More about Thomas Daamen

Born in Cologne in 1977, Thomas Daamen has the Rhineland's cheerful spirit practically in his blood. He has taken the local motto to heart as a keynote speaker, too: „Jede Jeck es anders!“ (Every fool is different!) That openness and warmth shape his speaking style – unaffected, genuine and direct. In his talks, refreshing anecdotes meet subtle humor. With his zest for life he brings a certain lightness – even to challenging topics like failure, loss of motivation and difficult decisions. At the same time, Thomas Daamen shows strong empathy and a special feel for the emotions of the people around him. His talks create an atmosphere full of inspiring impulses for actively shaping change and innovation.

The career of speaker and keynote speaker Thomas Daamen has been shaped by creativity and innovation from the start. After studying at Stuttgart Media University, graduating with a degree in industrial engineering (Diplom-Wirtschaftsingenieur FH) with a focus on marketing communications and advertising, he gained his first experience at Coca-Cola and McCann and started as a Product Manager at L’Oréal Paris. At Campari he climbed the career ladder from Brand, Group Brand and Key Account Manager, through head of Key Account Management for grocery retail and the position of Global Category Director at the group headquarters in Milan, all the way up to the executive level as Marketing Director. He therefore knows both sides of the table: brand management and retail. He made decisions on large-scale campaigns with million-dollar budgets and built Love Brands with unique strategies. The 2009 Aperol campaign „Verrückt nach Leben“ (Crazy about Life), in which Thomas Daamen was involved as Brand and later Group Brand Manager, is documented as an Effie case study by the GWA : sales +200% versus the previous year, buyer reach tripled.

But despite all his successes, he noticed that his motivation was fading and other emotions were taking its place. Something had to change. The corporate world increasingly held him back, big decisions were made elsewhere, and his visions often went unheard. That is when he heard his personal signal for a self-determined fresh start. Thomas Daamen is not someone who dwells on the past. Anyone who has once barreled across the Sahara in a junker and organized his own off-road rallies on the side for 13 years knows: sometimes you have to change the route, but the destination stays the same. In hindsight, the decision to leave the corporation was the best of his life.

Whether in the past at corporate headquarters, at product launches in front of hundreds of sales colleagues, or today in his talks on the big stage – Thomas Daamen was always more than a pure marketing strategist. His presentations were never dry number orgies but entertainment par excellence. Even then he showed how to inspire people with emotion and turn ideas into real experiences.