RICARDO SEMLER

Ricardo Semler is a keynote speaker, Evolution Accelerant and the founder of Semco and Semco3. For more than four decades he has shown companies, schools and leaders how to evolve on purpose rather than by crisis – replacing rigid hierarchy with trust, transparency and self-management, and growing faster because of it. The author of Maverick and The Seven-Day Weekend, he has seen his approach adopted by more than 200 companies in eleven countries.

Ricardo isn’t a futurist or a disruptor. As AI reshapes work faster than any restructuring cycle can respond, the ideas he was once decades early on have become urgent. He returns to the global stage with three new concepts – The End of the Boss, The End of School and The End of Forever – and a simple challenge for every leader in the room: take what works and make it work better; find what doesn’t work and get rid of it.

Why event organisers book Ricardo Semler

• Proof, not theory. He took Semco from 110 to 5,000 employees, grew profit by 14% a year for 25 years and reduced staff turnover to 2%.
• A track record inside global companies. His teams have worked with more than 200 companies in eleven countries, including a Dutch bank that moved from 278 branch managers to 25 in a single day.
• Ideas that travel. His TED Talk, How to run a company with (almost) no rules, has been seen by millions, and the Semco story is taught as a case study at 172 universities.
• Contrarian and memorable. He connects work and life, challenging the assumption that careers, companies and strategies should be built to last forever.
• Built for your audience. Ricardo researches each organisation before he speaks and shapes the session around its own structure and challenges.

Keynote topics

The End of the Boss: the Round Pyramid

Most organisations still run on an operating system designed for factories and armies. In The End of the Boss, Ricardo shows why no amount of culture initiatives can fix a structure that is the problem itself – and what replaces it. The Round Pyramid is an architecture built on teams of around ten people, led by someone validated by their peers, with numbers known by everyone and leadership that rotates. Drawing on Semco and on transformations such as the ABN AMRO branch network, he shows leaders how to distribute authority, speed up decisions and make accountability universal.

Ideal for: CEOs, executive teams, CHROs, transformation and future-of-work events.

The End of Forever: why “forever” is the most dangerous idea in work and life

We design careers, companies, strategies and even relationships as if they should last for ever. Ricardo argues that this single assumption quietly destroys performance, innovation and happiness. Built on his principles of relevance, cycles and impermanence, this keynote shows leaders how to build in cycles rather than structures, rethink retention and talent, and give people permission to reinvent before a crisis forces them to.

Ideal for: leadership conferences, HR and people events, executive retreats.

The End of School: relevance-based learning for an AI world

Founder of the Lumiar schools, Ricardo makes the case that standardised, test-driven education no longer prepares people for the world they will work in. He shows how adaptive curricula, master mentors and technology can turn the world into the classroom – and what employers, universities and governments can learn from it about developing talent.

Ideal for: education, L&D and talent conferences, public-sector and policy audiences.

Relevance over loyalty: the new contract between people and work

Companies are still trying to hold on to people. The best are designing systems people eventually leave – and come back to. Ricardo explains the new psychology of the workforce, why fluid organisations outperform rigid ones, and how to build a culture where talent chooses to stay engaged.

Ideal for: CHROs, HR leadership, culture and employee-experience events.

Why long-term planning is broken – and what to do instead

Five-year plans are fiction; the world changes faster than any strategy document. Ricardo shows leaders how to replace rigid planning with shorter cycles, faster feedback and change-ready systems – an approach Semco3 now supports with AI tools that track what is really happening inside an organisation.

Ideal for: strategy, innovation, technology and AI conferences.

Private leadership sessions

Alongside keynotes, Ricardo holds a small number of closed sessions with leadership teams each year. These are not presentations. They are direct, practical conversations built around your organisation’s own structure: where authority sits, where it gets stuck, and what a more fluid, accountable model could look like for you. Sessions can be combined with his European and international travel – ask Rachel about upcoming dates.

Semco3: the work behind the ideas

In April 2025 Ricardo launched Semco3, a complete reinvention of what consulting can be. Instead of embedding consultants for years, Semco3 works with a company for twelve months, earns a share of the additional EBITDA it helps create, and draws on a credentialed network of around 500 “unConsultants” across 40 countries. Its AI-driven toolkit includes MRI, a strategic portrait of an organisation; GEORGE, which tracks how a transformation is really progressing; and TruthScan, which shows leaders what employees, clients and suppliers actually think. Ricardo’s talks draw directly on this live work.

Frequently asked questions

How do I book Ricardo Semler?

Ricardo Semler is exclusively represented by Oration Speakers. Contact Rachel Moran at [email protected] or book a call to discuss dates, format and fees.

What is Ricardo Semler’s speaking fee?

Fees depend on the format, location and length of the engagement. Contact Oration Speakers for a current quote.

What formats does Ricardo offer?

Keynotes, closed-door leadership sessions, fireside conversations, executive retreats and longer workshops with his Semco3 team. Each session is tailored after research into your organisation.

What does Ricardo Semler speak about?

The future of work and organisations in the age of AI, leadership without hierarchy, trust and transparency, the Round Pyramid, education reform, careers and life design, and why designing for “forever” holds organisations back.

Is Ricardo available for events in Europe?

Yes. Ricardo speaks internationally and regularly holds sessions in Europe. Ask Oration Speakers about his upcoming travel dates.

Ready to bring Ricardo Semler to your leadership team or event? Contact Rachel at Oration Speakers, his exclusive agent.