Book William Higham to speak at your event
Book William Higham to speak at your event
Next Big Thing CEO William Higham helps his audiences find profitable ways to navigate the future.
Business uncertainty today can be challenging for any organisation or leader. Whether you’re trying to plan strategy, justify spend on new tech or identify the skills you’ll need in your next employee. But William can help.
William is a globally renowned speaker on Business Futures and Behavioural Strategy. Skilled in innovation, foresight, growth, leadership, uncertainty and transformation, he’s spent twenty years helping brands successfully anticipate and navigate the future.
His talks help leaders prepare for any changes that might come their way: customers to employees, technology to ethics, Finance to Luxury.
He’s delighted audiences at events for FT and Barclaycard, Disney and Colgate, from San Antonio to Seoul. His talks have inspired leaders to face the future without fear, armed with practical ways to handle any challenge they encounter.
[Click above to watch clips from some of William’s talks]
William’s delivered insights for multiple major brands
Audiences love William’s talks
Audiences love William’s talks
“Our ExCo team really enjoyed the session with William. Very thought provoking, it helped ignite our imaginations about what more we can do here at the CAA.” Lucy Robbins, Director of People & Culture, Civil Aviation Authority
“Will’s provocative insights inspired the audience to think up new ways to serve tomorrow’s consumer.” Matt Houston, Director of Strategy, Primark
“William was engaging and thought provoking – and set our agenda for change. It was great working with him.” Mike Hulse, Senior Sales, Philips
“His insights and expertise were pivotal in shaping the day’s thought-provoking discussions – and helped make the event a success.” Kim Tangsuk, Head of Higher Education Programmes Asia, British Council
“Will gave great insights into the ways consumers are changing, and how companies will need to adapt their strategy.” Michaela Ridgeway, Senior Content Editor, Financial Times Global Conferences
“He delivered real food for thought: inspiring ideas and practical stimulus for discussions and workshops.” Charlie Gower, Head of Insight, Hiscox
“William got the brief exactly, and delivered just the kind of speech we wanted.” Laura Kozasvili, Head of Events, British Property Federation
MOST POPULAR TALK
Don’t Fear Uncertainty – Exploit It
How to lead in a volatile world
MOST POPULAR TALK
Don’t Fear Uncertainty – Exploit It
How to lead in a volatile world
2026 is proving another highly volatile year for business. Many executives are understandably anxious about how to proceed. But they don’t need to be.
I believe uncertainty isn’t something to fear but to embrace, because it offers far more opportunities than calm. As Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna said: “You can’t overtake 15 cars in sunny weather. But you can when it’s raining.”
In this, my most popular talk, I distil the 15 years I’ve spent in Uncertainty Management into a guide to exploiting uncertainty for growth and profit.
I explore practical ways to combine diversification, improvisation and collaboration with flexibility, flatter hierarchies and a founder mindset not just to avoid disruptive threats, but to identify and capitalise on multiple new opportunities.
LATEST TALK
Luxury As Self-Care
Opportunities in the new New Luxury
LATEST TALK
Luxury As Self-Care
Opportunities in the new New Luxury
We’ve all seen attitudes to Luxury shifting radically in the last decade. It’s less about your Cash and more about your Conscience. But a new young wave of Luxury Consumers are shifting the goalposts yet again.
They’re no longer trying to ‘justify’ their spending. They’re embracing it as part of a balanced lifestyle. Less Conscious Luxury, more Emotional Luxury.
As a result, they are differentiating less between Luxury and Necessity. They’re increasingly expecting the same levels of convenience and enjoyment from both.
Tomorrow’s Luxury Consumer will combine a passion for wellbeing, informality and family with an expectation of convenience, personalisation and service. And if you’re not ready to help them find that, you need to start preparing to do so – and fast.
POPULAR TALK
Collaborative, Creative, Change-friendly
How to build a workforce fit for the future
In tomorrow’s uncertain business landscape, the most successful companies won’t be those with the best products or marketing teams. They’ll be those that can best adapt to new circumstances. Those with the best organisation: the most efficiently run offices, smartest workflows and resource allocation, inspiring cultures and engaged, productive employees.
But legacy environments and reporting structures are really hampering many companies’ productivity, engagement and efficiency. The introduction of hybrid was a good start – but much more needs to be done.
In this talk, I look at what CEOs and CHROs can do to rebuild the enterprise: creating environments and organisational structures ready for the future.
How to create structures that give individuals flexibility while fostering a collaborative, engaged community across hybrid workforces. That build flatter, results-driven hierarchies with a common purpose. That use new technologies like AI and IoT to empower individuals and improve workflows.
POPULAR TALK
Managing from X to Z
Engage multiple generations in Tomorrow’s workplace
Different age groups have always had different work needs, expectations and drivers. Your attitudes to work depend on when you grew up: in boom or bust, with a money-oriented or moralistic culture, the tech you had, who your role models were. And clashes can occur when your older/younger bosses or teammates don’t share those attitudes.
Generational differences have always caused friction at work. But right now? In the middle of a major Culture War? It’s not just friction, it’s a powder keg.
So how can you defuse the situation? How can you satisfy three very different generations’ needs and still keep everyone happy?
I’ve spent years tracking how needs evolve and what works across age groups. I’ve led multiple cross-generational teams – and projects aimed at specific generations. I’ve used this knowledge to create a talk to help.
The talk explores what’s shaped each generation, what it values at work and, vitally, how to help them all ‘play nicely’ together. Using interaction , discussion and reflection, I leverage the audience’s own experiences to build clear, practical advice that can be implemented immediately.