Phill
Akinwale

Many organizations struggle not because they lack processes, but because those processes are not activated by effective leadership. In this powerful and practical session, Phill Akinwale introduces the 5 C’s of Leadership—Clarify, Connect, Coach, Correct, and Commend—as a dynamic overlay that transforms static project management practices into living, breathing systems of value delivery.

This session challenges the traditional notion of a Project Management Office (PMO) as a compliance-driven entity and repositions it as a Community of Practice (COP)—a collaborative, people-centered ecosystem focused on shared learning, engagement, and outcomes.

Through real-world examples and actionable insights, attendees will learn how to diagnose leadership gaps, break down silos, and elevate their teams from task execution to value creation.

Earned Value Management (EVM) has long been viewed as a technical discipline reserved for analysts and large-scale programs. In today’s AI-driven world, however, the conversation must evolve. This session reframes earned value from a backward-looking reporting mechanism into a forward-thinking system for measuring real outcomes and benefits.

Phill Akinwale introduces a modern interpretation of EVM that shifts the focus from outputs to value delivered within a timeframe. Participants will explore how artificial intelligence can enhance forecasting, automate data collection, and surface predictive insights—while also understanding the critical limitations of relying solely on automated metrics.

This session is especially relevant for organizations seeking better financial stewardship, transparency, and strategic alignment in an increasingly data-rich environment.

Leadership is not developed in a day—it is built daily. Inspired by the teachings of John Maxwell and real-world leadership experience during times of uncertainty, this session explores how leaders can intentionally grow their capacity to influence, communicate, and deliver results.

Drawing from Phill Akinwale’s book Build Your Leadership Brain, this keynote blends timeless leadership principles with modern-day challenges, including remote work, organizational change, and evolving workforce expectations. Participants will explore key leadership laws, communication strategies, and mindset shifts that enable leaders to move from positional authority to true influence.

This session emphasizes authenticity, vulnerability, and continuous development—making it especially impactful for leaders navigating change, growth, and complexity.

Setbacks can either define you—or refine you. In this candid and inspiring session, Phill Akinwale shares his personal journey from job loss and financial hardship to professional success through the disciplined application of project management principles.

This session goes beyond certification and explores how structured thinking, resilience, and intentional action can transform careers and lives. Attendees will gain practical insights into how project management skills can be applied not only in the workplace but also in personal decision-making, financial recovery, and long-term career growth.

This keynote resonates deeply with audiences seeking motivation, direction, and real-world application of professional skills.

Many professionals hold Agile certifications—but few experience true Agile transformation. This engaging and thought-provoking session explores the difference between being “certified” and being “converted.”

Through personal storytelling, Phill Akinwale shares how mentorship, deeper study, and real-world application reshaped his understanding of Agile—from a checklist of practices to a powerful mindset rooted in adaptability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Participants will explore how Agile principles can be applied beyond software into real-world environments such as construction, engineering, and organizational operations. This session challenges superficial adoption and equips attendees to embrace Agile in a meaningful, sustainable way.

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the workplace, leadership must evolve—not diminish. This session reinterprets the 5 Levels of Leadership through the lens of AI, showing how leaders can maintain influence, connection, and vision in an increasingly automated world.

Participants will explore how each level—Position, Permission, Production, People Development, and Pinnacle—applies in modern environments where technology enhances capability but cannot replace human leadership.

This session provides a practical roadmap for balancing innovation with empathy, ensuring that organizations grow not only in intelligence, but in integrity and human connection.

Project management and Agile are often perceived as complex and intimidating—but at their core, they are simply structured ways of getting things done. This highly engaging session breaks down both disciplines into simple, relatable concepts that anyone can understand and apply.

Using everyday examples and storytelling, participants will explore the five process groups and ten knowledge areas as natural extensions of how we already think and work. The session also introduces Agile as a mindset—emphasizing adaptability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Attendees will leave with a simplified mental model that removes confusion and empowers them to take action with confidence.

Artificial intelligence has opened the door for anyone to create—apps, automations, content, and solutions—without traditional coding skills. Yet for many professionals, the experience still feels intimidating, confusing, or overly technical.

In this highly practical and engaging session, Phill Akinwale introduces “Vibe Coding for Mere Mortals”—a simple, intuitive approach to building with AI using clear thinking rather than complex code. This session breaks down how to effectively use tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Replit, and emerging platforms like Base44 and Lovable to create meaningful outputs.

At the heart of the session is a simplified prompt engineering approach using the RGB model—Role, Goal, and Benefit—which helps participants clearly communicate what they want from AI tools. Rather than overwhelming attendees with technical jargon, this session focuses on clarity of thought, structured prompting, and practical execution.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of generating music, writing content, designing visuals, and simulating human expression, many professionals are asking a deeper question: What does it mean to be creative in a world where machines can create?

In this thought-provoking and practical session, Phill Akinwale introduces a clear and accessible framework for understanding creativity in the AI era—his 7-Level AI Creativity Taxonomy. This model helps demystify the spectrum of AI involvement, from fully human-driven creation to fully automated output, and everything in between.

Rather than framing AI as a threat, this session positions it as a tool—one that can either dilute creativity or amplify it, depending on how it is used. The session goes beyond theory by breaking down the creative process and showing how AI can enhance each stage without replacing the human element that gives work meaning.

Risk management is often misunderstood as a complex, technical discipline reserved for large projects and specialized professionals. In reality, it is something we all do—every single day—whether we recognize it or not.

In this engaging and highly practical session, Phill Akinwale simplifies risk management into a clear, common-sense approach that anyone can understand and apply immediately. Using relatable, real-world metaphors—from planning a trip to managing finances to navigating everyday decisions—this session reframes risk management as a natural way of thinking rather than a rigid process.

Participants will learn that risk is not just about problems to avoid, but also opportunities to pursue. Attendees will leave equipped to move from reactive worry to proactive awareness—developing the ability to anticipate issues, make better decisions, and respond with confidence when uncertainty arises.

In today’s fast-paced, multitasking world, many professionals feel overwhelmed—not because they lack capability, but because they lack clarity. Work piles up, priorities compete, and progress becomes difficult to track.

In this engaging and highly practical session, Phill Akinwale introduces a powerful yet simple solution inspired by his book King Kanban: using visual flow to conquer disorder and regain control. This session breaks down the core principles of Kanban into everyday language, showing how anyone can use visual systems to organize work, limit overload, and improve focus.

The session emphasizes a critical mindset shift: moving from starting more work to finishing more work. By focusing on flow instead of busyness, participants will learn how to reduce stress, increase throughput, and deliver consistent results.

Many organizations struggle with project management not because they lack effort, but because they lack structure, consistency, and clarity. Teams operate in silos, documentation is inconsistent, and critical information is either missing or misunderstood.

In this practical and results-driven session, Phill Akinwale presents a clear, actionable framework for elevating project management maturity using ten essential steps grounded in real-world application. At the heart of this session is a powerful idea: frameworks matter—but tailoring matters more. Rather than overwhelming teams with rigid methodologies, this session focuses on selecting and scaling the right level of structure based on organizational needs.

Participants will learn how to bring order and alignment through ten core project artifacts—from the Project Charter and Stakeholder Register to the Kanban Board and Lessons Learned Register—that serve as the backbone of effective execution. This session empowers organizations to move from inconsistent execution to disciplined delivery—without losing flexibility.