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David Rowan

Technology Columnist
The Sunday Times

Non Bullshit Innovation, AI & ChatGPT
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David Rowan is today’s leading speaker on how emerging technologies will impact business and how leaders should prepare now. He’s given 900 keynotes around the world, and has moderated events for the World Economic Forum, WIRED, the top 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 start-ups 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 tech-led disruption. It sets out 17 proven strategies for future-proofing a 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 180 early-stage tech companies, including 12 that became billion-dollar “unicorns”,and runs venture funds that invest in health-tech and climate-tech. He’s working on a book on how business leaders use culture to attract and motivate exceptional talent, at a time when AI risks commodifying entire sectors.

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 customise a talk for your meeting, or will moderate your event in his accessible journalistic style. He deconstructs tech trends in real time, unpacking how innovations like artificial intelligence, quantum computing,
robotics and more are changing businesses and consumers. He delivers lively and inspiring presentations, using concrete examples from the frontiers of tech and engaging 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 now. In recent months he has addressed audiences in finance, luxury 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.

His recent themes include:
• How to transform your strategy to make the most of the AI revolution
• How to think about human talent in the AI era
• 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 a true culture of innovation
• What AI agents tell us about the future of the workplace
• Why culture is the true business differentiator in a world of AI
• What talent wants in the new world of work


David brings his extensive experience as a newspaper and magazine editor, and television broadcaster, to communicating complex trends in clear, accessible ways that give audiences that “Aha” moment of understanding. His presentations are fast-paced, energetic, visually stimulating, packed with concrete examples, and infused with wit.

His recent audiences include leading global banks (Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Barclays); real-estate professionals (CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield); consulting firms (McKinsey, Tata, Capgemini); manufacturing and retail businesses (Castrol, Technogym, Panasonic); and governments. He also moderates for the World Economic Forum and the UK and French governments. Despite his heavy speaking schedule – recent engagements ranged from Brazil to Mumbai – David takes pride in custom-researching every presentation for that particular audience.

He writes a technology column in The Sunday Times, and contributes to publications including WIRED, GQ, The Times, The Guardian, Conde Nast Traveller, and Campaign.

David has taken 130 flights in the past year to investigate the companies and entrepreneurs changing our world, and has spent time with the founders of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google, Didi, Spotify, Xiaomi, Nest, Twitter and countless other ambitious startups from Tel Aviv to Shenzhen.

He’s an early-stage investor in 50 tech companies and founder of a non-profit taking amazing people for weekend adventures in the world’s most extraordinary locations. And he is still searching for the future.

Recent Talks:

—Lessons from my global quest for non-bullshit innovation

—How to create a culture of innovation

—How artificial intelligence and automation can boost your business

—The new rules of business

—How to profit from digital disruption

—What startups can teach your business

—How emerging technologies will impact financial services / recruitment / real estate / healthcare / agriculture / travel etc

—Why the world will never move this slowly again

—The future of the workplace

—Ten technologies shaping our future

—Ten lessons I’ve learned from the world’s fastest innovators

—New business models that are redefining industries

—The future of the customer experience

David  also does a lot of moderating, chairing and interviewing at events, including moderating for the World Economic Forum, the UK Government’s G8 Innovation Conference, the Duke of York’s startup pitch events, and WIRED’s conferences.

Testimonials:

“Your opening talk was just fabulous and perfectly set the stage for the next few days. I am forever in your debt for playing such an important role and being so giving of your time throughout the week. The feedback on your talk has been extremely positive.” – PopTech

“David was fantastic. The content was perfect. David stuck to the brief we gave him and had clearly prepared materials that were bespoke to Sky. The talk was fast paced, interesting, relevant and accessible.  It set up the innovation session of our agenda really well and I was delighted with the result.” – Sky

“You were a stellar moderator – insightful and challenging to the speakers, witty and engaging for the audience, and very positive to work with.” – World Economic Forum

David Rowan

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