Cedric De Vlieger shares insights on leadership, trust and mental resilience, grounded in twenty years of experience in the most demanding environments. He was the youngest person ever to be admitted to the elite units of the federal police and rose to the role of team leader at DSU, a unit deployed in the country’s highest-risk operations.

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For two decades, he operated under constant pressure, uncertainty and responsibility. In those conditions, he learned what it truly means to lead, to perform under stress and to build a team that trusts each other completely.

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Today, Cedric brings this experience into the corporate world. Not with theories from the sidelines, but with leadership and teamwork shaped and tested in real-world situations. In his keynotes and coaching programmes, he combines that experience with sharp insights, supported by scientific and neuroscientific frameworks.

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Cedric connects effortlessly with people at every level of an organisation. His style is authentic, powerful and clear. No empty slogans, just stories, lessons and tools that resonate and drive action.

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KEYNOTE: LEADING UNDER PRESSURE

Leadership under pressure in a world of constant change

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Within the Belgian Special Forces, Cedric led arrest teams for more than 20 years in contexts where every second counted and failure was not an option. There he learned a crucial lesson: leaders do not rise above themselves under pressure, they fall back on training, habits and clarity.

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Today, he translates those principles to organisations where decision-making often slows down while change moves faster than ever. This keynote offers a raw, confronting and highly practical perspective on how leaders act in extreme conditions. From high-risk operations to critical strategic decisions and disruptive market shifts, the behavioural principles remain the same.

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It is not about eliminating fear. It is about building habits, a mindset and clarity that enable you to lead precisely when certainty disappears.

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After this keynote, you will walk away with a practical system to provide direction when speed, pressure or uncertainty hit, with tactics tested where every second counts.

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KEYNOTE: THE CULTURE COMPASS FOR HIGH-TRUST TEAMS

How teams build trust, ownership and clarity when it matters most

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Cedric started as the youngest team member ever within the Belgian Special Forces and grew to become a team leader. There he discovered that it is not hierarchy or protocols that keep teams together under pressure. It is behaviour, shared ownership and a team code stronger than structure.

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This keynote is not a war story. It is a story about behaviour and how to forge a team that stays strong in the face of terrorist threats, high-risk operations and, translated to today’s reality, the pressure of growth and change.

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After this keynote, your team will know how to install behavioural standards that keep them unified, strong, connected and unshakable, even when pressure, growth or change hit.

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KEYNOTE: FROM TEAM MEMBER TO TEAM LEADER

How to build trust, take ownership and lead in your first leadership role

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Every year, thousands of professionals make the leap from colleague to leader, often without preparation. Cedric did too. As a young operator in the Belgian Special Forces, he became a team leader in the middle of terrorist threats. Mistakes were inevitable, but the learning curve was steep.

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In From Team Member to Team Leader, he shares raw, relatable insights for anyone taking their first leadership step. No theory, just behavioural lessons forged under extreme pressure, translated into the daily reality of first-time leaders.

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For organisations, this is critical. The faster first-time leaders find their footing, the stronger teams perform and the better retention becomes.

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After this keynote, you will have access to lessons that most leaders only learn after years of trial and error. A fast track to credibility, direction and impact without years of painful mistakes.