Speaking & Media
Available for keynotes, panels, guest lectures, and podcast appearances on strategic management, ethical leadership, AI in education, and organizational polarization.
Speaking Topics
Defense Against the Dark Arts of Polarization
Executive teams, HR leaders, organizational development professionals
How can leaders build organizational goals that diverse employees accept as legitimate — even when political identities create fundamental value disagreements? Drawing on experimental research and 23 years of corporate strategy experience, this talk provides actionable frameworks for navigating the most divisive challenge facing today's organizations.
Building AI Resilience in Management Education
Business school faculty, higher education administrators, EdTech leaders
Generative AI has broken traditional assessment methods in business education. The AI-Resilient Case Method offers a practical framework for designing courses that ensure authentic learning when students have access to powerful AI tools.
The Strategist's Playbook: Lessons from 12 M&A Deals
Executives, corporate development teams, MBA students
What actually happens inside a 23-year corporate development career at a publicly traded technology company? From a $467M international acquisition to navigating Silicon Valley's boom-and-bust cycles, this talk distills hard-won lessons on strategic fit, cultural integration, and knowing when to walk away.
From Boardroom to Classroom: Why Practitioners Should Pursue the PhD
Mid-career professionals, executive education programs
After two decades in the C-suite, I enrolled in a PhD program. This talk explores why experienced practitioners should consider the academic path — and how rigorous research methodology can transform how leaders think about the problems they've been solving by instinct.
Photonics, Semiconductors, and the Future of Early Cancer Detection
Health tech investors, biomedical engineering audiences, innovation conferences
How semiconductor fabrication expertise meets biomedical photonics to create a new platform for ultra-sensitive biomarker detection. The story of Virchow Photonics and translating deep-tech research into clinical application.
Where I've Spoken
Upcoming
Paris — March 2026
AI in Higher Education Summit (AIHES), ESCP Business School
“Building AI Resilience in Management Education”
Read the paper (PDF) →Berlin — October 2026
Strategic Management Society Annual Conference
Past
Tucson, AZ — April 2025
American Real Estate Society (ARES) Annual Conference
Austin, TX — Fall 2024
UT Austin Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (multi-session)
San Bernardino, CA — Fall 2024
California State University, San Bernardino (guest lecture)
San Francisco, CA
Corporate strategy presentations and M&A conferences
Austin, TX — Fall 2018
The University of Texas at Austin (guest lecture)
Austin, TX — 2005–2022
5+ annual strategy workshops for Cirrus Logic senior executives (~50 participants per session); annual strategic overviews for ~400 Cirrus Logic staff members (2012–2021)
Media Features
Strategic Management Society: “SMS Board Appoints Thomas Lorenz as Inaugural Media Chair” (July 2025)
Read article →Book Thomas for Your Event
Interested in having Thomas speak at your event, conference, or program?