David Rowan

David Rowan is the founding Editor-in-Chief of WIRED UK, the award-winning technology and trends magazine covering innovation and the people and businesses that are building the future. He has come to know the founders of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google, Didi, Spotify, Xiaomi, Nest, Twitter, and countless other ambitious start-ups.

David is also the author of the Amazon’s #1 bestseller Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds (Penguin, 2019), which has been published in Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, and many other countries. The book sets out sixteen proven strategies for future-proofing a successful business — helping leaders build resilience in a post-COVID19 world.

Rowan 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. 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 is 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 customises 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.

Speaking Topics:
• FINDING OPPORTUNITY AMID THE CRISIS
• WHY BUSINESS INNOVATION HAS NEVER MATTERED MORE
• TEN LESSONS FROM THE NON-BULLSHIT INNOVATORS
• WHAT TECHNOLOGY MEANS FOR THE FUTURE OF YOUR INDUSTRY
• THE FUTURE OF THE WORKPLACE
• WHY IT’S TIME TO CHALLENGE THE TECH MONOPOLIES
• THE TEN NEW RULES OF BUSINESS
• HOW TO OPTIMISE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
• WHY PURPOSE PLUS PROFIT IS THE NEW MANTRA