Chris Barton | Founder and Creator of Shazam, Entrepreneur, Inventor, and Tech Investor

Booked by: SAP, Salesforce, Verizon, Accenture

Spend time with inventor Chris Barton and you’ll be inspired to believe anything is possible. His positive energy to make seemingly impossible ideas come to life is absolutely contagious.

Chris’s latest venture, Guard, uses AI to detect drowning in swimming pools – a never-before accomplished effort. Chris’s best-known creation is Shazam, the app that changed the way the world discovers music and laid the groundwork for the consumer AI industry we know today. With over 2 billion downloads, Shazam is a global phenomenon and Apple’s sixth-largest acquisition. The app lets people identify songs out of thin air from anywhere they are, making it nothing short of pure magic.

Chris holds 12 patents and played key roles in the early days of Google and Dropbox. He believes his dyslexia helps him uncover novel solutions to obstacles and to achieving audacious goals. In his speeches, Chris shares his Start From Zero thinking method of questioning assumptions and challenging conventional wisdom. His amazing story and storytelling completely captivate audiences and inspires them to make big things happen in their organizations – to create magic in defiance of the obstacles.

More about Chris: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/chris-barton/

Kian Gohar | Founder & CEO of Geolab, Keynote Speaker on Innovation, Disruptive Technologies, & The Future of Work

Booked by: Deloitte, Dow, PPG, P&G

Kian Gohar is Founder & CEO of Geolab, an innovation research and leadership training firm. He is a master facilitator and has coached the CEO and leadership teams of over 50 companies in the Fortune 500 on innovation, disruptive technologies, moonshot thinking, leadership and the future of work.

He’s co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book Competing in the New World of Work, published by Harvard Business Review and with #1 NY Times bestselling author Keith Ferrazzi. This bestselling book explores the most important leadership behaviors and team skills necessary to succeed in the post-pandemic era, and outlines how to build a successful hybrid workplaces and workforces.

Previously, Kian was an executive director at the XPRIZE Foundation, where he founded the world’s leading corporate innovation ecosystem, and was also an executive director of Singularity University in Silicon Valley. His 20-year innovation career spans venture capital, academia and startups around the world. Early in his career, he was a Luce Scholar in China.

More about Kian: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/kian-gohar/

Mike Walsh | Speaker on the Change, Technology and Innovation

Booked by: American Express, the BBC, Foot Locker,  Fujifilm

Mike Walsh is the CEO of Tomorrow, a global consultancy on designing companies for the 21st century. A global nomad, futurist and author of the best-selling book, The Algorithmic Leader, he advises some of the world’s biggest organizations on digital transformation and disruptive innovation in this new era of machine intelligence.

A prolific writer and commentator, Mike’s views have appeared in a wide range of international publications including Harvard Business Review, Inc. Magazine, BusinessWeek, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. Each week he interviews provocative thinkers, innovators and troublemakers on his podcast, ‘Between Worlds‘.

His latest book, The Algorithmic Leader: How to be smart when machines are smarter than you, offers a hopeful and practical guide for reinventing leadership and organizations. By applying Walsh’s 10 core principles, readers will be able to design their own journey of personal transformation, harness the power of algorithms, and chart a clear path ahead–for their company, their team, and themselves.  

More about Mike: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/mike-walsh/

Nancy Giordano | AI Futurist, Corporate Strategist & Speaker

Booked by: Nestle, Brinker International, The Coca Cola Company, Sprint

Described as endlessly optimistic, Nancy Giordano is a strategic futurist and bestselling author with a drive to help enterprise organizations and visionary leaders transform to meet the escalating expectations ahead. Recognized as one of the world’s top female futurists, she has spent her career building, shaping and evolving a portfolio of $60+ billion worth of major global brands.  With growing conviction of what will (and needs to) shift, executives value her unique abilities to sense and synthesize the terrain ahead and guide those ready to build more relevant and sustainable solutions.

With a career at three of the top global advertising agencies and as founder of her own strategic inspiration company, Play Big Inc, Nancy has a rich history of advising and learning with some of the top companies in the world. In 2015 she took a leap to help shape a company of the future: artificial intelligence start-up, Lucid and later went on to build a leadership summit designed to encourage c-suite executives to explore seven of the most disruptive emergent technologies for business. Two years ago, Nancy joined Austin-based artificial intelligence services company, Kungfu.AI, to help visionary enterprise leaders better understand and harness the transformative effects of AI applications. She is also championing the work of Riane Eisler to create a movement around Partnerism, a socio-economic system that is built on partnership versus the domination models of Capitalism and Socialism.

More about Nancy: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/nancy-giordano/

Nikolas Badminton | Futurist Speaker, Advisor, and Best Selling Author

Booked by:  Google, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, WM

Nikolas Badminton is a world-renowned futurist speaker and Chief Futurist that mentors top executives and the highest levels of government to create bold visions by exploring desirable futures, anticipating opportunities and risks, and strengthening strategic planning.

He has spent 30+ years working with leadership at over 400 leading organizations at the frontline of futures, strategy and disruption – including NASA, Disney, Google, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, WM, JP Morgan, Verizon, VISA, TD Bank, American Express, BISCI, ISACA, Rolls Royce, Procter & Gamble, US Department of State, UK Home Office, United Nations, and many more.

Facing Our Futures: How foresight, futures design and strategy creates prosperity and growth – is Nikolas’ number one best selling book and has been named Top-50 Business Books of 2023 by The Next Big Idea Club, and JP Morgan Private bank’s “Next Gen Pick” for their 2023 Summer Reading List to guide new leaders to ignite curiosity and embrace futures thinking.

More about Nikolas: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/nikolas-badminton/

Dan Chuparkoff | Leading Experts on AI, Innovation, & The Future of Work

Booked by:  McKinsey, Google, Sequoia, Atlanssian

Dan Chuparkoff isn’t just a speaker – he’s one of the world’s leading experts on AI, innovation, & the future of work. As a technology leader at Google, McKinsey and more; Dan led transformations for teams in every industry as the world navigated three decades of technological change. Dan knows first hand that the people who leverage the power of technology will outperform the people who don’t.

The Technology-speaker for non-tech teams, Dan’s superpower is making complex things simple and useful. With his skill as an AI-educator combined with his formula for harnessing the power of innovation, he helps audiences to escape disruption and find growth and success. Dan shows teams how to make sense of AI, how to harness the Power of Technology, and how to combine that with the Power of Human Expertise. With this powerful blend, teams will learn to leverage AI & other technological advantages to thrive in the exponential future ahead.

More about Dan: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/dan-chuparkoff/

Dr. Peter Diamandis | Inspiring speaker on Innovation and Technology

Booked by: Google, Microsoft, the United Nations, Facebook

Scientist, engineer, doctor, and inspiring speaker Dr. Peter Diamandis is the world’s foremost expert in incentivized innovation and the growth of exponential technologies. The art of incentivize smart and talented people within your company or those experts around the world to focus on solving your grand challenges. He has worked with Fortune 100 companies, government leaders and captains of industry over the past 15 years. In 2010 Diamandis is the winner of the Economist No Boundaries award for meta-innovation – driving innovation in the way people innovate. He is also the winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Innovation, the Heinlein Award, the Lindbergh Award, the Wired RAVE Award, the Neil Armstrong Award, and the World Technology Award.

Diamandis inspires and moves audiences to action. His message is clear: there is no challenge that cannot be overcome. It is a matter of having a clear objective goal, clarity of what you are measuring and incentivizing the right community to solve your challenge. Using personal, in-depth and inspirational stories, Diamandis has been called one of the best speakers ever by numerous CEO-level audiences. 

More about Peter: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/peter-diamandis/

Ian Khan | National Bestselling Author, Thinkers50 Award Shortlist, Highly Rated Futurist

Booked by:  Microsoft, Deloitte, ServiceNow, SWIFT

Ian Khan, the Futurist, is a USA Today & Publisher Weekly National Bestselling Author of Undisrupted, Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Award in Future Readiness finalist, Voted Top 25 Futurists worldwide and globally recognized critical thinker and media personality.  Ian helps leaders understand the impact of Future Readiness on business and covers emerging technologies in the future of work, profitability, people, culture and innovation. He created the Future Readiness Score(FRS) and the Future Readiness Operating System (FROS) to help leaders navigate rapid change. He has spoken for organizations including association groups worldwide, Microsoft, Deloitte, ServiceNow, SWIFT and worked with Aston MartinF1, NetApp, Sanofi, and hundreds of other organizations across a wide range of verticals including healthcare, services, real estate, construction, technology, automobile and others.

Ian presents “The Futurist” on Amazon Prime Video. His insights on future ready leadership, foresight on emerging technologies and purpose focused business growth are highly insightful. A highly recognized AI Educator focused on AI productivity, AI Ethics and leadership. He is also the founder of “Impact Story”, a K12 Robotics & AI education non-profit.

More about Ian: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/ian-khan/

Theresa Payton | First Female White House Chief Information Officer; AI Strategist; Business and Personal Security Expert; Privacy Visionary

Booked by:  CISCO, Dell, Inc., PICTET Group, Unico

Theresa Payton is a trailblazer in technology and cybersecurity, making history as the first female White House Chief Information Officer under President George W. Bush. Known as one of the nation’s top advisors on secured digital transformation, she works with Fortune 500 Boards, CEOs, and technology executives to safeguard critical assets and navigate complex digital challenges.

Theresa Payton is a trailblazer in technology and cybersecurity, making history as the first female White House Chief Information Officer, under President George W. Bush. She’s recognized as one of the world’s top advisors on secured digital transformation, AI and privacy, consulting Fortune 500 boards, CEOs, and technology executives to safeguard critical assets and navigate complex digital challenges. Theresa is the go-to expert among network television news programs and other major media outlets for her broad cybercrime-fighting knowledge, relatable persona and ability to make complex technology understandable, and recently starred as Deputy Commander of Intelligence on the CBS TV reality hide-and-seek show, “Hunted.”She’s also CEO and chief advisor of a leading digital security firm, Fortalice.

More about Theresa: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/theresa-payton/

Nicholas J. Webb | World Renowned Innovation and Healthcare Futurist, Best-selling Author

Booked by: Pfizer, NRC Health, DHL, TPC

Nick Webb is a number one best-selling author and is one of the most popular Innovation, Healthcare, Future-trends, and Customer Experience Speakers in the world. Nick is the CEO of LeaderLogic, LLC a Management Consulting Firm that provides consulting services and training to the top brands in the world. Nick works shoulder-to-shoulder with boards of directors of multibillion-dollar companies to assist them in building future-ready organizations.

As a technologist, Nick has been awarded over 40 Patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office for a wide range of cutting-edge technologies, including one of the world’s smallest medical implants and one of the first wearable technologies.

Nick’s best-selling books include, What Customers Crave, The Innovation Mandate, What Customers Hate, Happy Work, Lucid Leadership and his number one bestselling book, The Healthcare Mandate. Nick has been awarded one of the Top 30 Business Experts for eight years in a row.

More about Nicolas: https://thesweeneyagency.com/speakers/nicholas-j-webb/