Philippe Cesson · keynotes and workshops
For Vistage chairs.
Three talks for your group. Each runs as a half-day workshop or a 90-minute keynote. Nothing is sold from the stage.
- Over 20 years running CESSON
- 400+ talks, conferences and keynotes
- Every audience member leaves with something written down
- Nothing sold from the stage
“His session was outstanding — several members said he might be the best speaker we’ve ever had.”
Peter Buchanan
Master Chair, Vistage
The three talks.
Talk 1AI for digital growthWhere your next customers are looking, and a 90-day plan to be there.
Talk 2Generational invisibilityFive generations, one business, and why the young ones can't see you.
Talk 3The next three years of AIEvery trend sorted into ignore, watch and act.
Talk 1 · AI for digital growthGrow Where They're LookingA no BS business growth plan for CEOs, elevated by your live AI Reality Check.
Growth has one question behind it: are you where your buyers are looking? This session answers it for every audience member personally. Each receives their own AI Reality Check, a written report with eight grades showing what Google and the AI assistants say about their business, who gets named instead, and whether an AI agent could buy from them, delivered live by Philippe in the room so it goes straight into practice. The session then widens to the whole growth picture: referrals, search, social, reputation and the sales conversation, and where each member's next dollar of effort should go. Everyone keeps their report and leaves with a no BS 90-day growth plan and three things to do on Monday.
Half-day workshop or 90-minute keynote. Nothing is sold from the stage.
Talk 2 · The generational shiftGenerational InvisibilityWhy your younger buyers, employees and successors can't see you, and how to fix it.
Five generations now buy from you, work for you and will one day replace you, and each one decides differently: where they look, whom they trust, and what makes them walk away. Philippe Cesson has marketed to all five for over 20 years. In this session the audience finds out why younger buyers, employees and successors can't see them, what each generation actually trusts, and the handful of changes that make a business visible to all five without losing the ones it already has. Includes the Generational Superpower Quiz, taken live in the room.
Half-day workshop or 90-minute keynote. Nothing is sold from the stage.
Talk 3 · The next three years of AITwenty Years of Not Falling for ItThe next three years of technology and human contact, and what a CEO can safely ignore and brace for.
Philippe Cesson built a social network before Facebook had business pages, walked clients away from Second Life and Google+, and put a client on ChatGPT ten weeks after launch. Twenty years of telling waves from fads, applied to the next three: a plain, dated view of what's coming in technology and human contact, with every trend sorted into what to ignore, what to watch, and what to act on now, in business and in personal life. No hype, and predictions specific enough to be checked. Everyone leaves with a one-page ignore/watch/act list of their own.
Half-day workshop or 90-minute keynote. Nothing is sold from the stage.
How the AI Reality Check runs in your group.
Each member receives their own AI Reality Check, a written report with eight grades showing what Google and the AI assistants say about their business, who gets named instead, and whether an AI agent could buy from them, delivered live by Philippe in the room.
Chairs, in their words.
I strongly recommend Philippe Cesson and his workshop: Badass CEO’s Guide to Digital Marketing — Executive Insight & Future Trends for Fast Business Growth. We welcomed Philippe at both of my Vistage CEO meetings in May 2026, and his impact was very concrete and compelling for each of the CEOs. The content is highly relevant in today’s context with the rise of AI and the need to ensure the visibility of the information contained in their websites. On top of that, he presents each CEO with a specific report on the effectiveness of their web presence in communicating the nature and characteristics of their product/service offering, as it is read and interpreted by AI. It is essentially a performance audit that he delivers to them, complete with personalized recommendations for each one. Timing is everything — now is the time to offer this web performance leap to your members.
André TurcotteVistage Worldwide Chair and TEC Canada Master Chair
At my TEC meeting last week, we had Philippe Cesson, whose topic was: The Badass CEO’s Guide to Growing Your Company with Digital Marketing, as our resource speaker. His session was outstanding — several members said he might be the best speaker we’ve ever had. Philippe personally reviewed every member’s website and gave each of us a clear, practical report card on our AI readiness. He had also done his homework on Canadian and provincial privacy and digital marketing laws, so his advice felt both current and very relevant to our businesses. Everyone left with concrete ideas they could put to work right away, if you haven’t had him visit your group yet, avoid disappointment and book him as soon as you can.
Peter BuchananMaster Chair, Vistage
Philippe Cesson is a true visionary and one of this generation’s most innovative and forward-thinking speakers. Charismatic and an expert in technology, Philippe challenges CEOs to own their individual business style and pushes the boundaries of modern day marketing.
Arturo G. LopezVistage Chair
Philippe is an inspiration. After his presentation, I realized my website did not tell the right story for where I am today. I was inspired by the range of new tools to rebuild my website.
Charles AndrewsChair, Vistage Worldwide
Great presentation.
Chris BakerCorporate Vice President, PAREXEL
I think we all have information overload. To find someone who can bring meaning and context and curate that content like Phil is valuable.
Michelle JewettOwner and CEO, Michelle J. Coaching
Philippe’s presentation on social media was spot on.
Mark StefanickPresident & CEO, Advantage Benefit Solutions
I really understand how to use social media a little bit more, bring it into drive marketing and sales in our organization.
Eric TokerPartner, Lemay + Toker
Philippe helped us find another level of productivity, and we’re getting more done rather than reacting to emails.
Richie GimmelPresident, Atlas Machine and Supply
There is not a day that goes by that I don’t quote Philippe’s theories.
Mark G. GardnerCEO, Avatar Management Services, Inc.
Philippe’s presentation helped me use social media in a much broader context — how I can bring my staff together, customers together, and create more of a learning environment.
Scott LinsPresident, Sierra Courier
I definitely took away some great info from Philippe’s presentation for new ways to engage our audience.
Elizabeth BrennanDirector of Marketing, BIG Construction
Philippe’s techniques to use technology and data to attract and analyze leads was thought provoking.
Lauren ElliottAttorney, Elliott & Associates Attorneys
Loved Philippe’s presentation. His interaction with each audience member was great — all five stars on the Vistage score sheet.
Steven FriedmannPartner, Orion Risk Management
The workshop was so much fun, and Philippe is awesome.
Eric MaulVP of Institutional Advancement, San Francisco Zoo
Phil was a great presenter. He made it very interesting and relevant — my students love him.
Martin StaubusExecutive Director, the Beyster Institute at UCSD Rady School of Management
Learned from Philippe the badassery of using social media for your business — out-of-the-box training and opportunities for improvement.
Kelly AngelopoulosBroker, Jameson/Sotheby’s International Realty
Philippe is the rare marketing pro who has a mastery of classic marketing knowledge and a thorough understanding of the new technologies. He knows how to help his clients reach more customers, create more sales, and make more money.
Tom StaceyVP, Lightstream/SunTrust Bank
Philippe was charismatic and clear on how to channel efforts to grow brands and be bold and authentic in brand identity.
Barbara MurrayAccount Executive, Make It Better Media
The conversation with Philippe was very stimulating and came at the right time as we reevaluate our social media strategy.
Donald McallisterPresident, Lionakis
I was very impressed with Philippe. He gave an excellent presentation, and there was unanimous praise for him, personally and professionally.
Rich PetersonFounder, Lighthouse Public Affairs
I would highly recommend your dynamite presentation to any business interested in staying relevant in an ever-growing Gen X and Gen Y world. Thank you!
Joe Da RosaI thank Philippe for this and curse him at the same time, because I got moved out of a comfort zone and I am always thinking about what Philippe has taught me.
Patrick KennedyThank you for your enlightening and wonderfully refreshing talk. Your talk has strong interest with our company as we try to move forward and stay competitive in the future.
Kirby HomI wanted to thank you for the phenomenal presentation. It was so informative, and I learned more than I ever imagined.
Susan MccannAbout Philippe
Badass-in-Chief at CESSON.
Few speakers know Vistage from as many sides. Philippe worked on staff as a Marketing Director, where he created the Vistage Reunion program and sat in on weekly Chair training. He was a Key member for years in the group of Pat Hyndman, the former Vistage President and longtime Chair for whom the Hyndman Award is named, and his mentor. In 2006 Pat, then a spry 91, told him: “Philippe, you know this stuff, no one does, go and speak to CEOs about it.” Pat stayed his mentor until his death at 98. Philippe has since given more than 300 Vistage and TEC presentations, in English and in French, and is a member of the 200 Club.
Philippe is Badass-in-Chief at CESSON, the digital marketing agency he started in a California garage in 2005 and runs today from Miami. Some of its clients have stayed more than ten years; the longest is at 17 and counting. He built a social network a year before Facebook had business pages, walked clients away from Second Life, Google+ and Microsoft Tag, and put a client on ChatGPT ten weeks after it launched. In all he has given 400+ talks, conferences and keynotes to more than 6,000 CEOs and business leaders.
He speaks on three things: AI for digital growth, the generations who will buy from you next, and the next three years of AI. Every member leaves with something written down. Nothing is sold from the stage.
Philippe was born on the French Riviera, holds an MBA from the University of Dallas, and served as president of the San Diego French American Chamber of Commerce.
Thirty minutes with Philippe.
Tell him the room, the date and what the group is wrestling with. He'll say which talk fits, or whether none of them does.