The Best Digital Disruption & Transformation Speakers Trending in 2025
The digital landscape is evolving rapidly, pushing businesses to keep pace with technological change. The UK digital transformation market, worth £27 billion in 2022, is expected to grow at a 27.7% CAGR by 2030. Key drivers include AI, blockchain, big data, and cloud computing, with leaders guiding organisations through this disruption.
Why is Digital Transformation Important in 2025?
Digital transformation is vital for UK businesses in 2025, as those that fail to adapt risk falling behind. With rapid advances in AI, cloud computing, and automation, organisations must adopt digital solutions to remain competitive. Digitally mature firms achieve 3.2% higher annual revenue growth than less advanced peers. The government aims to save £101 million annually by 2025 through digital initiatives. Yet, 27% of businesses cite legacy systems as a barrier, and 34% face data quality issues. Embracing digital change is essential in a shifting market.
How Can a Digital Disruption Speaker Help My Business?
A digital disruption speaker provides insights into emerging trends, industry shifts, and actionable strategies to navigate the evolving digital landscape. These experts help businesses understand the impact of AI, blockchain, and cloud technologies while providing tailored approaches to innovation and transformation. Hiring a speaker ensures that your organisation stays ahead of the curve and leverages digital advancements effectively.
Who are the Top Digital Disruption & Transformation Speakers in 2025?
Gathering exclusive feedback from official event polls at 311 artificial intelligence-themed conferences and summits, collected between 2022 and 2024, The AI Speakers Agency have collated a vetted selection of the Best Digital Disruption and Transformation Speakers Trending in 2025. These experts are pioneering AI integration, digital transformation strategies, and future-proofing businesses in an ever-changing technological environment.
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- Professor Henrik von Scheel – Originator of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
- Alex Goryachev – Former Head of Innovation Strategy at Cisco
- Dame Wendy Hall – University of Southampton Regius Professor of Computer Science
- Kay Firth-Butterfield – Former Head of AI & Machine Learning for the WEF
- Baroness Martha Lane Fox – President of the British Chambers of Commerce
- Yuval Dvir – Former Head of Online Partnerships, Google Cloud
- Chris Barton – Founder of Shazam
- Cassie Kozyrkov – Former Chief Decision Scientist at Google
- Jennifer Vessels – CEO of Next Step & Future Ready Expert
- Dan Cobley – Former Managing Director of Google UK & Ireland
- Ray Kurzweil – Futurist, Inventor & Author
- Jeff Dean – Chief Scientist at Google DeepMind
1.) Professor Henrik von Scheel
Originator of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Professor Henrik von Scheel is a leading architect of digital disruption. His work on AI-driven business models has shaped strategic transformation across global industries. As a former strategist to Fortune 500 firms, he enables companies to capitalise on emerging technologies while mitigating disruption risks. Von Scheel’s expertise helps organisations redefine value chains and embed innovation in the age of AI, automation, and digitisation. His thought leadership provides a crucial roadmap for navigating the complexities of technological upheaval and turning disruption into long-term competitive advantage.
2.) Alex Goryachev
Alex Goryachev is a world-renowned innovation strategist and digital transformation leader, formerly Head of Innovation Strategy at Cisco. With deep experience scaling AI and emerging tech at Fortune 500 firms, Alex drives future-ready strategies that help businesses thrive amid digital disruption. He is a bestselling author and advisor who transforms innovation into tangible business value. Goryachev’s insights bridge legacy systems with disruptive technologies like blockchain and AI, equipping organisations to lead change rather than react to it. His vision empowers firms to future-proof operations and build resilience in a fast-evolving digital economy.
3.) Dame Wendy Hall
Dame Wendy Hall, Regius Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southampton, is a trailblazer in AI and web science. Her decades-long career in data governance and AI ethics positions her as a pivotal voice in the digital disruption space. A founding figure in hypermedia and data stewardship, she champions responsible AI adoption and tech inclusivity. Dame Wendy’s expertise is vital for organisations navigating the intersection of innovation, regulation, and transformation. Her work helps future-focused leaders design systems that are as ethical as they are technologically advanced in a disrupted digital world.
4.) Kay Firth-Butterfield
Kay Firth-Butterfield, the world’s first Chief AI Ethics Officer and former Head of AI at the World Economic Forum, is a foremost authority on ethical AI and responsible digital disruption. Her legal and academic background underpins her approach to shaping AI policy and governance amid rapid transformation. Kay’s work helps businesses innovate with trust and integrity, a necessity in today’s evolving tech landscape. Through advisory and public speaking, she enables organisations to align digital transformation with sustainable and ethical practices, ensuring long-term impact in a world being redefined by AI, automation, and emerging technologies.
5.) Baroness Martha Lane Fox
A digital pioneer and co-founder of Lastminute.com, Baroness Martha Lane Fox is an outspoken advocate for digital inclusion and innovation. As President of the British Chambers of Commerce, she champions policies that support businesses in adapting to digital disruption. Her experience in government and entrepreneurship uniquely positions her to guide organisations through systemic digital change. Martha’s insights centre on building equitable digital futures, especially as AI and automation accelerate. She advises leaders on transforming services and culture to embrace technology, while also ensuring that disruption enhances, rather than excludes, people and communities.
6.) Yuval Dvir
Yuval Dvir is a global tech executive who has spearheaded AI-led business transformation at Microsoft, Google, and SandboxAQ. A seasoned strategist in SaaS and enterprise innovation, he is an expert in leading organisations through large-scale digital disruption. Dvir’s thought leadership focuses on bridging people, data, and technology to drive sustainable change. His experience in deploying disruptive tech to optimise processes and unlock new value streams makes him a go-to speaker for navigating today’s digital acceleration. He helps leaders adapt quickly to change, making digital transformation less about tools and more about mindset and execution.
7.) Chris Barton
Chris Barton, founder of Shazam, is a serial innovator known for disrupting industries with AI-powered technologies. With over a dozen patents, Chris has helped redefine consumer engagement across platforms like Google, Dropbox, and Guard Inc. He is a sought-after speaker on digital transformation, demonstrating how bold ideas can challenge conventions and reshape entire markets. Barton empowers audiences to think disruptively, harnessing emerging tech to build breakthrough products. In a time of exponential innovation, his story and strategies illuminate how to thrive in disruption – turning obstacles into opportunities through technology and creative thinking.
8.) Cassie Kozyrkov
Cassie Kozyrkov, former Chief Decision Scientist at Google, is a pioneer of Decision Intelligence and a driving force in AI strategy. As CEO of Kozyr, she empowers businesses to transform operations through data-driven decision-making. Cassie’s work demystifies AI and translates complexity into strategic action, making her an essential voice in digital disruption. Her approach blends psychology, analytics, and machine learning to guide organisations toward intelligent transformation. With digital change reshaping industries, Cassie helps leaders reimagine processes and drive innovation with purpose, ensuring that transformation is smart, scalable, and human-centred.
9.) Jennifer Vessels
Jennifer Vessels, CEO of Next Step and founder of the Executive Growth Alliance, is a global expert in AI integration and digital transformation. Her PEACE methodology guides businesses through disruption by aligning people, ecosystems, and strategy. With clients ranging from Adobe to Google, Jennifer helps organisations future-proof their models and lead confidently in times of change. She translates abstract disruption into actionable innovation, helping leaders turn volatility into vision. Jennifer’s work equips companies to embrace AI, automation, and agility as drivers of growth and resilience in a digitally disrupted world.
10.) Dan Cobley
Dan Cobley, former Managing Director of Google UK and serial fintech entrepreneur, is an expert in AI-led disruption in financial services. He advises companies on using predictive technology and digital strategies to outperform in fast-moving markets. As a speaker, Dan connects the dots between data, disruption, and competitive advantage. His unique blend of tech expertise and commercial insight helps leaders scale innovation and mitigate disruption risks. With digital transformation reshaping customer expectations and business models, Dan empowers organisations to move beyond adaptation – towards reinvention.
11.) Ray Kurzweil
Ray Kurzweil, inventor, futurist, and Director of Engineering at Google, is a visionary thinker at the forefront of digital disruption. Renowned for predicting and pioneering exponential technologies, Ray’s insights into AI, human-machine convergence, and future trends shape how organisations prepare for tomorrow. He explores how disruption redefines life, work, and industries, urging leaders to anticipate rather than react to change. Kurzweil’s speeches ignite imagination and strategy, inspiring businesses to leverage technological revolutions not just to survive – but to shape the future.
12.) Jeff Dean
Jeff Dean, Senior Fellow and SVP at Google Research & AI, is a foundational figure in machine learning and deep learning. As the architect behind some of Google’s most powerful AI systems, Jeff’s work continues to disrupt traditional computing models. His expertise helps organisations understand and harness the infrastructure of modern AI. Jeff offers deep technical insights and practical frameworks to help leaders embed AI into their transformation agendas. At a time when digital disruption is defining the business landscape, his vision guides companies from aspiration to real, measurable innovation.
Hire a Digital Distruption & Transformation Speaker Today!
If you are looking to increase your understanding of artificial intelligence, look no further! Hire a World-leading artificial intelligence speaker today with The AI Speakers Agency! To hire an AI speaker, either enquire about one of the speakers in this post, or browse our other talented artificial intelligence speakers. Contact one of our dedicated booking agents on 0203 4109897 or complete our online contact form, to secure the perfect artificial intelligence speaker for 2025 events!
- General News
- 5 March, 2025
