Former Secret Agent, Criminologist and Interrogation Expert
«You have to move people, not shake them.»
Leo Martin
Leo Martin is a former secret agent, criminologist, and interrogation expert – NDR calls him «the German 007». A fitting description for a man who knows how to earn trust, read people, and be convincing at critical moments.
After studying criminal science, Leo Martin worked for over a decade on assignment for a German intelligence agency.
His mission: to recruit people from the criminal milieu for covert operations and lead them through delicate situations. In doing so, he had to build trust within the shortest possible time, recognize motives, and forge connections that hold even under pressure. His most important tool: psychologically grounded insight into human nature, targeted communication, and clear leadership – skills that are just as crucial in business and management today as they were in intelligence work. Today, Leo Martin takes the stage as a keynote speaker for leading companies. With his interactive keynote «Secret Weapons of Communication – Gentle Strategies with Powerful Impact» and the intensive training «Mission Trust – The Art of Winning People Over», he captivates teams, executives, and decision-makers alike.
His books on trust and reading people are SPIEGEL bestsellers and are considered modern classics.
2021: Certified ProfilingValues Expert, Values Analysis
2019 – 2021: Profiler PScn, Vienna Chamber of Commerce, Behavioral Analysis
2018 – present: Managing Director, Private Institute for Forensic Text Analysis
2008 – present: Managing Director, Leo Martin – Interactive Experience Talks for Conferences, Congresses & Top Events
2002 – 2004: Diploma in Public Administration (Diplom-Verwaltungswirt), Criminalistics and Criminal Science, University of Applied Sciences for Public Administration and the Administration of Justice
1998 – 2007: Operative, covert intelligence gathering, intelligence analysis, Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Over a decade as an agent for a German intelligence agency – one of Germany’s most successful trust agents (confidential informant handlers)
3x SPIEGEL bestselling author
«I’ll Get You!» – over 150,000 copies sold, considered a modern classic