The Sweeney Agency

About Mike Walsh - Speaker on the future, technology and innovation:

Founder and CEO of Tomorrow, a consumer innovation research lab, Mike Walsh advises some of the world's leading brands and corporations on what's coming next in their industry. Author of the best seller Futuretainment, he is a leading authority on the intersection of emerging technologies, consumer behavior and fast growth markets. Constantly traveling the world for the best ideas, he distils the most relevant insights into tailored keynotes that allow any audience to not only understand, but also start to influence the future direction of their industry. Rather than focusing on the distant future, Mike focuses on the next five years - scanning the near horizon for disruptive technologies and consumer innovations on the verge of hitting critical mass - then translating these into usable business strategies.

Publisher of the Disruptive Future blog read by thousands of professionals in the media and entertainment space, Mike's unique insights and operating experience in emerging markets re breakthrough innovation and business transformation, makes him an expert on the growing influence of consumers in BRIC countries. Mike’s new book, The Divergence (published 2012), charts the rise of online consumers in these emerging markets and shows that tomorrow's Web will be radically different to conventional Western models requiring entirely new engagement strategies. His views have appeared in a wide range of international publications including Business Week, Forbes and Wallpaper Magazine.

Mike has been a pioneer in the digital space since the 1990s, running both successful start-up ventures as well as holding senior leadership positions in established media organizations. With a background in corporate law and management consulting, he began his career at XT3, a spin out from McKinsey and one of the first digital consulting firms created to help major companies embrace the embroynic Web. During the first dotcom boom, Mike launched the technology publishing group internet.com in Australia, which went on to become the leading local technology news and events platform in the country. He also founded and ran Jupiter Research in the Asia Pacific, one of the first research agencies to track the early adoption of e-commerce and digital business models by online consumers. During this period, he was recognized as one of Australia’s Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30.

After his experiences in the Web space, Mike spent five years in senior strategy roles at News Corporation where he helped shape the digital strategy for both their Australian newspaper and Asian TV divisions. Directly engaged by the CEO of Star TV to provide the company with a digital roadmap for their operations, he began his in-depth research into the fast growth markets of Asia.

While in Hong Kong and inspired by the dramatic changes taking place in China and India, Mike founded his latest venture, Tomorrow - an innovation research lab focused on emerging technology and disruptive consumer behavior. Always in demand for his fresh insights and practical future-focused strategies, Mike has advised the CEOs and senior management teams at multinational companies including: the BBC, Fujifilm, Richemont, MSN, Star TV, Televisa, Philips, and HSBC.

What Mike Walsh Talks About:

Futuretainment - Yesterday The World Changed, Now Its Your Turn
Based on Mike Walsh's best selling book, FUTURETAINMENT is a fast paced tour of the latest technologies, global trends, and case studies that will forever change the way you think about your relationship with your customers.

In this session Mike shares:

• The most disruptive trends for 2012 specifically researched for your industry
• Products and promotions that will engage the next generation of consumers
• Consumer innovations from fast growth emerging markets
• The value of big data, compelling content and next generation behavioral analytics
• Global best practices in mobile applications and platforms
• Original video interviews with the scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs whose ideas will drive the future of your business

Flex - Business Re-Imagined
What does it take to lead a 21st century company? New technology is not only an opportunity to improve productivity, it invites us to ask a much bigger question - can we re-imagine the way we do business?

In this session Mike shares:

• The most disruptive trends for 2012 specifically researched for your industry
• Products and promotions that will engage the next generation of consumers
• Consumer innovations from fast growth emerging markets
• The value of big data, compelling content and next generation behavioral analytics
• Global best practices in mobile applications and platforms
• Original video interviews with the scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs whose ideas will drive the future of your business

World Next - Your Roadmap To The Global Future
Social unrest, economic turmoil, rapid technological change - we live in a world seemingly dominated by crisis. And yet if you look more closely, you may also see a different set of patterns giving rise to new markets, new consumers and new ways to do business.

The future is already here, you just need to know where to look. From disruptive mobile technology from China to India's low cost business models, next generation mobile banking in Africa and social consumerism in South America - innovation is shifting to a new geography. How we interact, transact and entertain ourselves in the future will be shaped by a billion new consumers from emerging markets. WORLD NEXT is your roadmap to understanding and accessing the growth potential of tomorrow's world.

In this session Mike shares:

• How the Web of tomorrow will be different from the one we use today
• New markets, consumers and technology trends that will be essential for the global growth of your business
• Case studies of international companies who have successfully leveraged cultural forces for local market success
• The disruptive innovation models of your emerging market competitors
• The new management styles necessary for leadership in fluid, hyper-competitive and uncertain global markets
• The winners and losers in the new digital world order and your company's readiness to survive or thrive