AI won't decide our future. Leadership will.
Ramy Nassar is a futurist, keynote speaker, and author who helps leaders turn AI from hype into real results. He speaks on artificial intelligence and the future of work, cutting through the noise to what actually creates value and what leaders should do about it.
As Head of Innovation at Mattel, Ramy built the company's first innovation lab, led AI-driven experiences for brands like Barbie and Hot Wheels, and was part of the team behind the $1.5 billion Barbie film. He has since worked with more than 250 organizations, including Apple, TD Bank, Verizon, and New Balance, and advises Fortune 500 companies on AI strategy, from the boardroom to engineering teams.
Ramy gives around 45 keynotes a year on stages around the world. He teaches AI and Design Thinking at NTNU in Norway and Toronto Metropolitan University, and is the author of The AI Product Design Handbook. His next book, The World After AI, arrives in early 2027 and anchors a new keynote on the decisions that will define the coming decade.
What sets Ramy apart is that he is a practitioner as much as a speaker. He builds. That means his talks are grounded, specific, and practical, and he tailors deeply to each audience, whether he is speaking to a boardroom, a sales kickoff, or a conference main stage. He delivers in English, French, and German.
Optimistic, direct, and refreshingly free of jargon, Ramy leaves audiences clear on where AI is heading and confident about the choices in front of them.
Talking Points
AI Now, Next, Never
AI is no longer a future bet. It's an executive priority, and most leadership teams are still trying to figure out where to start. Drawing on 25+ years building inside Mattel, Apple, TD Bank, and 250+ other organizations, Ramy tells the real story of AI - daring leaders to confront what matters now, what's coming next, and what guardrails are vital.AI Now, Next, Never
• AI Now maps the technologies driving real impact today: generative AI, agents, and the practical use cases inside enterprises that are actually moving the needle.
• AI Next equips leaders to scale investments past the pilot trap. The frameworks that turn proofs of concept into enterprise-grade value.
• AI Never draws the lines that protect trust, governance, and reputation. The strategic case for what to walk away from, even when the market is racing toward it.
Audiences will learn how to:
• Identify AI use cases with measurable ROI and separate hype from reality
• Scale initiatives past the pilot trap with frameworks that turn proofs of concept into enterprise value
• Align their leadership team on what to pursue now, what to wait on, and what to walk away from entirely
This presentation can be delivered as a keynote or interactive workshop. Sessions often include live AI demonstrations and provide participants with a post-session toolkit (sample prompts, adoption frameworks, governance checklists) to inspire action the very next day.
The Future-Proof Leader: Strategic Foresight in an Age of Disruption
What if your biggest risks aren't today's challenges, but tomorrow's blind spots? Linear planning was built for a world that no longer exists. Drawing on his forthcoming book The World After AI, Ramy challenges leaders to confront a harder truth: the executives who win the next decade aren't the ones with the best plans, they're the ones willing to lead differently.The Future-Proof Leader: Strategic Foresight in an Age of Disruption
• Anticipate teaches leaders to spot the patterns hiding in industry noise: the weak signals, leading indicators, and trend convergences that competitors miss until it's too late.
• Adapt moves beyond static planning into multi-horizon thinking, equipping leaders to make strategic decisions that hold up across multiple possible futures rather than betting everything on one forecast.
• Lead translates foresight into the kind of proactive direction-setting that brings entire organizations along through ambiguity, replacing reactive crisis management with strategic confidence.
Audiences will learn how to:
• Spot weak signals and trend convergences to anticipate disruption before competitors react
• Apply foresight methods (scenario planning, Janus Cones, horizon scanning) to decisions that hold up across multiple futures
• Lead their organization through ambiguity with proactive direction-setting instead of reactive crisis management
The presentation is tailored to each client’s sector and includes in-depth research into industry-specific scenarios. Programs can be interactive (real-time foresight exercises, trend prioritization), and participants receive a post-session toolkit to bring learning back into their organizations.
Exponential Futures: Quantum, Blockchain, and The World After AI
The technologies that will reshape your industry aren't theoretical, they're already here. AI dominates the headlines, but quantum, biotech, and blockchain are quietly converging to reshape industries at unprecedented speed. Drawing on his forthcoming book The World After AI, Ramy dares executives to think past today's hype - mapping when to experiment, when to scale, and when to wait.Exponential Futures: Quantum, Blockchain, and The World After AI
• Experiment maps the emerging technologies worth investing in now: where to place small bets, build optionality, and learn before competitors do.
• Scale equips leaders to commit when a technology has crossed from possibility to advantage. The frameworks that turn early bets into enterprise-grade capability before the window closes.
• Wait draws the strategic case for letting hype cycles complete - knowing which technologies are louder than they are ready, and standing back until infrastructure matures.
Audiences will learn how to:
• Decode AI, quantum, and blockchain without jargon, focusing only on strategic impact
• Time strategic bets: when to experiment, when to scale, and when to wait
• Build resilient strategies that adapt as technologies converge across industries
This keynote is always tailored to the audience, helping participants decide where to lean in, where to wait, and where to let technologies mature further.
The Innovation Imperative: Leading Change in the Age of AI
How can enterprises learn to innovate with the speed and agility of startups? In today’s AI-powered economy, the ability to adapt quickly isn’t a luxury, it’s survival. Yet most organizations are slowed by silos, legacy processes, and risk aversion.The Innovation Imperative: Leading Change in the Age of AI
Futurist and former Head of Innovation at Mattel, Ramy Nassar, brings decades of experience helping global brands reimagine innovation. Drawing on lessons from both startups and Fortune 500s, he shows leaders how to cultivate cultures, systems, and strategies that unlock enterprise-scale innovation.
Through stories from the front lines and proven frameworks, he equips leaders to embrace risk, adopt an AI-first mindset, and leap from incremental improvements to bold reinvention.
Audiences will learn how to:
• Build innovation systems that combine startup agility with enterprise scale
• Harness AI as a catalyst for creativity, speed, and competitive advantage
• Reframe culture, risk, and constraints as fuel for transformation and growth
This program can be delivered as a keynote or interactive workshop. It often includes startup-style design sprints, collaborative foresight activities, and tools leaders can use to rewire innovation practices the very next day.
Responsible AI: Governance, Ethics, and Practical Adoption at Scale
Every enterprise wants the benefits of AI, but the risks are real. Hallucinations, bias, governance gaps, and lack of explainability can derail adoption, create reputational damage, and limit trust with customers and regulators. The organizations that win with AI won’t be the fastest adopters, they’ll be the most responsible.Responsible AI: Governance, Ethics, and Practical Adoption at Scale
Futurist and former Head of Innovation at Mattel, Ramy Nassar, equips leaders with the tools to adopt AI at scale, responsibly and sustainably. Drawing on years of hands-on experience guiding Fortune 500 companies, from global banks and healthcare organizations to energy providers and technology leaders, Ramy has helped design AI policies, launched governance committees, and established innovation labs that scale across the enterprise.
In this presentation, he introduces frameworks that balance innovation with governance, ensuring AI initiatives drive measurable impact without exposing the enterprise to unnecessary risk.
Audiences will learn how to:
• Recognize and mitigate AI risks, such as bias, hallucinations, and misuse, that jeopardize adoption and trust
• Build responsible AI practices that align with governance and compliance needs
• Deploy AI responsibly while still accelerating growth and competitive advantage
This keynote is tailored to each organization’s unique industry and context. Many organizations pair it with interactive workshops that map enterprise-specific risks and create practical governance roadmaps, ensuring teams leave with actions they can implement immediately.
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Ramy’s approach to introducing the complex topic of generative AI helped our team better understand where the key business opportunities exist, and gave us the tools to build our own interna ... keep reading Apple
Ramy’s presentation on AI, generative AI, and emergent technologies was a fantastic way to kick off our first ever technology summit. He was collaborative before the event and ensured that his presentation not only aligned with our theme but called out other speakers coming later in the day to help set up their sessions. Besides having a world-class presentation, Ramy was fantastic to work with. Overall a 10 out of 10 experience.
This presentation was the first that helped our executive team understand how we drive AI initiatives forward and build the right metrics into our strategic technology roadmap. The outcomes will directly and positively impact the ROI of our investments into AI.
The presentation transformed how our leadership thinks about strategic planning. Ramy has a unique ability to uncover how the trends of today will shape the business environment of tomorrow. His framework helped us uncover ROI-driving opportunities.
Ramy has a unique approach to presenting AI & emerging technologies that combines deep understanding of the topic with an undeniable enthusiasm that engages the audience in a meaningful and personal way.
