Chairperson – Keynote Speaker
Brigadier General Retd Hans Damen is available as chairperson and speaker for (inter)national conferences, lectures and masterclasses.
Subjects
Collaboration
How do you organize cooperation between organizations with completely different cultures? Through the Land Maintenance Initiative, Hans started a completely new way of doing business between the Army and the commercial sector based on trust and experiments. Started with five companies, this grew into a whole new ecosystem with defense services and business. But how do you organize this cooperation? And how do you organize interdepartmental cooperation. And how to bring EU and NATO closer together?
Leadership
The 21st century brings new technology and new generations with new dreams and new questions. This requires also new leadership. How do you tackle this challenge and how to react when problems occur? What can be learned from great military thinkers? And how does Mao Zedong fit in?
Crisis management
How do you keep your cool when everything around you seems to be going wrong. How do you keep thinking and planning during a crisis, how do you prevent yourself from falling behind and how do you get out of it? A systematic approach and attention to people will go a long way.
Change Management
Leading a politically enforced reorganization that will make 40% of 3300 employees jobless is a real challenge in the most euphemistic sense of the word. Hans accepted that challenge and brought it to a good ending. But even if the urgency is less visible, a transformation may be necessary in your organization. How do you get your own staff and external parties involved and what is the value of experiments?
Social media
Social Media are so 2010. Or are they not? As a social media pioneer at the Dutch Ministry of Defense and an active user, Hans shows why an online social media presence is indispensable for companies and professionals. “If you are not on the internet, you do not exist”.
And further….
Hans likes to exchange ideas about (military) logistics, emergency assistance and crisis management at home and abroad. And scuba diving.
Chairperson
As chairman, Hans feels responsible for the smooth running of your event. Hans sees it as his main task to establish interaction between speakers and the audience, thereby quickly switching between the main outlines and the desired depth of the discussion with a healthy dose of humor certainly added to the mix. In the preparation of your event Hans also likes to brainstrom with you about your objectives and the corresponding structure of the event.
Because Hans has extensive experience in organizing (inter)national congresses and meetings and has also worked as a floormanager for the National Tattoo, he also knows what is happening behind the scenes and can seamlessly interact with technicians, location management and event organizers.
Events Hans participated in
3 Seas Business Forum, Bucharest, Romania, 2023
AFCEA Technet Conference, Rotterdam, 2016
Ambtenaar2.0 dag, 2012-2018*
Bedrijfsvoeringssymposium Brandweer Haaglanden, 2024*
Bedrijfsvoeringsdag Defensie, Stroe, 2025*
Berlin Security Conference 2018
Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, Bucharest, Romania 2022 *, 2023*, 2024*, 2025*, 2026*
BLMC congres Succes Ontrafeld, Oldebroek, 2017*
CAX-exercise, Vilnius, Lithuania, 2024*
CEPA virtuele conferentie reeks “Moving Mountains” 2020*
Combat Logistics, Krakow, Polen, 2019, 2020*
Connect Inspiratie meeting, Groningen, 2023
Connekt Weerbare IT, Logistiek en Mobiliteit, Delft 2025*
Defence Logistic Conference, Brussels, 2014
Defence Collaboration and Logistics, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2013
Defence Entrepreneurs Forum, Austin Texas, USA, 2017
Defence Entrepreneurs Forum X Nederland, 2018, 2019, 2021
Defence Logistics Conference, Arlington, USA, 2009
Defence Logistics, London 2014, Bristol 2015, Brussels 2017, Krakow Poland 2020
Defense Sharing Conference, Budapest, Hongarije 2022
- Defense Summit ALSO Nederland, 2026
Defensie in de netwerksamenleving, Utrecht, 2015*
Defensie Attachee week, Den Haag, 2021*
Defensie Inkoopdag, Ermelo, 2023*
Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven, 2016
- e-RIC, Twente, 2024, 2026*
European – American Security Dialogue, Romania 2019, Sweden 2020*, Estonia 2022*
European Defense Sharing Conference, Budapest, Hungary, 2022
European Union Military Staff Logistics Conference, 2012
EVOFenedex Supply Chain Management Congres 2015, 2017
Facilitair Management Symposium Defensie, Stroe, 2024
Innovationquarter / Raad voor Ondernemend Nederland bijeenkomst, 2024
International Defence Logistics, Brussels, Belgium 2016
Interthethings, Haarlem, 2017
Interagency Exercise Romania, 2024*
IoT-talks Tele2, Rotterdam 2018
Jong Logistiek Nederland jaarcongres 2017*, 2018, 2019, 2022*
Joint Corridors Off-Road Forward Forum, Soesterberg, 2023
Landmacht2.0 dag, Utrecht, 2012*
Leaders for leaders, Military Academy Sibiu, Romania, 2024
Logistics Conference, Brno Cech Republic, 2025
Logistics Conference, Sibiu, Romania, 2021*
Marching Through Europe: Lessons in Military Mobility, Den Haag, 2019
Marktdag Maritieme Drones, 2024*
Masterclass Defensie, Innovation Quarter en NFIA, Rotterdam, 2024
Military Logistics Conference, Bristol, UK, 2010
Military Logistics Conference, Oirschot, Schaarsbergen, Stroe, 2007, 2015, 2017*
Military Mobility; a new challenge For NATO and EU, Bucharest, Roumania 2019
MSC Cyber Conference, Tallinn, Estonia 2018
Nationale Voorraaddag, Putten 2015
NEDS; NIDV congress, Rotterdam, 2016
Planmen, Work Force Management Congres, Doorn, 2022
Publieke Pioniers, Venray, 2013
SAP Public Services and Healthcare forum, St Leon Rot, Germany 2017
Schrappen of investeren, The Hague, 2010
Sharing the Power of Knowledge, Amsterdam, 2014
Social Media in the Defence and Military sector, London, 2015, 2017
Spade @IBM, The Hague, 2015
Successful Information Strategies 2020, CIONET, Baarn, 2016
Supply Chain Masterclass EVO, Nyenrode, 2015
Survival of the fittest, Arnhem 2016
The challenges of Western military capabilities in the light of the Ukraine crisis, Brussel, België 2022
The use of social media by armed forces, The Hague, 2016
Transportsymposium, Delft, 2011
Unmanned Systems Forum, Bucharest, Romania, 2023*, 2024*, 2025*
Verre Reizen met Kinderen Beurs, 2011, 2012, 2013*
Warehouse Totaal Live, 2021
Zakendoen met Defensie: Is dat iets voor voor mijn bedrijf? VNO/NCW/FME, Arnhem 2025
Zakendoen met Defensie, Apeldoorn, 2014
* (Also) chairperson/ moderator
