Ross Dawson

Topics

• Creating the Future of Learning

  The future does not happen, it is created. We all need to be our own futurists, looking beyond trends to understand how the world is unfolding, and how we can help shape a positive future. Extraordinary possibilities are emerging from exponential change, including learning machines, virtual worlds indistinguishable from reality, intensely personalized instruction and direct brain-to-brain communication. The history of humanity has been one of destroying and creating jobs, now pervasive global communication and rising AI capabilities will vastly accelerate that transformation. As such we need to focus on developing and using our uniquely human capabilities of expertise, creativity, and relationships, and design work and organizations in ways that tap the full breadth of our human potential. Constant immersion in information and digital devices is changing our brains, with both negative and positive effects. Cognitive offloading of brain functions to digital systems makes us dependent but also frees up our cognitive capacities to focus on higher-order processes. Our minds are de facto evolving in a changing environment, so is it is critical that we work hard to make this evolution conscious. As leaders for the future we must inspire and catalyze the potential of aligned communities to transform our institutions and make learning at the very center of our human future.

• Creating the Future of Work and Organizations

  The world of work is changing at an extraordinary pace, driven by the rise of automation, connectivity, and data analytics, deep social and demographic shifts, acclerated by the powerful impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we hurtle into a dramatically different future of work, there remain deep uncertainties on key issues including the shape of the workplace post-pandemic, how swiftly machine capabilities will progress, social and regulatory responses to change, and the ability of organizations to adapt fast enough. An increasing divide will inevitably emerge between those companies flexible enough to tap the potential of an exceptionally fluid and dynamic workforce, and those stuck in old ways of working. Dawson offers guiding principles for leaders to forge a path forward for their organizations to prosper as the landscape of work is transformed.

• Virtual Excellence: Leadership and Success in a Virtual World

  The coronavirus pandemic has vastly accelerated the long-standing shift to remote work and increasingly virtual organizations. Individuals, organizations, and leaders need to learn and implement the practices and approaches that drive success in a virtual world. Ross Dawson, renowned futurist and keynote speaker and the producer and host of The Virtual Excellence Show, shares the principles that he has uncovered through two decades of running virtual organizations and working with some of the world’s most successful virtual companies. Learn how to lead and prosper in a world of virtual work.

• Reinvention for a Post-pandemic Future

  Amid today’s intense uncertainty we can discern key aspects of the new economic and social landscape beyond the peak of the pandemic, as some existing trends accelerate yet other trends reverse and new factors come to bear. The shape of the economy will be cast not just by the easing of social distancing but also the reconfiguring of industries, work, and the role of government. Every organization’s strategy must focus both on survival now, and active reinvention for what will necessarily be a substantially different post-pandemic environment. This extraordinary global disruption is an opportunity for the true leaders to catalyze a positive future for their organizations, industries, and communities.

• The Future of Food

  Ross Dawson is a globally recognized futurist and inspiring keynote speaker. He has spoken about the future of food to a variety of audiences including industry associations, healthcare and government, and corporations. Food is at the heart of what it is to be human, and will be at the centre of our human future. We are seeing massive shifts at play, including application of data and artificial intelligence to creating value, soaring expectations for ourselves, society, organisations and the planet, and the rise of a network economy that is driving efficiency and value. Just as food sustains our minds and bodies, our evolving social relationship with food will sustain human and economic prosperity in years to come. Powerful leadership is need to drive the rich collaboration between government, companies and society that will create this future prosperity.

• Shaping the Future of Healthcare

  Healthcare is going through a massive transformation, driven by new medical and information technologies, and a social shift of power to the individual. Better-informed patients’ now expect to be participants in their medical care, while heightened sharing of research findings is accelerating scientific progress. The ability to capture and analyse health data real-time is enabling a shift from reactive to predictive medicine, responding before crises happen, and assisting people in changing their behaviours, while connected health is enabling remote consultations and even surgery. These and other major shifts require adaptation, but also point to tremendous opportunities for the medical profession.

• The Future of Financial Services

  Ross Dawson is globally recognized as a leading keynote speaker and futurist with deep expertise in financial services. Dawson has worked for Merrill Lynch and was Global Director – Capital Markets at Thomson Financial. He assists many top financial institutions with their preparations for the future of financial services. The Global Financial Crisis was a massive shock to the system that triggered a major transition for the financial services industry, driven by regulatory shifts, changing customer attitudes, the rapid development of online services, competition from new sources, and industry consolidation. Those finance professionals that embrace new approaches will thrive as the sector adjusts to a dramatically different post-crisis world. This keynote can be adapted to a variety of financial services sectors, including banking, broking, financial markets, investment banking, wealth management, financial planning, and insurance.

• Harnessing the Power of Innovation

  In a globalized, commoditized world, 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. Staff and their ideas can be connected in new ways to yield powerful outcomes. Even giants such as IBM, Boeing, and Procter & Gamble have realized they cannot be self-sufficient in innovation, making them adopt “open innovation” approaches that reach outside to a larger world of talent. Open source software concepts provide a valuable foundation for many emerging commercial models. Today more than ever, those who are better at developing rich knowledge-based relationships have an enormous advantage over their competitors, especially in terms of innovation.

• Social Media and the Future

  In the last decade, social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, LinkedIn, blogs and more have transformed how people communicate with friends, keep up with news, do business, and express their opinions on the companies they buy from. No organization can ignore the fact that their customers are talking about them with the world at large, and making decisions based on what they find on Internet, be it true or false. Many companies have discovered that social media in fact offers extraordinary opportunities for marketing, building powerful customer relationships, and attracting talented staff.

• Competing in the Global Economy

  The increasing pace of change in business is creating massive challenges and opportunities. The swift rise of communications technologies, global competition, regulatory pressures, and outsourcing are just some of the forces that must be understood and addressed in any effective business strategy. In this interesting keynote, business strategy consultant and keynote speaker Dawson explains the MegaTrends of the global economy, the implications of a networked world based on talent and innovation, and the challenges and opportunities of generational change.

• Profiting from Technology Trends

  Information technologies are creating extraordinary new possibilities for organizations and their customers. Inter-connectivity is reshaping the business landscape, from how consumers build relationships with companies, to the structure of the supply chain and the nature of global competition. However, it is often difficult to keep up with the pace of change. Technology futurist Ross Dawson can help by pointing organizations to current and future trends in technology and clarifying how these innovations can create business value. Notable trends include the proliferation of the mobile, the power of the cloud, new elements of the media and marketing landscape, and user-driven computing. Dawson also examines how online technologies can build a more efficient organization, including the use of social media and other tools to access new markets, tap global talent, and build powerful customer relationships.