Empower your organization with digital culture expert
France
Rahaf Harfoush is a digital anthropologist, strategist, and author focused on the intersection of emerging technology, innovation, and digital culture.
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About Rahaf
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Rahaf Harfoush is a digital anthropologist, strategist, and best-selling author focused on the intersection of emerging technology, innovation, and digital culture. She is the Executive Director of the Red Thread Institute of Digital Culture and a member of France’s National Digital Council.
Formerly, Rahaf was the Associate Director of the Technology Pioneer Program at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, where she helped identify disruptive startups that were improving the state of the world. She has also taught at Sciences Politique’s school of Management and Innovation in Paris.
Rahaf has authored multiple books, including “Hustle & Float: Reclaim Your Creativity and Thrive in a World Obsessed with Work,” which was translated into Chinese and French. Her first book, “Yes We Did: An Insider’s Look at How Social Media Built the Obama Brand,” chronicled her experiences as a member of Barack Obama’s digital media team during the 2008 Presidential elections.
Rahaf has been recognized as a thought leader in the fields of digital culture and technology, including being named one of the most innovative women in France by “Les Napoleons” and a Young Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum. She is a frequent commentator on France24 and the CBC and has been featured in publications such as HBR, Wired, and The Financial Times.
With her expertise and engaging speaking style, Rahaf is a sought-after keynote speaker and consultant for organizations looking to navigate the rapidly changing digital landscape.
See keynotes with Rahaf HarfoushHigh performance. Knowledge Work. Future of Work. Remote Work. Productivity. Creativity. Innovation Strategy. Leadership. Burnout. Creative Cultures.
Our Work Life is in Crisis.
Companies are facing immediate challenges in recruiting and retaining highly skilled creatives, an essential part of thriving in today’s hyper competitive business landscape. In addition to the pressure of being connected 24/7, employees are struggling to be to be both constantly creative and constantly productive to keep up with the never-ending demands of their jobs – and it’s not working.
What can companies do to cope?
Backed with extensive research and case studies, Rahaf pushes past common solutions to these problems to tackle the deeper cultural questions. From the dark side of the American Dream to the idolization of entrepreneurship culture in the media, audiences will uncover the hidden forces influencing our beliefs about work and learn practical tips to making impactful and long lasting changes to their organizational culture and how to manage their own Humane Productivity.
Audience:
Innovation. Agility. Competition. Attracting Talent. Leadership. Growth. Resilience. Adaptability.
Welcome to the Polycrisis Era
The World Economic Forum recently declared that we are entering into a decade of increased disruption, volatility, and uncertainty. Change is happening faster than ever and it’s critical for leaders to have the tools and strategies needed to cope in this rapidly evolving landscape.
How can leaders thrive in this challenging circumstances?
In this powerful and thought-provoking keynote, Rahaf will show you how to stay ahead of the curve and turn disruption into opportunity. You’ll learn how to build a culture of resilience and agility, the importance of cultivating an evolutionary mindset, and how to use digital tools to build a diverse network of perspectives.
Audience:
Collaboration. Talent. Remote-Work. Hybrid Work. Work Culture. Burnout. Resilience. Innovation. People. Strategy.
Together, Alone. The New Hybrid Reality.
Are you leading a team in a hybrid work environment? As the world becomes more digital it’s critical for leaders to understand how to effectively manage and motivate their remote and in-person teams.
What can we learn from the companies that are getting it right?
In this insightful and inspiring keynote, Rahaf will show you how to build strong relationships, foster collaboration, and create a sense of community using digital tools.
Managing people in this digital reality requires new skills that leverages technology to enhance engagement and trust. Audiences will learn how to digital tools can be use to generate honest feedback, increase productivity, and improve culture.
Audience:
Digital Behaviors. Social Norms. Psychology. Decision Making. Leadership. Relationships.
Innovation moves at a break-neck pace. How can we keep up?
In a world where there seems to be new gadgets, apps, and digital tools released daily (if not hourly), it’s easy to get lost in the flood of new technology and overlook how quickly, and profoundly our world is changing. In this unique talk , Rahaf explores how technology is weaving itself into the social fabric of our lives and influencing everything from how we make friends and date to how we work and parent.
Welcome to the age of unprecedented technological intimacy.
Rahaf reveals how our educational system predisposes us to information overload, how the algorithms that control our social networks can impact our world views, and how the rise of first global digital culture is creating new alliances that threaten the status quo of business, politics, and our own daily lives. Packed with fascinating case studies, Rahaf will show you how new technologies are shaping our behaviors and creating a new cultural paradigm.
With this talk, audiences will go beyond the trend to develop a deep, human-centric understanding of how technology is changing our relationship with the world, and will learn five key questions to ask when trying to make sense of our new constantly connected lives.
Audience
Predictive Analytics. Privacy. Facial Recognition. Future of Work.
Who teaches a machine what’s right? Should we tax robots? What if my child’s best friend is a chat bot? What does an algorithm ethicist do? Do smart machines need therapy?
We are on the verge of one of the biggest technological disruptions our species has ever faced. As automation, algorithms, and artificial intelligence continue to advance at an exponential rate, technology is rewriting the rules of our society that have served us for decades.
In this talk, Rahaf explores what it means to be human in world where the features that differentiated us are now being replicated by machines. Google created an AI that started creating original works of art mere hours after it was programmed. A Japanese AI was a finalize in a prestigious literary competition. Financial companies are investing in algorithms that can do the work of teams of analyst in mere seconds.
Work is only the beginning. New technologies are redefining traditional friendships, and relationships. Research suggests that by 2050 robot sex will be more popular than it’s human counterpart. What do all of these changes mean for our notions of intimacy, monogamy, parenting, dating, and social interaction?
In this keynote, Rahaf dives into some of the ethical, cultural, and social questions that surround these technological advancements showing both the promise and peril of living in a constantly connected society.
Audience
Talent. Digital Culture. Remote Work. Strategy. Leadership. Disruption. Quiet Quitting. Intergenerational Work Force. Productivity. Performance. Knowledge Work.
Just because you use Teams Or Zoom doesn’t mean your organization has digital culture.
While technology has made it possible to work from anywhere, it has also created a new host of leadership challenges. Managers are struggling to understand what their teams need to perform. Employees are feeling isolated and disconnected. Company culture is faltering. Not to mention the increased digital chatter that is creating conflicts and misunderstandings.
With remote and hybrid working conditions becoming the norm, how can leaders create a cohesive culture when teams are separated by timezones, geographies, and computer screens?
In this impactful keynote, Rahaf shares how digital tools have changed the way we build culture and how teams can leverage technology to amplify their cultural values. Leaders will learn how to develop a human-centric tech policy.
Pulling in research from studying various online communities, successful remote companies, and emerging best practices, audiences will be given specific strategies designed to foster collaboration, build psychological safety, engage teams, and give people a sense of belonging through digital mediums.
Technology can be used to create more transparency, equality, and connection.
Audience:
Emerging Digital Markets. Online Communities. Fandoms. Misinformation. Social Media.
We’re now seeing the rise of the world’s first global digital culture—a place where ideas and cultures mix seamlessly, unrestricted by geography or borders.
We now enjoy new ways of coming together, forming geo-agnostic communities united by an Internet connection and a common interest.
In customizable talks, Rahaf covers the full scope of digital culture. She speaks on innovative cities: how digital culture allows us to connect, report problems, and create real-life benefits for all citizens. She describes how digital culture shapes our behavior and responses during times of crisis.
She explores how we might map intimacy and engagement across diverse digital communities. Moving from transparency and disruption in healthcare to digital leaks, cyber security, and social media activism in the world of politics, or from real-world risks and rewards of having an ‘e-identity’ to the potential for digital culture to revolutionize education, Rahaf is our plugged-in guide to how emerging technology is re-writing the rules of culture, and power.
Recent Custom Talks:
You really set the tone of the day. I don’t think I ever received so many positive feedback about a speaker at one of our events.
Rahaf held our audience’s attention from first to last, delivered content that totally aligned with our objectives, and did it all in a way that was both informative and entertaining—just the right combination for great learning!
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