So what can organisations practically DO right now to make a real impact (without being cancelled)? How should leaders approach this topic? How can an organisational purpose be aligned with the personal purposes of its employees stakeholders and clients?

Mental Surplus
The topic of mental health is rapidly becoming as ‘normal’ as physical health. Employees are actively looking for mental health resources at work and see their manager as one of these resources. Any future proof leader should start working on a mental surplus today with a focus on empathy skills and emotional intelligence.

Thimon de Jong (1977) is the founder of WHETSTON, a strategic foresight think tank based in Amsterdam. WHETSTON explores the future of human behaviour, societal trends and generational change. These insights are then applied to leadership and business strategy. Thimon is an experienced (virtual) keynote speaker and leadership trainer and has worked for clients like Morgan Stanley, Vodafone, IKEA, Novartis, Nike, Microsoft, Warner, Tetra Pak and L’Oreal. Thimon also lectures at the social psychology department of Utrecht University. He is a former insights & strategy director at TrendsActive, researcher at FreedomLab Future Studies and editor-in-chief of RELOAD Magazine. His first book Future Human Behavior – Understanding What People Are Going To Do Next was published in 2023 by Routledge.