Description
Stephen Yarwood leadership speaker sessions come from a renowned futurist, urbanist and the former Lord Mayor of Adelaide. His passion extends beyond envisioning the future. He educates, motivates and empowers people to shape it. Stephen brings a strong skill set in strategic foresight. He is deeply fascinated by the dynamic interplay between people, places, technology and change. Today, he has become an international thought leader on “the future citizen.”
Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Planning, Graduate Diplomas in Regional and Urban Planning and Environmental Studies, and an MBA from Adelaide University. He is also an award-winning Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia. Over his career, he has worked across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East and North America. In addition, he sits on a global advisory board for Airbnb and has worked on mega projects in Saudi Arabia. As Adelaide’s Lord Mayor from 2010 to 2014, his focus on collaboration helped the city earn international recognition from Lonely Planet, National Geographic and The New York Times.
Stephen Yarwood Leadership Speaker: Keynote Topics
Book Stephen Yarwood leadership speaker for keynotes on strategic courage and leading through uncertainty. He challenges leaders to rethink traditional approaches to risk. He also helps them foster cultures of experimentation. Future Citizens explores how changing expectations are transforming the way cities are planned and managed. Meanwhile, AI and the Future of Local Government examines how councils can harness data and automation responsibly. Finally, Town Centres and CBD Renewal outlines strategies for revitalising central areas through mixed-use development and placemaking.
Dy Currie, President of the Commonwealth Association of Planners, called Stephen a big picture thinker with an outstanding understanding of how cities work. Similarly, Bronwyn Masters of RDNS praised his energy and insights at the Silver Chain National Leadership Forum. As a result, both clients noted the lasting impact his sessions had on their teams.
See Stephen Yarwood’s full profile, keynote topics and testimonials on the Corporate Speakers Australia speaker page, or browse other leadership keynote speakers.
Stephen Yarwood is a dynamic keynote speaker who presents on future city trends, urban innovation, governance, leadership and change. He is considered an international specialist on the relationships between technology, infrastructure, society and quality urbanism.
Passionate about cities and innovation and how we live , Stephen is one of Australia’s best-known contemporary Urban Planners.
The former Lord Mayor of Adelaide and founder of City2050, his consultancy specialises in governance, strategic planning and project delivery and understands the rapidly changing economic, environmental and technological issues influencing cities today and tomorrow.
City2050 is for national, regional and city governments, Industry, developers and educators who want to understand and maximise the opportunities offered by the rapid transformation of city planning, management and administration.
This year Stephen Yarwood has worked, researched and attended events to throughout Australia and in New Zealand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the USA and India.
He has been a speaker at the Airbnb Open in Los Angeles, the World Cities Summit in Singapore, VeloCity Global Cycling conferences in Vienna, Adelaide and Taiwan and for organisations such as the New Zealand Local Government Association.
He speaks regularly in boardrooms and at conferences, business events, workshops and corporate retreats and tailors every presentation to be relevant to his audience. Stephen has an engaging, entertaining, interactive and thought provoking style that explains complex ideas in ways that help people understand and embrace change.
Stephen Yarwood has a Bachelor of Arts in Planning, Graduate Diplomas in both Regional & Urban Planning and Environmental Studies and a Masters Degree in Business Administration.
He is a member of the Planning Institute of Australia and received a “Promotion of Planning” award in 2013.
From 2010 to 2014 he was the Lord Mayor of Adelaide. His emphasis on collaboration with the private sector and State Government delivered many outcomes and saw Adelaide recognised internationally as an innovative destination by Lonely Planet, National Geographic, The New York Times and the Singapore Centre for Liveable Cities.
Stephen has worked in the South Australian Government, the South Australian Parliament and as Principal Planner in Local Government. His planning experience is exceptionally diverse, from strategy to implementation, dealing with most land use types and a diverse range of community, design and development issues at all levels of Government.
A recipient of scholarships to Japan and Denmark, he has worked in India, Thailand, Singapore and New Zealand and undertaken study tours/led delegations to Europe (inc. Scandinavia), North America and the Middle East.
SPEAKING TOPICS
- Our journey to 2050
- The home in 2050
- Information technology and cities
- The future of transport
- Electric vehicles and cities
- Cycling in 2050
- The share economy and cities
- Social media and future society
- The future of government
- The future of retail
COMMUNITY
- Planning “101” – creating places for people
- Caring for the environment
- Tools for making great places
- What makes a great student city
- What makes a great street
- Why healthy cities are so important
- Tools for change making in communities
LEADERSHIP
- Change Contemporary Leadership
- Understanding Strategic Planning
- How to work with Elected Members
- Creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem
- Understanding
- Creating the future: Self and Strategy
Testimonials
Hon. Jay Wetherill – Former Premier of South Australia.
“Stephen intimately understands cities and the role of innovation and technology in their evolution. He is a dynamic thinker, effective collaborator and articulate communicator.”
Dy Currie – President, Commonwealth Association of Planners & Past President, Planning Institute of Australia
“Stephen is a big picture thinker able to distil complex ideas into useful solutions and real outcomes. His understanding of how cities work is outstanding and his commitment to advancing the planning profession, in a time of rapid change, is highly regarded in Australia.”
Lisa Scaffidi – Lord Mayor of Perth, Australia
“Stephen is a visionary urbanist. A strategic thinker with an intimate understanding of how cities work today and should work in the future. Any city would benefit from his ideas and efforts.”
Damon Thomas – Former Lord Mayor of Hobart
“Stephen exudes energy and vitality, has a flair for future visioning and combines technical expertise with common sense pragmatism. Stephen was a strong visionary Lord Mayor and is sought after as an international conference speaker.”
