David Rowan explains compellingly how emerging technologies will impact business — and how leaders should prepare now. As founding Editor-in-Chief of WIRED magazine’s UK edition, David came to know the founders of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google, Didi, Spotify, Xiaomi, Nest, Twitter and countless other ambitious start-ups from Tel Aviv to Shenzhen.
David Rowan has since invested in more than 60 early-stage tech companies, including two that became billion-dollar “unicorns”, and is an adviser to Lakestar, one of Europe’s largest venture-capital funds.
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David’s Media Work
Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds (Penguin, 2019) has been published in Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine and beyond. The book, a 20-country quest for bold corporate innovation in the face of technology-led disruption sets out sixteen proven strategies for future-proofing a successful business — helping leaders build resilience in a post-COVID-19 world.
David has been a technology columnist for The Times, GQ, Condé Nast Traveller and The Sunday Times, and hosts a new podcast series about tech founders called Walks With Founders.
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David’s Corporate Work
He has been asked to give more than 600 keynotes in recent years and has received repeat requests to present for clients such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Google, KPMG, McKinsey, Chanel and Unilever. David has moderated events for the World Economic Forum and the UK and French governments and is increasingly in demand to host webinars and virtual conferences. David Rowan deconstructs tech trends in real-time, unpacking how major innovations like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, autonomous vehicles, and more, are changing businesses and consumers. He focuses on how technology-led innovation can build prosperity even in economic downturns and amid the COVID-19 crisis.
He delivers fascinating and knowledgeable presentations full of insight into the future of technology together with lively examples and engaging video clips which reveal that, in some cases, the future is already here.
He’s typically asked to speak about how innovation and technology are likely to impact a particular sector (from manufacturing to motoring), and what incumbent companies can do to protect themselves. He customizes every talk, and in recent months has addressed audiences in finance, fashion, utilities, television, insurance, shipping, travel, real estate and business software.
He also speaks a lot about changing business models, and how companies can develop a culture of innovation. And he is still searching for the future.
Hear David speak below at Internetdagarna Stockholm
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Keynote Talks
David Rowan is in international demand as a keynote speaker, event host and moderator, after-dinner speaker and webinar presenter. He travels frequently, and has a home studio at his London base for online presentations and moderating. His current keynote topics include:
Finding Opportunity Amid the Crisis: Technology offers hope for optimism as we emerge from the coronavirus crisis. Here are the growth opportunities — from re-inventing supply chains to rethinking education to building new brand heroes.
Why Business Innovation Has Never Mattered More: COVID-19 has forced business leaders to move insanely fast to adapt. But how do you build a culture of effective innovation? Here are the lessons from David’s 20-nation quest for non-bullshit innovation.
Ten Lessons From the Non-Bullshit Inventors: David Rowan travelled across the world to understand what it takes for businesses and governments to leverage digital transformation in exciting ways. He shares ten lessons from his new book Non-Bullshit Innovation that can be applied to all sorts of organisations.
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SPEAKING TOPICS
David researches and prepares bespoke presentations for client meetings.
- Why this is AI’s “Netscape moment” — and what that means for your business
- What exponential technologies mean for the next five years in retail/real estate/finance/media/healthcare, etc
- What a 20-country quest taught me about building an authentic culture of innovation
- What carbon accounting will mean for every business
- How to understand the impact of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools
- Where AI, data analytics and blockchain should fit into your strategy planning
- What talent wants in the new world of work
- Why purpose plus profit is the new business mantra
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Event Moderating
David has moderated events for the UK and French governments; World Economic Forum; Pictet; Royal Academy of Engineering. He has hosted numerous awards ceremonies, frequently interviews CEOs on stage, and is often asked to host multi-day events.
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To check fees and availability for global technology speaker David Rowan, contact Great Business Speakers on 0044 (0)1753 439289
