About me
Hi, I'm Dave Willemstein. Independent AI consultant for boards and leaders who want to move forward.
I help organizations make AI decisions that create value, limit risk, and actually fit their strategy. No sales pitch. No tool preferences. Just clear advice, sharp choices, and guidance from people to process.
experience, impact ↓
20+ years experience
AI in Europe
European brands already running AI in production.
Not my clients. Examples of what happens once AI moves past the pilot stage.
- Klarna
Sweden
AI customer service assistant
- Zalando
Germany
Fashion assistant for product advice
- Financial services
Investment firm
AI strategy and use-case portfolio
- Booking.com
Netherlands
AI Trip Planner for travel planning
- Siemens
Germany
Industrial Copilot for engineering
- Retail
Enterprise retailer
AI-driven vendor selection
- Spotify
Sweden
AI DJ and personalized playlists
- Mercedes-Benz
Germany
Generative voice assistant in the car
- Industrial / B2B
International manufacturer
AI roadmap and leadership
- ING
Netherlands
Generative chatbot for customer queries
- L'Oréal
France
Beauty Genius: personalized advice
- Financial services
Financial services firm
KYC accelerated with AI document analysis
- SAP
Germany
Joule: copilot in business software
- Carrefour
France
Hopla: grocery shopping assistant
- Strategy & AI
SaaS scale-up
AI readiness assessment
- Adyen
Netherlands
AI-driven payment optimization
- Philips
Netherlands
AI in medical imaging
- Proces & productivity
Professional services firm
Internal AI assistant for knowledge workers
My story
From strategy to execution.
With impact.
After twenty years in strategy, digital and innovation, on both the client and vendor side, I kept seeing the same pattern: good intentions, vague choices. Tools before strategy. Hype before value. And advisors who profited from the very solution they recommended.
I started freelanceaiconsultant.com to change that. I work independently, on my own, always in your interest. One senior advisor. No juniors on your project. No noise.
That also means I can't do everything. Large implementation programs, teams of ten developers, global rollouts: that's not what I'm the right partner for, and I'll say so.
Experience at a glance
20+ years
Strategy, digital and innovation, on both the client and vendor side
100+ engagements
From AI strategy and vendor selection to implementation guidance
Executive sparring partner
For CIOs, CFOs, CEOs and supervisory boards
Published & speaker
On AI, leadership and change management
What I believe
Your interest, always. No commissions, no partner deals.
Clear about both opportunities and risks, even when it is uncomfortable.
From strategy to measurable value within one quarter.
Technology only works once people actually want to work with it.
Background
Where this
experience
comes from.
Strategy, vendor selection, governance and fractional AI leadership for organizations in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Responsible for data-driven programs in larger organizations. This is where I learned how many good plans fail on ownership and management, not on technology.
Sat on the other side of the table. That is exactly why I now accept no commissions or partner deals: I know how those steer the advice.
How I work in practice
- I'll tell you when I think you don't need me.
- I write everything myself. Whatever you get from me, I made it and can defend it.
- I work on a maximum of three engagements at a time, so attention never becomes scarce.
- I never take on two direct competitors at the same time.
- After three months I come back to check the promised result is actually there.
Outside of work
I read a lot about decision-making and risk, fields AI has surprisingly little to learn from. Beyond that: running, cooking, and the occasional DIY project gone wrong.
I also speak: about AI decision-making, governance, and why most pilots stall. I'd rather have a sharp conversation with twenty people than give a keynote to five hundred.
Ask about availability →Ready for impact?
Book a no-obligation call.
30 minutes. Online. No pitch deck. Just value.