Jesse Brown

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• The Golden Opportunity of the Post-Pandemic Workplace

   We’re almost back to normal and nothing will ever be the same again. After a historic disruption to our everyday lives, we have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to rebuild our work lives with intention and purpose. We miss each other, we are tired of Zoom meetings, we need to change out of our sweatpants and reconnect in person. But do we really want all of it back? The long commutes? Cubicle work? All-staff meetings in which only three people participate?

  Workers and organizations alike suddenly have the option to pick and choose what is most meaningful about in-person collaboration, and what can best be done at home. Office buildings may never be the same, work travel is forever changed. The role of technology has taken a great leap forward, the responsibility to curb emissions has never felt more serious. In this fun and thoughtful talk, Jesse Brown reviews how cutting-edge organizations are seizing the moment to build a new, better normal.

• After Disruption: What Comes Next

  For years we’ve studied and praised leaders like Steve Jobs who “think different” and disruptive innovators like Mark Zuckerberg who “move fast and break things”. But the world is finally contending with the dark side of disruption!

  As a startup entrepreneur and news journalist who has covered the #MeToo movement, Jesse Brown has a unique perspective on a shift taking place in our industries and institutions: the push is on to create workplace cultures where everyone is empowered. Collaboration, compassion, humility, and patience are now taking equal space with dynamism, rule-breaking, and relentlessness. The goal is to follow disruption with creation, and to create sustainable, creative teams that aren’t looking for a quick exit.

  Using personal stories, humour, and real world examples from Silicon Valley, Brown leaves audiences with tangible tips on how to stay ahead of the shifting currents and create cultures where everyone is excited to show up for work each day.

• The Next Canada

  What does the future hold for this country? Are Canada’s institutions and economy at odds with rapid technological change? Are we keeping up? From business to government to education, disruption is coming. Jesse Brown draws on his experiences in technology and media to present this fast-paced and thought-provoking keynote about the exciting and challenging shifts ahead, and how to stay on top of them.

• Productivity and Collaboration in the Age of Digital Distraction

  Has technology actually made us more productive, or does it just distract us with endless diversions? In this interactive presentation, Jesse Brown explains how the world’s most progressive organizations are rethinking productivity and tapping into the collaborative social dynamics of the transparent, networked workplace.

• Leadership, Courage, and Humour Through Change

  How do you lead a team through times of disruption, upheaval, and chaos? What happens when both your organization and the world stop working the way they used to, and nobody is sure what’s next? This presentation combines stories from the world and from first-hand experience to provide insights and levity for overcoming anxious times.