Dr. André Vermeulen
Founder, Owner, CEO, Thought Leader & Author
Learning is the DNA of the Mind!
Neuro-Agility = Fast, Focused & Flexible
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 that he has 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 who is 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 thought leader in the field of neuro-agility – 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 28 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”. Therefor, he has developed, trademarked and patented various Neuro Agility Profile™ (NAP) assessments and learning solutions that are 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 businesses drive performance forward, create agile organizations and obtain extraordinary business results.
André is the architect, developer, and owner of the entrepreneurial neuroscience 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 the field of brain-based learning and development, which evolved into the neuroscience of learning and performance optimization. André has keynoted hundreds of international conferences. For decades, he has 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 and produced more than 500 episodes on his 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, UK, Italy, 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 Guillianni, 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
Dr. Vermeulen has conceptualized a framework for the construct of neuro-agility. The first leg consists of drivers that optimize brain performance. The second leg consists of brain-mind elements that impact a person’s neurological design (referred to as neuro-design). Neuro-agility as a construct, and its framework, has never been included in any assessments in such a holistic manner yet. Until now, there has not been sufficient research done regarding the neurophysiology of personality. More importantly, there has not been sufficient research done regarding the thinking, learning, and development implications of the neurophysiological elements that impact thinking, learning, how people process information, personality, or why some people learn and think faster and easier than others, or how uniquely they learn. Anchoring learning, the risk for human error, talent development, personality, and behavioral assessments, and approaches to the hard sciences like neurophysiology, genetics, chemistry, etc. increases its validity and reliability.
NAP™ assessments fill a gap in the talent development and performance improvement industry. Dr. André is a pioneer in terms of linking neurological design to identifying potential, learning, behavior, brain-mind elements that impact people’s potential risk for error, talent development, and performance improvement. Until now, there has not been a more comprehensive assessment to illustrate the brain-mind elements of potential, learning, the risk for human error, talent identification, and aspects of personality. Except for the NAP™ assessments, there is not an assessment that can accurately measure, in such a holistic manner, the interplay between the drivers that optimize brain performance and the brain-mind elements that impact people’s mental flexibility. The drivers that optimize brain performance are crucial to helping people increase the ease and speed with which they think, learn and process information. It also improves their brain health and mental performance. More importantly, is the fact that these drivers will profoundly influence people’s neuro-design, and particularly how they process information and their risk for mistakes and human error.
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/academic manner. The novel conceptualization of this driver and the impact it has on cognitive flexibility and performance optimization has not been included in personality assessments or performance improvement assessments and solutions for adults before.
Conceptualizing the novel concept of neurological design and the mechanisms that determine a person’s neuro-design brings a completely new perspective to the brain-mind elements of potential, learning, thinking, personality, and performance optimization. These elements have also not been included in personality assessments in such a comprehensive way. Therefore, what makes this part of the neuro-agility framework immensely valuable, is that it helps to accurately determine people’s learning potential, which plays a crucial role in potential identification, talent selection, and talent development. It also forms the core of elements that enable people to have mental flexibility in thinking and learning. NAP assessments are powerful tools in the hands of people development professionals in various fields like education, learning, talent selection, talent development, performance improvement, workplace engagement, happiness, and wellness.
Another meaningful aspect of neuro-design that forms part of the NAP assessment, that is unique and has not before been measured before, is people’s unique information processing styles. It takes into consideration the combinations of people’s leading (dominant) brain hemisphere, eye, ear, and hand and how that may lead to them experiencing potential neurological hindrances during stress and fatigue. People’s unique information processing style may lead to an increase in human error, mistakes, accidents, and even fatalities in the workplace. This aspect of identifying the potential for human error and how to reduce it is groundbreaking for any industry where people are doing dangerous jobs, operating dangerous machinery, vehicles, or tools as well as paying attention to very important details. This innovation significantly contributes to saving lives, optimizing performance, and increasing productivity. This concept is already being received with accolades in industries like the military, mining, manufacturing, security, and oil and gas.
In summary, the concepts and approaches in the NAP™ 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 that make up the neuro-agility framework.
- Conceptualization of the framework for drivers that influence brain performance and ultimately influence people’s 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 framework for the elements of people’s neurological design (neuro-design) that influence their overall mental (cognitive) flexibility.
- Conceptualization of neurological dominance, its impact on how uniquely people process information, and how it relates to the potential risk for mistakes and error.
- Illustrating how people’s neurological design (neuro-design) determine 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 risk for human error.