Technology:
What's Next?
A technology and innovation keynote for leaders and teams making sense of change. Explore how technology reshapes work, business and daily life—and where human judgement still matters.
Why this talk
Technology conversations often get trapped between hype and fear. This keynote offers a more useful view: emerging tools rarely change one job in isolation; they reshape tasks, customer expectations, business models and daily life.
Assembly lines, ATMs, industrial robotics and technology-enabled customer service reveal a recurring pattern: technology changes the economics of work; imagination shapes the outcome.
What audiences leave with
- Separate durable technological shifts from short-lived hype.
- Understand how technology reshapes tasks, roles, markets and everyday behaviour.
- See why productivity gains can create new demand, services and forms of work.
- Recognise where human judgment, creativity, trust and care become more valuable.
- Use a practical approach to experiment, learn and redesign work before change is imposed.
Technology changes tasks. Leaders shape the outcome.
Assembly line
Faster production enabled manufacturers to scale and employ more people.
ATMs
Lower branch costs changed teller work rather than ending it.
Industrial robotics
Routine automation supported growth and more specialised roles.
Technology-enabled service
Routine queries can move to tools while people focus on higher-value advice.
A strong fit for
Leadership conferences, future-of-work events, strategy and innovation offsites, transformation programmes, and teams navigating technological change.
How to embrace what comes next
Start with work worth improving, not technology looking for a use. Run small experiments, measure what changes and redesign roles around the new capability.
Format
A tailored keynote with optional Q&A, adapted to your audience and event objective. Available in English or Dutch.
Download the one-pager
A concise summary you can share with your event team.
From ‘what is coming?’ to ‘what does it mean for us?’
An innovation event does not have to choose between breathless optimism and fear of replacement. This talk uses patterns from earlier technological shifts to make today’s questions more concrete: which tasks change, what customers value and where people can add something technology cannot.
This is a people-and-business perspective, not technical implementation training or a forecast with guaranteed dates. It helps an audience frame better questions before deciding what to explore.
The conversation after the keynote
Which part of your work would benefit from a small technology experiment—and which part depends on trust, context or judgement?
Planning this keynote
Who is this keynote a strong fit for?
Leadership conferences, future-of-work events, strategy and innovation offsites, transformation programmes, and teams navigating technological change.
What duration works best?
Share the time available in your agenda. Mick can then discuss the most useful keynote format and whether to include the optional Q&A.
Is the keynote available in English or Dutch?
Yes. The keynote is available in English or Dutch.
Can the keynote be tailored to our event?
Yes. It is tailored to your audience and event objective, with an optional Q&A.
Can it be delivered in person or online?
Include your preferred format and location in your enquiry. Mick will confirm what is possible for your event.
How do I discuss or book this keynote?
Email Mick with your event date, audience, objective, available time and preferred format or location. He will discuss the fit and help shape the most useful angle for your event.
Mick Brands
Mick is a strategic advisor and speaker. More than a decade at Oracle and Google grounds his practical stories about growth, people and technology.
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