Keynotes on creativity, culture and entrepreneurship

Most organisers who book me want a room that sees its own work from a new angle, and dares to act on it. Pick a theme, a title that has worked before, or the story itself. Each is built for your audience.

Discuss a keynote Most booked

Watch a talk: CreativeMornings/HEL, 29 min (opens in a new tab)

Polar Bear Pitching, Oulu, 26 February 2026. Photo: Kota Collective / Polar Bear Pitching.

Three themes. One idea: make odd ideas matter

Time to be human

Aikaa olla ihminen – kiinnostavuus on uusi kilpailuetu

For companies, business agencies, leadership, HR and marketing days.

The problem: AI made good work cheap and saves everyone hours. Now every offer looks the same, and nobody has decided what the hours are for.
The argument: Good is the floor now. What can’t be copied is whether people care, and that is what the hours are for.
They leave with: what to hand to the machine, where they’ve gone invisible, and how to spend the time becoming worth caring about.

Main-⁠stage keynote, Polar Bear Pitching, Oulu, 2026.

From audience to movement

Yleisöstä liikkeeksi

For brands, member organisations, cities, regions and festivals.

The problem: Reach keeps getting more expensive, and people are lonelier than the follower counts suggest.
The argument: An audience watches. A community shows up, brings a friend and builds with you. The difference is designed, not bought.
They leave with: the difference between an audience and a community, and the first steps from one to the other.

ODDfest: 5,000+ participants in two years (allthingsodd.co) · Ambitious.Africa, 2020

Thriving in oddity

Erilaisuus on etu

For schools, universities, youth and employment services, and employers.

The problem: A generation that doesn’t fit the old model of work is arriving, and the system keeps reading difference as a problem.
The argument: The ones who don’t fit aren’t the problem. They’re the early signal. I was one: the short guy on the court, the Swedish kid in a Finnish town.
They leave with: young people: permission to be different, and one concrete next step. Organisations: what this generation needs to show up and stay.

Told from my own story (Svenska Yle, 2024), in a youth or an employer version.

Most booked

2022–26From Idea to InnovationUniversity of Turku, Flavoria: booked three times.
2024–25Luovuus strategisena työkalunaCreativity as a strategic tool. Centria UAS chose it by name; creativity was also Jyväskylä’s brief.
2024–26Entrepreneurship and growthBusinessOulu; Polar Bear Pitching, Oulu; Hanko Entrepreneurs’ Day.
2025–26Nuoret ja yrittäjyys – rohkeus tarttua tilaisuuteenChosen by Centria UAS. Young people and working life: Tampere; Savonlinna, October.
2024Katse tulevaisuuteenValio: a look ahead for the owner-⁠cooperative’s advisers.

60+ talks, panels, workshops and hosted sessions since 2020.

Ronny Eriksson pointing at a screen that reads Sitä ei suunniteltu. Se kerrostettiin., the F-⁠hub audience seen from behind, birches outside the window — CreaTech-⁠käräjät, Rovaniemi, 5 October 2026. Photo: Jani Wathén.

The story keynote

Always the odd one in the room

For conferences, kick-⁠offs and festivals that want energy with a point.

The court: A promising basketball player, until everyone else grew taller. So I learned the short guy’s position: point guard. Read the floor, make everyone else better.
The warehouse: At twenty I made an eight-⁠hour shift take two, and used the other six to get into Hanken.
The rooms: A startup in my first year at business school. Ambitious.Africa with Peter Vesterbacka. A festival I announced before it existed.
What it means for your room: It looked like six careers. It was one: making room for people and ideas that don’t fit yet, and making them win. Your audience leaves seeing its own odd thing as the advantage.

The court: Keski-⁠Uusimaa and Svenska Yle, 2024 · the festival: ODDfest, since 2025.

What they said

“Ronnyn puheenvuoro oli inspiroiva ja ajatuksia herättävä, ja se avasi uusia näkökulmia. Esityksestä välittyi, että Ronny oli perehtynyt huolellisesti taustoihin ja rakentanut puheenvuoronsa juuri tätä tilaisuutta varten. Hänen innostava otteensa ja kykynsä tarkastella asioita luovalla tavalla tekivät esityksestä erityisen antoisan. Hänen kaltaisiaan ideoijia ja luovia ajattelijoita kuulisi mielellään tulevissakin tapahtumissa. Täydet suositukset!”

Translated from Finnish Ronny’s talk was inspiring and thought-provoking, and it opened up new perspectives. It was clear that Ronny had studied the background carefully and built his talk for this very event. His energising approach and his ability to look at things in a creative way made it especially rewarding. Idea-makers and creative thinkers like him would be welcome at future events too. Fully recommended!

— Savonlinna region employment services, Työllisyysfoorumi 2026

“Ronnyn lähestymistapa oli arvostava ja positiivinen, ja hän oli laatinut esityksen taidokkaasti ottaen hyvin kohderyhmänsä huomioon. Esitys oli ajatuksia herättävä, innostava ja inspiroiva. Pidämme Ronnyn ilman muuta mielessä tulevia vastaavia tilaisuuksia varten!”

Translated from Finnish Ronny’s approach was appreciative and positive, and he had built the talk skilfully around his audience. It was thought-provoking, energising and inspiring. We will certainly keep Ronny in mind for similar events!

— Annina Ylitalo, Executive Assistant, Valio

“I don’t think anyone felt cold when Eriksson started speaking.”

— Suvi Sipola, oulu.com recap of Polar Bear Pitching 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Discuss a keynote

What working together involves

First, a call: about your audience, your region or field, and what should change after the day.
If it helps: Q&A, a panel, a workshop after the talk, or hosting the day.
Afterwards: for a public event, a short note on my site within a week. Yours to share with attendees or link from your recap.

What it is for A room that knows what it will try first.

Before you book

Which languages?: Finnish, Swedish or English.
Do you travel?: Across Finland and abroad.
How long is a talk?: 30 to 60 minutes.

Tell me what it’s for, who it’s for and when. I propose a format, and we agree scope and fee together before anything is confirmed.

Photos and bios for your programme: the media kit →

Valitse kieli · Välj språk · Choose your language