Filtered from SXSW London: A CMO’s Take on What’s Shaping the Future
I didn’t fly 17,000 kilometres to London for your average conference. SXSW London landed with a bang, merging arts, tech, activism, and commerce into a two-day future-facing sprint. This wasn’t about gimmicks or glossy decks. It was a conversation. One with gravity, clarity, and a human heartbeat. Across two packed days, I sat in rooms where mobility meets AI, spirituality meets science, and marketing meets morality. Below are the standouts worth filtering back into our B2B, manufacturing, energy and defence conversations in Australia.1. The View from 2050: Tech Forecasts With Teeth
“Quantum is quietly coming for problems we still can’t solve.”
This was the session that stuck. It wasn’t hype. It was horizon-scanning with substance. Defence, AI, quantum, dual-use tech, and venture adoption pipelines all took centre stage. The NATO Innovation Fund’s perspective was particularly relevant to our world. Procurement has to move from bureaucratic to agile. Build fast. Fail small. Scale what works. That’s a mindset shift our government and defence sector is just beginning to toy with.
Takeaway: The future won’t reward caution. It will reward calculated speed. If your tech has dual-use potential, build your pitch with that in mind.
2. In Conversation with Dr. Jane Goodall: Purpose in a Chaotic World
“Every day you live, you make some impact. You have a choice in what kind of impact that will be.”
A standing ovation. Goosebumps. At 91, Dr Jane Goodall is still travelling 300 days a year to give people hope. Her voice cut through with a clarity that only comes from decades of service. Her message: collaboration over silos, urgency over apathy, action over despair. The Roots & Shoots youth movement now operates in 75 countries. Tech has a role here, too. AI-powered camera traps and conservation analytics are part of their toolkit.
Takeaway: Leadership is legacy. If you can still ignite a crowd with compassion, you’re in the right business.
3. Deepak Chopra on Science & Spirituality
As someone who has completed many of Deepak’s online programs and courses, I was genuinely moved to see him live. Chopra anchored the session in the power of consciousness, pointing out that wellbeing is a systems challenge. He connected neuroscience, intention, AI, and environmental collapse. The punchline? Inner work is not separate from outer change.
Takeaway: Innovation can’t just be hard tech. Soulful leadership matters in systems design.
4. Riding the Wayve: AI & Autonomous Mobility
Wayve CEO Alex Kendall kept it real. We’re not heading toward a future of full autonomy everywhere. We’re heading to context-aware, adaptive AI systems that can learn from the real world. His call? Mobility solutions should learn from the environment, not rely on brittle rules or perfect mapping.
Takeaway: AI that learns locally will outperform AI that assumes perfection. That goes for your product, your team, your business.
5. Demis Hassabis: AI’s Leading Mind Speaks
The DeepMind CEO didn’t waste a word. From AlphaFold’s scientific breakthroughs to the limits of current models, he was measured but inspiring. Hassabis reminded us that real-world applications of AI — in health, materials, and biology — are only just beginning.
Takeaway: If your AI isn’t solving something meaningful, it’s not ready for prime time.
6. Impact Before Income: Climate Capitalism Grows Up
When a telco-backed VC and a wildfire prevention startup take the stage together, you expect greenwash. Instead, we got pragmatic hope. Dryad Networks is proving low-cost mesh sensors for fire detection. Telus Ventures is backing startups solving infrastructure and climate risks at the same time.
Takeaway: The ROI of impact is growing. If you’re solving real-world resilience problems, capital is listening.
7. The Future of Marketing 2030: Brand Building with Backbone
A sharp panel featuring CMOs from Unilever and Diageo talked trust, data, and storytelling. Key theme? Brand is nothing without belief. Customers expect purpose, not perfection. Marketing leaders are being asked to deliver meaning, not just impressions.
Takeaway: Authenticity scales. And B2B is not exempt.
8. Product Design as Art and Infrastructure
Dropbox, Slack, and Anthropic design leads gave a masterclass in craft. They explored how product design is culture work, not just UX. It’s how you signal values, usability, and coherence to the world. It’s also how you reduce noise and amplify care.
Takeaway: Treat product like poetry and plumbing. It should be beautiful and functional, or it’s not finished.
9. Cultural Currency: Creators and Commerce Collide
Wyclef Jean brought charisma. But it was YouTube and Epidemic Sound that delivered the insight: culture is the constant. Brands can either collaborate with culture or be ignored. The best are doing both.
Takeaway: Culture can’t be controlled. It must be respected, responded to, and co-created with.
10. Jane Goodall’s Mic-Drop Moment
Her final words brought the house down:
“You matter. You’re here for a reason. Do your bit to make the world a better place.”
If you’re not moved by that, you’re in the wrong room.
Final Thought
SXSW London wasn’t your typical innovation talkfest. It reminded me that the future is plural. It’s not just about what tech we build, but why we build it, who gets to use it, and whether it serves more than shareholders. As CMO, founder, and strategic advisor in the B2B space, these themes sharpen how I lead, pitch, and partner. If we’re serious about shaping the future, we need to make space for complexity, conviction, and connection.
Stories move people. So let’s make ours matter.
