Our Thought Leaders and PPPM Advocates
At PPPM Academy, you'll learn from experienced professionals who don't just teach - they inspire. Our thought leaders bring real-world expertise, fresh perspectives, and practical insights to help you turn knowledge into impact.
Mark Engelhardt
Mark Engelhardt is the Founder & President of the PPPM Academy initiative. He is an internationally experienced trainer, coach, and consultant with over 30 years of expertise in developing managers and leaders across industries and cultures. His professional work focuses on strengthening leadership capabilities, building high-performing teams, and enabling organizations to thrive in complex, fast-changing environments.He has a proven professional track record across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and North America. He has worked with many of the Top 500 corporations and many small to medium-sized enterprises. His work spans all industries, as well as NGO’s.He combines practical business leadership experience with deep expertise in project, program, project portfolio, and PMO management to deliver impactful, results-oriented development programs for mid-level managers and senior professionals.He has, for a long time, been an outgoing advocate for his profession, starting off by founding PMI Chapter Austria and serving as its President for 10 years. He is also an engaged Social Media contributor with his PM Cowboy Podcast.His topics:Project Management (all forms) Program & Multi-Project Management Project Portfolio Management Value Management Business Development & Analysis Organizational Transformation Change Management PMO Development Lean & Kaizen Business Modelling Problem Solving & Decision Making Corporate Social Responsibility Leadership Development Team Development Cultural DEI Process Optimization Maturity Modelling Stakeholder Engagement Risk, VUCA, Wicked Problems Collaboration Conflict Mediation
Alexander Kagl
Alexander Kagl is a founding member of the PPPM Academy and managing partner of Dynact. He is known as an advocate of pragmatic, stable solutions that guarantee direct business success with the highest probability of implementation. He effectively conveys his expertise to clients without producing thousands of slides or lots of colorful pictures. He challenges his clients to make decisions courageously, implement them, and deliver on their promises. Alex thrives on finding solutions but goes beyond just developing concepts to facilitating his clients to implement them. As a sparring partner and consultant for start-ups and potential unicorns, he loves to challenge business plans and generate the right, quick solution with the right partners from his huge network. Alexander's many years of international experience in more than 52 countries mean that he is afraid of (almost) nothing. He is a business plan expert and was president of PMI® in Austria from 2010 to 2016. He is also Co-Host on the PM Cowboy Podcast. Another passion of his: he runs the JOISEPH winery in beautiful Burgenland. His Topics: Project management (in all forms and facets) Process management Quality management Negotiation techniques ADR – Alternative Dispute Resolution Lateral leadership Dealing with extreme projects in highly complex environments Design thinking PMOs
Boris Thaller
Boris Thaller is a passionate trainer, coach, and project management expert. With great enthusiasm, he supports projects as an independent Project Manager, Management Officer, and catalyst for innovative PMO organizations. His passion is to move projects and people forward, promote development, and achieve real results together. His motto: “…do things right with passion – rather than just doing the right things…” This guides his approach and work in project management. The energy he draws from team spirit and project dynamics inspired him early on as a project engineer in international product development. Even then, it was clear to him that the project environment is his home. Early in his career, he took on the responsibility of a technical project manager and continuously expanded his expertise through certifications. Sharing knowledge is close to his heart: as a Lessons Learned Coach, workshop moderator, coach for technical project managers, and later as a Senior Project Manager in customer-facing roles and within local and regional PMOs, he brings teams together, fosters continuous improvement, and supports project managers in strengthening their skills. Most recently, he served as Global Head of PMO, accompanying projects and project managers worldwide together with his PMO colleagues – strategically, operationally, and in an agile manner. In this role, they developed new digital project platforms, defined project processes, and rolled out innovative methods. His mission: Through modern PMO practices, he aims to make global and complex projects more successful, inspire people, and convey the ultimate value of PMOs. He is especially committed to supporting companies during challenging situations or transformations, initiating continuous improvements, and further developing processes, methods, and tools together with them. His Topics: Strategic, tactical and operative Project Management Office PMO Framework and architecture PMO competence and talent management Hybrid Project Management life cycle management Digitalized and integrated Project-Process solutions Intellectual property & Continuous Improvement for projects
Hayssam Al Amine
Hayssam Al Amine is an executive coach, motivational speaker, psychologist, and leadership development specialist, as well as the CEO of the RPM Group of Companies. With extensive international experience, he works with individuals and organizations to drive personal and professional growth, business transformation, and the creation of strong service cultures. He is also the author of the book Ace Your Service and an active member of several international professional associations. His expertise spans leadership and management development, executive coaching, organizational and people development, customer advocacy, and performance management. Hayssam designs and delivers tailored training and coaching programs that address strategic thinking, change management, emotional intelligence, communication, negotiation, and the development of high-performance teams. His work focuses on practical impact, sustainable improvement, and measurable results. As a coach and speaker, Hayssam is known for his energetic and motivational style, supporting leaders and teams through transformation, skill development, and cultural change. He has worked across multiple industries, including hospitality, automotive, sales, and human resources, and delivers programs in several languages, enabling him to engage diverse, international audiences effectively. At the core of his philosophy is the belief that meaningful change happens one person at a time. Through coaching, training, and leadership development, Hayssam is committed to empowering individuals to unlock their potential, strengthen organizations, and achieve lasting success in both their professional and personal lives. His Topics: Executive Coaching Leadership Development Transformational Leadership Business Transformation Client Service Excellence Strategic Thinking Change-Management Coaching, & MentoringPersonal Development Emotional Itelligence Building high-performance Teams Motivation & Engagement Conflict ResolutionNegotiation skills Creativity, Innovation Problem Solving & Decision-making Public Speaking Performance Management Organizational Development Sales EffectivenessCommunication SkillsOnboarding & Talent Development Professional Communication
Massimiliano (Max) Langosco di Langosco
Massimiliano (Max) Langosco di Langosco is a seasoned project management consultant, trainer, and speaker with more than twenty years of international experience. He holds an MSc and is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP®) and Certified Scrum Master (CSM®). Langosco specialises in guiding organisations and professionals through complex projects, high-stress environments, and transformational change. Max’s approach integrates change management, risk management, and systems thinking to strengthen project delivery, improve performance, and foster resilience in both traditional and agile contexts. He has extensive experience in recovering troubled projects and deploying project management frameworks across multiple industries and regions. As a consultant and educator, Langosco has trained thousands of project professionals worldwide, focusing on leadership, risk and complexity management, and project management maturity development. He has also served as a lecturer and speaker at academic institutions and professional forums, bridging practical experience with professional development. Max combines analytical rigor with practical guidance to help organizations elevate project outcomes and build sustainable capability. His work emphasizes measurable impact, continuous improvement, and empowering individuals and teams to excel in dynamic and challenging environments. His Topics: Project Management (All Forms) Maturity Development Change-Management Risk Management Recovery of Troubled Projects Systems Thinking Complexity Management Project kick-off facilitation AI Project Management AI Planning & Implementation PMO Development & Deployment Maturity Modelling Leadership for Project Professionals Conflict Management Negotiation Skills PMP® Certification Preparation