Ali Mahlodji

Ali Mahlodji is an inspiring entrepreneur, encourager and visionary who is committed to the future of work, education and social change worldwide.

He gives young people guidance, provides leaders with clarity and supports people in following their inner call.

“If I manage to change the perspective of even one person, I have saved that person’s world view and thus their future.”

Born in Tehran in 1981, Ali Mahlodji came to Austria as a refugee child, where he grew up in an asylum home. His life was anything but straightforward – he dropped out of school and gained experience in over 40 different professions before finding his own path.

After working as a manager in an international company, he decided to leave the traditional career behind. He became a teacher and eventually founded whatchado – one of Europe’s leading career guidance platforms. His goal: to encourage young people to discover their strengths and show them that there is not just one right path in life.

Today, Ali Mahlodji is a sought-after keynote speaker, EU Youth Ambassador, Future Designer and mentor. With more than 140 keynotes a year, he speaks about mindful leadership, the future of work, new work, generational change, diversity and education. He supports companies, managers and organizations in transformation processes and helps to establish new ways of thinking in business and society.

Ali Mahlodji Lecture topics

1. Future Mindset, New Work & Purpose
The world of work is changing rapidly. This keynote speech shows how companies and people can embrace change and tap into growth potential with a new mindset, genuine purpose orientation, and humanity.

2. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Unplugged
Diversity is more than a trend – it is a factor for success. Ali shows how inclusion leads to innovation, cohesion, and sustainable success through targeted framework conditions, inclusive leadership, and diversity of perspectives.

3. Remaining Human in the Age of AI & Uncertainty
Technological progress is putting our humanity to the test. This keynote speech highlights why empathy, values, and ethical behavior are among the key competencies for sustainable leadership in the age of AI.

4. Employer branding real talk
What do people really expect from employers today? Ali dispels myths and shows how authentic corporate culture and honest communication create strong employer brands beyond glossy images.

5. Leadership next generation
New generations expect new leadership. Ali shows how leadership today works as relationship building on an equal footing – with trust, self-reflection, and meaning instead of control and hierarchy.

6. Mindful Self-Leadership & Self-Responsibility
Change begins with ourselves. This keynote speech is about inner clarity, mindfulness, and radical self-responsibility as the basis for true effectiveness in leadership and life – beyond self-optimization.

7. The Art of Living Your Own Life Authentically
Living authentically means being yourself – not someone else. Ali combines his personal journey with global experiences and invites you to embrace your own story and courageously follow your own path.

8. Business & Entrepreneurship Realtalk
Honest thinking about business: Without bullshit, Ali talks about the reality of entrepreneurship, meaning, structure, failure, and growth – for people who want to build something economically AND humanely.

9. Focus & Simplicity in Business
Less is more: In this keynote, Ali shows how clarity, reduction, and prioritization help companies increase effectiveness, enable innovation, and put people at the center.

10. Next Level Work – The Keynote to the Book
The future is a decision. Based on his book, Ali shows how organizations with the courage to rethink are breaking new ground in the way they work – with potential development, a culture of togetherness, and genuine self-management.

11. Be Your Own Superhero
You don’t have to be perfect – just be yourself. Ali inspires with his story of self-empowerment: how people can turn their weaknesses into strengths, reinvent themselves, and surpass themselves.

12. FUTUREROCKA – For young people & trainees
The future is not scary – if you take it into your own hands. This energetic keynote address is aimed at young people and conveys courage, orientation, and real perspectives beyond clichés on an equal footing.

Individual. Appropriate. Effective. The final keynote speech is usually developed individually on the basis of a detailed briefing discussion. Various key topics are specifically combined to ensure that the speech is optimally suited to the respective event, the audience, and the goals of the organization. The result is a tailor-made impulse that inspires, moves, and has a lasting effect.

“I believe that every person has everything they need within them and that no person is a flaw in the system.”

As the founder of futureOne, Ali Mahlodji helps companies to develop sustainable structures and build bridges between generations. With his platform futureRocka, he has already inspired over half a million young people worldwide.

Ali is a UNICEF Honorary Representative, has received numerous international awards for his social commitment and invests 50% of his time in voluntary projects, including in schools, prisons and social institutions. The European Union appointed him EU Youth Ambassador for Life. In 2022, he received the ANDREUS PEACE AWARD for his work. In the same year, Ali was made an Honorary Ambassador of the MIRNO MORE Peace Fleet, which also presented him with the ACHIEVERS Award – something only ten people around the world had ever received.

Ali Mahlodji lives in Vienna with his wife and two daughters and says of himself: “I’m actually a flaw in the system.”

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