David Rowan

David Rowan has been a technology columnist for The Times, GQ, Condé Nast Traveller and The Sunday Times. He also hosts a new podcast series about tech founders called Walks with Founders.  Furthermore, he is the author of the Amazon #1 business bestseller Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds (Penguin, 2019). This book has been published in many countries around the world.

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. Moreover, David delivers fascinating and knowledgeable presentations full of insight into the future of technology. And he combines these with lively examples and engaging video clips which reveal that, in some cases, the future is already here.

David Rowan’s speeches

David 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. David also speaks a lot about changing business models, and how companies can develop a culture of innovation.

Equally talented as a moderator he has moderated events for the World Economic Forum and the UK and French governments. And increasingly he has been much in demand to host webinars and virtual conferences.

David Rowan’s Investments

He has since invested in more than 60 early-stage tech companies, including two that became billion-dollar “unicorns”. David is also an adviser to Lakestar, one of Europe’s largest venture-capital funds.

His book Non Bullshit Innovation is a 20- country quest for bold corporate innovation in the face of technology-led disruption. It sets out sixteen proven strategies for future-proofing a successful business — helping leaders build resilience in a post-COVID- 19 world.

Incredibly well connected he knows the founders of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google, Didi, Spotify, Xiaomi, Nest, Twitter and countless other ambitious start-ups from Tel Aviv to Shenzhen.

• FINDING OPPORTUNITY AMID THE CRISIS:
Technology offers hope for optimism as we emerge from the coronavirus crisis.
Here are the growth opportunities — from re-inventing supply chains to
rethinking education to building new brand heroes.

• WHY BUSINESS INNOVATION HAS NEVER MATTERED
MORE: COVID-19 has forced business leaders to move insanely fast to
adapt. But how do you build a culture of effective innovation? Here are
the lessons from David’s 20-nation quest for non-bullshit innovation.

• TEN LESSONS FROM THE NON-BULLSHIT INNOVATORS:
David Rowan travelled across the world to understand what it takes for
businesses and governments to leverage digital transformation in exciting
ways. He shares ten lessons from his new book Non-Bullshit Innovation
that can be applied to all sorts of organisations.

• WHAT TECHNOLOGY MEANS FOR THE FUTURE OF YOUR
INDUSTRY: David researches and prepares bespoke presentations for
client meetings. Recent subjects have included the future of food and
drink (clients including Unilever, Coca-Cola, Barilla); the future of
aviation (IATA); the future of real estate (CBRE, Leading Real Estate,
Cushman & Wakefield); the future of media (Sky, Schibsted, BBC); the
future of healthcare (BUPA, Vitality, Kaiser Permanente); the future of
financial services (Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan).

• THE FUTURE OF THE WORKPLACE: How to attract talent, and
motivate your team to perform its best work, in a fast-changing world
when the “workplace” is more fluid than ever before.

• 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