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Keynote speaking

I still open the file.That’s why the talk lands.

Keynotes, fireside conversations and executive sessions from an engineer who became a designer, a product leader, a founder and an author. Stories from the Nokia 7610 to governed AI, with nothing borrowed from a slide library.

Talk about keynote speaking 30 to 60 minutes · keynote, fireside or executive session · in person or remote
When you need it
  • A conference that wants practice, not theory
  • A leadership offsite that needs to take design seriously
  • A product or engineering all-hands
  • A university, accelerator or community that wants the long view
What you get
  • A talk shaped for your audience and theme
  • Your industry’s examples, not generic ones
  • Live questions, unscripted
  • Slides and a reading list afterwards
  • An optional working session the same day
Talks

Six talks. None of them from a slide library..

Design · productGetting to the point

What twenty-three years of reduction taught me about what a product should refuse to say.

AI · governanceAn AI answer is a draft until a human signs it

How to design evidence, confidence, refusal and sign-off.

LeadershipFrom zero to 48

Building a design organization inside one of the most technical industries there is.

Culture · globalEighty-nine countries

What culture, language and habit do to the meaning of an interface.

CareersEngineer, designer, product leader

Why the hybrid wins, and how to become one on purpose.

CraftWhat cooking taught me about product design

Ingredients, timing, instinct and care. The lightest talk, and the one people quote.

For organisers

Everything you need to book me.

Speaker sheetEmad Masoud
Short bio
Engineer turned designer, product leader, founder and author. Design lead for the Nokia 7610. Leadership roles across Amazon, Safeway, Robinhood, CTO.ai and PDF Solutions. Twenty-three years, 1,200+ products, 89+ countries.
Formats
Keynote, fireside conversation, panel, executive session, university lecture.
Length
Thirty to sixty minutes, plus questions. Questions are my favourite part.
On the day
A screen, a clicker and a lapel microphone. Slides arrive a week ahead.
After
Slides, a reading list and a written summary for attendees.

Based in Toronto. In person or remote.

What you won’t get
  • A sales pitch
  • Slides full of bullet points
  • Borrowed case studies
  • The same talk I gave five years ago
Asked every time
Do you tailor the talk?

Every time. I ask who’s in the room, what they’re struggling with and what you want them to do on Monday.

Can you do a workshop the same day?

Yes. A keynote in the morning and an applied session in the afternoon is a good pairing.

Will you stay for questions and the dinner?

Yes. The best conversations happen after the talk.

How it works

Four steps.

  1. Brief

    Your audience, your theme, what you want them to do on Monday.

  2. Shape

    A talk built for the room, with your industry’s examples.

  3. Deliver

    On stage or on screen. Q&A is my favourite part.

  4. After

    Slides, reading list and a written summary for attendees.

Evidence

See how I work before you call.

The full storyOn this site→The booksOn this site→How I leadOn this site→
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