Change Management Keynote Speaker
Direct answer
Chris Hirst is a former Global CEO of Havas Creative Network who led change across hundreds of companies, 10,000 people, on every continent. His change management keynote uses Schwerpunkt, OODA Loops, and Sticking vs Kinetic Friction to show leadership teams why change is loops not lines, why getting started takes more effort than keeping going, and why roughly 30% of decisions will be wrong – and that is fine.
Chris Hirst
Practical keynote frameworks for rooms with real decisions to make.
$1bn
P&L led at Havas
10k
people led globally
3
leadership books
Chris Hirst's Schwerpunkt (point of maximum effect), OODA Loops, and Sticking vs Kinetic Friction show leadership teams why change is loops not lines, why getting started takes more effort than keeping going, and why roughly 30% of decisions will be wrong – and that is fine. From No Bullshit Change and a decade of leading transformation across Havas Creative Network.
Want to ask about Chris? ChrisHirst@clash.cc
Chris turned around Grey when it was, by his own admission, failing – then scaled that thinking across Havas Creative Network, hundreds of companies, 10,000 people, every continent. No Bullshit Change, his third book, codifies what he learned. His central principle: 'Error is an embedded feature of success. You literally can't succeed without making errors. So you might as well just get on there and start making them.' He is not selling a 12-step programme or a proprietary methodology. He is selling a way of thinking about change that is simpler, more honest, and more action-oriented than what the industry offers.
- Former Global CEO of Havas Creative Group
- Best Business Book of the Year winner
- Trusted by Google, PwC, Verizon and global leadership teams
What Your Audience Leaves With
A usable frame for the decision in front of them
Primary audience: Leadership teams at the start of a transformation programme, restructure, or strategic pivot. Core pain point: Analysis paralysis, change fatigue, and the gap between the strategy deck and what actually happens on Monday morning. Previous change programmes announced with fanfare and died in execution. Key message: Sticking friction is always greater than kinetic friction. Getting change started takes more effort than keeping it going. Even cosmetic changes – hot-desking, removing offices, changing seating – matter because they break inertia. Desired outcome: Teams that cycle through Observe-Orient-Decide-Act faster than competitors, break sticking friction with decisive early action, and accept that imperfect decisions made quickly beat perfect decisions made too late.
Topic focus
Change Management
The Problem
Why Most Change Programmes Fail
Most change programmes are designed as linear processes: diagnose, plan, implement, review. Chris's view is different. Change is repeated Observe-Orient-Decide-Act loops. Speed advantage comes from cycling through OODA faster than competitors or the environment changes. The organisation that orients and acts fastest wins, even with imperfect information. This connects directly to the 40/70 Rule – do not wait past 70% certainty.
The second failure is trying to move every slider on the graphic equaliser up by 2%. Chris's Schwerpunkt framework demands that you pick one point of maximum effect and concentrate disproportionate resources there until it breaks through. Marginal gains come after the breakthrough, not before. The Sensodyne example: they focused tightly on tooth sensitivity and created a premium, high-share subcategory rather than competing everywhere against Colgate.
The third failure is underestimating inertia. Sticking friction is always greater than kinetic friction – a physics fact applied to organisations. It takes more effort to get a matchbox moving than to keep it moving. Same with organisations. Even cosmetic changes – hot-desking, removing offices, changing where people sit – matter because they break sticking friction and create momentum. Once moving, you can be more strategic, more long-term.
Key Takeaways
What Your Audience Leaves With
Change is loops, not lines – cycle through OODA faster than the environment changes
Schwerpunkt: one decisive move at the point of maximum effect beats twenty incremental improvements
Sticking friction is greater than kinetic friction – break inertia with decisive early action
Error is an embedded feature of success – roughly 30% of decisions will be wrong, and that is fine
Even cosmetic changes matter – hot-desking, removing offices, and changing seating break organisational inertia
FAQ