About Jens Heitland

Helping leaders turn their stories into influence, their influence into impact, and their impact into legacy.

Jens Heitland is an internationally recognized expert in CEO personal branding, leadership development, innovation strategy, and organizational transformation. Over more than 25 years, he has worked at every level of business from electrical engineer to global head of innovation, shaping cultures, launching innovations, and empowering leaders to inspire through their actions.

Today, as the CEO of Heitland Media Group since May 2021, Jens helps CEOs around the world craft authentic personal brands, share their experiences meaningfully, and leave legacies that resonate for generations.

A Journey From Engineer to Global Innovator

Jens began his career in 1997 as an Electrical Engineer at Brockbals GmbH, where he worked for seven years, managing electrical design, customer service, troubleshooting, and maintenance until 2004. That same year he also briefly worked at Elektro Ruthmann GmbH, handling project engineering and electrical infrastructure.

From 2004 to 2007, he worked at Bilfinger (then M+W Zander DIB), serving as Electronic Infrastructure Manager in Bielefeld, Germany, delivering facility services to more than 40 Deutsche Bank subsidiaries, conducting audits, and improving customer satisfaction while reducing costs.

Between 2005 and 2007, he also served as Regional Project Manager, documenting and planning maintenance for all sites and implementing CAFM (Computer-Aided Facility Management) software systems.

From 2007 to 2008, Jens advanced to Deputy Country Facilities Manager, overseeing operational facility services for over 90 Deutsche Bank subsidiaries throughout Germany, managing service levels, and improving operational efficiency.

Driving Transformation at IKEA

Jens joined IKEA in June 2008 as Team Leader in Ulm, Germany, where he led strategic development of facilities services, improved energy efficiency by more than 20 percent, reduced costs by 10 percent, and elevated service quality.

From June 2009 to June 2011, he served as Regional Facilities Manager, supporting 11 IKEA stores in western Germany, improving maintenance processes, reducing costs, and building strong, collaborative teams.

Between June 2011 and June 2013, Jens worked as Country Project Manager, where he developed and rolled out a legal delegation concept and led the implementation of a CAFM system in Germany on time and within budget.

From June 2012 to June 2017, he served as Global Project Manager, developing IKEA’s sustainable store concept, piloting it in Germany, introducing life-cycle cost analysis, and embedding sustainability into the real estate strategy.

From June 2014 to June 2017, Jens was Head of Sustainability at IKEA Centres in Moscow, where he embedded the People and Planet Positive strategy, achieved measurable sustainability goals across sites, and shifted organizational mindsets toward sustainability.

In July 2016, he became Head of Innovation and Customer Experience at IKEA Centres Russia, where he built and trained the first innovation team in Russia, delivering innovative pilots including a virtual reality fashion show, personal shopping assistant, and neighborhood co-creation project, as well as establishing a cross-organizational innovation lab. He held this role until June 2017.

From June 2017 to June 2019, Jens served as Global Head of Innovation at IKEA Centres, where he designed and implemented the global innovation system, developed scalable processes for scenario planning and prototyping, and embedded innovation thinking into leadership roles worldwide.

Business Design and Executive Leadership

From August 2019 to December 2020, Jens worked at Fjord (Accenture) as Business Design Lead, integrating human-centered business design into client organizations in retail, banking, and professional services while enhancing internal collaboration and business design culture.

At Foot Locker Inc., from June 2022 to May 2025, Jens served as Director of FS, where he developed an innovative office lab concept, restructured the service delivery model of all Property Related services to improve customer satisfaction by +50 percent, and lead an EMEA-wide tender for integrated facility management.

Entrepreneurship and CEO Branding

In August 2019, Jens founded Heitland Innovation, where he guided organizations across industries through people-centric transformation in the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Spain.

In May 2021, he launched Heitland Media Group, where he currently serves as CEO, helping CEOs globally transform their leadership experience into influence and measurable impact through personal branding and storytelling.

From October 2022 to April 2025, Jens co-founded and served as CEO of WeAreSucceed, where he developed the Succeed Leader Index, a data-driven tool adopted by hundreds of professionals, teams, and founders to measure and improve leadership performance.

Speaking, Teaching, and Mentoring

Since January 2014, Jens has been a sought-after keynote speaker, delivering talks at renowned organizations and events including Airbus, Bank of America, Bayer, BAT, Mobile World Congress, Berlin Fashion Week, Invest in Africa Summit, Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies, and many more. His keynotes blend personal narrative with actionable insights, leaving audiences inspired and ready to take meaningful steps.

He has served as a Lecturer at the University of Amsterdam since September 2022, teaching corporate innovation and entrepreneurship through action-based learning.

Since December 2021, Jens has also mentored at StartUB! Universitat de Barcelona, where he has helped founders refine business models, secure funding, and develop leadership skills.

In June 2023, he became a mentor for 4YFN – Four Years From Now, contributing to the Women Innovators Programme in partnership with the UNDP, supporting women-led startups in the Arab States.

From July 2023, he also mentors at Rockstart in Amsterdam, helping energy startups navigate go-to-market strategies and scale their innovations.

Community Leadership

Since January 2025, Jens has been the Country Organizer for 24 The Planet Germany, leading a sustainability movement with its pilot event in Munich. He also founded the Rising Stars Community in August 2024, a global platform empowering thought leaders, speakers, and innovators to build strong personal brands and careers.

Vision and Mission

Jens believes that leadership is a responsibility to inspire, innovate, and leave a legacy that matters. His mission is to help leaders discover their authentic voice, articulate their story with purpose, and turn their experience into measurable impact.

By blending strategic insight, global experience, and authentic storytelling, Jens empowers others to grow as leaders, innovators, and human beings.

If you are ready to make your story count and create a legacy worth remembering, Jens Heitland is ready to help you make it happen.