Erik Vermeulen is a Global Business Consultant and Keynote Speaker, specialising in Corporate Behaviour Strategies. Erik explores trends and behaviours that have shaped the business world and delivers ones that are required to motivate and improve performance in the business world. His strategies allow companies to create more profitable behaviours by examining how their teams work and how they interact with their employees as well as their customers.

He has acted as Team Catalyst to both professional sports teams and corporate teams, including executive management, sales, customer service and administrative teams.

Erik is an avid multisport endurance athlete who is drawn to explore the outdoors and test human potential along the way. Previously a partner in The Munga, a crazy 1060km single stage MTB race traversing some of the toughest terrain south of the equator. He pioneered, and Directed, The Munga Trail, a 400km trail run that is featured by Runners World International as one of the toughest races on the planet. As the owner of Xplore, he facilitates and leads other expeditions on foot and on MTB to extreme and oftentimes inhospitable corners of the world. In June 2018, Erik launched 7.2º, an ambitious project to reach both North and South Poles & all 7 Summits (the highest peaks on each continent) in a world record breaking time of less than 138 days.

In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Erik co-created The Brightrock Battle of the Sports which saw him walk 800km over four expeditions with some of South Africa’s sporting heroes to raise much needed funds in support vulnerable communities battling COVID. 

He has served long-term consulting contracts with some of the world’s largest companies and leaders in the global marketplace. His clients have found that Erik has the ability to put plenty of real-life business issues into perspective and offer realistic alternatives to team and leadership issues. He is frequently singled out for his enthusiasm, down to earth attitude and refreshing approach to people. 

Erik has helped an African mobile phone company say “Jambo Greatness”, and they delivered on the promise. He’s shown the staff at Africa’s most profitable airline how they can “Lift you Up”, and a medical Aid scheme how to become “Pacesetters”. He’s even managed a to get the IT division at a major bank to “Simplify Complexity” and a children’s Cancer Charity to understand “How Now Brown Cow?” to transition to bigger things.”
 

Erik believes that you cannot motivate people, rather he takes a highly effective behavioural approach to leadership that allows him to influence what people are motivated to do! He shows companies how to build “virtual” teams that include both their employees and their customers, making a significant impact on the bottom-line. He has helped a global mobile phone company sell 60 000 units in a saturated market in under 3 weeks.

In Erik’s keynote presentation, ‘Ridgeline Thinking – how to succeed with an adventure mindset’, he shares that principles that bring people home safely from expeditions and how those same concepts can be used to create corporate behavioural cultures that lead to success.  Using amazing imagery from his adventures, the audience will come to grips with The Power of Process and Culture, all while reliving some of Erik’s experiences – not just as an adventurer but also as a Mind and Performance Coach to athletes and businesses alike.

TOPICS

·       There’s a Shark in the Vending Machine – Behavioural Economics

·       800: Walking 800km with world-class athletes – Motivation

·       Cordialism: How the best Companies lose their flavour.  – Culture & Engagement

·       RidgelineThinking  – Succeeding with an Adventure Mindset. - Motivation

·       Custom crafted presentations – Delivering YOUR message

Collaborating with Erik will give your people and your company:

·       A fresh and unique perspective on behaviour and people management.

·       Immediately actionable behaviours to help realise your goals.

·       An understanding of the difference in people and how to communicate effectively with them in order to minimise conflict.

·       A can-do attitude towards team-work and customer service.

·       The motivation to go the extra mile.

·       Vivid learning moments that are easy to recall, for several months after the event.
A speaker who provides both memorable content and tools that delegates can immediately apply in order to change their results.