Kate Ancketill

Kate Ancketill: The futurist who sees what others miss

When businesses look towards the future, they often begin by watching their closest competitors. Kate Ancketill looks much further.

She studies developments across retail, hospitality, finance, technology, beauty, gaming, automotive and beyond, identifying ideas that can move between industries. A bank might learn from beauty, a retailer could borrow a loyalty mechanic from mobile gaming, or customer flow in a hotel might inspire the design of an automotive showroom.

This cross-sector perspective matters because consumer expectations rarely remain within one category. Experiences that feel remarkable in one industry can quickly influence what customers expect from another.

Kate’s ability to identify these connections has earned her international recognition. She was named Best AI & Future Technology Speaker at the 2025 Speaker Awards and included among BizTech Magazine’s Top 30 IT Influencers in 2024.

She has also delivered the flagship trends keynote at the NRF Big Show in New York for ten consecutive years. Martine Reardon, CMO & EVP of Content and Retail Strategy at NRF, explains: “Kate gets among the highest feedback for speakers at the NRF Big Show every year — that’s why we’ve invited her to give the trends keynote for ten years running.”

25 years of global innovation intelligence

For 25 years, Kate ran London-based business futurist consultancy GDR Creative Intelligence, giving her firsthand insight into how major organizations respond to changing technology, consumer behaviour and new business models.

That experience shapes the way she approaches the future today. Rather than relying on abstract predictions, Kate examines signals already emerging around the world, the technologies enabling them and the wider macro forces influencing whether they are likely to last.

Her audiences see where change is already happening, why it matters and how it could affect their organization. The result is a forward-looking perspective grounded in evidence, global case studies and commercial reality.

AI & technology without the hype

Kate brings a measured perspective to conversations about AI and emerging technology.

Rather than presenting technology as either an existential threat or an inevitable solution to every business challenge, she explores what it can realistically change and how those developments interact with wider shifts in consumer behaviour, society and business.

AI, digital innovation and emerging platforms therefore become part of a broader strategic conversation. Kate helps leadership teams identify where to focus their attention, which developments deserve serious consideration and how organizations can prepare for change without becoming distracted by every new trend.

A bespoke keynote for every audience

Kate does not rely on a recycled keynote deck. Every presentation is created for the audience in the room, incorporating fresh global case studies and developments relevant to the organization, industry and event objectives.

Depending on the audience and format, Kate can deliver:

• A 30–45 minute conference keynote or session
• A webinar for distributed teams and audiences
• A panel contribution
• A half-day interactive board briefing

Her presentations combine extensive research with pragmatic business thinking, making complex technological and societal shifts accessible without oversimplifying them. Audiences gain concrete examples, developments to watch and ideas they can immediately bring into strategic conversations.

Book Kate Ancketill for your event

Book Kate Ancketill when you want your audience to look beyond the trends already dominating their own industry and discover what may be coming from elsewhere.

Whether addressing a conference, corporate summit, webinar or executive boardroom, Kate provides a fresh and highly relevant perspective tailored to the people in front of her. Audiences leave better equipped to recognize meaningful change, identify emerging opportunities and turn insight about the future into action.