what others say
Salmaan is one of those people who lights up a room, but by getting the people in it to shine, rather than taking the spotlight himself. Although he can do this pretty amazingly well too, if needed – check out his TED work. I got to know Salmaan during a week-long senior leadership offsite, where I appreciated his subtle skill in creating just the right environment to have creative, effective, meaningful conversations that helped catalyse a number of projects. I then invited him to work with another senior leadership group, where he quickly won over the recalcitrant group and helped us navigate some tricky terrain. Not easy, but something he’s mastered over the years, making him someone I would work with again in a heartbeat.
Emilie Goodall
Engaging finance to positively impact people and planet
Salmaan has unique talent as a facilitator, coach and consultant. I had the pleasure of working with him at two separate occasions. At both, he provided services as a facilitator and coach to improve the team spirit and working conditions of what have been two very challenged teams. Whether it is an in-person workshop or on-line, Salmaan has a unique way of reaching out to people he has never seen before and is always able to find a strong personal connection that he establishes in no time. Over my career I worked with many coaches and facilitators but found Salmaan’s talent to read the room and instill a positive atmosphere outstanding. He combines high emotional intelligence with creativity and subject matter knowledge. Any professional team would be most lucky to have him as a facilitator and coach.
Martin STEINDL
Managing Director at Valoris
Looking back, reconnecting with Salmaan has been a special and defining moment in my personal and professional life. It is amazing how life and perhaps fate can bring two people that attended the same school back together after more than a decade. Whatever force drove this reconnection, I am grateful that we met again at such a perfect time because it enabled us to start a new journey together to create better organizations, teams and individuals. Driven by purpose and connected by our core values, we worked together for almost a year.
Being responsible for culture, leadership and talent management where I also touched upon topics such as diversity and inclusion, social innovation and resilience; I was looking for someone willing to explore new territories and also someone capable of looking beyond the known. I needed someone capable of creating meaningful connections, build a foundation of trust in a short time and also realize sustainable impact. I couldn’t have found a better person than Salmaan.
While Salmaan has many talents, there are three that stood out for me. His ability to communicate with many different audiences. He’s an amazing storyteller and connects with people on a deeper level. whether this is during a presentation or a session he’s facilitating. I have witnessed many occasions where people felt that they took part in something special and impactful. By reading the room as well as the individual, he’s able to engage everyone and tune into the needs that are present in that moment. Last but not least, his out of the box ideas and suggestions helped me and my teams develop better interventions and programs.
Being the person that Salmaan is, authentic, empathetic and driven, I am confident that he can add value for many organizations and teams that are willing to drive change and create impact. I am grateful that out paths have lead to one another and would start a new journey with Salmaan anytime without a doubt.
Ekin Hayat
Managing Partner/ CEO Peak4
I met Salmaan through a leadership program. I was impressed by how quickly he connected with everyone and build trust. Because of this, he was able to lead real conversations and provide valuable insights, which led to breakthroughs in personal and team development. I truly loved working with him!
Ammarens Bruggenkamp
Manager Energy West Africa & MENA at FMO – Dutch Development Bank
Amazing to meet a person like Salmaan. During our first conversation we immediately had a deep connection. Working with Salmaan was like a journey, exploring news landscapes and views. Finding out new ways of working, a lot of reflection and thereby discovering more about each other and ourselves, becoming friends while we were making impact on the world together with a lot of people and clients.
Annet van de Laak
Trainer/coach at Radboudumc
Salmaan and I worked together on redesigning and facilitating the Global FrieslandCampina High Potential Development Journey (LEAP). He is a born coach and facilitator. I am amazed by his ability to truly connect, passion and drive to get the most out of himself and others.
Salmaan is always open for new ways and continuously learning. He focuses on the positive and drives for change. Salmaan is creative and doesn’t come with pre-packaged solutions. He challenges and helps you to find original, tailor-made solutions which fit your real needs. Next to achieving great results, he is also a joy to work with. I would be very pleased to work with him any time in the future.
Femke Gorter
Global Learning & Development Specialist at FrieslandCampina
There are only a few people who have the ability to guide a group of so many diverse people as sincere, with respect, care and vision as Salmaan does. When he walks into the room a natural leader appears.
As board member of TEDxAmsterdam Salmaan has shown how to build a strong team. Even during these weird times in COVID-‘season’ he knows how to make the real connection and connect people.
Salmaan and I have the mutual passion to share ideas that are worth spreading, our contribution to the world. On top of this Salmaan and I share the same love for sports as well. Although sometimes this is just a cover up to work together more often.
If it’s during the work outs or during the work for TEDxAmsterdam, I’m particularly impressed by Salmaan’s ability to coach people. If it’s individuals or groups. He knows how to ask the right questions. He connects with people on a deeper level so easily, they open up to him and leave the conversation with a vision.
It’s really hard not to like Salmaan, he would be an asset to any team. Curious to keep following him to find out what amazing things he will accomplish.
Marsha van Doorn
Marketing Manager in e-commerce Mollie
Daring, disarming, authentic. He dares to engage every group at the level of feelings and longings—he has the charm and passion to draw out even the most resistant, closed, cautious clients. And while he takes people to figuratively and literally to distant places to touch their imagination and emotions, he can then land it in concrete action. He is unafraid of the unknown, of the silent moments, of not knowing where things are going but letting them unfold. Actually maybe he is afraid of those uncomfortable moments like we all are, but his authenticity and daring gave me and our clients comfort and confidence to stretch, to dream, to challenge ourselves. He is unafraid to expose his own deepest needs and fears—perhaps it is this uninhibited authenticity that draws out the best in others.
David Rosenberg
Director of Sustainability Practice
It is rare to come across someone who is as tirelessly passionate and energetic as Salmaan. I had the pleasure of working together with Salmaan for a good year, co-creating and facilitating our global FrieslandCampina high potential development journey “LEAP”. Salmaan has a wonderful ability to bring positive energy to any room and to spark true passion and can-do mentality also in others. His ability to connect to others and his genuine care were what made the LEAP journey so unique and impactful for all participants and us as facilitators – and thanks to him we now all know how to do the electric boogie 😉 It was a great pleasure working together with Salmaan and he would be an asset to any team.
Svenja Koida
Global Learning & Development Specialist at FrieslandCampina
Salmaan is one of the few people you meet that strikes you as inspiring right at the beginning. Although we did not get to work with each other as much as I would’ve hoped – as I am sure he would have taught me a great deal – he was a great person that I reported to. His goal was always to make everyone feel comfortable and he succeeded in making the TEDxAmsterdam team a family. I was immediately welcomed in with open arms and was always encouraged to share my ideas and make connections. Although others may have perceived my consistent eagerness to join TEDx as somewhat inconvenient (peak-Covid), I’m forever grateful that Salmaan viewed it as tenacity instead and was able to resonate with this tenacious spirit within himself too!
I wholeheartedly believe that anyone who gets to work with Salmaan will learn to reflect more on themselves and what they could be doing to better the world; and if they struggle to do so, Salmaan will definitely be there to guide that reflection.
Thank you very much for having me on the team & I am sure our paths will cross again!
Malak Elfar
Marketing Communications Accenture
Salmaan is truly one of a kind. His ability to connect, his charisma and sense of when to intervene and when to let happen, make him one of the best process artists I have ever seen. I deeply admire his courage in how he crafts his own path. Anyone that has the privilege of working with him will understand that depth and lightness are so close together. During our 12 year+ friendship and workship, Salmaan has shown me as no other how to be human and professional, how to be unwavering and keep choosing for what is right over what is easy. He is a joy to work with!
Daria Ofman
Process designer & facilitator at Better Future
I wish everyone a person like Salmaan in his/her company. At Better Future I was working with Salmaan for over five year collaborating on several project teams. He is a real teamplayer. Salmaan knows how to motivate and inspire the team. He is very driven and a great connector. What I personally like about Salmaan is that he is genuine. He is a very warm person, and find it no problem to show his vulnerability. As a team member or leader, Salmaan earns my highest recommendation
Anneke van Rijk
Drempel Coach at Comens B.V.
Apart from Salmaan’s ability to deeply connect with the people he encounters in his work and private life, he is an extremely hard worker, he knows how to get things started and how to keep things alive and people engaged. He can talk in front of a thousand people and will afterwards take the time to sit down with all thousand of them to have a one on one conversation.
His wisdom and knowledge will take you on an honest journey to find your businesses true purpose, while simultaneously make you reflect and work on your personal dreams and goals. I will miss working closely together with Salmaan, but I definitely wish everyone to get to know him better.
Shari Veldhuizen
Global Marketeer at Buzz Women
Salmaan has his heart in the right place. He is sincere with the people he has contact with and connects with others seamlessly. Salmaan has a way of putting people at ease. He has a way of using his charm to inspire others. I’ve witnessed him be a pro at guiding teams. His enthusiasm and vibrance help teams see and experience situations from a new perspective, and allows them often to challenge themselves and dream bigger than they can imagine. It has been a joy working with Salmaan, and I highly recommend others to have such an experience too.
Daan Modderman
Founder Goeie Praat, Founder Klussen met Daan
Salmaan could write a book about his life story; where he’s come from, what he’s been through and where he stands now. A wonderfully warm, social and funny guy. That’s true. And there’s so much more depth to this human. A great instigator of deep and meaningful conversations, building connections between individuals when they need it most. He’s a little weird too, and always in for a laugh.
May Putman Cramer
Humanising the global narrative at Human Book
Ze zeggen wel eens, waar rook is, is vuur. In deze aanbeveling wil ik hem anders neerzetten, waar Salmaan is, is vuur. En vuur is hierbij passie en een unieke drive. De manier waarop Salmaan gericht bezig is met zijn droom ‘de gezonde gezondheidszorg’ is uniek. En heel inspirerend voor zijn omgeving. Hij heeft in korte tijd een bijzondere positie ingenomen in de medische wereld. Niet als arts of medisch specialist. Maar als verander expert die nodig is om de gezondheidszorg op een positieve manier te kantelen. Wil jij je eigen leven of organisatie een draai of ‘impact boost’ wil geven? Salmaan kan het.
Ezra de Korte
Rabobank: Change Agent & Meaningful Innovation Specialis
Salmaan is a facilitator with an incredible gift and skill of saying the right thing at the right time, the one who feels when the moment is right to be quiet and let things go and when is the time to stop and redirect the flow. He immediately creates a connection with everyone in the room, feels where the people are and knows how to get them in the right mood and mindset to work towards the common goal. He does his work with heart, creativity, skill and integrity, creating a special space which was an honor and joy to participate in.
Goran Kelecic
Senior Consultant at Impact
Salmaan is a brilliant trainer and a very inspiring team leader with a unique capacity to lead by inspiration, respect and creativity. At the LSS 2014, he was able at all times and in very short, efficient and mostly improvised speeches to – both stir and calm the large audience at needs, – find the right words to trigger the imagination and mobilise the participants, – lead and continuously inspire a large team of trainers, – deal most efficiently with organisational matters. With his empathy and competences, Salmaan has inspired every single participant and trainer in a life-changing way.
Wladyslaw Senn
association terragir, énergie solidaire
When you meet Salmaan, first thing that strikes you is how natural for him it is to come up with just right thing to say or do – and when you know him a bit better, you understand that that is coming from how tuned in he is in his environment and how open to other people around him.
The next surprise is understanding how much creativity and broad knowledge and experience of facilitation methods and exercises he has. Yet the value of his knowledge is really in how skilfully he combines it with a high level of responsibility for the high quality of outcomes joint with caring for everyone in the process to feel involved, appreciated and to have a chance to contribute.
While being very outgoing and easy to chat with, Salmaan’s humbleness and openness allow him to connect to people and to create a really warm, open, honest and respectful atmosphere really fast.
I find Salmaan one of the most inspirational people that I had a chance to meet, I deeply appreciate the impact that he has on people around him – empowering people to be the best that they can be, to take responsibility and to create an impact on the world around them.
There is no doubt that I would be absolutely delighted to work with Salmaan on numerous projects in the future – and knowing his level of proactivity and engagement, I am positive that such opportunities will arise.
Mirna Smidt
Positive Psychology Trainer & TEDx Speaker @ Europe