Ross Dawson

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 mobilize 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.

Accelerating technological capabilities including the explosion of data and AI, revolutionary
human-machine interfaces and transformative medical and energy technologies, combined
with soaring societal and consumer expectations, are transforming many aspects of
business including networked value creation and the nature of work. Leaders that
understand the new capabilities required to drive value and catalyze talent in highly dynamic
organizations will keep ahead of extraordinary change and profit from the proliferation of
emerging opportunities today and tomorrow. They will be the ones who literally create the
future of their companies and industries.

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.

The gap between the best-performing and least-performing organizations 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
companies are struggling, while high-performance organizations 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 organizations will be those that attract
and catalyze collective talent for growth and impact.

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, and American Express, established leaders such as Nike, General Electric, and
Disney, and almost all of today’s successful startups. Strategy in a networked world requires
shifting mindset and organizational capabilities to focus on creating value with customers,
suppliers and partners. This provides a foundation for exponential growth, building global
scale and transforming industries.

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. Organizations 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 organizations in which
humans and machines together far outstrip competitors and drive massive value creation.

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
organizations, everyone plays a leadership role in driving innovation for success.

We live immersed in technology, using screens and devices for much of our work, play and
socializing, 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.

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.