Afdhel Aziz is a dynamic and inspirational speaker who has keynoted around the world on business as a force for good, and given workshops on creativity, innovation and change.
He has been a featured speaker at the Cannes Lions, SXSW, TEDx, Conscious Capitalism, Advertising Week, Forbes CMO Summit, Soho House, IEG and many other conferences. He has also spoken at Fortune 500 companies like Facebook, Microsoft, Adidas, Levi’s, MillerCoors, Crate and Barrel, and many more internationally.
Finding opportunity in crisis:
How companies can unlock
‘growth through impact’
We are living in the age of the 'Polycrisis' - a moment of societal overwhelm, when all the competing crises of climate, war, disease and economic recession have combined into one giant cloud hanging over society. But crisis creates opportunity - if companies are able to see that sustainability and inclusivity are actually some of the most essential and powerful pathways to growth.
How do they unlock this potential? By igniting purpose in their employees and finding ways to profitably solve societal and environmental problems, they can unlock the ‘Purpose Flywheel’ of ‘growth through impact’ with devoted customers, happy employees and loyal investors.
The prize? According to the United Nations, solving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (the world's biggest problems like hunger, education, health etc) can unlock $12 trillion in value and 380 million jobs annually. By finding a path to ‘make money by doing good’ companies can future-proof themselves and find opportunity in crisis.
Attendees will gain:
1. An understanding of ‘The Purpose Flywheel’ and what sustainable and inclusive growth is
2. Illuminating Principles like 'Find Your Sword and Shields', 'Be the Helper not The Hero' and 'Measure what you Treasure' to help guide their own work
3. Insightful case studies from Afdhel's work deep inside major companies like Adidas, Coca Cola and Sephora, sharing the Playbook of 'how' to unlock sustainable and inclusive growth.
Elevating employee engagement:
Using purpose to inspire hearts and minds to unleash the intrapreneurs and drive better business outcomes
Today’s employees are looking for meaning – not just money. According to Gallup, only 30% of workers are engaged and motivated - but in companies that have a higher Purpose that number rises to 90%.
In this transformational talk, Afdhel Aziz shows you how to use the revolutionary GPS to Purpose framework to inspire and motivate your employees in a way that unleashes the 'Intrapreneurs' - those bold entrepreneurial employees who can supercharge positive growth inside a company.
'Inspired'. 'Motivated'. 'Pumped' . This is how employees in companies like Disney, Microsoft, HP and the North Face have described feeling after Afdhel Aziz has given this talk.
Attendees will gain:
1. An understanding of what exactly Personal Purpose is in the context of Work
2. A deep understanding of its physical, mental and career benefits
3. A transformative introduction to the groundbreaking GPS to Purpose methodology which helps them quickly and simply identify their own individual purpose - and align it to that of their company.
Unleashing the power of impact innovation:
How companies can grow through
solving the biggest problems on the planet
Traditional companies struggle to find ways to both optimise their current business- and discover and develop innovations that could unlock new pathways to growth. Today the leveling of the playing field in technology and finance means that there are an exponential number of disruptors that appear as threats every day. How can companies find ways to learn from these challengers - and apply their principles to stimulate their own innovations?
As a Forbes contributor, Afdhel has interviewed over 500 entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders, disrupting categories by creating innovative products and services that solve social and environmental problems. As the co-creator of the Future of Good report, he showcases 43 Trends that will shape the way consumers think, connect, shop, and appraise brands in the years to come, including some incredible Moonshots of where they might lead next.
From Air Protein, a company making meat from air to Boxabl, a company making $40,000 homes in factories, he showcases the cutting-edge of innovation - and provides deep insights into how traditional companies can learn and adapt from these disruptors.
Attendees will gain:
1. An understanding of the economic potential of solving environmental and social problems
2. Illuminating case studies from cutting edge entrepreneurs disrupting entire business categories
3. Inspiring examples of Fortune 500 companies like Adidas, Mattel and Microsoft showcasing examples of Impact Innovation.
The power of
inclusive growth:
How companies
can grow through embracing
diversity and inclusion
Inclusivity is the best global growth strategy: today in an interconnected world, companies have the opportunity to grow by connecting with new consumers of every ethnicity, gender, ability, and background. But how can they authentically communicate and meet the needs of these consumers without making stupid multi-million dollar mistakes? How can they use DEI to draw on the rich cultural insights and understanding of their own multi-cultural employees to unlock new opportunities for 'inclusive growth'?
As an immigrant and a South Asian, Afdhel spent two decades navigating the biggest companies on the planet: Procter and Gamble, Nokia, Heineken and Absolut Vodka. Today, he advises major companies like Adidas, Sephora, and Coca-Cola on how to use DEI not as an internally focused discipline - but as an external 'lense' to see the incredible opportunities for growth.
By understanding the idea of 'inclusive growth' - how companies can grow by appealing to diverse audiences - leaders will be able to re-frame DEI into a powerful pathway to growing their brands and businesses.
Attendees will gain:
1. An understanding of the topic of 'Inclusive Growth'
2. Illuminating case studies from Afdhel's deep work with companies like Adidas, Sephora and Molson Coors on how to frame and measure the opportunity.
GOOD IS THE NEW COOL: How brands reach
Millennial and Gen Z conscious consumers by being forces for good
In this insightful and motivational talk based on his best-selling book ‘Good is the New Cool’ (co-authored with Bobby Jones), Afdhel Aziz shows how marketing (and marketers) can be a force for good and market to a new generation of Millennial and Gen-Z Conscious Consumers, by balancing profit with the ever-evolving needs of their consumers and communities. Aziz has spoken on this topic at companies like Levi’s, PepsiCo, Mondelez and many others.
Consumers say they are four to six times more likely to purchase, protect and champion a brand that they believe has positive social and environmental impact. And this number sky rockets when you consider Millennials and Gen-Z, the two biggest and newest generations of consumers. How do traditional brands reinvent themselves for this new age of Conscious Consumers?
After a two-decade career leading brands at iconic companies like Procter and Gamble, Nokia, Heineken and Absolut Vodka, Afdhel Aziz co-wrote the #1 Amazon best-selling book on brand purpose 'Good is the New Cool: Market Like You Give A Damn' that has become the leading business book on the topic. His strategic consultancy Conspiracy of Love has worked with world-famous brands like Oreo, Adidas, and Coca Cola to help them reinvent themselves through Purpose, and in the process has helped them invest more than $5 million on causes such as childhood hunger, arts education, and racial justice in education.
Learn how to futureproof your brand for the next two generations of Conscious Consumers, by authentically reinventing it from the inside out - and learn tactics that help powerfully connect and communicate its values to drive sales, brand affinity and loyalty.
Attendees will gain:
1. Powerful data and insights on Conscious Consumers and what drives them
2. Illuminating strategic principles powerful principles like 'Think Citizens Not Consumers', 'Solve Problems from the Everyday to the Epic' and 'People are the New Media' that can be applied to any brand large or small
3. Inspiring brand case studies from Afdhel's work with major corporations like PepsiCo, Mondelez, MillerCoors, unpacking the 'how' of the process he took them on.
Unleashing your moral imagination:
How creativity can be a force for good
Today, more than ever, creativity is needed if we are to take on some of the biggest challenges the planet faces.
But to do that we need to unleash a new type of creativity: the ‘moral imagination’, which sees the world as it be, not as it is, and comes up with new innovations and stories that help move the world forward.
From the Good Energy playbook that teaches Hollywood screenwriters how to weave positive climate change stories into blockbusters to designers creating beautiful new electric motorcycles, Afdhel Aziz shares stories of inspiring creatives who are exercising their ‘moral imagination.’
He shares insights and actionable steps to show how everyone can unleash their own ‘moral imagination’ - and how together we can leave the world a little better than how we found it.
Aziz is the Co-Founder of Good is the New Cool, a creative company and incubator that produces books, podcasts, and TV shows, as well as a global conference series on moral imagination called GOODCon that has taken place in Los Angeles, London, Sydney, and New York
Aziz's prowess as an award-winning poet, writer, and documentary filmmaker underscores his fascination with the art and craft of creativity and storytelling. This passion is not only evident in his professional work but also in his commitment to conveying messages of purpose and change.
