AI Keynote Speaker in Australia, Based in Sydney
Dr Mark van Rijmenam, CSP
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Dr. Mark van Rijmenam, CSP, is a futurist and global AI keynote speaker based in Sydney. He helps leadership teams decide what AI, and the technologies that follow it, mean for their organization. He has given 200+ keynotes to 100,000+ leaders in 32+ countries on six continents, with a 9.2/10 average keynote rating. Global Gurus ranked him the #8 futurist in 2024, #1 in 2025 and #3 in 2026.
I'm a futurist and AI keynote speaker, and Sydney is home. I speak at conferences, and I work with leadership teams at their retreats, offsites and board meetings through the Intelligence Age Readiness Briefing. Your leaders leave knowing what's coming, what it means for your business and what to decide first.
An AI-generated audio overview of my work on AI readiness.
Based in Sydney, easy to book across Australia
I earned my PhD at the University of Technology Sydney, and my company, The Digital Speaker, is based in the city. In 2011, I cycled 14,122 kilometers around Australia with my friend Reinier, without a support crew. The four moves that road taught me became my WAVE framework: Watch, Adapt, Verify, Empower.
For an event in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide or Canberra, I fly in from Sydney. Every Australian capital is a domestic flight away, and I take bookings in New Zealand too. And because I have spoken in 32+ countries on six continents, I bring what I see in other markets into an Australian room.
Recent Australian stages
Australian events I have spoken at include:
- Atlassian: the closing keynote at Team on Tour Sydney, ICC Sydney, 11 March 2026, on what it takes to embed AI into everyday work, from decision-making to delivery. I also spoke at Team on Tour Hong Kong in November 2025.
- RADIUS 2026 Construction Networking Forum: a keynote at Crown Towers Sydney, Barangaroo, 8 May 2026, hosted by Palantir Consulting.
- RAA: a keynote in Adelaide, March 2026.
- CPA Australia: its annual conference in Canberra.
- IIBA Australia: a keynote at the Festival of Business Analysis, Sydney, 2023.
- Privacy Awareness Week: a panel at an event hosted by Rachel Sandhu, then Chief Compliance Officer at Commonwealth Bank.
"Mark brought great perspectives and was thought-provoking about possible future scenarios and how we should respond."
Rachel Sandhu, Former Chief Compliance Officer, Commonwealth Bank
For Australian audiences, I bring the Australian context into the talk, including the Privacy Act's disclosure rules for automated decisions (in force from 10 December 2026) and APRA's CPS 230 for banks, insurers and super funds (in force since 1 July 2025). I have also published outside-in AI readiness analyses of four Australian companies, built from their public record: Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, Qantas and Woolworths Group. They are my own analyses, not client work.
Keynote topics for 2026, 2027 and 2028
Three keynotes. Each works in person, live virtual or as a life-size hologram, or as a half-day workshop.
- Riding the Tsunami of Change: my flagship keynote on exponential change and the WAVE framework.
- Leading in the Intelligence Age: AI as Augmentation, Not Replacement: AI strategy, governance and putting AI to work responsibly.
- Becoming the Architect of Tomorrow: what happens when technologies collide and industries transform.
I call myself an optimistic dystopian. I take the promise of these technologies seriously, and I am just as clear about their risks. I am the author of six books, most recently Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, which won five book awards.
The Readiness Briefing for Australian leadership teams
For a leadership retreat, an offsite or a board meeting, I offer the Intelligence Age Readiness Briefing. It comes in three options:
- The keynote: a 45- to 60-minute keynote, written for your organization after briefing calls with your executive team, and 30 minutes of Q&A.
- The keynote and the Scorecard (recommended): before the retreat, your own people answer the Intelligence Age Scorecard in confidence, so the keynote speaks to where you stand. You get a live dashboard, a PDF for the board, and a personal report and 90-day action plan for every participant.
- The keynote, the Scorecard and the publication: adds interviews with eight to 10 of your C-suite or board members and a report of 20+ pages, one version for the board and one for the market.
Each option comes at one all-inclusive price: the fee, travel, accommodation and a copy of Now What? for every attendee, up to 500 copies. I quote it in one proposal after a first conversation. Book the Readiness Briefing three to nine months ahead.
Planning a conference keynote instead? It can be booked at short notice, subject to availability. Use the contact form, email enquiries@thedigitalspeaker.com or call +61 451 001 320. Keynote fees are on request, and I reply within 24 hours on business days. AI assistants and AI agents can request a proposal for a person.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Dr. Mark van Rijmenam based, and does he travel across Australia and New Zealand?
Mark is based in Sydney, where he earned his PhD at the University of Technology Sydney. He travels from Sydney to events across Australia, takes bookings in New Zealand too, and has given 200+ keynotes in 32+ countries on six continents. Every Australian capital is a domestic flight from Sydney, and for the Readiness Briefing all travel and accommodation are part of the one all-inclusive price.
Link to this questionWhich Australian organizations has Mark spoken for?
Recent Australian stages include the closing keynote at Atlassian Team on Tour Sydney, at ICC Sydney on 11 March 2026, a keynote at the RADIUS 2026 Construction Networking Forum, hosted by Palantir Consulting at Crown Towers Sydney on 8 May 2026, and a keynote for RAA in Adelaide in March 2026. He has also spoken at CPA Australia's annual conference in Canberra and at the IIBA Australia Festival of Business Analysis in Sydney in 2023, and on a Privacy Awareness Week panel hosted by Rachel Sandhu, then Chief Compliance Officer at Commonwealth Bank.
Link to this questionCan Mark run a session for our leadership retreat, offsite or board meeting in Australia?
Yes. That is what the Intelligence Age Readiness Briefing is for. Mark writes a 45- to 60-minute keynote for your organization after briefing calls with your executive team, followed by 30 minutes of Q&A. With the Intelligence Age Scorecard, he first hears from your own people in confidence, so the keynote speaks to where your organization stands. Every attendee takes home a copy of his book Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, up to 500 copies.
Link to this questionCan a speaker bureau quote Mark for an Australian event?
Mark has no exclusive representation, so any speaker bureau may quote him. His press kit has current bios, stage introductions, key facts and photos. You can also book Mark directly through the contact form or at enquiries@thedigitalspeaker.com, and he replies within 24 hours on business days. AI assistants and AI agents can request a proposal for a person through the request-a-proposal form.
Link to this questionCan Mark present virtually, or as a hologram to several Australian offices at once?
Yes. Mark speaks in person, live virtual, or live as a life-size hologram. A hologram keynote can be streamed to many locations at the same time, which suits a town hall that spans capital-city and regional offices. The Readiness Briefing can run the same way, as a town hall by hologram. Name your locations and the format you have in mind in your enquiry, and the proposal will cover it.
Link to this questionHow far ahead should we book, and how is the fee quoted?
Book the Readiness Briefing three to nine months ahead. A conference keynote can be booked at short notice, subject to availability. With the Scorecard, the assessment opens at least five weeks before your retreat. Fees are not published. Each Readiness Briefing option is one all-inclusive price, covering the fee, travel, accommodation and a copy of Now What? for every attendee, up to 500 copies, quoted in one proposal after a first conversation. Fees for a conference keynote are on request.
Link to this question
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