Ben Hammersley - Futurist

Ben Hammersley - Futurist

Considered one of the world's leading Futurists, Ben Hammersley is a popular choice for corporate events with an innovation or technology theme
Founder of Hammersley Futures, Ben's company offers international strategic forecasting consultancy for large corporations and governmental agencies
His work focuses on topics like the future of crime and conflict, changes in markets, as well as the skills needed to thrive in a tech-driven world
In addition to his consulting work, he served as executive editor at WIRED and created and presented the BBC series Cybercrimes with Ben Hammersley
A sought after keynore speaker, Ben uses real-world examples and dissects intricate concepts to make topics easily accessible to any audience

Ben Hammersley - Futurist VIDEOS

Founder of Hammersley Futures, a consultancy that helps corporations and governments understand and prepare for the future with a focus on how society responds to technological change, Ben Hammersley is a leading futurist and consultant trusted by many corporations.

He previously served as executive editor at WIRED and created and presented the BBC series Cybercrimes with Ben Hammersley. His diverse career also includes roles as a war correspondent in Afghanistan, advisor to the European Commission, pilot and wilderness medic. As well as being widely credited with coining the term “podcast.”

A published author, Hammersley wrote 64 Things You Need To Know Now For Then and Now For Then: How To Face The Digital Future Without Fear. These books explore topics like modern technological, cultural, and political ideas while helping readers understand the digital world.

Now a popular speaker and consultant, Ben explains complex technological and societal changes using humor and clear analogies that resonate with the audience. His work helps organizations recognize emerging disruptions, rethink outdated assumptions, and develop strategies to succeed in an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving future.

Keynote Options Include:

Cut Through The Clutter: This is what you (actually) need to know (or ignore) about the future

This keynote speech challenges typical futurist predictions, arguing that many rely on hype, buzzwords, and misunderstood technologies rather than realistic analysis. In this talk, Ben Hammersley explores current technology trends and separates genuine innovations from exaggerated claims or false promises.
Ben critically analyzes popular ideas about the future, encourages audiences to focus on what technologies can actually achieve and to think strategically—emphasizing that effective strategy often involves deciding what not to pursue.

Everything you think about Innovation is wrong
In this keynote speech, Ben Hammersley argues that society often misunderstands innovation, wrongly associating it with trendy technologies and the latest buzzwords. Instead, he presents innovation as a learnable skill and mindset that anyone in an organization can develop.
This talk explores the historical and cultural realities of innovation and demonstrates how it can become a continuous process embedded in everyday work, whether in large global companies or small local businesses. 

The Future of Work, the Workplace, and the Place of Work
This keynote speech argues that despite huge and rapid technological progress over the last twenty years, the basic structure of work and offices has barely changed in a century. As businesses face major technological and cultural disruptions in the 2020s, organizations must rethink how and where work happens.
This speech explores issues such as the negative effects of constant email, the reduced collaboration in open-plan offices, and the need for new skills to work alongside intelligent technologies. By introducing ideas like cognitive architecture, Hammersley helps organizations redesign their workplaces and habits to work more effectively and prepare for the future.

" Ben was a great personality to work with and an excellent speaker. His speech gave a lot of new insights and refreshing opinions. He was our highest ranked speaker of the day "

Robeco

" Ben was fantastic and excellent to work with. His subject matter knowledge was brilliant and the client really took a shine to him. "

ICANN

" I’m thrilled to report that our event was a huge success! Ben was terrific and he really brought the energy and right message. Thank you for supporting us through this process and making the right recommendations. We’ll be happy to provide a positive reference for Ben and your team and hope to work together again. "

Cybersecurity Communications

" Thank you so much for today’s presentation! A very thought-provoking point of view that I know will be shared and reviewed by our teams around the world! Again, great job. "

PSNI

  • Future
  • Innovation
  • Future of Work
  • Resilience
  • Technology