Founder & CEO of GDR Creative Intelligence; Innovation Expert

Kate Ancketill

Fee Range

$25K - $40K

Travels From

London, UNITED KINGDOM

At a glance:

As CEO and founder of Business Futurist consultancy GDR, Kate is a ‘wayfinder to the future’ and a retail guru with tech, consumer, retail and brand specialisation. GDR is the innovation partner to around 30 of the world's largest consumer brands, including: Target, P&G, Costa Coffee, Coca-Cola, Clorox, Danone, Carlsberg, Google, Microsoft, Jaguar Landrover, Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose and Lego.

As CEO and founder of Business Futurist consultancy GDR, Kate is a ‘wayfinder to the future’ and a retail guru with tech, consumer, retail and brand specialisation. GDR is the innovation partner to around 30 of the world’s largest consumer brands, including: Target, P&G, Costa Coffee, Coca-Cola, Clorox, Danone, Carlsberg, Google, Microsoft, Jaguar Landrover, Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose and Lego.

Kate delivers compelling big picture narratives explaining how retail, brands and experiences are changing as a result of climate, economic, cultural and social shifts, the technology revolution and the cost of living crisis. She advises on the near to medium term future of customer experience, how marketing is evolving, and how best in class global players are using tech to meet emerging environmental and customer demands.

Kate takes a cross-sector, global view of innovation, which includes any interaction between brand and consumer, on or offline. Her goal is to make the audience feel inspired about their industry and their own ability to create, shape, or transform the future. She has the ability to clearly explain complex trends, societal shifts, or emerging technologies in a way that is relatable for any audience.

You can expect a charismatic performance, whether on a large stage, at a corporate event, in the boardroom, or as a panelist. Every presentation Kate gives has the WOW factor and will contain tailored research and analysis, Kate is renowned for inspirational WOW factor talks that are customised to each audience with bleeding edge innovation sourced by GDR’s research and strategy teams. Much of the thinking will have been road-tested with the world’s largest consumer-facing corporations, often at board level.

Kate is the ‘Wayfinder to the Future’ for the world’s largest retail conference, the NRF Big Show, having been invited to speak on future trends for the last 8 years.

  • Trends 2017: Retail Opportunity For The Fast Changing World & The Human Mind

    The world of retail dramatically changed a couple of years ago, and nothing will ever be the same again. The fourth industrial revolution hit. This presentation connects the dots to give the full picture of what’s happening: from macroeconomics to social and political disruption. There are tough issues to be faced, and there are major opportunities for disruptors. This presentation outlines the nine technologies retailers must employ if they’re to meet customer expectations and thrive in this new tech revolution.
  • Global Innovation Report

    In an eye-opening, forward-thinking keynote presentation, Kate Ancketill shares insights on the innovations that will change the face of business in the near future. Through a network honed over 21 years that features the world’s best creatives—including engineers, designers, marketing experts, artists, business executives, scientists, researchers, and more—Ancketill has her finger on the pulse of technology, innovation, and business trends, and she helps audiences see what is coming down the pipeline and where they should focus their efforts in order to not only keep up with the changes but stay ahead of the curve. With the belief that dreaming leads to innovation and science fiction has a way of becoming fact, Ancketill discusses how innovation builds on itself and simply taking a discarded idea and tweaking it can turn it into a world-leading idea. She also addresses how consumer, brand, and retailer relationships are evolving and how this knowledge and understanding can deliver competitive advantage. Businesses of all varieties are moving toward hyper personalisation, offering adaptive environments that change with your mood, shopping lists that write themselves, and responsive stores that change with the weather. Consumers’ expectations are accelerating, and Kate Ancketill gives businesses the insight they need to keep up.
Thank you SO much for today Kate - I have received so many RAVE reviews and much positive feedback! Also, your content was repeatedly referenced in the afternoon's exercise on future ideas- so you really made an impact! Thanks again.

— Nationwide

It was a fantastic event and the feedback received was incredible. She has been our best speaker to date in terms of interest and questions.

— Fujitsu

Kate did a wonderful job as she always does for us! She works really well with us in advance of the presentation and gives us plenty of options and food for thought on what she can present for us. Thanks for doing a fantastic job. Again.

— Oracle

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by Drapers Online

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Like any good employee, you want to make a good impression on your boss. And if you’re a great employee, you want to impress them so much they keep you around — and maybe give you a promotion one day. You anticipate ... Read more

by National Retail Federation

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