SPEAKING TOPICÂ
SPEAKING TOPICS 24 talks · 6 disciplines · one speaker
Every talk is drawn from real executive experience. Not theory – practice at scale.
 SPEAKING TOPICS
EXECUTIVE STRATEGY & AI LEADERSHIP
How visionary leadership and data strategy transform traditional organisations into agile, AI-driven enterprises. Drawn from leading a 150-year-old Fortune-listed company through full digital transformation.
HUMAN-CENTERED AI & EXPERIENCE DESIGN
Designing intelligent systems that enhance human ability and build lasting trust through empathy, context-awareness, and behavioural science.
AI IN HEALTHCARE & COGNITIVE AUGMENTATION
Real-world AI serving human dignity, from NSF-funded Alzheimer's research to voice therapeutic interfaces at the frontier of neuroscience.
AI COMMERCIALISATION & STARTUPS
Lessons from three AI ventures on go-to-market strategy, Agent-as-a-Service economics, and finding product-market fit without burning through your runway.
SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE & AI OPS
Designing enterprise AI stacks with MLOps and real-time personalisation, drawn from managing 80M+ customer records across 32 subsidiaries.
ETHICS, POLICY & TRUSTWORTHY AI
Practical governance frameworks for policymakers, boards, and compliance teams navigating responsible AI without slowing down their organisations..
SPEAKING TOPIC one
EXECUTIVE STRATEGY & AI LEADERSHIP
ABOUT THIS TALK
How visionary leadership, data strategy, and cultural alignment transform traditional organisations into agile, AI-driven ecosystems. Drawn from leading a 150-year-old Fortune-listed enterprise through full digital transformation, this talk delivers hard-won insight, not theory.
Babak draws on his experience as Senior Director of Data Strategy at Churchill Downs Inc., where he drove $200M+ in revenue impact across 32 subsidiaries and 80M+ customers. Attendees leave with a clear framework for leading AI transformation at board and C-suite level.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
This talk gives leaders a practical framework for building AI-ready organisations. Babak shares the exact strategies he used to align data infrastructure, executive buy-in, and cultural change at enterprise scale.
Attendees leave with clear actions they can implement immediately — from structuring AI governance to identifying the highest-impact use cases for their specific industry.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
How to build the leadership conditions for successful AI adoption
Why most AI transformations fail — and the three things that prevent it
How to align your board, C-suite, and technical teams around a single AI vision
A practical framework for prioritising AI investments by ROI and risk
Real case studies from $200M+ revenue transformation at Churchill Downs Inc.
WHO THIS IS FOR
This talk is designed for C-suite executives, board members, and senior leaders navigating AI strategy. It is equally powerful for conference keynotes and closed boardroom sessions. Available as a 30, 45, or 60-minute format.
SPEAKING TOPIC two
HUMAN-CENTERED AI & EXPERIENCE DESIGN
ABOUT THIS TALK
How to design intelligent systems that genuinely enhance human ability rather than replace it. Babak explores the intersection of AI, behavioural science, and customer experience - drawing on real deployments across enterprise-scale platforms serving millions of users.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Attendees leave with practical tools for designing AI that builds trust, improves customer journeys, and creates lasting competitive advantage through empathy and context-awareness.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Why human-centered design is the difference between AI adoption and AI rejection
How to map customer emotion and behaviour into intelligent system design
The three principles of AI that people actually trust and use
How to measure the human impact of AI - beyond clicks and conversion rates
WHO THIS IS FOR
Product leaders, CX directors, UX teams, and executives responsible for customer-facing AI. Available as a 30, 45, or 60-minute format.
SPEAKING TOPIC three
AI IN HEALTHCARE & COGNITIVE AUGMENTATION
ABOUT THIS TALK
AI has the potential to extend human capacity in ways that truly matter, supporting clinicians, patients, and carers at the frontier of neuroscience. Babak draws on his NSF-funded CREDENCE research project to explore how AI can serve human dignity in the most sensitive contexts.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
From voice therapeutic interfaces for Alzheimer's patients to AI-assisted clinical decision support, this talk explores what responsible, human-first AI looks like when the stakes are highest.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
How AI is being used to support early-stage Alzheimer's patients today
The ethical framework for deploying AI in clinical and healthcare settings
Why voice and natural language AI is transforming patient care
How cognitive augmentation differs from automation — and why it matters
What healthcare leaders need to know before deploying AI at scale
WHO THIS IS FOR
Healthcare executives, clinical leaders, medical researchers, and policymakers. Available as a 30, 45, or 60-minute format. Suitable for academic and research conferences.
SPEAKING TOPIC Four
AI COMMERCIALISATION, STARTUPS & GO-TO-MARKET
ABOUT THIS TALK
Most AI ventures fail not because the technology is wrong — but because the commercialisation strategy is. Babak has founded and scaled three AI ventures, secured $14M+ in funding, and built Agent-as-a-Service platforms from zero to revenue. This talk shares what actually works.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
From voice therapeutic interfaces for Alzheimer's patients to AI-assisted clinical decision support, this talk explores what responsible, human-first AI looks like when the stakes are highest.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
How AI is being used to support early-stage Alzheimer's patients today
The ethical framework for deploying AI in clinical and healthcare settings
Why voice and natural language AI is transforming patient care
How cognitive augmentation differs from automation — and why it matters
What healthcare leaders need to know before deploying AI at scale
WHO THIS IS FOR
Healthcare executives, clinical leaders, medical researchers, and policymakers. Available as a 30, 45, or 60-minute format. Suitable for academic and research conferences.
SPEAKING TOPIC Five
SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE, DATA PLATFORMS & AI OPS
ABOUT THIS TALK
Building AI at enterprise scale requires more than good models; it requires the right data infrastructure, MLOps practices, and operational discipline. Babak draws on experience managing 80M+ customer records across 32 subsidiaries to show what enterprise AI architecture actually looks like in practice.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
A technical yet accessible deep dive into the platforms, pipelines, and practices that separate AI projects that scale from those that stall.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
How to design a data architecture that supports real-time AI at enterprise scale
The MLOps practices that keep AI systems reliable, auditable, and improvable
How to build data contracts that survive organizational change
The most common infrastructure mistakes that kill AI projects
How to evaluate build vs buy decisions for AI platforms
WHO THIS IS FOR
CTOs, data engineers, enterprise architects, and technical leaders. Available as a 45 or 60-minute keynote or 90-minute technical deep-dive workshop.
SPEAKING TOPIC six
ETHICS, POLICY & TRUSTWORTHY AI
ABOUT THIS TALK
Responsible AI is not a constraint on innovation, it is a competitive advantage. Babak explores the governance frameworks, policy considerations, and technical safeguards that allow organisations to move fast with AI while maintaining the trust of customers, regulators, and society.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
From deepfake detection to responsible voice cloning, this talk gives leaders the practical tools to navigate the ethical dimensions of AI without slowing down their organisations.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Why trustworthy AI is your strongest long-term competitive differentiator
How to build an AI governance framework that boards and regulators respect
The current state of AI regulation globally, and what's coming next
How to detect and defend against deepfakes and synthetic media
Practical steps to embed ethics into your AI development process today
WHO THIS IS FOR
Board members, policymakers, compliance leaders, legal teams, and executives responsible for AI governance. Available as a 30, 45, or 60-minute format. Suitable for policy forums and regulatory events.
BEYOND THESE SIX TOPICS
Babak's full speaking repertoire spans 24 individual talks across these six disciplines. Each talk can be tailored to your audience, industry, and event format, from a 20-minute conference keynote to a 3-hour executive workshop. Full abstracts are available on request.