David Rowan

Book David Rowan for your event

David Rowan brings audiences directly to the frontiers of technology and innovation. As the founding Editor-in-Chief of WIRED magazine in the UK, he came to know the founders behind WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google, Didi, Spotify, Twitter and countless ambitious startups from Tel Aviv to Shenzhen. Today, he draws on those encounters and his continued exploration of emerging technology to explain where business is heading and how leaders can prepare.

David has delivered 900 keynotes around the world and has moderated events for the World Economic Forum, WIRED, governments and top global companies. His accessible journalistic style makes even complex technological developments understandable, engaging and relevant to the people in the room.

Rather than discussing technology in the abstract, David connects new developments to the strategic questions businesses are facing right now. His presentations are lively and inspiring, combining concrete examples from the cutting edge of technology with engaging clips that demonstrate how, in many cases, the future has already arrived.

From WIRED to the technology frontier

David Rowan spends his time seeking out the people building the future. He visits university research labs and startup clusters, meeting entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators to understand technologies before they become mainstream.

He has invested in 180 early-stage technology companies, including 12 that went on to become billion-dollar “unicorns”. He also runs venture funds investing in health-tech and climate-tech. This gives him a close-up perspective on emerging ideas, changing markets and the technologies attracting ambitious founders and investors.

His journalism career adds another dimension to his perspective. David has been a technology columnist for The Times, GQ, Condé Nast Traveller and The Sunday Times. During his time at WIRED, he also built a conference business and a consulting business, extending the magazine’s exploration of technology into live events and practical business conversations.

Innovation without the bullshit

David is the author of the bestselling book Non-Bullshit Innovation: 17 Proven Ways To Transform How You Work, published by Penguin. The book grew out of a 20-country quest to identify genuine innovation in businesses facing technology-led disruption.

The result is a practical set of 17 proven strategies for future-proofing a business. These range from turning products into services to building an ecosystem, giving leaders concrete ways to rethink how their organisations operate, compete and create value.

This global research also informs David Rowan’s keynotes on innovation culture. He explores what businesses can learn from organisations that have successfully adapted to disruption, and what it takes to create an environment where new ideas can become meaningful change.

AI, talent & the next five years

Artificial intelligence is now central to many of David Rowan’s talks. He explores how businesses can transform their strategies to make the most of the AI revolution, as well as what AI agents could mean for the workplace.

His perspective goes beyond technology itself. David is working on a book exploring how business leaders use culture to attract and motivate exceptional talent at a time when AI risks commodifying entire sectors. This connects directly to some of the questions facing organisations today: What will human talent mean in the AI era? What will talented people expect from employers? And how can culture become a genuine business differentiator?

David also looks further across the emerging technology landscape, deconstructing developments in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics and other exponential technologies in real time. He examines what these shifts could mean over the next five years for sectors including retail, real estate, finance, media and healthcare.

Keynote themes tailored to your industry

David will customise his talk for your meeting and connect technological developments to the challenges facing your audience. He is frequently asked to explain how innovation and technology are likely to affect a particular sector and what incumbent businesses can start doing now.

Recent audiences have come from finance, luxury fashion, utilities, television, insurance, shipping, travel, real estate and business software. His 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 and other sectors
• What a 20-country quest taught David 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 Rowan as speaker & moderator

Book David Rowan when you want emerging technology translated into a compelling business conversation. Whether the focus is AI strategy, changing business models, innovation culture, talent or the technologies likely to reshape an industry, David combines global research with first-hand experience from the startup and investment worlds.

He can also moderate your event, bringing the same accessible journalistic approach that has shaped his work at WIRED and throughout his media career. His experience interviewing founders, entrepreneurs and technology leaders enables him to unpack complex subjects and keep conversations focused on what matters to the audience.

David Rowan continues to search for the future, in research labs, startup clusters, investment opportunities and conversations with the people creating what comes next. His keynotes bring those insights into the room, helping audiences understand technological change and consider what it means for their organisations today.