Robert Karjel
Lt. Colonel Robert Karjel brings a highly unusual skill set to the podium—pirate hunter, Swedish Air Force helicopter pilot, and successful Nordic Noir novelist.
Using his exceptional storytelling abilities in both Swedish and English, Robert Karjel inspires organizations to conquer new tasks, despite external and internal problems and individual self-doubt or even fear. He shows how the "impossible" can be broken down into manageable parts, to keep high-stakes projects on track and on time.
In 2010, Lt. Col. Karjel commanded a helicopter squadron fighting pirates off the coast of Somalia. Skeptics said he would never succeed, given low morale after a series of deadly helicopter accidents. Karjel’s mission achieved a complete turnaround. His naval task force averted more than one hundred pirate attacks, while escorting critical UN deliveries of food and medicine to millions of Somalis.
In 2014, Karjel was named Speaker of the Year in Sweden. His average audience ratings are the highest his speaker’s bureau has ever received: 4.92 out of 5.
Robert was fantastic!!! He both touched and inspired all the managers. One’s feedback was that for a long time after Robert's lecture he could hardly speak, because he was so moved by the amazing story Robert shared.
—Nina Jernemalm, HR Head, Ericsson
Absolutely awesome! There has been talk about Robert's lecture for days now. It was packed on the premises, which it had never been before. He made references to their actual work which suited the target group perfectly. Incredibly successful!
—Margareta Samuelsson, Quality Management, Saab Fighter Aircraft
Robert Karjel holds a master’s degree in Applied Physics. He is the only Swedish pilot to have trained with the U.S. Marines and flown its attack helicopters. He was a fellow at Amherst College, where he wrote much of his thriller The Swede (2015, HarperCollins). The novel, published in 13 languages, is also in development by Twentieth Century Fox as an American TV series.
Karjel conducts more than 100 speaking engagements a year, to companies including: IKEA, Microsoft, Volvo, Ericsson, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, SCA, Atlas Copco, Hewlett Packard, SAAB Defence (fighter jets), Santander.
