Gihan Perera

Topics

Fit For The Future

Thriving, Not Just Surviving, in a Fast-Changing World

Change is happening faster than ever – at work, at home, and in our community. That brings more uncertainty and disruption – but also opportunity and possibility.

From AI to climate action, from hybrid work to rising global tensions, the world is shifting in big and small ways. These aren’t just disruptions – they could be your next big opportunity.

You might think the future is outside your control, but you have more control than you think. We can’t be future proof, but we can be future ready. The key is knowing how to adapt, embrace new ideas, and stay flexible.

In this engaging, thought-provoking, and interactive presentation, you will explore the biggest trends shaping our world, discover how to navigate change with confidence, and walk away with practical ideas for creating your own future. Come ready to think, laugh, and leave inspired!

Key Messages:

• Understand the biggest changes shaping our world
• Be more confident in navigating change and uncertainty
• Act as an active learner and possibility thinker
• Leverage the diversity in your team and community
• Find your place – and your power – in shaping the future

This is for you if:

• Your business is facing increasing competition from inside or outside your industry
• Your people are feeling tired, stressed, burned out, and jaded – and need a spark of energy and inspiration
• You want people to take more initiative and be more open to change
• People are worried or scared about change, and you want them to have a more optimistic and positive mindset
• You want to be an employer of choice for attracting and keeping the best talent

Format:

This is one of Gihan’s most-requested presentations and is suitable for all audiences. Use this for a high-impact opening keynote, an inspiring closing keynote, or even the opening session the morning after the Gala Dinner.

• 45-60 minute conference keynote
• 90-minute extended keynote
• 45-60 minute online presentation

Leveraging AI

Humans and Machines – Better Together

The AI revolution isn’t coming – it’s already here. Tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot have opened the floodgates, making AI accessible and practical for millions. AI is already changing how we live and work – and there’s more to come. If you’re not exploring what it can do for you and your organisation, you’re falling behind.

But it’s not as simple as just switching it on and hoping for the best! You need skill, curiosity, and the right mindset to thrive in this fast-changing world. For leaders, your role is to build clarity, confidence, and capability in your team. That means helping people become AI-literate, supporting experimentation, and putting the right guardrails in place to use AI well.

In this engaging and eye-opening presentation, you’ll discover how to put AI to work – to enhance your customer experience, boost productivity and performance, increase employee engagement, and tap into the everyday creativity of your team.

Key Messages:

• Explore real-world examples of teams using AI in practical, powerful ways
• Learn how to use AI responsibly – with clear guardrails, good judgement, and ethical awareness
• Build a confident, balanced perspective on AI that balances its promise, potential, and pitfalls
• Identify the biggest opportunities for using AI in your own role, team, and organisation
• Find and nurture ‘AI champions’ to lead the way in your teams

This presentation is suitable for all audiences. It’s right for you if:

• You want to use AI, but you’re not sure how
• You’re concerned about the privacy, security, legal, and ethical implications of using AI
• You’re in a competitive industry that’s constantly changing
• You’re interested in taking on a more active role with AI at work

Format:

• 45-60 minute conference keynote
• 90-minute extended keynote
• 45-60 minute online keynote

Future-Ready Leaders

From Chaos and Confusion to Clarity and Confidence

We have already faced wave after wave of disruption, and there’s more to come. The future of work will be even more fluid – shaped by climate action, flexible work, AI and automation, shifting demographics, global power shifts, and changing community expectations.

If your people are burnt out, fed up, falling behind, and pushing back, you’re not alone! More than ever, we need leaders to step up and lead the way, providing clarity and confidence when they face chaos and confusion.

The best people can – and will – choose where, when, how, and for whom they work. Will you create a culture they want to join? And are you the sort of leader they want to follow?

In this engaging and interactive keynote for leaders and managers, you will explore the future of work, learn the must-have skills for tomorrow, and leave with practical ideas to lead your team in a fast-changing world.

Key Messages:

• Discover how smart, savvy leaders thrive through crisis, recovery, and growth
• Understand the four key elements of the future of work – and how they apply to your teams
• Learn how to leverage individual skills and talents to create a more agile, resilient, and ‘antifragile’ organisation
• Discover how to support and encourage the future-ready leaders already in your team
• Adopt a mindset of an active learner and possibility thinker

This is for you if:

• It’s becoming more difficult to attract, nurture, and reward the best people
• Your people are feeling tired, stressed, burned out, and jaded
• Your people resist change, and are worried about taking initiative or being proactive
• People waste time in office politics and other unproductive work
• It’s difficult to build a positive culture when people are sometimes working from home

Format:

• 45-60 minute conference keynote
• 90-minute extended keynote
• 45-minute online presentation

Seeing Into The Future

Practical Foresight For A Fast-Changing World

Welcome to a world shaped by constant change, uncertainty, and disruption. External pressures – from global events to emerging technologies and climate events – have far-reaching effects on our work and lives. The best leaders don’t promise certainty (nobody can), but they offer more clarity and confidence so we can make better, more well-informed decisions now.

Don’t step back, shrink your goals, or make shorter plans. Instead, think like a futurist, so you can look ahead, plan for change, and engage your team to co-create the future. Discover how to anticipate trends, spot opportunities, and prepare today for a better tomorrow.

In this compelling keynote for forward-thinking leaders at all levels, learn the essentials of futurist thinking so you can inspire, motivate, and lead your team through an uncertain – but exciting – future.

Key Messages

• Anticipate the trends and disruptions shaping your future – in your industry, community, and the wider world
• Engage your team on the journey – so it becomes a shared journey
• Tap into diverse ideas and perspectives to uncover opportunities others might miss
• Shift your mindset from reactive to proactive, and as an active learner and possibility thinker
• Build confidence, flexibility, and relevance in your plans – even when the future feels uncertain

This presentation is for leaders and managers. It’s right for you if:

• Your people are feeling tired, stressed, burned out, and jaded
• Your people – even leaders and managers – resist change, and are worried about the future
• You are working in a competitive industry that’s constantly changing
• You want teams and departments to collaborate, innovate, and share more with each other
• You need to build foresight and flexibility in your team

Format

• 45-60 minute conference keynote
• 90-minute extended keynote
• 45-60 minute online presentation

Customers On Your Side

Leverage AI To Put Customers First

The world is in flux, and so are your customers. In a world of shifting expectations, brand fatigue, and diverse wants and needs, you need to change – fast! Are you keeping up?

Your customers won’t wait. They scroll, swipe, search – and will leave in a heartbeat. If you’re still serving yesterday’s customer, you’re already behind.

Fortunately, AI unlocks new ways for you to engage, serve, and build long-term loyalty. At every touchpoint, AI can help you engage more deeply, tailor offerings to suit your customer’s needs, and provide high-quality support and service.

AI doesn’t replace your people. Instead, it supports and empowers them, reducing their workload so they can do what they do best: deliver a superior customer experience with a real human connection.

In this engaging and eye-opening presentation, you will see how to leverage AI to stay truly customer-centric. Discover how to blend empathy, innovation, and the power of AI to reach, win, and retain customers – and stay ahead of the game.

Key Messages:

• Know the key shifts reshaping customer expectations in an AI-powered world
• Understand how AI is changing the customer journey – and how to use it to your advantage
• Build stronger emotional and digital connections using AI-powered personalisation
• Learn how AI can co-create smarter, faster, more relevant solutions with your customers
• Combine diverse human perspectives and machine insights to meet evolving customer needs

This is for you if:

• Your business is facing increasing competition from inside or outside your industry
• You want a more customer-centric approach from your team
• You know AI can help you enhance your customer experience – but you don’t know how
• Your people are feeling tired, stressed, burned out, and jaded – and need a spark of energy and inspiration
• Customers have become more demanding and have different expectations

Format:

• 45-60 minute conference keynote
• 90-minute extended keynote
• 45-60 minute online presentation

Bright Sparks

Build a Culture of Change Agents

We have all had to react to wave and wave of disruption, and it’s now time to be proactive and lead the change.

Disruption and innovation are both about change, but it’s disruption when change happens to you and innovation when you create the change yourself. The most successful teams don’t just adapt to change – they lead it, with a mindset and culture that welcomes change and sees it as part of everyday life.

Innovation is everybody’s business now, but that doesn’t mean you need to invent the next iPhone, solve climate change, or build the world’s best AI system. The secret is to engage in everyday innovation: building a culture of trust, inclusion, and curiosity, where new ideas thrive and change becomes business as usual.

In this engaging and entertaining keynote, discover how to unlock everyday innovation in your team – and build a culture where change isn’t something to fear, but a way of life.

Key Messages:

• Understand the five key mindsets for future success
• Learn what leaders say that block change and innovation (you’ve probably said them yourself!)
• Boost trust, judgement, and independence in hybrid and diverse teams
• Create a culture of curiosity, learning, and continuous improvement
• Make innovation and change an everyday habit, not an optional extra
• Take more control of your own future

This is for you if:

• Your business is facing increasing competition from inside or outside your industry
• You want your team to be more proactive, rather than always having to react to change
• You know your products and services are no longer the best available to customers and clients
• Your people are feeling tired, stressed, burned out, and jaded – and need a spark of energy and inspiration
• You want people to take more initiative and be more open to change
• People are worried or scared about change, and you want them to have a more optimistic and positive mindset

This presentation is suitable for people at all levels in your organisation or can be customised specifically for leadership groups.

Format:

• 45-60 minute conference keynote
• 90-minute extended keynote
• 45-60 minute online presentation