Pieter de Rijk

About Pieter de Rijk

A Proven Formula

Pieter de Rijk is one of the most frequently booked public speakers in the Netherlands, and has been for two decades. He is the winner of a prestigious Dutch prize for comedy, and a foreign language wiz. Combining his talent for comedy and language, he has developed a highly successful and versatile comedy act that has him constantly touring the Netherlands, but that has also proven to work its magic in Austria, Spain, Belgium and the United States. After consulting with the client, Pieter de Rijk takes on an alias and nationality, and is introduced as a keynote speaker with an impressive background in business or government, raising high expectations in the unsuspecting audience. He often poses as a German (speaking German and speaking English or Dutch with a German accent).

But he just as convincingly impersonates an American, a Brit, a Frenchman, or even a Swede. The audience has no idea the sleep-inducing start of thespeech is a hoax, and the sudden change, when the boring CEO or government official turns into the funniest keynote speaker they have ever heard, always takes them by surprise. Changing his tune but still in character, Pieter then gives his hilarious take on subjects such as globalization, international business, innovation, the information age, client focus, customer satisfaction, the job market and mobility. Especially for the US he has developed a Crash Course ‘Europe, which mocks the confusing tangle of cultures that is his home continent, while simultaneously enlightening the audience ‘somewhat, at least. The international angle ensures that participants of different nationalities are included. The surprising twist has the audience discussing the act long afterwards, making it a conversational topic that unites. So convincing is Pieters performance, that people often keep guessing at his identity.

Was this a vice-president with a surprisingly developed sense of humor, or a comedy act? After a performance for Deutsche Bank, for instance, an audience member came over and said: “You shouldnt have become a banker, you missed your calling as a comedian!” It’s the best compliment one can wish for. Pulling this off requires a unique combination of talents. This makes Pieter a popular speaker, both at home and abroad. With the Dell Breakfast Club he toured the Netherlands and Belgium, Deloitte & Touche booked him for a conference in Austria, and he performed for major banks in Germany and Spain. In 2013 he performed in Las Vegas, at the World Wide Sales Conference organized by EVault.

Some reactions there:

• “It’s been a long time since I have been this surprised. Very good performance and a great, great laugh!!” – Kevin Pellicaan, Inside Sales Rep at EVault.
• “Your portion of the EVault World Wide Sales Conference was just brilliant! You’ve made a number of fans here!” – Dave Lionelli, Priority Account Manager EVault.
• “Thank you Pieter – your presentation was great. I have received much positive feedback. A perfect ending to a very intense week. “Excellent job!” – Valerie Fawzi, Technology Marketing Executive EVault.
• “Well done, Pieter! Hilarious!” – Jeff Garrett, Global Microsoft Alliance Manager at EVault.
• “Definitely one of the highlights of the week!” – Jonathan Farmer, Cloud Storage and Disaster Recovery Specialist at EVault.
• “For the most part of it, I believed he was really a CEO, the most funny I’ve ever seen also…” – Christopher Cook, Latin America Marketing EVault.

Well known international clients that Pieter de Rijk has performed for (among others): AON, McDonalds, ING, Siemens, Tata Steel, Air France/KLM, Oracle, Intel, Baker & McKenzie, Pricewaterhouse, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, DHL, RE/MAX.