Futurist Speakers

Dr. Shawn DuBravac is former chief economist of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the U.S. trade association representing more than 2,000 consumer electronics companies, which owns and produces the world’s largest gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. In his role as CTA’s chief economist, DuBravac provided crucial economic analysis to association and industry leaders regarding future economic activity and the relative health of the technology industry. He also contributes research on technology trends that underpin the industry.

Nick Bilton, Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair and former Lead Technology Writer for the New York Times, is a journalist, designer, UI specialist, technologist, author, hardware hacker, and researcher. Bilton has worked in many industries within the context of design, research and development, and technology. He is also the author of Hatching Twitter and I Live in the Future: & Here’s How It Works, which explores the effects of new technology on our brains. With highly visual presentations, he addresses innovation, the future of media, technology, and society and how technology affects our work and minds.

Farhad Manjoo is a leading and influential Silicon Valley voice and an opinion columnist for The New York Times. They formerly wrote the Times’ “State of the Art” column. In that role, Manjoo reviewed the latest devices and innovations in addition to a wide variety of tech-related topics including the emergence of new media, Silicon Valley and start-up culture, and the ways in which politics, society, and business are being shaped by the rapid emergence of new technologies.

Greg Williams is a leading authority on technology trends and how those impact business and society. As Editor at WIRED UK, Greg meets the innovators, thinkers, scientists, entrepreneurs and creatives who are changing the world and writes on a variety of subjects, including innovation, technology, business, creativity and ideas. As a journalist and author of five novels, Greg possesses a unique combination of storytelling expertise and an in-depth knowledge of the future of technology and entrepreneurship. This enables him to transform complex information into entertaining and accessible insights that prepare audiences for what’s coming next.

Michael Coates has worked in the information security space for the past 20 years, leading security at global organizations, such as Twitter and Mozilla, and protecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Coates is currently the CISO of CoinList and the CEO of the sub-entity CoinList Digital Asset Services, a leading exchange platform that is disrupting the Web 3.0 and cryptocurrency digital asset offerings. He is also a co-founder of Altitude Networks and served as its CEO before a successful exit following the company’s acquisition. Previously, Coates was the Chief Information Security Officer at Twitter. There, his team worked to protect nearly 300 million users, securing both Twitter systems and user data.

Jeremy is the Senior Innovation Editor of Wired, the influential technology and trends magazine that covers innovation and the businesses that are building the future. He is in charge of analysing and identifying emerging trends and technological shifts that will impact consumers and businesses alike. He is an expert on a broad range of technology trends including artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IOT), quantum computing, FinTech, retail disruption, health tech, autonomous cars and transport, cyber security, 3D printing and maker culture, industrial design, and more.

A globally recognized technology entrepreneur and renowned futurist, Salim Ismail is a sought-after exponential strategist who advises organizations of all sizes and across industries on how they can turn cutting-edge ideas into viable business opportunities and apply inventive thinking to drive innovation and achieve their desired futures sooner. He is the Founder and Chair of OpenExO and ExO Works, a team of innovation experts who create customized solutions for corporations and organizations seeking to remain relevant in today’s rapidly changing business environment. His talks have been described as jaw-dropping, educational, and even mind-blowing, as he shares five internal and five external characteristics that exponential organizations have in common and walks audiences through how any company, from a startup to a multinational firm, can streamline its performance and grow to the next level.

Working at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, behavior, technology, and science, Nichol Bradford’s mission is to empower human transformation and wellbeing by creating or curating new visions, opportunities, and tech-enabled tools for all. She catalyzes new ways to use technology to expand beyond our perceived limits and reach our fullest potential through her global non-profit Transformative Tech.org, working with talented researchers, founders, and investors across the globe who build wellbeing tech for human health and happiness. Bradford speaks extensively on human transformation, transformative tech, and the future of health, work, and human excellence. Using real-life examples and use cases from the latest trends in wellness technologies, she demonstrates to groups how these emerging advances can be applied to heal, upskill, and enhance human capability and benefit all of mankind.

Erik Peterson sits at the intersection of global economics, geopolitical changes, and future trends. His riveting presentations are eye-opening glimpses into how we can and should address some of the most challenging global issues of our time. He maps the key long-range trends transforming the opportunities and risks and traces the simultaneous and significant global shifts in the areas of population, resources, technology, economy, security, and geopolitics. He untangles these complex trends for audiences and examines the real-world implications—both present and future.

Neil Jacobstein is the chair of the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Track at Singularity University, an organization whose founders hail from Google and the X PRIZE Foundation and has a goal “to educate, inspire and empower a new generation of leaders to apply exponential technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges.” Jacobstein shares one of the most thoughtful and up-to-date looks at the future of technology and how it will impact a variety of industries. He explores innovation, disruption, and artificial intelligence as he offers audience a glimpse into the future and its real-world applications.

Greg Williams is a leading authority on technology trends and how those impact business and society. As Editor at WIRED UK, Greg meets the innovators, thinkers, scientists, entrepreneurs and creatives who are changing the world and writes on a variety of subjects, including innovation, technology, business, creativity and ideas. As a journalist and author of five novels, Greg possesses a unique combination of storytelling expertise and an in-depth knowledge of the future of technology and entrepreneurship. This enables him to transform complex information into entertaining and accessible insights that prepare audiences for what’s coming next.