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Azeem Azhar Keynote Speaker and technology futurist

Azeem Azhar

Founder of Exponential View | Author of The Exponential Age | Executive Fellow, Harvard Business School | Global Authority on AI & Exponential Technology

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Azeem Azhar is one of the world's most trusted guides to the future. Founder of the Exponential View platform, author of the Financial Times Best Book The Exponential Age, and an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School, he has spent three decades at the frontier of emerging technology. On stage, he turns the complexity of AI and exponential change into clarity, strategy, and genuine optimism for senior audiences.

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    Azeem Azhar biography

    Azeem Azhar is one of the world’s most trusted guides to the future. A technology analyst, entrepreneur, and investor, he has spent three decades at the frontier of emerging technology, and he has a rare gift for making sense of it: explaining not just what artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and synthetic biology can do, but what they mean for business, the economy, and society. Through his acclaimed Exponential View platform, he helps hundreds of thousands of leaders understand where the world is heading and how to prepare.

    The futurist speaker Azeem Azhar is the founder of Exponential View, a leading research and media platform whose newsletter and podcast reach a vast global audience of executives, investors, and policymakers. He is the author of the award-winning book The Exponential Age (published as Exponential in the UK), a Financial Times Best Book of the Year, in which he introduced the idea of the “exponential gap”: the widening chasm between technologies that improve at an accelerating rate and the institutions, laws, and habits that struggle to keep up. That single idea has reframed how leaders think about disruption.

    The Exponential Gap: When Technology Outpaces Society

    Azhar’s authority is grounded in an unusually broad career. He founded and sold technology companies (his startup PeerIndex was acquired in 2014), served as the Economist’s first internet correspondent, held senior roles at the BBC and Reuters, and has advised McKinsey, Accenture, and the World Economic Forum, where he co-chairs the Global Futures Council on Complex Risk. Today he is an Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University, and he hosts the Exponential View podcast, distributed by Harvard Business Review, and Bloomberg’s Exponentially series. A Thinkers50 Radar honoree, he is also an active investor in more than thirty technology startups.

    As a speaker, Azeem Azhar turns dizzying technological complexity into clarity, strategy, and genuine optimism. He speaks on artificial intelligence and how leaders should respond, the exponential technologies reshaping the economy, the future of energy and climate tech, and how organizations can close the exponential gap and thrive amid accelerating change. Audiences leave with a coherent mental model for the future and practical guidance on what to do about it, delivered by someone who has studied these shifts longer and more deeply than almost anyone.

    Azeem Azhar Speaking Videos

    Past, Present & Future of the Exponential Transition (Azeem Azhar) | DLD 24
    How Can We Utilise AI, Blockchain & IoT to Benefit Us? Azeem Azhar Explains | Summit 2018

    Azeem Azhar Keynote Topics

    Azhar cuts through the noise around artificial intelligence to explain what is genuinely changing, what is hype, and what it means for organizations right now. Drawing on decades studying exponential technology, he gives leaders a clear framework for understanding AI's trajectory, where it will create value, and how to position their people and businesses to thrive rather than be left behind.

    The central idea from his bestselling book: technology now improves at an accelerating rate, while our organizations, laws, and norms adapt far more slowly. Azhar explains how this widening "exponential gap" drives many of the biggest challenges facing business and society, and shows leaders how to close it within their own organizations to turn disruption into advantage.

    Azhar offers a rigorously optimistic view of the energy transition. He explains how exponential improvements in renewables, batteries, and computing are moving us toward an era of cleaner, cheaper, more abundant energy, what that means for industries and investors, and how organizations can position themselves for the opportunities that a decarbonizing economy will create.

    How do the best organizations respond to relentless technological change? Azhar lays out the mindset and practices of companies that "think exponentially", anticipating which emerging technologies will matter, adapting their strategy and culture accordingly, and building the resilience to keep pace with a world that is speeding up. A practical playbook for future-proofing any business.

    Speaker topics

    AI SpeakersBestselling Author SpeakersBig Data SpeakersBusiness SpeakersDigital Transformation SpeakersEconomics Speakers

    FAQs on Booking Azeem Azhar

    Why Azeem Azhar?

    Booking Azeem Azhar gives audiences one of the most credible and clear-sighted voices on technology and the future working today. He has spent three decades at the frontier as an entrepreneur, investor, and analyst, and his Exponential View platform is trusted by hundreds of thousands of leaders worldwide. What sets him apart is his ability to connect the dots, linking AI, energy, biology, and economics into a single coherent picture, and to do it with rigor, accessibility, and optimism rather than fear. An Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and a Financial Times Best Book author, he is ideal for events on AI, technology, innovation, and the future of business. To bring Azeem Azhar to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.

    Who is Azeem Azhar?

    Azeem Azhar is a British technology analyst, entrepreneur, investor, and author widely recognized as a leading authority on exponential technologies. He is the founder of Exponential View, a research and media platform with a large global following, and the author of The Exponential Age (published as Exponential in the UK), a 2021 Financial Times Best Book of the Year. He hosts the Exponential View podcast, distributed by Harvard Business Review. An Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School and a Visiting Fellow at Oxford, he previously founded the startup PeerIndex and worked as a journalist for The Economist and The Guardian.

    What is the "exponential gap"?

    The "exponential gap" is the central concept in Azeem Azhar's book The Exponential Age. It describes the growing divide between technologies that improve at an exponential rate, such as artificial intelligence, computing, and renewable energy, and the institutions, businesses, laws, and social norms that adapt only gradually. Azhar argues that this mismatch explains many of the defining problems of our era, from market concentration and inequality to political and regulatory strain, and that understanding and closing the gap is essential for leaders who want to navigate accelerating change successfully.

    What topics does futurist speaker Azeem Azhar cover?

    Azeem Azhar speaks on artificial intelligence and how leaders should respond, the exponential technologies reshaping the economy, the future of energy and climate tech, and how to build an organization that thrives amid accelerating change. His keynotes suit events on AI, technology, innovation, the future of work, and business strategy. To book Azeem Azhar as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.

    How to book Azeem Azhar as a keynote speaker?

    Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Azeem Azhar as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Azeem Azhar's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Azeem Azhar or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.

    How much is Azeem Azhar speaking fee?

    Azeem Azhar speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Azeem Azhar to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Azeem Azhar.

    How can I contact Azeem Azhar?

    We only work with Azeem Azhar on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Azeem Azhar and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Azeem Azhar speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Azeem Azhar for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.

    Can I book Azeem Azhar for a virtual keynote?

    Yes, Azeem Azhar is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Azeem Azhar for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.