David Rowan
The Leading Authority on Technology’s Impact on Business
Fee Range
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David Rowan
Biography
David Rowan is today's leading speaker on how emerging technologies will impact business - and how leaders should prepare now. He's given more than 600 keynotes around the world, and has moderated events for the World Economic Forum, the biggest global companies, and governments. As founding Editor-in-Chief of WIRED magazine in the UK, David came to know the founders of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google, Didi, Spotify, Twitter and countless other ambitious startups from Tel Aviv to Shenzhen. His best-selling book, "Non-Bullshit Innovation: 17 Proven Ways To Transform How You Work" (Penguin), is a 20-country quest to identify genuine innovation in the face of technology-led disruption. The book sets out 17 proven strategies for future-proofing a successful business - from "Turn products into services" to "Build an ecosystem". David spends his time at tech's cutting edge: visiting university research labs and startup clusters to meet the people building the future. He's invested in more than 150 early-stage tech companies, and runs venture funds that invest in health-tech and climate-tech. David has been a technology columnist for The Times, GQ, Condé Nast Traveller and The Sunday Times, and at WIRED he built a conference and a consulting business. And he is still searching for the future.
David will customize a talk for your meeting or will moderate your event in his accessible journalistic style.
His recent themes include:
- Why this is AI's "Netscape moment" - and what that means for your business
- How to understand the impact of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools
- 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
- 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
David Rowan
Featured Book
Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World's Smartest Minds
by David Rowan
An entertaining and thought-provoking series of case studies on how to future-proof your business in a digital age, from the founding editor of WIRED. 'In this remarkable book, David Rowan tells a story of transformation: how an organisation has found a new way of doing things through innovation driven by ruthless entrepreneurial imagination. What is especially useful is that he does not just stick with small startups, let alone dreamy "inventors". He finds innovation in big companies and even within governments.' - Matt Ridley, The Times __________________________ David Rowan travels the globe in search of the most exciting and pioneering startups building the future. He's got to know the founders of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google, Spotify, Xiaomi, Didi, Nest, Twitter and countless other ambitious entrepreneurs disrupting businesses in almost every sector. And yet too often the companies they're disrupting don't get it. They think they can innovate through jargon: with talk of change agents and co-creation gurus, ideas portals and webinars, make-a-thons and hackfests, paradigm shifts and pilgrimages to Silicon Valley. It's mostly pointless innovation theatre -- corporate nonsense that has little to do with delivering real change. But during this quest he's also discovered some genuinely exciting and transformative approaches to innovation, often in places you might least expect. Get ready for: - The airline that rewards passengers for walking their dog - The bank that performs surgery - The country that's an app store And many more. Packed full of tips for anyone looking for radical ways to adapt and thrive in the digital age, this carefully curated selection of stories will reveal ideas for creating genuine innovation from some of the world's most inspiring leaders. ___________________________
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