Dr. André Vermeulen
Founder, Owner, CEO, Thought Leader & Author
About Dr. André Vermeulen
Dr. André Vermeulen is a founding member, owner, and CEO of Neuro-Link, a boutique consultancy specializing in the neuroscience of performance optimization. From brain-based learning and development, his interest has evolved into a construct he defined as Neuro Agility, which has become his passion, purpose, and field of expertise. Neuro Agility is the result of Dr. Vermeulen’s life work and his contribution to helping our world work better through developing agile people and organizations.
André is a part-time lecturer and member of the Neuroscience Research Group of the University of Pretoria. He stays current with neuroscience research by continuously learning from neuroscientists and translating neuroscience research into practical tools to develop people, improve performance, and drive business results. His work on Neuro Agility has also been included as a post-graduate module for honors neurophysiology and sports students at the University of Pretoria. His book – Tick Tock This Makes Your Brain Rock – is an easy read for anyone interested in developing themselves, but not interested in becoming a neuroscientist. Tick Tock is also prescribed to physiology students.
He has a collaborative academic agreement with the University of Pretoria to offer his work on Neuro Agility as a certificate in Higher Neuroscience Coaching. As part of the Neuroscience Research Group, Dr. Vermeulen in collaboration with Professor Peet du Toit, head of the Neuroscience Research Group, developed a three-phase, neuroscience coaching course that can be done through the Center for Continued Education at the University of Pretoria (CE@UP).
André is a Neuro Agility thought leader – the brain-mind elements that impact the ease, speed, and flexibility with which people learn, think, and process information. As a workplace consultant, being on the frontline of experiencing workplace challenges and needs with his clients for more than 32 years, Dr. Vermeulen learned that following a brain-based approach to developing people, was the best solution to being inclusive of culture, race, and gender in global people development practices.
As a business innovator, he started developing brain-mind assessments and learning solutions to help his clients address their people development needs and challenges. André believes: “One can’t improve what one can’t measure”. Therefore, he has developed, trademarked, and patented various Neuro Agility Profile™ (NAP) assessments and learning solutions used by thousands in education, business, and sports across the globe, to increase their brain performance and cognitive flexibility. His unique NAP™ brain profile assessments and learning solutions help people and organizations drive performance forward, create agile organizations, and obtain extraordinary business results.
André is the architect of the entrepreneurial business partnering system of Neuro-Link, which creates business opportunities for hundreds of business entrepreneurs and adds value to thousands of people’s lives worldwide.
He has gained stature and credibility as an international keynote speaker in brain-based learning and development, which evolved into the neuroscience of learning and performance optimization. André has keynoted hundreds of international conferences and contributed to numerous prestigious platforms like TEDx, WBECS, and ATD. Evaluations at these conferences place him in the top 5% of world-class presenters. He is a sought-after speaker, frequently voted “best of the conference”, and known to engage, educate and entertain. He is a regular guest on many radio and television talk shows across the globe. André also produced more than 500 episodes of a television program called “Mind Matters”.
André has published more than 43 leading articles on the development implications of the brain and neuro-agility in research articles, magazines, and newspapers in Taiwan, Japan, the UK, Italy, the USA, Dubai, Germany, South Africa, and Costa Rica, such as Oprah, Management Today, Productivity, HR Future, Rugby News and People Dynamics. He is considered one of the most recognized authorities on the learning and developmental implications of the brain in the world.
He has also done courses and learned from world-class scholars such as Dr. Carla Hannaford, Dr. Ian Weinberg, Ned Herrmann, Daniël Goleman, Ruben Baron, Ken Blanchard, Tom Peters, Edward de Bono, John Maxwell, Rudi Giuliani, Daniel Pink, Sir Ken Robinson, Prof. John Kotter, and Jim Collins, but to mention a few.
Dr. Vermeulen has been an executive coach to Kings & Queens of Africa, captains of industry, mental coach to beauty pageants like Miss Modern Women and Miss South Africa, and Olympic sports icons.
Furthermore, he has also been recognized by Golden Key International as an Honorary Member: “André has routinely displayed the passion, vision, and dedication necessary to be considered among the best in the field of the neuroscience of learning and performance optimization”.
Significance of Dr. André Vermeulen's work
His Neuro Agility Framework consists of two dimensions. The first dimension consists of brain-mind elements that impact people’s neurological design, also called neuro-design. It is another term and sub-framework of Neuro Agility, coined by Dr. Vermeulen. Neuro-design is a framework for the cognitive elements that determine people’s potential and influence how uniquely they think, learn, and process information. It offers new insights into human error, how people learn, how people are talented, and why some learn faster, more easily, and are more flexible than others. The neuro-design sub-framework offers innovative performance optimization solutions to address the performance gaps mentioned. André is a pioneer in linking neurological design to identifying potential, improving performance, increasing mental flexibility, reducing learning difficulties, and minimizing people’s risk for errors and mistakes.
The second dimension of Neuro Agility consists of drivers that optimize brain performance. These drivers increase the ease and speed of thinking, learning, and processing information. It also improves brain health and overall brain fitness. The interplay between the drivers that optimize brain performance and the elements of people’s neuro-design determine how brain-fit and mentally flexible people are and their risk for mistakes and human errors. A unique aspect of the drivers that optimize performance is brain agility. Although the term has popularly been used, the scientific conceptualization of what the concept entails and the neurophysiological mechanisms that determine people’s brain agility has not been formulated in such a scientific manner. The conceptualization of this driver and its impact on cognitive flexibility and performance optimization has not been included in performance improvement assessments and solutions for adults before.
Dr. Vermeulen has developed several unique brain-mind assessments and learning solutions to help people and organizations move performance forward. He believes: “One can’t improve what one can’t measure”. These assessments are innovations registered and trademarked as Neuro-Agility Profiles®, abbreviated as NAP™ brain-mind profiles. NAP™ assessments are unique because they fill gaps in people development-related industries that have not sufficiently been measured before like neuro-design, brain agility, the risk for human errors, and why people experience learning and thinking difficulties. No assessment measures brain fitness and mental flexibility in such a holistic manner.
A unique element of neuro-design that forms part of the Neuro Agility Profile® assessment, and has not been measured before, is people’s unique information processing preferences. It consists of the various combinations of people’s dominant (leading) brain hemisphere, eye, ear, and hand and how that may lead to neurological hindrances during stress and fatigue. The unique combinations of people’s preferences may lead to human errors, mistakes, accidents, and even fatalities in the workplace. Identifying the potential for human error and offering solutions to reduce it, is essential for industries where people are doing high-risk jobs, operating dangerous machinery, vehicles, or tools, or having to pay attention to important details. This innovative solution saves lives, optimizes performance, and increases productivity. This concept is already being received with accolades in industries like the military, mining, manufacturing, security, and oil and gas.
The most significant aspect of Dr. Vermeulen’s work is the results that the NAP™ assessments and learning solutions helped people and organizations achieve. These unique tools have helped individuals identify their potential, make more informed career choices, reduce their risk for errors and mistakes, develop a fast, focused, and flexible brain, be more employable, successful, and effective workers, and ultimately become better versions of themselves. It also helped parents help their children learn more effectively, easier, and faster and make informed subject and career choices. NAP™ assessments have helped students identify their potential, accelerate learning, and minimize learning difficulties. Case studies prove that organizations that used the Neuro Agility assessments and learning solutions developed agile workers, leaders, and teams, reduced human errors and mistakes, saved lives, and improved productivity, ensuring organizational success.
In summary, the concepts and approaches in the NAP™ assessments that Dr. André Vermeulen has developed and pioneered, that can’t be found in other assessments, are as follows:
- The conceptualization of the term and construct of Neuro Agility.
- The conceptualization of 13 elements of the Neuro Agility Framework.
- Conceptualization of the sub-framework for drivers that optimize brain performance and overall brain fitness.
- The conceptualization of brain agility and its mechanisms as an element of Neuro Agility and a primary driver to optimize brain performance.
- Conceptualization of the term and sub-framework for the elements of people’s neurological design (neuro-design) that impact their mental (cognitive) flexibility.
- Conceptualization of neurological dominance, its impact on how uniquely people process information, and how it relates to risk for mistakes and errors.
- Connecting people’s neurological design (neuro-design) to their unique potential.
- The impact of people’s neuro-design on cognitive flexibility.
- Illustrating the interplay between the drivers that impact people’s brain performance and their neuro-design.
- A new framework for:
- identifying potential,
- developing talent,
- improving performance,
- promoting brain health, and
- reducing the risk of human errors and mistakes