Dr Etienne van der Walt

Dr van der Walt is a distinguished neurologist, thought leader, and CEO and founder of Neurozone®. With a career spanning 14 years as a consultant neurologist in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, Etienne has taught and mentored students and registrars in these regions. After establishing Neurozone®, he has dedicated the past 12 years to advancing the field of applied neuroscience, integrating clinical, cognitive, and developmental neuroscience for applications especially in work, education, and sport.

With an ability to connect complex concepts and to see the bigger picture, Etienne excels in simplifying intricate ideas. He is an avid teacher and speaker, delivering numerous workshops, masterclasses, and keynotes. His focus is primarily on senior leadership and top executives, offering in-person and online sessions across various countries.

Bio & background

Dr Etienne van der Walt
BSc, BMedSc, MBChB, MMed (Neurology)

Etienne is an accomplished neurologist and an authority in applied behavioral neuroscience. Etienne’s 14-year career as a clinical neurologist means he has a deep understanding of the anatomy, biology, and physiology of the brain and the human nervous system. In the past decade, his professional and personal fascination with the remarkable discoveries coming from the various brain sciences has led him to believe in the vast potential of this new knowledge to enhance human capacity. The realization of this vision is the 2011 founding of Cape Town based Neurozone®, a neuroscience business dedicated to the application of brain science, analytics and coaching to enhance human capacity.

At the heart of the business of Neurozone® is a proprietary High Performance Code that informs leaders about the most current behavioral predictors for resilient and high performance ready individuals, teams and organizations. The Code draws on research from neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry etc. and its impact has been validated and is currently being used in various industries to enhance human capacity by focusing on the brain/body system. As a result, Etienne has developed a keen understanding of the neurobiological substrates, principles and insights that underpin team- and organizational performance. This knowledge enables Etienne to blend a variety of subjects into an integrated whole for practical application.

Etienne is the founder of AmazingBrainz™, an organization dedicated to the design of programs for the brain stimulation of young, developing children – especially in disadvantaged communities. Etienne worked as a neurologist in South Africa, the UK, and the Netherlands.

As an avid keynote speaker and masterclass teacher, Etienne engages with senior leaders, where individual, team and organizational resilience and optimizing human capacity takes center stage. He has a gift to simplify the complex and to demystify cutting edge neuroscience and knowledge of living systems for everyday application in leadership, high performance and well-being.

Etienne is a gifted classical singer and blends his love for music and art into his work to enrich the understanding of humanity for thriving and high performance.

In addition to his Medical and Clinical Neurology degrees, Etienne also holds BSc degrees in Chemistry, Mathematical Statistics as well as Integrated Physiology and Virology.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/etiennevanderwalt/

Examples of topics for Keynotes & Talks

High-Performance Resilience: An indispensible Leadership Capacity in today’s chaotic World
High-Performance Leadership: A Neuroscience Lens
Preparing our people for the Mental Pandemic: Lessons from living systems and neuroscience
The Corporate Athlete: Using neuroscience to play the ultimate game and live well
Rehumanize the workforce in the new Era of AI: A Neuroscience Perspective
Integrating Biological and Artificial Intelligence: What Leaders should know
Collective Resilience: The next frontier for high performance in business and life
Innovative Outperformance: A Neuroscience Lens
The Brain in Flow State: Synchronicity through music, dance and sport and its incredible capacity to enhance high yield-energy outcomes
Resilience as the Bedrock of Wellbeing: Integrated Insights and Practical Takeaways
Smart Teams. The Brain Way.
Choose a few from: Lead better, perform well, remain healthy, live longer, live better: Lessons from cutting edge neuroscience

Information for Immersive Workshops & Masterclasses

High-Performance Information for Immersive Workshops & Masterclasses

Facilitated by Dr. Etienne van der Walt, MD; Consultant Neurologist and CEO of Neurozone, for an in-depth exploration of high-performance resilience.

This immersive and interactive session will delve into the intricate interplay of clinical, cognitive and developmental neuroscience, with the knowledge of living systems to unveil strategies for optimizing leaders’ brain-body systems. Through a blend of theory and interactive engagement, participants will gain insights into enhancing personal and team performance.

Etienne will guide attendees through five key high-performance domains that build high performance resilience:

High-Performance Rhythms: Exploring the impact of exercise, nutrition, and mindfulness practices on resilience and high performance readiness.
High-Performance Transformers: Delving into mindset and mindfulness techniques to cultivate resilience and adaptability.
High-Performance Connectors: Understanding the role of bonding, belonging and of psychological safety and empathy in fostering cohesive and diverse teams.
High-Performance Energy: Maximizing finite energy resources for sustainable performance amidst rapid change and adversity.
High-Performance Innovators: Leveraging neuroscientific principles to enhance learning and problem-solving capabilities.

Through interactive discussions and a 3-D Model as our visual guide, participants will gain practical ways to apply neuroscience principles to their leadership roles for great personal optimization. The sessions offers a deep dive into understanding the brain-body connection and provides tangible strategies for navigating complex performance challenges with confidence and resilience.

An example of the layout of a Masterclass can be viewed here. Bear in mind that masterclasses are customized as per client needs.

Neurozone^® Masterclass

“Dr. Etienne van der Walt provides profound insights into human performance. His online masterclass facilitation course is a powerful tool for leaders and organizational development professionals seeking accurate and practical applications of neuroscience in business.”

Carlos Arce
Organizational development specialist, facilitator and company leader-customer experience at Elation

Neurozone^® Masterclass

“The Neurozone high performance masterclass was an inspiring, transformational, and life-changing experience both in my work and personal life. Viewing leadership through the lens of neuroscience gave me an interesting new perspective to everything I have been teaching about leadership for the past 30 years. Dr van der Walt brings credibility and authority to the world of leadership and opens up minds to provide clarity on how to develop behavioural change in both yourself and others. He masterfully presents a topic as mysterious and complex as the human brain in a way that I can actually utilise in both individual and team coaching and leadership development interventions. Thank you for the excitement you create for neuroscience and its opportunities for building resilient leaders and organisations. It was a masterclass indeed!”

Tessie Herbst
Tshwane University of Technology, Academic Leadership Development

Neurozone^® Masterclass

"Dr Etienne van der Walt's keynote at the YPO Leaders of the Future Summit in Barcelona 2023 was a transformative experience. As top executives were offered a session that not only expanded understanding of business evolution and technology's impact but also delved into the intricate connections between our brain and body systems. Through the lens of applied neuroscience, we uncovered strategies for resilience, methods to prevent burnout, and the essence of teamwork. The journey into energy mastery and social synergy was enlightening, teaching us the importance of diversity in sparking collective creativity and how our mindsets can significantly influence our success. The opportunity to decode brain rhythms and enhance our problem-solving capabilities was invaluable."

Kerry-Lee Collier
YPO Network Director

Neurozone^® Masterclass

“I am pleased to recommend Dr Etienne van der Walt and his team at Neurozone, whose workshops have been both engaging and adaptive. Etienne’s ability to interact with a wide audience is commendable and has left a lasting impression, The "ad-breaks" integrated into the sessions allowed for insightful "lightbulb moments" that will stay with us long after the workshops.

Thank you, Etienne and the Neurozone team, for an enriching experience that has left a lasting impact.”

Tracey Davies
MD, Halls Group International

Examples of more recent and notable upcoming Speaker Engagements

To be delivered:

14-16 October 2025: Keynote: 5th Conference of the Coaching School-Columbia University - Hybrid Intelligence. In Person, New York, USA

Delivered:

26 June 2025: Keynote AICC - Optimize Human Capacity, Build Resilience, Maintain High Performance. In Person. Melbourne, Australia
15 April 2025: DFA/Vumatel - Resilience Masterclass: High Performance Resilience. Online, South Africa
3 April 2025: Premierfoods - Resilient Mindset. Masterclass: In Person, Johannesburg, South Africa
10 March 2025: Premierfoods - Mindset of a Leader. Keynote: In Person, Johannesburg, South Africa
13 March 2025: KR National HR Directors Conference - Holistic Leadership. The Key to Transformative Change and High Performance. In Person, Stellenbosch, South Africa
4 March 2025: DFA/Vumatel - Resilience Webinar: High Performance Resilience. In Person & Online, Sandton, South Africa
5 Feb 2025: MTN: GLG 2025 - Global Leadership Gathering. Keynote: High Performance Leadership beyond 2025. In Person, Sandton, South Africa
4 Feb 2025: iTOO Special Risks: Brokers Session. Keynote/Webinar: High Performance Science. Online
27 Jan 2025: VIATRIS: Start of Year Sales Conference-Opening Ceremony. Keynote. In Person, Pretoria, South Africa
3 Dec 2024: South African Veterinary Council: One hour Webinar: High Performance Resilience for Leadership, Online, South Africa
27 Nov 2024: Online Panel Session recorded for prominent South African Bank: Wealth Investment Course: Using Applied Brain Science to Humanize Wealth Investment Banking
9 Oct 2024: Public Masterclass: High Performance Resilience for Leadership, Whole Day Session in person in Johannesburg, South Africa
23 July 2024: RMB Bank Strategy Session-Whole Bank: One hour Keynote in person in Johannesburg, South Africa
12 &13 June 2024: The Halls Group Executive Leadership Group: Online Two-Day Immersive Session (Masterclass)
14 May 2024: Moderna Senior Leadership: Online (and in person event: Boston, US) Masterclass-2 hours
13 April 2024: Senior Leaders of World Veterinary Association: In person Cape Town, South Africa Keynote 1 hour
16 April 2024: World Veterinary Association Conference: In person Cape Town, South Africa Keynote 1 hour
26 March 2024: Nedbank 40 Senior HR Leaders: Organizational Effectiveness: In person Johannesburg, South Africa Masterclass 6 hours
2 February 2024: Absa Bank CIB Graduates: In person Johannesburg, South Africa Masterclass 6 hours
24 January 2024: Motus Group Innovation Leadership: Online (Johannesburg, South Africa) 1 hour keynote-training
7 November 2023: YPO Global Leadership Chapter: Leaders of the Future Summit: In person Barcelona, Spain, Keynote: 1 hour
2 October 2023: Motus HR Leadership: In person Johannesburg, South Africa 1 hour
21 September 2023: Kagiso Capital Group: Resilience Talk: In person Johannesburg, South Africa, 1 hour
24 August 2023: Polymorph Group: Resilience Talk: Online Cape Town, South Africa 1 hour
16 August 2023: Standard Bank Wellbeing Webinar: Online Johannesburg, South Africa 1 hour
2 August 2023: Thungela Mines Conference: In person Stellenbosch, South Africa 1 hour
27 July 2023: Nedbank Wealth HR Leadership Group: In person Johannesburg, South Africa Masterclass 6 hours
18 July: RMB bank Leadership Group: In person Johannesburg, South Africa Masterclass 6 hours
11 July 2023: SIOPSA Conference Panel Discussion: Online Johannesburg, South Africa Online 1hour

Dr Etienne van der Walt

Bio & background