René Bohnsack speaking at a conference

Transforming BusinessThrough AI & Innovation

Professor, entrepreneur and author helping leaders build AI into strategy, operations and business models.

Top 1% most-cited scientist
100+ Speaking Events
The AI Strategy Playbook: From Zero to 100 by René Bohnsack
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Galp
Unicorn Factory
Ooredoo
Omantel
EG Bank
ELM
Emeritus
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Endress+Hauser logo
Climate-KIC logo
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Bridging Academia & Innovation

As a Professor of Strategy and Innovation at Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics, I've dedicated my career to understanding how organizations can harness the power of AI and sustainability to drive meaningful transformation.

Alongside research and teaching, I build companies. I have co-founded ventures in digital health, digital events and AI, and exited two of them, including Fitbase, a digital health company acquired by Hansefit in 2020. Today I am co-founder of Zero to 100 and Augmtd.

40+
Peer-reviewed publications
5,000+
Executives trained
100+
Speaking Engagements
Top 1%
Most-cited scientist
René Bohnsack speaking to an audience in front of a chalkboard wall
Currently

Leading AI transformation initiatives with global enterprises

The AI Strategy Playbook: From Zero to 100 by René Bohnsack, front cover

Routledge · 1 September 2026 · 248 pages

The AI Strategy Playbook: From Zero to 100

Four AI Stacks take a leadership team step by step from isolated experimentation to full integration of AI into strategy, operations and business models. The book combines academic rigor with hands-on frameworks.

01

Skill

Prompting, responsible use, tool use, co-intelligence and AI mastery.

02

Transformation

Tools and tactics to move from experimentation with AI, to acceleration of use cases including agentic AI, to full integration.

03

Strategy

The Play-to-Win model adapted for the AI era: aspiration, opportunity mapping, the construction of AI moats, the design of an AI business model, and a roadmap that includes data readiness.

04

Governance and Control

Governance across five dimensions: operational, ethical, legal, environmental and strategic. Progress is measured through the AI Balanced Scorecard.

Order the book

Speaking

Keynotes, workshops, advisory and research collaboration, for conferences and leadership teams.

Keynote

30 to 60 minutes, for conferences and leadership offsites.

  • Built on the four AI Stacks, or adapted to one sector
  • Delivered in English, traveling from Lisbon

Workshop

Half a day to two days, hands-on, for a single leadership team or a cohort.

  • Leadership teams working on their own use cases
  • Hands-on with the tools the organization already licenses
  • Runs from a diagnostic of the room's starting level

Advisory and board

Ongoing work with organizations building an AI operating model.

  • Non-executive and advisory board seats where AI is on the agenda
  • AI strategy and operating model design
  • Governance, using the AI Balanced Scorecard

Research collaboration

Applied research with organizations, run to academic standards.

  • Academic partnerships through Católica Lisbon and the University of St. Gallen
  • Co-authored white papers and published case studies
  • Access to an academic research base
Executive AI Programs

Transform Your Leadership

Join Fortune 500 executives in comprehensive AI leadership programs designed to accelerate your organization’s transformation journey.

'Play to Win' AI Strategy

A guided strategy sprint that aligns leaders on where AI creates advantage, and how to win.

2–6 weeks
Executive teams
  • AI Strategy Development
  • Use Case Prioritization
  • Operating Model Design
  • Resourced Roadmap
Explore Play to Win
Most Popular

CAIO — Chief AI Officer

A leadership track for current or emerging CAIOs to build the operating system for AI.

Cohort learning
CAIOs & Leaders
  • Strategy & Governance
  • Responsible AI Use
  • Capability Building
  • AI Balanced Scorecard
Explore the CAIO track

AI for Innovation

A hands-on lab for product and innovation teams to use AI across the front end of innovation.

Applied workshops
Innovation squads
  • Problem Framing
  • Idea Generation
  • Concept Testing
  • Lightweight Prototyping
Explore AI for Innovation

Start with the right program for your team

5,000+
Executives trained
30+
Organizations
10+
Countries
8.9/10
Participant rating

What Leaders Say

Trusted by Fortune 500 executives and industry leaders worldwide

"The Capstone has been instrumental in shaping our AI adoption initiatives, particularly around Microsoft Copilot and Falcon LLM, into the early foundations of the Smartdesk AI concept. René's sharp and challenging questions pushed us to move beyond "demo thinking" and focus instead on real-world value, adoption metrics, and long-term impact. While still in its early stages, the foundation we've built feels strong, purposeful, and ready to be acted upon."
"Rene's sessions brought real clarity to our cohort. The tools and frameworks he shared were not just insightful but actionable – and the feedback from participants exceptionally appreciative. A great experience for any organization aiming to equip entrepreneurs with practical, future-ready capabilities."
"Absolutely fascinating. This was one of the most thought-provoking sessions I've attended. It gave me practical tools I can use immediately to support AI-driven businesses. Truly impressive."
Simon Hombersley
"Prof. René Bohnsack's masterclass provided exceptional clarity and insights on AI, demonstrating its potential for business, innovation and new, engaging ways of working. His masterclass, attended by more than 200 employees, was highly impactful and valuable for our entire company."
"We invited Prof. René Bohnsack to speak to our board members on ethics and governance in the age of AI. His session was both insightful and thought-provoking, engaging our members and sparking meaningful discussions that left a lasting impression."
"In our last strategy event René Bohnsack facilitated an engaging and thought-provoking training session on AI that provided us with actionable insights and strategies to leverage AI in driving innovation and business growth. The session was both inspiring and highly relevant to our mission of putting AI at the core of our digital transformation journey."
Tiago Gonçalves
"With Play to Win Capstone, DryDocks World identified many AI use cases poised to improve productivity across our operations. The AI Trends in Business workshop revealed innovations we'd never considered. The AI Balanced Scorecard workshop showed us how to use clear KPIs to implement AI in our organization successfully. Importantly, René's energizing facilitation kept us all rowing in the same direction."
"With the Play to Win Capstone project, Dubai Airports rapidly transformed a diverse set of AI initiatives into a structured and actionable roadmap in just six weeks. The AI Trends in Business workshop gave us a clear view of how organisations are using AI to drive productivity, while the AI Balanced Scorecard workshop helped us define a holistic framework to track implementation across the enterprise. René's upbeat energy and facilitation style made the entire experience highly engaging for everyone involved."
"The programme reminded us that successful AI starts with a coherent aspiration, not disconnected projects. René encouraged us to think big while staying grounded in our operational realities, ensuring strategy and action stayed tightly linked."
"Having a clear framework transformed broad ideas into focused priorities and united our teams around a shared direction starting to implement AI. René's facilitation was engaging and down-to-earth, making advanced concepts feel immediately applicable to our market."
"The structured framework of the CAIO course gave us new clarity on AI's role in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. René translated a fast-moving, technical field into actionable insights, bridging vision and execution in a domain where the stakes are uniquely high."
"With Play to Win Capstone, Suez Canal Bank moved swiftly to an AI roadmap with actionable use cases. The AI Trends in Business workshop clarified how AI is reshaping banking while the AI Balanced Scorecard workshop revealed how AI implementation can be done with KPIs and holistically. Importantly, René's AI expert knowledge delivered in every session novel and valuable insights."
"With the Play to Win Capstone, iScore jumped from concept to a working Youth Financial Education prototype in record time. The AI Trends in Business workshop opened our eyes to novel disruptors, while the AI Balanced Scorecard workshop gave us a valuable framework to track our AI implementation. Importantly, René's relaxed humour kept momentum high, even during evening meetings."

My Journey

From entrepreneur to academic leader, each milestone has shaped my unique perspective on innovation and transformation.

2007

MLitt, University of St Andrews

2009

Co-founds an online flight-claims service

2010

Leader of Tomorrow, St. Gallen Symposium

2011

Sells the flight-claims service, first exit

2013

PhD, University of Amsterdam

2014

Co-founds Fitbase, a digital health company in Germany

2015

Professor of Strategy and Innovation, Católica Lisbon

2016

Founds the Digital+Sustainable Innovation Lab, Católica Lisbon

2018

TEDx talk (TEDxCatólicaLisbonSBE); International Faculty Fellow, MIT Sloan; Reimagine Education Award, Wharton and QS

2019

Associate Professor with tenure; co-founds a digital events platform; Best Paper Award, Academy of Management ONE Division

2020

Hansefit acquires Fitbase, second exit

2021

Academic Director, The Lisbon MBA

2022

Visiting Professor, University of St. Gallen

2023

Director, Galp Chair for Innovation and Systemic Impact

2024

Among the top 2% most-cited scientists (Stanford ranking)

2025

Full Professor, Católica Lisbon; co-founds Zero to 100

2026

The AI Strategy Playbook (Routledge); among the top 1% most-cited scientists (Stanford and Elsevier)

Events & Talks

Insights on AI, innovation, and leadership worldwide.

René Bohnsack on stage at the European Conference of German Business, Lisbon, 2026
September 2026•European Conference of German Business 2026, AHK Portugal, Lisbon

The AI Superorganisation: A Live Experience

Talks

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Reading

Explore the latest thoughts on AI innovation, sustainability, and digital transformation

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