The future citizen is shaped by our decisions today.
Stephen Yarwood is a futurist and urbanist, and the former Lord Mayor of Adelaide. He helps leaders, organisations and communities understand what’s coming and act on it, working where AI, technology, society and the future of how we live meet. His focus has moved from cities to the people in them: the future citizen, and what changes when AI reshapes how we live, work and lead.
What sets him apart is that he lives it. Stephen has gone agentic across his own work and life, running AI workflows through his business, smart home, health and travel, and he now coaches CEOs across Australia through the same shift. His message is simple: contemporary leadership is personal as well as professional, and the leaders who thrive will upgrade themselves, not just their organisations.
Through his consultancy city2050, he advises governments, boards and executives on AI, governance, strategy and the future citizen. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Planning, Graduate Diplomas in Regional and Urban Planning and in Environmental Studies, and an MBA, and is a Fellow and award-winning member of the Planning Institute of Australia. He is known for making complex change clear, practical and human, and for tailoring every session to the room.
Talking Points
Leading in the Age of AI
The future of leadership is more human, not less.Leading in the Age of AI
Audiences leave with a clear read on how AI changes their role; how to lead teams through disruption; the questions every executive and board should be asking now.
AI is rewriting how organisations decide, work and create value, and most leadership models haven’t caught up. Stephen shows leaders how to cut through the hype, make confident calls under uncertainty, and double down on the human skills machines can’t replace.
The Agentic Leader
Going agentic, personally and professionally.The Agentic Leader
Audiences leave with where to start and what to automate first; how AI reshapes you and why leading yourself differently changes how you lead others.
The next leadership edge isn’t knowing about AI, it’s running on it. Stephen shares his own move to an agentic operating system across work, health, home and travel, and what it teaches leaders about productivity, wellbeing and judgement. Part live case study, part practical playbook.
The Future Citizen
The people you’ll serve, employ and lead next.The Future Citizen
Audiences leave with a sharp profile of the future citizen; where today’s assumptions will break; how to design services, products and workplaces people actually want.
Customers, staff and communities are changing faster than most strategies. AI, longer lives, new values and shifting demographics are rewriting how people will live. Stephen paints a vivid, evidence-based picture of tomorrow’s citizen and what it takes to stay relevant.
Strategic Foresight in an AI World
Turn uncertainty into your biggest advantage.Strategic Foresight in an AI World
Audiences leave with a method to turn trends into decisions; how to build strategy that survives surprise; where AI genuinely adds an edge.
Most strategy still bets on a future that looks like the past. Stephen hands leaders a practical foresight toolkit to anticipate change, stress-test plans against multiple futures, and use AI to sharpen human judgement rather than replace it.
Future-Ready Governance
Sharper decisions for boards and elected leaders.Future-Ready Governance
Audiences leave with a framework for governing AI and innovation; sharper questions for the table; confidence to lead change, not just react.
Boards and councils are being asked to govern AI, risk and disruption that didn’t exist a few years ago. As a former Lord Mayor, Stephen knows the chamber and the boardroom from the inside, and helps directors and elected members ask better questions and govern emerging technology.
The Future of Cities
How technology and design are reshaping where we live and work.The Future of Cities
Audiences leave with where cities are going and why; how AI and design shape liveability and value; what it means for their sector.
The rules of city-making are being rewritten, from housing and CBDs to mobility, public space and liveability. Stephen blends frontline experience leading a capital city with a futurist’s eye to show where places are heading and what it means for investment, communities and growth.
Workshops and boardroom sessions
For elected members, boards and executive teams who want to do the work, not just hear about it. Tailored, interactive and outcome-focused:Workshops and boardroom sessions
- Future-Ready Governance: govern AI, risk and innovation with confidence.
- Strategy & Foresight intensive: apply foresight tools directly to your own plan.
- The Agentic Leader (executive coaching): go agentic across leadership and lifestyle.
Video
Stephen Yarwood - Presentation - LGNZ 2015 Conference
Stephen Yarwood, former Lord Mayor of Adelaide spoke at the LGNZ 2015 Conference about 'Performance and customer focused culture - being the change you want to see in your city'.How cities evolve through temporary spaces: Stephen Yarwood at TEDxAdelaide
A town planner with nearly 20 years' experience in state and local government, Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood has dedicated his professional life to developing cities. Stephen was elected an Adelaide City Councillor in October 2007 and was Deputy Lord Mayor in 2009. He is a member of the Adelaide Development Assessment Panel, Capital City Committee, Adelaide Parklands Authority, Rundle Mall Management Authority and the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors. He is also the Presiding Member of the Local Government Association committee, overseeing the State/Local Government Climate Change Sector Agreement. Stephen has an MBA, as well as post-graduate qualifications in Regional and Urban Planning and Environmental Studies. He worked as a researcher in state parliament before joining the City of Playford as Principal Planner for six years. Stephen has lectured in planning and management in several countries, as well as studying future cities in Tsukuba, Japan's technology city.Stephen is a big picture thinker able to distill complex ideas into useful solutions and real outcomes. His understanding of how cities work is outstanding and his commitment to advancing th ... keep reading City of Brisbane
Stephen is a well-respected innovative and creative urban expert that is visionary but practical. His knowledge and experience would be a valuable asset to cities preparing for the future.
Stephen is a dynamic and thought provoking workshop facilitator and trainer with excellent communication skills and an extensive knowledge of how cities work and are governed. At a time when it can be a challenge to get people to see issues differently, I was impressed with the way that Stephen seamlessly introduced ideas and different ways of thinking into the group dynamic. He collaborated with me as CEO to successfully engage Elected Members and Senior Executives to create a shared understanding of the opportunities the City of Prospect has moving forward.
Stephen intimately understands cities and the role of innovation and technology in their evolution. He is a dynamic thinker, effective collaborator and articulate communicator.
A brilliantly innovative talk. Clearly the best delivery in years.
A dynamic and thought-provoking keynote speaker who captivates audiences with his energy and insight... Highly recommended for any event looking to spark innovation.
A powerhouse presenter who can hold an audience on the edge of their seats with his fascinating insights into the world of tomorrow.
An extremely well respected, innovative and creative urban expert who is visionary but practical.
