James Wallman Keynote Speaker

James Wallman is an internationally renowned keynote speaker, entrepreneur and futurist.  He has forecasted the future for more than sixteen years and wrote the ‘futurology’ column for technology magazine T3 for many years. He is a bestselling author, and writes about wellbeing trends and how to live a more fulfilling life.

He runs a strategy, innovation, and futures consultancy called The Future is Here.  James is also an expert in experience design and is the Founder and CEO of WXO – World Experience Organisation. The purpose of the WXO is to connect and provoke the pioneers of the Experience Economy, to serve and grow the Experience Economy and to shine a spotlight on exceptional experience design.

James is an Adviser for Carbon13, an Experience Designer for The National Portrait Gallery, a Well Being Adviser for the Compass Group and an Adviser to The Transformational Travel Council.   He advises the British government as a Sector Specialist, Experience Economy for the Department for International Trade.

Recent corporate clients include Barclays, KPMG, HSBC, KFC, Avis, Toyota, Ferrero Rocher, Nomura, KFC, IDEO, and Facebook.

He has written two best-selling books on wellbeing, based on trends he has identified:

• Time and How To Spend It  (Penguin, April 2019; currently in 2 languages, 2 more in production). This book was named a Financial Times Book of the Year. James explores how to spend time, the most precious thing we have, and separates the empty experiences from the enriching experiences that bring joy and success.
• Stuffocation (Penguin, 2015; now in 7 languages). In this groundbreaking book, James reveals the extent of the clutter crisis as a result of all-you-can-get-consumption. He proposes a manifesto for change, that involves transforming what we value, and prioritising experiences over belongings.

James has given many keynote talks and has held workshops in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Berlin, Cannes, Dubai, Istanbul, Las Vegas, Nashville, New York, Paris, Utah, and many others — at venues including TEDx at the LSE, the Googleplex in California, and 10 Downing Street in London.

His opinions have appeared in the New York Times, the Financial Times, Time Magazine  The Economist, and Wired, among others.    He has appeared on TV and radio programmes from Australia to Brazil and the US.

He holds an MA in Classics from the University of Oxford; an MA in Journalism from the University of the Arts London; and a Diploma in Entrepreneurship from the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge. Having previously lived in the US, France and Greece, James is living now in the UK.

Speaking Topics

James is an incredibly eloquent speaker and can customise and present  ‘the future of’ a variety of sectors and subject areas.  He also speaks about wellbeing, happiness and the experience economy, and has delivered several talks on the topics he covers in books ‘Time and How to Spend It‘ and ‘Stuffocation‘.

Topics he has recently researched and spoken about include Financial Services, Leadership, Food, Cities and Technology.  He has also spoken about the future of work and the future of travel.

Testimonials

‘James is really inspiring. He’s able to get everyone’s attention by being funny and entertaining but at the same time delivering important messages.’ – Event manager – KPMG

‘James Wallman is the Malcolm Gladwell of today’s Experience Economy. He brings together the best of social science research with insights and stories relayed with wit and verve’ – Joe Pine, Co-Author, The Experience Economy