Ben Hammersley

We all know the world is changing. And many can give examples of the technologies or trends that are contributing to that change. But that is not the whole picture. In this topic, we teach audiences about the skills, techniques, and cognitive tools that leaders need to both understand those changes, and shape their own future. Ideal for executive learning and development programs, or thought-leader positioning customer events, these keynotes are consistently rated as life-changing, with plenty of actionable take-aways for the audience. This topic also extends well into subsequent break-outs and workshop sessions, which can be provided.

In the fast-paced world of the 2020s, change, disruption, and innovation are reshaping our culture, systems, and politics at an unprecedented pace. Many of our clients, however, still hold outdated or incomplete mental models of this interconnected and networked world. In this engaging topic, we provide a comprehensive overview of the modern world, exploring how it impacts businesses and personal lives. From examining youth culture in Brazil and high-speed rail in China to Russian foreign policy and non-human corporations, from weaponized memetic infections to European nationalism, and from climate mitigation to shadow economies, we delve into the intricacies of today's world. This eye-opening session is particularly relevant for c-suite audiences and has been well-received at evening events with partners and spouses. Join us to gain a true grounding in today's reality, which is essential for effective planning and preparation for tomorrow.

We are all bringing yesterday’s war to today’s battlefield. In the modernity of 2020, we have a profound misunderstanding of the nature of geopolitical, commercial, and personal threat. It isn’t kinetics that will get us, but confusion. The post-modern asymmetric reaction to the extreme commercial and military hegemony of the West, or the quasi-Monopoly power of the large corporation is no longer one of physical violence, but of memetic infection, and purposeful, weaponised, confusion. For these audiences, leadership, and strategy, is the art of making the best decisions with the knowledge available. But making those decisions requires accurate data, clear analysis, accurate thinking, without interference. In this talk we detail the ways that the final line of risk is the individual executive’s ability to think clearly, how this is under specific targeted attack, and how to defend against that. This topic is of deep interest to multinational top tier executives, or those being shaped into becoming so. It can also include follow-up reading, and online sessions.