Speaking
Speaking
Insight, experience, and a clear-eyed view of where technology has been and where it is taking us
Sebastian Wilson is an experienced keynote speaker and panellist who has shared his expertise with organisations including HSBC, JP Morgan, PwC, and the Open Data Institute. He brings a practitioner's perspective, grounded in real-world delivery, to some of the most pressing questions in technology and transformation today.
AI Adoption: Strategy, Use Cases & Realising Value Drawing on hands-on experience leading AI programmes across global enterprises, Sebastian explores what genuine AI adoption looks like — beyond the hype — and how organisations can build the strategy and culture to realise lasting value.
Digital Transformation at Scale What it takes to move an organisation of tens of thousands of people through significant technology change — and how to do it in a way that brings people with you, not just delivers technical outcomes.
Keynote topics
Technology and Transformation
When transformation stalls in your organisation, I can tell you from experience — it is rarely a technology problem. After two decades leading change inside institutions like HSBC, JP Morgan, and UBS, I have seen exactly where the breakdown happens, and I will show you how to fix it. When we finish, you will have the clarity, the tools, and the conviction to lead a transformation that actually delivers — not just on paper, but where it counts.
AIOps in investment banking
I have spent years building and delivering AI-driven operations inside some of the world's most complex banking environments, and I want to share what that experience has taught me — honestly, practically, and without the hype. Together, we will cut through the noise and focus on where the real opportunity lies, and what it genuinely takes to capture it. You will walk away better equipped to lead, invest in, and accelerate AI adoption in a way that creates lasting value for your organisation.
Innovation
I have lived the gap between talking about innovation and actually making it happen — and I have spent my career closing it, one hard decision at a time. I share the real breakthroughs, the failures I learned from, and the thinking that has shaped how I lead innovation across some of the most demanding environments in financial services. My goal is simple: you leave with a practical playbook you can use immediately, and the confidence to make innovation a discipline in your organisation, not just an agenda item.
Social Mobility in Financial Services
The Power of Leadership: My Journey, My Lessons, Your Growth. I know what it feels like to walk into rooms where you were not expected to be — and I also know what it takes to change that, from the inside. I am going to speak honestly with you about the barriers that still exist in financial services, what they cost us collectively, and what those of us with power and platform need to do differently. You will leave this session with more than awareness — you will leave with the conversations you need to start having, and the courage to have them.
Inclusion
Inclusion is not something I talk about from a distance — it is something I have lived, championed, and at times had to fight for throughout my career. Through mentoring with the King's Trust and UK Black Tech, and through leading high-performing teams across global institutions, I have seen firsthand what genuine inclusion unlocks in people and organisations. I want to give you both the conviction and the practical framework to build an environment where every single person on your team can do the best work of their life.
Leading Through Change — The Human Side of Transformation
I have led people through some of the most disruptive periods in financial services — restructures, mergers, cloud migrations, AI overhauls — and the hardest part was never the technology. It was the people. I share what I have learned about keeping teams motivated, trusted, and high-performing when everything around them is uncertain and moving fast. You will leave with a leadership approach that puts people at the centre of change — because in my experience, that is the only approach that works.
Stages I've shared
