Ken Hughes
- Author •
- Futurist •
- TED Speaker
Ken Hughes is now acknowledged as being one of the world’s leading authorities on modern consumer and B2B culture. He is internationally renowned for helping his largely blue-chip client base to understand the future of consumerism and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
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- English ,
- Italian
Ken Hughes's 2024 biography
Ken Hughes’ background
With 20 years’ experience as CEO of a consumer insight agency, he blends his understanding of consumer & cyber psychology, digital anthropology, behavioural economics and digital transformation to explore the needs of the new consumer and predict the changes to come.
Ken advises some of the biggest brands in the world on customer experience, omnichannel strategy, artificial intelligence, retail trends, digital transformation, the millennial and Gen Z consumer and the peer-to-peer economy.
As an accomplished author, TED speaker, part-time university lecturer and actor, his performances are not only insightful and thought-provoking but are infamous for their sheer energy, entertainment and passion, not to mention his generous Irish wit.
As a motivational speaker, Ken also brings attendees on an amazing journey of personal development, challenging them to do more with their lives, both professionally and personally. He is known as one of the most powerful motivational speakers on the circuit relating to employee motivation, delivering a perfect blend of inspiration and energy to any audience.
In 2020, from his purpose-built home studio, Ken performs and beams into homes and offices across every continent. Now considered one of the world’s top virtual speakers and recently voted the best speakers to ever present at Google EMEA HQ, he continues to engage and inspire audiences as he did on a live stage.
Articles and podcasts
Ken Hughes's 2024 talks & topics
The captive economy: the re-awakening
Understanding the Post Covid19 Consumer
We have been discussing Disruption for the last 20 years. Most of it has been technologically driven, with some industries (travel agents, print magazines, movie rental stores) disrupted to the point of non-existence. Disruption brings change, and only the fittest survive.
In this speech, we explore the new values of the Captive Economy consumer and how these values have changed what they expect from brands and business as a whole. This is a revaluation of consumer values, and learning how to best leverage these new values for your business success.
Artificial intelligence: Where silicon meets soul
Artificial Intelligence is one of those wide terms that covers an enormous amount of activity, from natural language consumer-to-machine conversation (think Alexa and Siri) through to robotics, automation, algorithms and machine learning. The AI machine has buried its way into your everyday already. Just look at how our lives are influenced by the algorithms and machine learning all around us.
This speech looks at where we have come from, where we are and where it could all be going. AI isn’t about the machines. It is about how we keep our influence and consumer communications as the algorithms and robots step in.
The blue dot consumer: Understanding the modern new consumer
Every company and industry is resourcing for disruption, bending rules, breaking moulds and challenging norms. Preparing for change is difficult as by its very nature, change can be uncertain – that’s why they call it DISRUPTION and not PREDICTIVE CHANGE.
This speech challenges any business to look at their future through the lens of their future consumer. We look at the social, cultural and cyber behavioural forces pressing on humanity, and how changes in consumer expectations have forever changed the game. Today’s consumer expects a frictionless and seamless experience at every touch-point, has little tolerance for failure but will become a tribal brand fan if you get it right.
Disruption is a positive force if you harness what is happening around you but an amazingly destructive one if you ignore the changing nature of consumer values.
Adapting work to the new world: Why your employee experience is everything
How do we best inspire and motivate employees in today’s society? How do we manage their expectations about wanting to be the CEO within 24-months without crushing their desire to lead? How do we cope with their need for immediate continuous feedback? Simultaneously, they are a generation reared on collaboration (what is social media but a shared platform of Ideas and Information), and they will look for such collaborative opportunities in their everyday work. This may be great Inside your organization, but you might get upset when you see them at lunch with your competitors, eager to solve Industry issues.
This speech looks at the new values these employees now hold dear and how the workplace of the future needs to deliver.
What the FUCX? Why your customer experience is everything
There is a reason everyone is talking about CX. Every article you read on LinkedIn, every congress you attend, every branding podcast you listen to. The Customer Experience is paramount to success. OK, we get it. Or do we?
This speech is an entertaining and informative look at the modern consumer and their expectations, how and why the bar has been set high for CX and what your brand and business should be considering. Don’t be caught scratching your head, wondering why your business has lost share, muttering ‘what the FUCX’?
The innovation engine: Fueling personal success
Every corporate organisation recognises that creativity and innovation are the fuel that will drive their engine to success. The problem is that most organisations fail in catalysing this creativity, and so the innovation funnel runs dry. If we are to push established boundaries, challenge norms and solve problems in new ways then we have to change our approach. We have to avoid routine thinking, and it has to start with the individual.
This unique speech challenges delegates at an individual level to rewire how they think and act, to build a culture of creativity from the ground up. There will always be personal and professional disruption. The difference between being a victim and victor of these changes is in your response and attitude.