Written by Marijn Overvest | Reviewed by Sjoerd Goedhart | Fact Checked by Ruud Emonds | Our editorial policy
20 Best Negotiation Speakers of 2026
As taught in the Negotiation Course for Procurement Professionals / ★★★★★ 4.9 rating
Table of contents
- Marijn Overvest
- Michael Watkins
- Linda Swindling
- Colleen Francis
- Kare Anderson
- Dr. Nashater Deu Solheim
- Selena Rezvani
- Jacob Gorm Larsen
- Dr. Robert Cialdini
- Lousin Mehrabi
- Omid Ghamami
- Mike Inman
- Dr. Keld Jensen
- Prof. Dr. Katia Tieleman
- Mark Trowbridge
- Mark Raffan
- Martin John
- Stijn Laenen
- Frédéric Mathier
- Andrew Jacopino
- Conclusion
- Frequently asked questions
How to be a negotiation speaker?
- Negotiation speakers need clear communication, active listening, confidence, and persuasive language to handle discussions effectively.
- Negotiation speakers should prepare key points, ask strategic questions, manage emotions, and present arguments in a calm and professional way.
- Negotiation speakers become more effective by improving communication skills, understanding the other side’s interests, and speaking with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
20 Most Popular Negotiation Speakers of 2026
1. Marijn Overvest
Of course, the day will not end without boasting our very own founder, Marijn Overvest. Marijn Overvest has more than 20 years of experience in procurement and negotiations.
He founded the online training platform, procurement tactics, due to his desire of sharing his knowledge with procurement professionals to pursue their dreams and make an impact in the industry.
Learn more
He wants to share his knowledge through the online course that he has extensively made with his experience and expertise that will allow procurement professionals to be well-equipped and successful in the industry.
Marijn Overvest has been responsible for all three important steps in any negotiation process which are the following:
- Preparation
- Negotiation: how to implement your strategy
- Negotiation: how to implement your strategy
As a procurement manager, he had to deal with 1,500 different products delivered by lots of suppliers every year. His experience in negotiating each day helped him to develop one important skill in negotiation: being unpredictable.
Through the course of his work as a procurement manager, he has done the following responsibilities:
- Negotiations with 500+ suppliers regarding purchase prices, promotions, commercial-, legal-, financial and logistical conditions.
- Annual contract negotiations: Negotiations with €200 Mio + deals with suppliers like Unilever, Heinz, Pepsico
- Creating long-term strategy: conducting yearly annual procurement Plan
- Negotiation experience with over 200+ account managers and commercial & sales directors
- Negotiated with people from over 30+ countries & cultures around the world
- Created over 300+ negotiation plans: being a sparring partner for procurement managers in their process of creating negotiation plans
- Implementation of long-term Procurement & Sourcing strategy: conducting & implementing an annual procurement Plan for over 8 years
- Preparation & implementation of many e-auctions with €1 million + savings
- Contract & Supplier management: check if agreements are being complied with and deal with possible bottlenecks
Procurement tactics and our founder, Marijn Overvest, believe that better deal results are driven by three very important variables: empathic negotiation design, negotiation preparation, and negotiation tactics.
First, We believe that a 100% clear understanding of the negotiation opponent via Empathic negotiation design is the key to any successful negotiation result. Whether you’re experienced or new to the field of negotiations, you will need to understand the other party to achieve better results.
Even though Negotiation Preparation is the second driver of success in any negotiation, too often individuals or organizations rush into negotiations without proper planning, taking a ‘prepared’ seat at the negotiation table gives power, confidence, and creative solution thinking. Before any negotiation, make sure to understand your position, but also the position of your negotiation counterpart.
Lastly, Negotiation tactics are the third important variable to achieve great deal results. Your ultimate deal will be determined by how skilled you are as a negotiator. The more skilled you are, the more the other party will be drawn to settle close to your ideal outcome and closer to their limit.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
2. Michael Watkins
Michael Watkins is the world’s leading expert on accelerating transitions. He is a bestselling author who has previously taught at prestigious institutions such as IMD in Switzerland, INSEAD in France, and the Harvard Business School.
His book, The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at all Levels, is considered the definitive text on onboarding. His work has garnered many awards such as the 2006 Kulp-Wright Book award and the 2002 CPR Institute Negotiation Book prize.
Learn more
Michael brought his experience of business transitions to Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government where he taught negotiation to senior leaders in the national security community.
The experience he earned has provided him with the material for a highly regarded series of case studies on international negotiations and the book Breakthrough International negotiation.
The book, Breakthrough International Negotiation that he co-authored with Susan Rosegrant won the CPR Institute’s Prize for the best book in the field of negotiation in 2001.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
3. Linda Swindling
Linda Swindling is an expert negotiator and a former attorney. She gained first-hand courtroom experience in negotiating difficult cases and had tremendous success in closing multimillion-dollar deals.
She is committed to showing leaders how to negotiate using proven key strategies. Her keynotes are always engaging and offer solid tactics which work in real-life situations.
Learn more
Linda Swindling is frequently hired by Fortune 500 companies such as KPMG, Pepsico, and Metlife.
As a Certified Speaking Professional, She helps leaders to improve their sales opportunities, strengthen business connections, and communicate more effectively. Nonetheless, she shows leaders how to have the courage and confidence to ask boldly to get what they want.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach her here.
4. Colleen Francis
Colleen Francis is a seasoned sales pro and helped businesses around the world to boost their sales in numbers and optimize their performance.
Over the last 15 years, she has helped organizations of all shapes and sizes. The Sales and Marketing Management magazine has called Colleen and her company, Engage Selling, one of the top 5 most effective sales training organizations in the market today.
Learn more
Author of three books, her work covers every step of the buying process that equipped readers with effective strategies for both the short and long term.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach her here.
5. Kare Anderson
Kare Anderson is a respected columnist for Forbes and Huffington Post. She is also an Emmy-winning former NBC and Wall Street Journal Reporter.
She captivates audiences with her keynotes that teach personal and professional strengthening through direct engagement, thoughtful collaboration, and positive communication.
Learn more
Kare Anderson created over 208 issues-formation teams for former President Obama’s first run for office. She is a master at getting a message across and connecting with others to turn situations into opportunities.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach her here.
6. Dr. Nashater Deu Solheim
Dr. Nashater Deu Solheim holds a doctorate in Psychology from the University of Surrey, UK, and is a master negotiator from Harvard Law School’s Executive Program.
Currently, she is the CEO and founder of Progressing Minds AS which specializes in negotiation and influence training for business performance improvement.
Learn more
She has spent many years as a clinical, neuro, and forensic psychologist working with offenders including psychopaths in maximum security settings. Through this, she understands their minds and uses them to influence challenging behavior.
She helps her clients to navigate complex situations with multiple stakeholders, finding how to persuade, influence, and negotiate with the people around them.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach her here.
7. Selena Rezvani
Selena Rezvani is an award-winning author of two books and an expert on self-advocacy and leadership.
She is known internationally as a women’s leadership speaker and consultant, TEDx-er, award-winning journalist, and author.
Additionally, she offers workshops to teams and conferences including her sought-after “Be Your Own Fierce Self-Advocate” workshop.
Learn more
Additionally, she offers workshops to teams and conferences including her sought-after “Be Your Own Fierce Self-Advocate” workshop.
Selena has spoken for and worked with clients such as Cisco, AstraZeneca, Microsoft, and many more well-known companies.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach her here.
8. Jacob Gorm Larsen
Jacob Gorm Larsen is a recognized thought leader on digital procurement and the founder of Moneyball CPH which is a boutique consultancy that specializes in digital procurement.
He spent almost 17 years with Maersk, last as the head of digital procurement. Jacob Gorm Larsen is responsible for an award-winning program with more than 10,000 e-auctions in all parts of the world.
Learn more
His book, “A Practical Guide to E-auctions for Procurement”, is considered the leading book on the subject of applying e-auctions for market-driven negotiations.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
9. Dr. Robert Cialdini
Dr. Robert Cialdini spent his career researching the science of influence, earning him an international reputation as an expert in the fields of compliance, persuasion, and negotiation.
He is also the author of the bestselling book, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”, which is one of the 12 best business books of all time. His new book, “Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade”, quickly became a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestseller.
Learn more
Due to the worldwide recognition of Dr. Cialdini’s scientific research and his ethical business and policy applications, he is known as the “Godfather of influence”.
His clients include Google, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Coca-Cola, NATO, The United States Department of Justice, Kodak, Pfizer, IBM, and many more well-known companies.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
10. Lousin Mehrabi
Lousin Mehrabi is an international speaker, trainer, and advisor in negotiations, emotional intelligence, and leadership. She is selected as one of the most influential negotiation professionals globally.
Lousin began her career in finance in 2001, on the high-pressure trading floors of investment banks. She was responsible for sales and strategy within financial institutions such as Citigroup and the New York Stock Exchange-Euro next for nearly 15 years.
Learn more
As the global head of negotiation training for ADN Group, She provides masterclasses and advisory on complex negotiations. She is qualified as a certified professional negotiator by the International Scientific Experts Committee of Negotiators.
Lousin believes that the world will become a better place through the art and science of negotiation. She teaches people to become better negotiators to reach meaningful agreements in every aspect of life.
In her podcast called “Life Negotiations” she talks to the world’s best negotiators and shares negotiation skills to help people resolve conflict peacefully.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach her here.
11. Omid Ghamami
Omid Ghamami is a globally recognized procurement and negotiation speaker, author, professor, and consultant. He is the founder of the PSCM Institute and is widely known for his work in procurement strategy, negotiation planning, and commercial excellence.
He spent 18 years at Intel, where he led Global Corporate Purchasing Operations for a $16 billion organization. Omid Ghamami has also advised Fortune 500 companies and government clients across 29 countries and is often described as a leading voice in procurement negotiations.
Learn more
He spent 18 years at Intel, where he led Global Corporate Purchasing Operations for a $16 billion organization.
He is also the founder of the PSCM Institute and has worked with Fortune 500 and government clients in 29 countries. He is often associated with negotiation planning in procurement and has written bestselling books and articles on procurement and negotiations.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
12. Mike Inman
Mike Inman is a B2B negotiation expert, trainer, and keynote speaker who works with procurement and sales teams around the world. He is known for teaching practical negotiation skills that help organizations improve commercial outcomes in complex business deals.
Before moving into training, Mike Inman gained more than 10,000 hours of negotiation experience across over 1,000 commercial deals worth more than $1 billion. His background includes both procurement and sales roles, which makes him highly relevant for procurement negotiation topics.
Learn more
Before becoming a negotiation trainer and speaker, Mike Inman built his experience through more than 10,000 hours of negotiating across over 1,000 commercial deals worth more than $1 billion.
His background includes both procurement and sales, which makes his perspective especially useful for procurement negotiation audiences. He has also worked in senior procurement and supply chain roles at companies such as MGM Resorts, American Airlines, General Motors, and Raytheon.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
13. Dr. Keld Jensen
Dr. Keld Jensen is an international negotiation strategist, speaker, author, and professor. He is widely recognized for his work on negotiation, trust, behavioral economics, and relationship-based dealmaking.
He has more than 30 years of experience in international management, negotiation, and communication, and he has worked with companies and executives around the world. His ideas such as SMARTnership and NegoEconomics have made him a respected name in procurement and commercial negotiation circles.
Learn more
Dr. Keld Jensen is known for connecting negotiation with trust and behavioral economics, which gives his work a different angle from many traditional negotiation speakers.
He has more than 30 years of experience in international management, negotiation, and communication. He is also known for concepts such as SMARTnership and NegoEconomics, which are often linked to long-term value creation in business negotiations.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
14. Prof. Dr. Katia Tieleman
Prof. Dr. Katia Tieleman is an international negotiation expert and professor of Negotiation and Conflict Management at Vlerick Business School. She is also the founder of NegotiationWize and is affiliated with the Harvard Program on Negotiation.
She is an established authority in negotiation and regularly speaks at business and procurement-related events. In 2026, she is featured at Procurement & Supply Chain Day, where she brings her Negotiation Intelligence approach to a procurement audience.
Learn more
Katia Tieleman has worked with organizations such as the UN, OECD, European Union, and World Bank, which shows the international breadth of her negotiation experience.
She speaks six languages and is affiliated with the Harvard Program on Negotiation. She is also the creator of the Negotiation Intelligence approach, which adds a distinctive framework to her speaking and teaching.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach her here.
15. Mark Trowbridge
Mark Trowbridge is a procurement leader, trainer, and speaker known for his expertise in advanced procurement negotiations. He is closely associated with procurement negotiation training programs that focus on practical techniques, live exercises, and real-world sourcing situations.
He has more than 30 years of experience in the profession and has held senior roles across financial services, airlines, and manufacturing. Mark Trowbridge also served as Director of Sourcing and Contracting Management at Bank of America, where he achieved more than a quarter billion dollars in savings.
Learn more
Mark Trowbridge brings more than 30 years of procurement experience across manufacturing, airlines, and banking. In his time at Bank of America, his team delivered a quarter billion dollars in savings, which gives him strong credibility in sourcing and negotiation.
His profile is especially interesting because it combines executive procurement leadership with training and speaking expertise.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
16. Mark Raffan
Mark Raffan is a globally recognized negotiation expert, speaker, entrepreneur, and founder of Negotiations Ninja. He is known for helping procurement and sales teams improve the way they plan, structure, and execute complex negotiations.
He has more than 20 years of experience in procurement, sales, and leadership, and has led high-stakes negotiations across industries and continents. Mark Raffan is also trusted by Fortune 500 companies and has been recognized as a major thought leader in negotiation.
Learn more
He is the founder of Negotiations Ninja, a training firm trusted by Fortune 500 companies to strengthen procurement and sales teams.
He has more than 20 years of experience in procurement, sales, and leadership, and has led high-stakes negotiations across industries and continents. He is also known for making complex negotiation strategies practical and easy to apply in real business situations.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
17. Martin John
Martin John is a negotiation, procurement, and ethical persuasion specialist who works directly with professionals and organizations to improve business results. He is known for combining procurement knowledge with influence psychology in a very practical and direct way.
He has more than 25 years of experience in negotiation and procurement and is the only Cialdini-certified coach in the world specializing in procurement. His work focuses on helping procurement teams strengthen negotiation capability, persuasion skills, and commercial confidence.
Learn more
Martin John stands out because he focuses on three connected areas: negotiation, procurement, and ethical persuasion. He has more than 25 years of experience and describes himself as the only Cialdini-certified coach in the world specializing in procurement.
His approach is especially interesting for procurement audiences because it combines negotiation technique with influence and persuasion in a very applied way.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
18. Stijn Laenen
Stijn Laenen is a procurement and negotiation professional who is building a strong reputation as a speaker and advisor in the procurement field. He is known for bringing a fresh and energetic perspective to procurement, leadership, and negotiation topics.
He has held senior procurement roles and has spoken at industry events such as LogiChem EU 2026. Through Stimax Advisory, he focuses on procurement and negotiation advisory work and is recognized for challenging traditional thinking in procurement.
Learn more
Stijn Laenen represents a younger and more modern voice in procurement and negotiation. He has built a reputation for challenging traditional procurement thinking and has spoken at events such as LogiChem EU 2026.
His profile is especially interesting because it connects procurement, negotiation, leadership, and even lessons from sports into one perspective.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
19. Frédéric Mathier
Frédéric Mathier is a negotiation expert, entrepreneur, lecturer, and speaker with a strong practical background in purchasing and strategic buying. He is recognized for teaching professionals how to negotiate more effectively in business and procurement environments.
As a purchasing manager for global companies, he built his expertise through more than 2,500 business negotiations, including contracts and projects worth several hundred million Swiss francs. His practical negotiation background makes him especially relevant for procurement-focused audiences.
Learn more
Frédéric Mathier built his negotiation expertise through more than 2,500 business negotiations during his time as a Purchasing Manager and Strategic Buyer.
He has negotiated contracts and projects worth several hundred million Swiss francs. Another interesting detail is that he also shares his ideas through speaking, teaching, and podcasting, which makes him more than just a practitioner.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
20. Andrew Jacopino
Andrew Jacopino is a commercial and contract negotiation expert who is well known in the World Commerce & Contracting community. He is a speaker, presenter, and advisor whose work focuses on contracts, commercial delivery, and performance-based agreements.
He is currently a Principal Adviser at Ngamuru Advisory and has appeared as a speaker at major WorldCC events. Andrew Jacopino is especially relevant for procurement and contracting audiences because of his work on long-term commercial agreements, negotiation strategy, and contract performance.
Learn more
Andrew Jacopino is especially known for his work in performance-based contracting and collaborative contracting. He has been involved in more than 100 domestic and international performance-based contracts and has taught these topics to both buyers and sellers for over a decade.
He is also active in the WorldCC community, where he appears in negotiation-focused programs and events.
For contact or booking inquiries, you can reach him here.
Conclusion
In wrapping up, this exploration has brought forth a roster of impactful negotiation speakers in 2026. These individuals, ranging from seasoned negotiators to renowned authors, contribute a diverse wealth of insights to the world of negotiation.
As professionals navigate the intricate world of negotiation, the journeys and insights shared by these speakers serve as guiding lights, offering wisdom and encouragement for those seeking to enhance their negotiation skills.
Frequentlyasked questions
What are negotiation speakers?
Negotiation speakers are people who wanted to share their journey in negotiation to inspire others through the extensive experience and knowledge they gained in the industry.
What does it take to be a master negotiator?
We do have our own ways to become master negotiators. However, all master negotiators have empathy. This is due to the fact that negotiation is a two-way street in which both parties must benefit to make a fruitful collaboration.
Any tips for writing a speech about negotiations?
Make sure to talk from your own experience, and use a lot of real-life examples. If you feel like you need help, you could have a look at this tool called “paper writing help by WritingAPaper“, which provides creative writing, editing presentations, and speeches.
About the author
My name is Marijn Overvest, I’m the founder of Procurement Tactics. I have a deep passion for procurement, and I’ve upskilled over 200 procurement teams from all over the world. When I’m not working, I love running and cycling.
