NSB Logo Ramy Nassar Ramy Nassar

Ramy Nassar

Speaker Exclusive

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Former Head of Innovation at Mattel, AI Optimist & Builder of the Future

Futurist, author, and former Head of Innovation at Mattel, Ramy Nassar helps leaders navigate AI and emerging technology with confidence.

His presentations cut through the hype with bold foresight and practical tools – leaving audiences energized, inspired, and ready to Navigate What’s Next – accelerating innovation, reimagining strategy, and shaping the future before it disrupts them.

Canada Speakers Performance & Productivity Business & Workplace Innovation & Change Management Technology & Trends Leadership

In the News

Ramy Nassar in the media January 1, 2026
Leveraging a Foresight Mindset | NSB Engage Virtual Webinar Series October 20, 2023

Keynote Speeches

AI Now, Next, Never: Cutting through hype to drive measurable impact

Best for: Executive teams, boards, and leadership summits
Format: Keynote or workshop

Most leadership teams have made AI an executive priority. Very few understand what they are actually deciding. This session changes that.

Drawing on decades of hands-on experience building and deploying AI for some of the world’s largest brands, Ramy gives leaders clarity on what matters now, what is coming next, and what they can confidently set aside. He shares practical use cases and scalable frameworks that demystify the AI landscape, helping executives identify opportunities, avoid common pitfalls, and build responsibly.

Audiences learn how to:

  • Separate hype from reality and identify AI use cases with measurable ROI
  • Recognize risks, hallucinations, and governance challenges, and adopt responsible practices
  • Apply practical tools, advanced prompting methods, and strategic frameworks that drive growth
The Future-Proof Leader: Strategic foresight in an age of disruption
Best for: Strategy and corporate development teams, board meetings and retreats, planning offsites
Format: Keynote or workshop
 

What if your biggest risks are not today’s challenges, but tomorrow’s blind spots?

In a world defined by disruption and accelerating technology, leaders can no longer rely on linear planning. Ramy equips them with practical foresight tools to anticipate disruption and turn uncertainty into opportunity. Through engaging stories and proven frameworks, participants shift from reaction to proactive strategy, and leave with a repeatable method for seeing disruption before competitors do.

Audiences learn how to:

  • Spot signals and trends to anticipate disruption before competitors react
  • Apply foresight methods (scenario planning, Janus Cones, horizon scanning) in strategy
  • Develop adaptive strategies that reduce risk and create long-term resilience
Exponential Futures: Quantum, blockchain, and The World After AI

Best for: Innovation and R&D teams, conferences, and industry events
Format: Keynote

What if the technologies shaping tomorrow are already here, just unevenly distributed?

AI may dominate headlines, but quantum computing, blockchain, and other emerging technologies are converging to reshape industries at unprecedented speed. Drawing from his forthcoming book The World After AI, Ramy explores how these technologies mature and intersect, often slower than expected, then suddenly all at once. Participants leave with frameworks to know when to experiment, when to scale, and when to step back.

Audiences learn how to:

  • Decode AI, quantum, and blockchain without jargon, focusing on strategic impact
  • Recognize when to pilot, when to scale, and when to pause technology investments
  • Build resilient strategies that adapt to convergence across industries
The Innovation Imperative: Leading change in the age of AI

Best for: Transformation and digital leaders, all-hands, leadership programs
Format: Keynote or workshop

The problem is not that organizations do not want to innovate. It is that most innovation programs are designed to protect the existing business, not transform it.

In today’s AI-powered economy, the ability to adapt quickly is survival, not luxury. Drawing on decades helping global brands reimagine innovation, and lessons from both startups and Fortune 500s, Ramy shows leaders how to cultivate the cultures, systems, and strategies that unlock enterprise-scale innovation. He equips them to embrace risk, adopt an AI-first mindset, and leap from incremental improvement to bold reinvention.

Audiences learn how to:

  • Build innovation systems that combine startup agility with enterprise scale
  • Harness AI as a catalyst for creativity, speed, and competitive advantage
  • Reframe culture, risk, and constraints as fuel for transformation and growth
Responsible AI: Governance, ethics, and practical adoption at scale
Best for: Risk, governance, and people teams, plus conferences and industry events
Format: Keynote or workshop

The organizations that win with AI will not be the fastest adopters. They will be the most responsible ones.

Hallucinations, bias, governance gaps, and a lack of explainability can derail adoption and erode trust with customers and regulators. Drawing on years guiding Fortune 500 companies, from global banks and healthcare organizations to energy and technology leaders, Ramy has designed AI policies, launched governance committees, and built innovation labs that scale. He equips leaders to adopt AI responsibly and at scale, balancing innovation with governance so initiatives drive impact without unnecessary risk.

Audiences learn how to:

  • Recognize and mitigate the AI risks, bias, hallucinations, and misuse that jeopardize adoption and trust
  • Build responsible AI practices that align with governance and compliance needs
  • Deploy AI responsibly while still accelerating growth and competitive advantage

Platform Plus Presentations

Unique formats and ways to connect with audiences.
Workshops
Ramy works as a facilitator, not a speaker, turning the room’s challenges into shared direction and a plan. For AI-focused sessions, he can optionally build a working proof-of-concept live, from the use cases the room surfaces, so people leave with proof, not just theory.
Advisory
For organizations that need AI leadership without adding permanent headcount. Ramy operates as a de facto Chief AI Officer, embedded as a partner rather than an outside consultant.

Audience reviews:

  • Ramy did a fantastic job at listening to our goals and objectives regarding his keynote presentation. We had a very specific audience he would be speaking to, and he targeted his presentation perfectly to what our audience would be most interested in hearing about. - Program Manager, Ingram Micro
  • Ramy’s approach to introducing the complex topic of Generative AI helped our team better understand where key business opportunities for this technology exist and gave us the tools to build our own internal AI investment strategy and roadmap. - Apple
  • Ramy’s energy & expertise when it comes to the role of emerging technology are unrivaled. He brought a passion & enthusiasm to my team that helped drive us to new heights in terms of data-driven digital transformation. - Chief Data Officer, Interac
  • Your session on Strategic Foresight for Planners: Anticipating, Exploring and Shaping Our Shared Future straight out blew my mind! I will be taking your concepts back home in relation to tree canopy planning and management. - Director, Urban Forestry, City of Toronto
  • Ramy has a unique approach to presenting AI & emerging technologies that combines deep understanding of the topic with an undeniable enthusiasm that engages the audience in a meaningful and personal way. - Learning Consultant, TELUS
  • The presentation completely transformed how our leadership team thinks about strategic planning. Ramy has a unique ability to uncover how the trends of today will shape the business environment of tomorrow. The framework he introduced helped us uncover specific ROI-driving opportunities to fine tune our strategy. - New Balance
  • The workshop was actually fun. The hands-on exercises helped our team think critically about how we’d apply the theory to build better solutions for our customers. We covered what felt like a week’s worth of learning in 2 days. - Ciena
  • We had a great lineup of AI speakers and panelists during techNL’s Innovation Week and the Atlantic Economic Council’s Business Outlook Conference in St. John’s, NL. We heard an engaging and captivating keynote address on the future of AI by Ramy Nassar at Innovation Week. Your talk was a highlight of the week and really made me think more about the massive shift in society that AI is causing. It’s clear that AI is driving innovation, efficiencies, productivity, and new business opportunities, so it will most definitely be a growing element of our work, economy, and society. - Trade Commissioner, Global Affairs Canada
  • Thank you for the incredible workshop that was engaging, and the insightful keynote. We were so lucky to have you and have heard such wonderful feedback from the founders and community.
    We will be in touch regarding future events. - Vice President, Marketing & Communications, Communitech
  • Ramy brought clarity and inspiration at just the right moment. His talk helped us reframe how we think about AI — not just as a set of tools, but as a strategic partner in innovation. We’re already using several takeaways to shape our internal roadmap. - Attendee, National Energy Safety Conference

Similar Speakers 123

Lital Marom
Jim Carroll
Mike Walsh
Jesse Hirsh
Ramona Pringle
Doug Lipp
Bob Gray
Jim Harris
Warren Macdonald
Cheryl Cran
Roberta Bondar
Colin Angus
Lloyd Axworthy
Hugues Gibeault
Patrick Moore

Speaker Books

Speaker Biography

As the former Head of Innovation for Mattel, Ramy Nassar helped reimagine one of the world’s most iconic brands— including contributing to the production team for the Barbie movie, which grossed $1.5B worldwide. Today, he brings that same builder’s mindset to leaders, helping them Navigate What’s Next in AI and emerging technology with clarity and confidence.

Ramy doesn’t watch the future unfold from the sidelines—he’s on the court, shaping it. With over 25 years of experience and trusted by more than 250 organizations—including Apple, TD Bank, TELUS, New Balance, Verizon, and the Government of Canada—he blends hands-on technical fluency with sharp strategic insight. His work includes building enterprise AI agents, advising AI governance teams, and launching innovation labs focused on real-world implementation.

Leaders need clarity, conviction, and a way to lead their organizations through one of the biggest shifts of our era. AI is not a technical challenge. It is a leadership challenge.

Ramy’s talks focus on what executives actually need: strategic foresight, practical frameworks, and a path to real adoption.

1. AI Now, Next, Never
A clear, enterprise-focused view of what matters in AI today, what is coming next, and the lines leaders need to set around responsible use. This session blends clarity, real use cases, and practical adoption tools using the most impactful platforms of today.

2. The Future-Proof Leader
A foresight-driven approach to strategy. Signals, scenarios, long-range thinking, and the methods leaders need to anticipate disruption before it lands on their desk. Built for executives who want to turn uncertainty into advantage.

3. Exponential Futures
A practical view of what happens when AI converges with quantum, blockchain, and other emerging technologies. Designed for leadership teams balancing long-term bets with near-term operational reality.

4. The Innovation Imperative
How to build organizations that innovate with the speed of startups and the scale of enterprises. This session helps leaders rethink culture, systems, and execution in an AI-powered world.

5. Responsible AI
Governance, ethics, explainability, and risk mitigation for adopting AI at scale. More organizations are asking for this than ever before. This session provides a practical path that protects trust while accelerating growth.

Across all sessions, the goal is the same: help leaders turn complexity into clarity, hype into impact, and disruption into a strategic advantage their teams can use immediately.

A trusted futurist with a global track record, Ramy is the author of The AI Product Design Handbook and teaches at universities in Canada and Europe. His sessions combine powerful storytelling with practical frameworks to reimagine business models, rewire risk, and accelerate innovation. Known for cutting through the hype, Ramy helps leaders understand the AI landscape—including responsible use, emerging risks, and governance implications.

Dynamic and deeply engaging, Ramy leaves audiences energized, empowered, and ready to lead with clarity and confidence. Whether he’s building AI tools or challenging executive teams to think differently about the future, he helps transform bold ideas into real-world impact.

 

Ramy Nassar helps leaders stop reacting to disruption—and start designing the future.

Ask about Ramy for your event

Similar
Speakers

Lital Marom
Jim Carroll
Mike Walsh
Jesse Hirsh
Ramona Pringle