Speaking
Grant is a keynote speaker on innovation, AI productivity and how senior teams decide when the evidence isn't complete.
He has spoken to and trained leaders at UK Defence, MTN Group, Saudi Awwal Bank, Google, Microsoft, Vodafone, BT and HSBC, and lectures at Oxford, LSE and Northeastern University London. Every session is built around the audience, the decision in front of them and what has to happen the following week.
Talks
Five talks, each built around a decision the room has to make.
From AI interest to measured productivity
- For
- Leadership teams, L&D and transformation leads
- The room leaves with
- Where AI is already paying back in real work, what separates the teams that got there from the ones still piloting, and a 90-day plan the room can start on Monday.
Innovation as an organisational capability
- For
- Senior leaders in enterprise, government and defence
- The room leaves with
- Why most innovation effort produces activity rather than decisions, and how the organisations that get it right build a repeatable path from challenge to evidence to action.
Deciding before the evidence is complete
- For
- Executives and boards facing a big call with imperfect information
- The room leaves with
- How to frame the decision, find the riskiest assumption, buy cheap evidence fast and commit without waiting for certainty that never arrives.
Better decisions in complex organisations
- For
- Leadership offsites and management conferences
- The room leaves with
- The habits that make large organisations slow, drawn from twenty years inside them, and the practical moves that restore pace without breaking governance.
From idea to evidence to action
- For
- Founders, accelerator cohorts and university audiences
- The room leaves with
- The early venture journey compressed: problem, customer evidence, minimum solution, first experiment, pitch. The talk Grant gives at Oxford, LSE and Northeastern.
Each one adapts to the sector and the event. Mixed audiences get a blend.
Formats
From forty minutes on a stage to a year of capability.
Executive keynote
Clear ideas, international examples, and one or two things the room will still be using a month later. Q&A built in.
Leadership conversation
Concise provocation, then structured discussion around a live strategic question. Works as a fireside or a facilitated session.
Strategic workshop
A designed session that helps a senior group frame complexity, test the assumptions that matter and decide what happens next.
Capability programme
Learning, application, coaching and evidence in sequence, so the capability stays after Grant leaves. Delivered through Innovation Network.
- A pre-event call to shape the talk around your audience
- Examples and exercises from your sector
- A one-page summary of the ideas for attendees afterwards
- Grant's time for questions, on stage or in the corridor
What audiences say
“Superb facilitation, some of the best I have seen in 24 years of Service.”
“The course detail was very good, excellent, actually. It broadened my understanding of the various aspects of the telecoms industry and the case studies reinforced the learning.”
Audiences
Organisations whose leaders have been in the room.
- UK Ministry of Defence
- MTN Group
- Saudi Awwal Bank
- Microsoft
- HP
- Vodafone
- BT
- Telefónica
- HSBC
- Etisalat
- Orange
- PwC
- Deloitte
- Oxford
- Cambridge
- Imperial College London
- London School of Economics
- Northeastern University London
- University College London
- Kingston University
Direct client work, programme participants and guest teaching, listed together.
Speaker kit
Everything an organiser needs, ready to copy.
Short bio (60 words)
Grant Vernon is an innovation strategist, keynote speaker and founder of Innovation Network. Over 20 years and 39 countries he has trained more than 10,000 senior leaders and supported 3,000+ startups, working with the UK Ministry of Defence, MTN Group, Saudi Awwal Bank, Google and Microsoft. He lectures at the University of Oxford, LSE and Northeastern University London.
Medium bio (140 words)
Grant Vernon is an innovation strategist, keynote speaker and founder of Innovation Network. Over 20 years and 39 countries he has trained more than 10,000 senior leaders and supported 3,000+ startups, working with the UK Ministry of Defence, MTN Group, Saudi Awwal Bank, Google and Microsoft. He lectures at the University of Oxford, LSE and Northeastern University London. His method is practical: bring a live challenge, frame it, gather evidence, make the idea tangible, test what matters and agree the next decision, using AI where it helps. He built the Innovation Mini MBA with Google, served as Course Director at Innovation Academy and co-founded Innovation Network, whose programmes run across enterprise, government and defence. He speaks on innovation capability, AI productivity and deciding before the evidence is complete.
Introduction script (read aloud, 45 seconds)
Our next speaker has spent twenty years at the point where strategy meets action. Grant Vernon has trained more than ten thousand senior leaders across thirty-nine countries, from the UK Ministry of Defence to MTN Group and Saudi Awwal Bank, and he teaches entrepreneurship at Oxford, LSE and Northeastern University London. He is the founder of Innovation Network and the creator, with Google, of the Innovation Mini MBA. He is here to talk about how teams decide and act before the evidence is complete. Please welcome Grant Vernon.
On screen and in programmes: Grant Vernon, Founder, Innovation Network. Based in London.
Questions organisers ask
Where does Grant speak?
He is based in London and works internationally; 39 countries so far. In person or virtual, and most sessions can run either way.
How is a talk tailored?
Every booking starts with a call about the audience, the event and the decision in front of the room. Grant then builds the examples and the exercises around your sector. Nothing is delivered off the shelf.
What does it cost?
Fees depend on the format, the preparation involved, the location and whether the session sits inside a wider programme. Send the event details below and Grant will come back with a quote within two working days.
Can we record the session?
Usually yes for internal use, agreed in advance. Public distribution is discussed case by case.
What does Grant need on the day?
A clicker, a screen for slides, a lapel or handheld microphone for rooms over 40 people, and for workshops, wall space and sticky notes. The full technical note comes with the booking confirmation.
How far ahead should we book?
As early as you can. Short notice is sometimes possible, so ask.
Check availability
Tell me about the event.
Date, place, audience and what you want them to do differently afterwards. Grant replies personally within two working days with availability, a suggested format and a quote.
- grant@innovation-network.co
- Telephone
- +44 20 3239 6962
- Connect with Grant