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Arkadi Kuhlmann

Founder & CEO, ZenBanx, Inc., and Founder, ING Direct.

Arkadi Kuhlmann
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Business, Business Growth, Business Leadership, Leadership
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Arkadi Kuhlmann Biography

The model of top-down corporate leadership is obsolete. Drawing on his influential work at ING Direct, rebel CEO Arkadi Kuhlmann offers a fully-realized vision of what he calls the culture-driven leadership—the rollicking new force behind bottom-line success. It's not leaders who drive business; it's the culture they create, and sustain, that drives it.

Arkadi Kuhlmann’s vocation and avocation have been to reinvent and revitalize consumers’ relationship with their money.

Arkadi introduced the world to direct banking with a simplified customer focus when he founded ING DIRECT Canada in 1996, creating the brand strategy and growing the bank during 1996-2000 to a successful market position while serving as the bank’s President and CEO. He repeated this process in 2000, founding ING DIRECT USA and as the bank’s Chairman, President and CEO led its growth to become the nation’s largest savings bank and number one direct bank, with more than $84 billion in deposits and 7.8 million customers. Arkadi’s customer focus led to fanatical loyalty and industry-leading customer promotion scores and branded him affectionately as the ‘CEO of Savings.’

Prior to ING DIRECT, Arkadi engineered an organizational and systems restructuring as the President of North American Trust. The execution of Arkadi’s tactical business plan along with new product development resulted in a transformation from a $10M operating loss to a $17M operating profit.

As President and CEO at Deak & Co. and Deak International (1985-1993), Arkadi restructured Deak International’s operations, launching a revitalized company in April 1986, and expanding the company from 52 to 192 branches and 350 to 1,500 employees worldwide, achieving revenues of $1B wholesale and $2.5B retail, and income of $70M. Arkadi oversaw the successful divestiture of Deak International in 1990.

From 1977-1984, Arkadi served as Vice President, General Manager and Manager of Royal Bank of Canada. Before that, he served briefly as a consultant for the banking industry and as an Assistant Director of the Institute of Canadian Bankers.

In addition to his corporate successes, Arkadi demonstrated his passion for teaching as a professor of International Finance and Investment Banking at the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird) in Phoenix, Arizona. He shared his philosophy on leadership, culture and innovation by penning Rock then Roll: The Secrets of Culture-Driven Leadership and The Orange Code: How ING DIRECT Succeeded by Being a Rebel with a Cause, as well as several books on finance and numerous business cases. His thoughts on banking, leadership and innovation have appeared in major newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times.

Arkadi received the Honors in Business Administration degree and an M.B.A. from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, Canada and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) in 2010 and the Ivey Distinguished Service Award in 2007.

Arkadi was honored as American Banker’s 2006 Innovator of the Year and was the recipient of the ING Business Award (Revenue Growth Category) in 2005, Delaware Business Leader Award in 2006 and 2008, Habitat for Humanity Leadership Award in 2007, and was honored with the Council for Economic Education’s Visionary Award in 2010 for his life-long advocacy in teaching adults and children about responsible money behavior.

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Arkadi Kuhlmann Speaking Topics

  • Rock Then Roll: The Secrets of Culture-Driven Leadership

    In this talk, Arkadi Kuhlmann provides a roadmap to the new culture-driven business world. The traditional model of top-down corporate leadership is obsolete. In an interconnected and ever-changing marketplace, business creativity is now the driving force behind bottom-line success. Only by creating a unique business culture, says Kuhlmann, can you spur innovation and inspire leadership in everyone from C-level to entry level. How can you exploit the power of disruptive ideas? What are the true catalysts for creating leaders from within? How can you create--and most importantly, maintain--a unique business culture that attracts both customers and talent alike? Drawing from his experiences at ING Direct, Kuhlmann's message can help business people of all experience levels--from CEO's to start-up entrepreneurs--create their own culture to drive leadership, increase employee satisfaction and achieve business success.

  • The Orange Code

    Following the immense success of ING Direct with his book The Orange Code: How ING Direct Succeeded by Being a Rebel with a Cause, Arkadi Kuhlmann is one of the world's leading experts on corporate culture as branding. ING Direct's message is clear: "save your money". They reflect this mantra in everything they do. If you build your company to stand for a purpose, customers will notice -• and they'll remain loyal. From advertisements, to product lines to turning away customers who do not fit their vision, ING Direct is a proven example of brand strength. Kuhlmann, with frank honesty and unrivaled experience, explains that a business can be so much more than just a provider of services. It can be an idea, a cause -• and a force.

FAQs on booking Arkadi Kuhlmann

  • How do I book Arkadi Kuhlmann to speak at my event?

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    Speaking fees for Arkadi Kuhlmann, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Arkadi Kuhlmann are for live events and for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Arkadi Kuhlmann, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.

  • What topics does Arkadi Kuhlmann speak about?

    Arkadi Kuhlmann is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Business, Business Growth, Business Leadership, Leadership.

  • Where does Arkadi Kuhlmann travel from?

    Arkadi Kuhlmann generally travels from an undisclosed location, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

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    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Arkadi Kuhlmann for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Arkadi Kuhlmann for your next private or corporate function.

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Arkadi Kuhlmann is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Rock Then Roll: The Secrets of Culture-Driven Leadership and The Orange Code. The estimated speaking fee range to book Arkadi Kuhlmann for your event is $30,000 - $50,000. Arkadi Kuhlmann generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Rob Fyfe, Chad Chawanda, Ben Gilbert & David Rosenthal, Ginger Menown and Rob DeLange. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Arkadi Kuhlmann for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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