Jim Carroll

Global Futurist, AI Speaker, Trends and Innovation Expert

Jim Carroll is recognized as the world’s leading futurist, trends and innovation experts, with a massive global blue-chip client list. Over the last 30 years, more than 2 million people have shared his insight at his events. Jim’s global client list gives him a front-row seat to the high-velocity change that is occurring as disruption comes to take hold of every industry and every organization. With that insight, and the customized research that he undertakes for every engagement, he helps to transform growth-oriented organizations into high-velocity innovation heroes! Jim provides high energy keynotes for audiences of 50 to 5,000, as well as intimate, customized strategic planning sessions for CEO/CxO, board, and senior management meetings. He has researched key innovation success factors for dozens of organizations and industries including life sciences, health care, insurance, automotive, manufacturing, agriculture, technology, education, government, consumer products, retail, banking and countless others. He has been invited in by NASA, Disney, PGA of America, Pfizer, World Bank, and the Wall Street Journal for his perspective on disruptive trends.

  • Jim Carroll Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type

    Please Inquire

  • Languages Spoken

    English

  • Travels From

    Canada

  • Jim Carroll Keynote Speaker Fee Fee range is for U.S. events, depending on location and organization type

    Please Inquire

  • Languages Spoken

    English

  • Travels From

    Canada

Suggested Keynote Speaker Programs

Solving the Acceleration Paradox: A New Playbook for the Future of Work

The future is arriving faster than ever, creating what Futurist Jim Carroll calls the “Acceleration Paradox”: a world of unprecedented opportunity that also fuels significant risk and instability. For leaders, this has created a critical blind spot—the  ...

The future is arriving faster than ever, creating what Futurist Jim Carroll calls the “Acceleration Paradox”: a world of unprecedented opportunity that also fuels significant risk and instability. For leaders, this has created a critical blind spot—the  Acceleration Paradox.

A recent survey uncovered that 85% of employers are prioritizing upskilling for a complex new future – and yet,  their own managers are sounding the alarm, with 64% believing their employees cannot keep pace with future skill needs. This has created a workforce where a staggering 76% of workers feel unprepared for the future of their roles—a crisis compounded by the fact that 39% of core skills are expected to be disrupted by 2030.

The key to the future of work? Solving this paradox by developing a workforce that is ready for tomorrow!

For over 30 years, Jim Carroll has guided the world’s most iconic organizations—including NASA, Pfizer, and The Walt Disney Company—through eras of intense change by providing a unique, trends-oriented view into the future of work. This is not another talk about HR theory; it is a CEO and senior leadership team briefing that provides an actionable playbook to solve the Acceleration Paradox by building a team that understands and aligns with the future skills required for tomorrow.

In this powerful, zero-fluff keynote, Jim provides the essential operating manual for aligning your organization to the speed of modern innovation. You will walk away with a clear framework to:

  • Go Beyond HR Theory with an Industry-Specific Roadmap: The future of work is not one-size-fits-all. This keynote is built on deep, customized research into your sector—the same level of insight Jim has provided to clients across manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and more. Discover the specific operational and technological trends redefining your reality, and learn how to build a skills strategy that addresses the unique work of your industry.
  • Build an AI-Augmented Talent Architecture: The old model of “reskilling” is broken, and the “lack of time” is the biggest barrier to growth. The future belongs to organizations that deploy “just-in-time knowledge”. Jim reveals a new talent architecture for the AI era, showing you how to leverage AI as a “tireless technical partner” to integrate learning into the flow of work, creating an augmented workforce that adapts at the pace of change.
  • Close the Advanced Skills Gap Before It’s Too Late: The future of work isn’t just about AI; the “Factory 4.0 Revolution” demands a new breed of professional with tangible, world-changing skills. You must architect a workforce that can manage collaborative robots on the factory floor, operate autonomous tractors on the connected farm, build 4D digital twins for intelligent infrastructure, and turn breakthroughs in accelerated materials science into market-ready products. Jim provides a concrete plan to future-proof your team’s capabilities for the fast-moving physical world of tomorrow.
  • Ignite Your Innovation Spark to Win the War for Talent: Your best people aren’t just employees; they are your primary engine for innovation. Learn how to build a culture filled with “innovation oxygen” that attracts and retains the highly-skilled “nomadic workers” who define tomorrow. Discover the leadership strategies to ignite their creative spark and ensure your organization becomes an employer of choice, building the future from within.

Actionable Takeaways for Your Leadership Team:

  • A research-backed framework to diagnose and close the “Readiness Paradox” within your own organization.
  • An industry-specific roadmap to the key trends and future skills that will define your success.
  • Actionable strategies to cultivate a culture of “just-in-time knowledge” and build an AI-augmented workforce.
  • A concrete plan to close the advanced skills gap in areas like robotics, digital twins, and accelerating science.

Stop strategizing for the future of HR and start building the future of your industry. It’s time to solve the Acceleration Paradox and build a workforce that doesn’t just survive the future—but drives it.

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The Opportunity Horizon: Decoding Critical Trends to Future-Proof Your Business

In a world of relentless change, the greatest risk isn’t disruption itself, but the failure to see it coming. This high-impact keynote cuts through the noise to reveal the specific, critical megatrends—from economic volatility and supply chain reinvention to ...

In a world of relentless change, the greatest risk isn’t disruption itself, but the failure to see it coming.

This high-impact keynote cuts through the noise to reveal the specific, critical megatrends—from economic volatility and supply chain reinvention to genomics and the future of work—that will define the next decade of your industry. It’s designed for organizations that need to move beyond reactive strategies and build a concrete, actionable plan to turn future trends into a sustainable competitive advantage.

Your team will leave with a clear framework to identify transformative opportunities, mitigate emerging risks, and align your strategic thinking to the definitive realities of tomorrow.

While the core message is universal, the content is always deeply customized to focus on the unique challenges and opportunities within your specific sector, including Manufacturing, Retail, Agriculture, Healthcare, and Education.

This is the same level of deep, customized foresight that Jim has provided to some of the world’s most demanding organizations.

From briefing NASA on the future of space exploration to guiding Mercedes-Benz on the next decade of automotive change, Jim is renowned for his meticulous research process. He invests significant time to understand your unique industry landscape, ensuring the trends he decodes are not just insightful but immediately relevant and actionable for your team.

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Beyond Digital: Your Strategic Transition to an AI-Powered Business

Artificial intelligence isn’t just another technology trend—it’s the most profound business transformation of our time. While many are paralyzed by the hype and complexity, this keynote delivers a clear, jargon-free, and actionable roadmap for leaders. It moves ...

Artificial intelligence isn’t just another technology trend—it’s the most profound business transformation of our time.

While many are paralyzed by the hype and complexity, this keynote delivers a clear, jargon-free, and actionable roadmap for leaders. It moves beyond the theoretical and the hype to reveal the practical applications of generative AI, machine intelligence, and automation for your specific industry.

This session is designed specifically for leadership teams who need to understand how to leverage AI to accelerate efficiency, innovate new products and services, and build a lasting competitive advantage.

Your team will leave with a strategic framework for harnessing AI as a powerful engine for growth, ensuring your organization is positioned not just to compete, but to win in the new era of intelligent systems.

For over 30 years, Jim has guided global innovators through massive technological shifts. His insight into AI is grounded in decades of experience advising organizations like Microsoft and Volvo on digital transformation.

He has a unique ability to make complex technological topics relevant to CEOs, senior executives, and association leaders, translating abstract concepts into a practical playbook for action and transforming organizations into high-velocity innovation heroes.

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Leadership in the Era of Acceleration: Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast

In today’s market, speed is the ultimate competitive advantage, yet many organizations are slowed by uncertainty and a fear of disruption. This keynote is a practical, battle-tested playbook for leaders who need to build agile, resilient, and high-performing teams....

In today’s market, speed is the ultimate competitive advantage, yet many organizations are slowed by uncertainty and a fear of disruption.

This keynote is a practical, battle-tested playbook for leaders who need to build agile, resilient, and high-performing teams.

It provides concrete strategies to foster a culture that empowers bold thinking, executes with precision, and thrives on complexity. Rather than abstract theory, this session delivers a clear framework for making faster decisions, leading through ambiguity, and aligning your team for high-velocity results.

Your leaders will leave equipped with the tools and mindset necessary to move beyond simply managing change and start architecting the future.

This leadership framework has been shared with over 2 million people in audiences worldwide and is trusted by the world’s most influential organizations, from The World Bank to the PGA of America. Jim’s approach is to deliver actionable strategies that empower leaders to navigate volatility and inspire their teams to get moving.

The goal is to provide the insight needed to move forward with big ideas and bold action, creating a culture that is aligned with the disruptive, accelerating realities of tomorrow.

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The Innovator’s Playbook: How to Drive Growth in Any Economic Climate

Volatility isn’t a threat; it’s the single greatest opportunity for innovation. This keynote delivers a compelling strategic guide for leaders who want to build a world-class engine for creativity and transformation. It draws on powerful lessons from companies that ...

Volatility isn’t a threat; it’s the single greatest opportunity for innovation.

This keynote delivers a compelling strategic guide for leaders who want to build a world-class engine for creativity and transformation. It draws on powerful lessons from companies that thrived during past downturns, providing a clear path to accelerate your organization into its faster future.

This session challenges leaders to reject pessimism and double down on transformation to capture market share. It’s focused on the practical application of creativity to achieve tangible growth, providing your team with a new mindset that sees opportunity in uncertainty. Your audience will leave with the tools to unlock your team’s creative potential and drive relentless innovation.

This playbook is built on the same principles of creativity and strategic foresight that Jim has shared with iconic innovators like The Walt Disney Company. He understands that true innovation isn’t generic; it comes from unlocking the unique creative potential buried within your team.

The keynote is directly related to his new book on the topic, released in June 2025. Dancing in the Rain: How Bold Leaders Grow Stronger in Stormy Times provides concise insight into the pathways to innovate through uncertainty.

Through his deep customization process, Jim aligns this keynote to your specific challenges, ensuring your team leaves with a practical framework to turn disruptive offense into real, tangible growth opportunities.

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About Keynote Speaker Jim Carroll

In a world of relentless disruption, Jim Carroll provides the clarity and foresight leaders need to navigate change and own the future. For over 30 years, he has been one of the world’s leading experts on the trends shaping our world, sharing his insights with over 2 million people at events worldwide.

What sets Jim apart is his deep commitment to providing highly customized, heavily researched, and industry-specific guidance. He transforms growth-oriented organizations into high-velocity innovation heroes by helping them see disruptive trends and act on opportunity.

Jim’s client list spans nearly every industry, a testament to his ability to deliver relevant, impactful insights for any audience. He has been trusted by organizations such as:

  • Technology & Science: NASA, Microsoft, SAP, US Air Force Research Laboratory
  • Corporate & Finance: The World Bank, Wall Street Journal, National Australia Bank
  • Consumer, Food & Entertainment: The Walt Disney Organization, Godiva, Subway
  • Healthcare & Pharma: Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Novartis
  • Associations & Events: PGA of America, World Government Summit, Swiss Innovation Forum

His projects are as unique as his clients. Jim has explored the future of the space industry for NASA (twice), accelerated innovation in golf for the PGA of America, and detailed the future of healthcare for Pfizer, just six months before the pandemic.

Jim’s authority on innovation is recognized globally. BusinessWeek named him one of four leading sources for insight on creativity and innovation, and he was a featured expert on the prime-time CNBC series, The Business of Innovation. His work has been covered by the BBC, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and many other global publications.

He is the author of numerous books, including Dancing in the Rain, Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast, and The Future Belongs to Those Who Are Fast.

Whether delivering a high-energy keynote to an audience of 5,000 or leading an intimate strategic planning session for a C-suite team, Jim provides a powerful roadmap for future success.

Testimonials

“On behalf of the entire Innovative Technology Partnerships Office, thank you for your engaging and thought-provoking presentation at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. From the feedback we have received, the event was a great success. Thank you for sharing your insight and expertise with us!”

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

 

“We were extremely pleased with Jim’s presentation… the content was bang-on and would hopefully prompt people to think about the rapidity of change going on in our world!. Jim’s storytelling approach really helps to get his points across! He did a great job!”

Walt Disney Company

 

“A stunning keynote with extremely powerful insight. Humour, energy, deep research and relevant content for our audience. We loved him!”

Swiss Innovation Forum

 

“Jim Carroll is an exceptional speaker. Period! Jim was the keynote for our U.S. Manufacturing Summit to support advanced manufacturing technologies. He has a boundless energy to support his well crafted presentation. It was thoughtful, persuasive, and entertaining! You have to experience Jim Carroll!”

DVIRC

 

Jim Carroll delivered an excellent and powerful keynote at our annual Innovation Summit. We selected Jim because of his accessibility and passion to tailor his expertise to fit our vision, this combination produced exceptional results. We will certainly be partnering with Jim in the future and recommend you do the same.

Amsted Rail

 

“Jim is one of the best speakers we had. He had excellent information that our attendees could take home and incorporate it into their plans immediately. He also incorporated our messages into his presentation that helped localize the information for our group. Highly recommended!”

Illinois Bureau of Tourism

 

Media

Article

Jul 8, 2022

Futurist Jim Carroll says Seize Opportunities, Not Fads!

  Are crypto, the metaverse, and all these new ‘sexy fads’ really worth your company’s time? Futurist Jim Carroll explains...

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