By guiding organisations on how to adapt to change, minimise risks, and capitalise on future developments, these experts ensure businesses stay ahead of industry trends and are well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Our Futurist and Innovation speakers provide teams with actionable strategies to drive creativity and innovation within your company. By inspiring new ways of thinking, they foster a forward-thinking mindset that helps businesses stay agile, responsive, and competitive. Their ability to spark creativity and encourage disruptive thinking can unlock fresh solutions to existing challenges, inspiring your team to embrace change and pursue new possibilities confidently.
At Great Business Speakers, we specialise in connecting businesses with top-tier Futurists and Innovation experts who can empower your team and elevate your brand. Our speakers are renowned for their ability to bring unique perspectives, offer practical solutions, and help you navigate complex challenges with confidence. Whether you’re looking to inspire your team, improve your leadership capabilities, or stay ahead of emerging trends, our expert speakers can guide you toward a future of success and sustainable growth.
Let us help you unlock your business’s full potential by providing the insight and inspiration needed to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Discover our Futurist and Innovation Speakers below, or contact the team at Great Business Speakers to enquire or book. +44 1753 439 289
Guy Clapperton is a freelance journalist and speaker, offering top business advice through media training and interview practice, writing and editing publications and facilitating events.
Guy Clapperton has been a technology and business journalist since January 1989, starting in the trade press and making his way into the nationals in 1993. You may have seen his work in the Guardian, Times, Sunday Telegraph, Observer, Independent and most recently the New Statesman (particularly as launch editor of New Statesman Tech).
Gerd Leonhard is a global citizen of the future who spends his life travelling to worldwide meetings, workshops, and conferences on transformational change.
A star speaker on topics of major strategic importance – from digital disruption to business remodelling to specific vertical scenarios across public and private sectors, Gerd Leonhard is a rare hybrid of artist and researcher/scientist, with a pioneering background in digital music ecosystems and a head start in the disruption game. For the last fifteen years, he has been the first choice in business leaders’ minds for inspirational and paradigm-shifting advice.
Listed by Wired Magazine as one of the top 100 most influential people in Europe, Gerd Leonhard’s work focusses on the future of humanity and technology, digital transformation, the mega-shifts, artificial intelligence and robotics, media, content, marketing and advertising, telecommunications, culture and tourism, banking and financial services, government and leadership.
In his keynotes, presentations, workshops and advisory sessions, Gerd Leonhard addresses what it means to be human in a world of machines and algorithms, the coming redefinition of human-machine relationships, the future of work and jobs and many more. His presentations are renowned for a hard-hitting and provocative yet inspiring, humorous and motivating style.
Dallas Campbell started his TV presenting career on The Gadget Show (2008) on Channel 5, where his exploits including testing survival gadgets and breaking the Scalextric land speed record, and BBC1’s Bang Goes the Theory (2009-2012), a show he co-presented with Liz Bonnin.
Through his career Dallas Campbell has filmed in some of the most dangerous and extraordinary locations including Dubai, where he abseiled off the world’s tallest building, Mexico City, where he went sewer diving, and alongside space experts at Tim Peake’s rocket launch to the International Space Station.
His relaxed, personable, entertaining and professional style makes him a popular choice for presenting, event hosting, conference facilitating, after-dinner and keynote speeches, as well as all manner of virtual events.
Claire Williams OBE is a British former motorsport executive who led the Williams Formula 1 racing team. She is one of only two women to have ever lead a Formula 1 team.
Under her leadership Williams finished 3rd in the World Championship for Constructors in 2014 and 2015, representing the team’s best performance since 2003.
After taking over the running of the team, Claire replaced drivers, switched to a Mercedes engine and increased the team’s racing budget by securing profitable corporate sponsorships, factors that helped the team’s renaissance between 2014 and 2017.
Today Claire is a global Brand Ambassador for WAE Technologies, formerly known as Williams Advanced Engineering, which is involved in the decarbonisation of heavy transport through the development of advanced, green and sustainable technologies.
Her late father, Sir Frank Williams, was the founder of the Williams Grand Prix Engineering F1 team, winning nine Constructors’ Championships and seven Drivers’ Championship.
“We’re on a mission to make Silicon Valley’s innovation strategies accessible worldwide”.
Drawing from over a decade of experience at leading technology firms, including Google and Apple, Chris Heemskerk showcases his vision on corporate innovation by heading The Innovation Alliance, a global network of tech executives and innovation leaders.
As former Head of Scaled Acquisitions for Google in North America, Chris Heemskerk transformed his business operation into a global centre for innovation and operational excellence. Hence, he was asked to serve as an advisor to Google’s Innovation Lab and established a partnership with Harvard Business School to document the lab’s endeavours in two HBS Case Studies, in which he features.
In pursuit of providing organisations the necessary resources to innovate consistently, he authored The Innovation Scorecard™️, a comprehensive framework that enables firms to maximize their innovation capabilities and discover new growth opportunities.
Lars Tvede is a professional investor, serial entrepreneur and author who over the last 30 years has founded a string of companies within telecommunication, software development, property and finance.
His work has won him numerous international awards, including the Wall Street Journal Europe Innovation Award, Red Herring Global 100 Award, and Swiss IMD Startup Award.
Belinda Parmar OBE is an expert in Human Leadership in AI, a diversity campaigner, CEO of The Empathy Business, and a Non-Executive Director for the Ministry of Defence.
As one of the world’s leading authorities on empathy, technology, and business performance, she uses the science of empathy to change the way companies transform their organisations, focussing on leadership, operations, and communications. She has spent over 20 years helping global companies, including Lexus, Lloyds Bank, Barclays Bank, AGL, Toyota, and Aston Martin, turn empathy from a soft aspiration into a hard commercial advantage.
She is the creator of the Global Empathy Index which was published in the Harvard Business Review- the first index to measure empathy and inclusion at scale.
A dynamic entrepreneur and keynote speaker, Belinda has a proven track record in delivering change management programs for major businesses and governments. Recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader, Belinda has spoken at Davos and has received an OBE for serves to women in tech.
Dr Mark van Rijmenam is a leading strategic futurist, focussing on how technology development can affect and change companies, society and the metaverse.
Known as The Digital Speaker, Mark offers in-person keynotes, virtual keynotes, and even a hologram keynote, appearing on stage as a hologram, and has spoken to over 100,000 delegates across 25 countries.
Katie Prescott is a familiar writer and voice to millions as The Times Technology Business Editor and, before that, a Business Presenter for Radio 4’s Today Programme and a Business Correspondent across BBC News.
She was a business correspondent across a number of platforms including television, radio, websites and social media.
Katie has presented as far and wide as Tanzania to Rwanda, Northern Ireland to Russia, China to the USA – where she worked for the BBC’s New York Bureau.
She is also a confident conference moderator, event host and keynote speaker.
Dr Liberty Vittert is one of the top mathematicians and statisticians, specialising in facial shape analysis. She has a PhD in mathematics and statistics and is keen to bring her enthusiasm for maths to a wider audience.
Liberty Vittert is a Professor of the Practice of Data Science at the Olin Business School at the Washington University in St. Louis, and a visiting lecturer at Harvard University, as well as being the feature editor of the Harvard Data Science Review, and co-host of the Harvard Data Science Review podcast. She is also the host of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) podcast for the Institute of Data, Systems and Society. She is a graduate of MIT as well as Le Cordon Bleu Paris and the University of Glasgow. She is also an Ambassador for the Royal Statistical Society and Female STEM ambassador.
As an approachable, likeable and intelligent woman in the male-dominated STEM world, Liberty Vittert is often asked to share her knowledge within the media and has appeared on STV Scottish News, BBC Radio Scotland, Channel 4, Fox News and PBS. In 2017, the BBC chose her – and 19 other women – to become an Expert Contributor for their TV and radio programs. In 2018, The Herald named her as one of the Coolest People in Scotland.
Kate Ancketill is a leading female business speaker in retail and business futurism. As the CEO and founder of GDR, she has more than 20 years of experience in trends affecting business sectors and consumer behaviour.
As a result, she is an innovation partner to 30 of the world’s largest consumer brands, including P & G, Tesco, Waitrose, Target, Sephora, Microsoft, Google, and Lego.
Named as one of the world’s Top 30 Professional Speakers by Global Guru, and one of the Top 10 Thought Leaders on AI by Thinkers360, Karl Lillrud is one of the most experienced eCommerce business professionals, as well as a business coach, and bestselling author.
His book You, Me and AI (2023), Karl delves into the AI revolution from 54 different angles, underscoring his extensive understanding of the subject. He also explores how AI is transforming society in areas such as education, creativity, work, and our sense of identity, identifying topics including digital immortality, machines understanding spirituality, and the reinvention of democracy through AI governance.
In huge demand, Karl provides keynotes on the topics of business growth, eCommerce, consumer behaviour, and online business strategies. He has worked with and spoken to clients across the globe, from the UK and the US to Norway, Sweden, Spain, and France.
From child prodigy to MBE, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon is Head Stemette and co-founder of Stemettes, the award-winning social enterprise inspiring the next generations of females into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) roles via a series of events, talks and opportunities.
She completed her GCSEs whilst in primary school, won a scholarship to study mathematics at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore at the age of 13, and was awarded a Masters degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Oxford at age 20, becoming one of the youngest people ever to do so. Unsurprisingly, Anne-Marie’s career has continued to soar.
In 2018 alone, Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon was named in Forbes’ list of the Top 50 Women in Tech in the World, voted the 5th most influential woman in IT by Computer Weekly and was the recipient of the prestigious Barclays UK Woman of the Year Award.
Named amongst the top 10 BAME Leaders in Tech by The Evening Standard, Anne-Marie’s impact in STEM is unmatched. A champion for women in the sector, she discusses the future of work, why technology needs diversity and company culture transformation.
For over a decade, Andrew Vorster was the Head of Technology Research for Visa Europe, gaining a reputation for fresh thinking, and proposing pragmatic solutions to complex problems.
Andrew has over 30 years of experience identifying and tracking trends in technology and business behaviours across a variety of industries. His colourful and engaging storytelling drawn from his real-life experiences helps businesses to harness the current pace of change, identify the opportunities it presents, and stimulates transformation.
Andrew Grill is a sought-after Actionable Futurist with over 30 years of experience in companies including IBM, British Aerospace and Telstra.
Unlike traditional futurists, who look at what life will be like in 10, 20, or more years, Andrew uses future trends to deliver practical insights that can be used immediately.
Passionate about the digital, Andrew believes that “to get digital, you need to be digital”, and his top keynotes provide actionable tips on how to harness technology to achieve long-lasting goals.
Now a popular keynote speaker, consultant, event moderator, and advisor, Andrew has spoken to thousands of delegates at over 500 live events in 40 countries.
David Rowan is one of the world’s leading technology speakers and thought leaders.
He is founding UK Editor-in-Chief of the highly respected WIRED magazine, and author of Amazon #1 business bestseller Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds (Penguin). David Rowan has delivered over 600 keynote talks around the world and event moderator for governments, WIRED, TED and the World Economic Forum.
Elsewhere he is technology columnist on The Times, GQ and Condé Nast Traveller. Not just a speaker, David Rowan practice’s what he preaches, being an active adviser to & investor in 60+ tech start-ups to date.
Andini Makosinski is a Filipino-Polish-Armenian “Renaissance Woman”. inventor, STEM, UN Youth ambassador, writer, and influencer.
When Ann was fourteen years old, she found out that her friend Maria in the Philippines failed a grade in school because her family couldn’t afford electricity. Maria therefore had no light to study with when darkness hit at 6 pm, so Ann set about finding a solution. Ann ended up inventing the Hollow Flashlight, a flashlight that runs off the heat of the human hand. During the beginning of her grade 11 year, the flashlight went viral online and Ann won in her age category at the Google Science Fair in Mountainview, California.
Ann Makosinski then invented another device – the eDrink. The eDrink harvests the excess heat of one’s hot drink and converts it into electricity, giving one’s phone a boost of energy.
More awards and interviews followed, and Ann with her father set up Makotronics Enterprises Incorporated in Victoria BC to manage the patenting and licensing of her inventions.
Ann’s gift of speech and presentation launched her into becoming one of the most sought-after keynote speakers of her generation. She has spoken at places and events ranging from Peter Diamandis’ Singularity University, 5 TEDx , Dubai, Iceland, Chile, Argentina, Berlin, Armenia, etc.
Amelia Kallman is a highly regarded futurist, speaker and author who has been named one of the ‘Top 25 Women in the Metaverse’ and ‘Top 20 World-Leading Futurist Speakers 2024’.
Specialising in technology, innovation, and the emerging opportunities and risks associated with AI, XR, the metaverse, and Web 3.0, Amelia empowers organisations to navigate innovation, build strategies and make informed decisions about the future.
She regularly consults for a number of Fortune 500 companies, with clients including Unilever, Puma, Avixa, PWC, Allianz, Lloyd’s, Red Bull, TD Synnex, and the UK Parliament.
Amelia makes the complex accessible, empowering her audiences with the foundational knowledge, context, and language they need. She leaves her audiences feeling inspired, with actionable insights they can apply immediately.
Alex Hunter is a branding and customer experience expert, keynote speaker, and angel investor. He is also the creator and host of Attaché, an award-winning online travel show, aimed at showing frequent travelers all they need to know before visiting a city on company business.
Previously, Alex served as the global Head of Online for the Virgin Group, overseeing the Virgin brand’s global digital strategy in its entirety, as well as Sir Richard Branson’s personal digital strategy.
Adam Kingl is a globally renowned expert in innovating management strategy, an authority on generational paradigms in the workplace and the future of capitalism, author, educator and inspirational speaker.
He has worked for the likes of the London Business School, Imperial College Business School, Hult International Business School, Moller Institute-Churchill College-University of Cambridge and the UCL School of Management. It is through these teachings that he helps boost the careers of senior executives and professionals.
One of his main pieces of research is on the leadership paradigms of Generation Y – generally accepted to be anyone born between 1981 and 1994 – a demographic that makes up over half of the global workforce today, rising to an expected 75% by 2025.
Daniel Bobroff is the founder of Coded Futures, a creative technology advisory firm focused on the future of retail, and formerly the co-founder and Investment Director of ASOS Ventures, the online fashion company’s venture capital division.
In over two decades as an innovator, entrepreneur, mentor and investor, Daniel Bobroff has pioneered in-game advertising – “selling Mario to the admen” – starting an advertising medium that is today an eight-billion-dollar market, has developed chart-topping video games that sold in their millions, and is, today, a leading thought leader and keynote speaker in the world of retail and fashion technology.
Diversity speaker, Adah Parris is an award-winning polymath and enthusiastic curator of people, patterns and stories, anti-disciplinary artist, tech futurist, activist, and keynote speaker.
An expert in fields including systems design, digital and ecological technology, and living systems, she has an unique perspective on innovation, technology, and transformation. She is both empathetic and subversive, challenges the status quo, and helps people to recognise and bridge the gap between their external stories and internal behaviours.
Since 2020, Adah Parris has been chair of Mental Health First Aid England, a social enterprise that offers expert guidance and training to support mental health in the workplace. She is also Chair for The Centre for Cultural Values Advisory Group.
Adah Parris is co-founder of Ism.Earth and Artist in Residence at the Santa Barbara Centre for Art Science and Technology. She was an Artist in Residence at the Design Science Studio and the Living Collaboratory – a partnership between The Design Science Studio and the Emergent Media Lab at the University of California Irvine.”
