Ross Dawson

NOTE: All keynotes are customised for the client and audience. In addition to these general topics Ross also does many keynotes for specific industries such as financial services, professional services, media, government, education, retail, healthcare, associations and travel.

See a more complete keynote topic list at: https://rossdawson.com/keynote-speaker/keynote-speaking-topics/

Keeping Ahead of Accelerating Change

Accelerating technological capabilities including the explosion of data and AI, revolutionary human-machine interfaces and genetic medicine, combined with soaring social and consumer expectations, are transforming many aspects of business including networked value creation and the nature of work. Those who are attuned to these shifts and understand how to build new capabilities and highly dynamic organisations will keep ahead of change and competitors and literally create the future of their industries.

Leadership for the Future

The future does not happen, it is created. Amid the deep challenges of a rapidly changing world are unprecedented opportunities to shape the future of industries and our society. In this world leaders at all levels will help conceive compelling, aligned visions of what is possible and mobilise the energy of teams and communities to enact powerful possibilities. They are able to adeptly balance the opportunities of innovation with the governance of risk and uncertainty, and inspire concerted action. Transformative leaders can design companies and ventures for positive impact, exponential growth and extraordinary value creation today and tomorrow.

The World in 2030

Peek into the future with a thrilling ride through the manifold possibilities and opportunities ahead during the most rapid shifts in human history. Building on the exponential progress of technology over the last decades, new possibilities such as smart dust, deep learning, immersive experience, cognitive augmentation, organic batteries, gene editing and additive manufacturing will transform work, society and indeed humanity. Extraordinary change is a given. It is up to us to focus on the immense positive opportunities ahead for us all, while acknowledging and addressing the challenges of disruptive change. The future is ours to create.

Creating the High-Performance Organisation of Tomorrow

The gap between the best-performing and least-performing organisations is increasing: those that are staying the same in a changing world are being left behind, while those that are adapting to change and seizing emerging opportunities are racing ahead. Traditional organisations are struggling, while high-performance organisations are constantly renewing themselves, shifting to dynamic network structures, drawing on diverse perspectives, building continuous learning and creating flexible, collaborative ways of working that tap the full potential of their employees. The most successful organisations will be those that attract and catalyse collective talent for growth and impact.

Success in the Network Economy: Driving Exponential Value in a Connected World

In a networked world, the rules of success change. Platforms that create value across ecosystems are at the centre of value creation today, providing the business model for the most successful companies on the planet, including Apple, Google, Amazon, Uber, AirBnB, Facebook, Atlassian and American Express, established leaders such as Nike, General Electric, Disney and Australia Post, and almost all of today’s successful startups. Strategy in a networked world requires shifting mindset and organisational capabilities to focus on creating value with customers, suppliers and partners. This provides a foundation for exponential growth, building global scale and transforming industries.

Humans + Machines: Creating the Future of Work

The history of humanity has been one of new technologies destroying and creating jobs. Today global always-on communication and the extraordinary rise of artificial intelligence are transforming the world of work. Rather than looking to replace jobs with AI, leaders must envisage how machines and humans will collaborate in their future organisations, each doing what they do best, and plan the necessary transition. Organisations will need to change substantially, moving away from rigid structures to fluid, flexible, collaborative roles across networked teams. Leaders need to focus on tapping the full potential of employees through a culture of participation, attracting talent and creating organisations in which humans and machines together far outstrip competitors and drive massive value creation.

Innovation Leadership

In a global economy driven by speed, intensifying competition and industry disruption, the only remaining sustainable advantage lies in consistent innovation. Networks, both inside and outside the organization, are the keys to successful innovation in products, business processes, and strategy. The world’s leading innovators understand they cannot be self-sufficient in innovation, making them adopt “open innovation” approaches that reach outside to a global world of talent. Directors and executives need to acknowledge the risks of innovation, but even more, the dire risks of not innovating. In the most innovative organisations, everyone plays a leadership role in driving innovation for success.

Zen and Technology: Being Happy and Productive in an Accelerating World

We live immersed in technology, using screens and devices for much of our work, play and socialising, and constantly barraged by accelerating change and massive information overload. This can place a real toll on our wellbeing, including our ability to focus and our enjoyment of life. Ross Dawson brings together his role as a world-leading futurist with his background living in a Zen centre in Japan and study of cognitive psychology to share a range of ‘human technologies’ that can assist us, helping us to live fully in the present while being highly productive and effective. This starts from our information habits, applying a few core principles to allow us to thrive on overload and use social media positively. By reclaiming our attention we are in fact far better placed to see change and create the future. Neuroscience has shown that how we use technology literally changes our minds. If we are conscious and deliberate in our use of technology we can make ourselves more productive, healthier, happier and better equipped for a rapidly changing world of work.

Creating the Future of Financial Services

Financial services industries are in the midst of dramatic disruption, driven by changing customer behaviours, the evaporation of trust, open banking, the rapid development of fintech, blockchain and digital currencies, competition from peer-to-peer models, regulatory shifts and industry consolidation. These shifts provide real challenges but also massive opportunities for the sector. The leaders and financial institutions that embrace and drive new approaches will thrive as financial services industries swiftly evolve.

This keynote can be adapted to a variety of financial services sectors, including banking, broking, financial markets, investment banking, wealth management, financial planning, insurance, reinsurance, private equity and others.