Oliver Schneider is the man who negotiates with blackmailers. Cyber blackmail, kidnapping, crises – and what executives can learn from them.

When the phone rings in the middle of the night, servers shut down, and all that appears on the screen is a ransom demand, it's the start of a nightmare for many companies. For Oliver Schneider, that's when his work begins. The former officer of the German Special Forces Command (KSK) and internationally active kidnap-for-ransom consultant is now one of the most sought-after experts on cyber extortion and crisis management in the German-speaking world.

Oliver Schneider: “Only those who build resilience today can reduce tomorrow's damage.”

His career combines more than two decades of experience in risk and crisis management with missions in Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, the Caucasus, South America, and Africa. In recent years, he has handled over 50 real-life cyber extortion cases. His academic background—a Master of Science in Risk, Crisis & Disaster Management from the University of Leicester—and his book “Der Wille entscheidet” (The Will Decides), in which he describes real kidnapping and crisis cases, underscore his extraordinary expertise.

Oliver Schneider combines the world of special forces, international crisis missions, and the reality of modern cyberattacks into a stage format that offers deep insight, excitement, and immediate relevance.

Oliver Schneider Lecture Topics

Cyber & Crisis- & Risk-Management

- Cyber extortion—it can happen to any company
- Negotiating in the dark: Inside a cyber extortion
- Zero hour: When a company's survival depends on a few decisions.

Leadership in extreme situations

- Leading in uncertainty and crises
- The kidnapping principle: What negotiations with kidnappers teach executives

Training & in-depth study - On request, Oliver Schneider explores the topics in greater depth in workshops, seminars, and crisis simulation training sessions – from board meetings to crisis management teams.

In his keynotes, Oliver Schneider takes the audience directly into the “red room” of the crisis. He shows real chat histories from the darknet and provides insights into the thinking and modus operandi of cyber gangs. He explains how perpetrators plan, how they build up pressure, and what decisions have to be made under maximum stress—decisions that can quickly cost millions. At the same time, he makes it clear how negotiations with blackmailers work, which tactics and strategies are vital, and which mistakes must be avoided. The transfer into practice is central: executives learn what board members, C-level executives, and IT managers can specifically derive from these extreme situations. His presentations are not theoretical knowledge, but a live look behind the scenes of an ongoing crisis operation.

Oliver Schneider: “Behind the masks of blackmailers: a look into the world of organized cybercrime.”

Oliver Schneider is ideal for board meetings, C-level meetings, leadership conferences, and IT and cybersecurity conferences. Industry associations, chambers of commerce, insurance companies, banks, and customer and partner events also benefit from his combination of excitement, relevance, and seriousness. He speaks in German and English and manages to captivate his audience immediately at every event.

Why should you book Oliver Schneider? Because he is not a theoretical “cyber explainer” who takes the stage, but someone who has negotiated with kidnappers and cyber extortionists – and uses this experience to develop clear, actionable messages for companies. Several companies owe their continued existence to him and his team. Each keynote speech is tailored precisely to the occasion and industry, from small businesses to global corporations.

And one thing is guaranteed: no one will be looking at their cell phone. Everyone will want to know how it ends.