Anne Connelly

Anne Connelly Speaking Topics

• Blockchain and the Future of Decentralized Societies

  The foundation of our society is built on trust - trust in governments, banks, and other institutions. But what happens when we can't trust the institutions we depend on? How can we reimagine what society looks like in a more globally connected digital world?

  Blockchain technology enables us to completely redesign society by shifting power back into the hands of communities themselves. Using decentralized models, foundational elements of communities like money, identity, and governance can be reimagined to create a more democratized and accessible world.

  Anne Connelly has over a decade of experience in the blockchain sector. In this talk, she’ll cover the basics of blockchain technology, look at how it impacts our lives as individuals, how it enables us to connect as communities, and what it will mean for traditional businesses. Touching on topics like cryptocurrencies, self-sovereign identities, and decentralized governance models, she’ll inspire you to see beyond the headlines and understand how the decentralization enabled by blockchains is impacting the world’s most vulnerable people. Finally, she’ll look at how the convergence of blockchains with other technologies will create a new world for humans as a species.

  Blockchain is a powerful technology that has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries. It is still in its early stages, but it has the potential to create a more secure, transparent, and efficient world. This talk is relevant for professionals across a variety of industries and will educate and inform people who are both completely new to blockchain as well as those who already have experience.

• Future Canvas: A Strategic Foresight Workshop

  Sharpen your strategic thinking and future-readiness in this interactive session designed to help teams anticipate change and navigate uncertainty. Using collaborative tools and visual mapping techniques, we’ll explore a key emerging trend or bold idea and trace its ripple effects — from immediate implications to long-term impacts. The process helps participants uncover blind spots, evaluate potential risks, and surface new opportunities in a structured, creative way. Whether you're shaping strategy, driving innovation, or preparing for disruption, you'll leave this workshop better equipped to make informed decisions in an increasingly complex world.

• Headlines from the Future: A Visionary Thinking Workshop

  This is an engaging and thought-provoking session where participants review newspaper headlines related to future technological or societal milestones. Groups work together to predict when these headlines will appear on a timeline. By projecting themselves into the future, attendees will creatively articulate how today's decisions might shape tomorrow's world. This activity encourages participants to think beyond the immediate, sparking innovative ideas and strategic insights that can guide planning and decision-making. The workshop is ideal for anyone looking to sharpen their foresight skills and envision transformative possibilities for the future.

• Intro to Exponential Thinking

  Our world is changing at an exponential pace. In this talk, Anne Connelly will teach you how to change your mindset to adapt to this pace, and become an exponential leader. You’ll learn about the 6 D’s of exponential thinking: digitization, deception, disruption, demonetization, dematerialization, and democratization, and how they can help us prepare for the future. She will provide examples of exponential growth in the world, and highlight companies who have changed their strategies to thrive in a world of change. Perfect for executives looking to amp up their team’s performance, this session will inspire participants to take a future forward approach to leadership, and guide them through the process of creating a Massive Transformative Purpose and define how they can use their skills and talents to create a positive impact on the world.

• Creating Impact in an Exponential World

  Everyone has the ability to create impact - but what does it mean to create impact in an exponential world? One where the impact of your actions can be multiplied and magnified. Where the choices you make today can have a ripple effect that extends far into the future. And how can you, as one of today's most capable leaders, define your own role in creating that change?

  In this talk, Anne Connelly brings over a decade of experience in the impact sector to walk you through how today’s view of creating impact is changing with the adoption of new technologies like 3D printing, blockchain, robotics, artificial intelligence, and more. Learn about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and how the world’s most pressing crises are being tackled today. See case studies on how traditional businesses have reimagined their purpose, prioritizing the positive impacts their organizations can produce.

  Perfect for executives looking to amp up their team’s performance, this session will inspire participants to take an impact-based approach to leadership, and guide them through the process of creating a Massive Transformative Purpose and define how they can use their skills and talents to create a positive impact on the world.