Angus Hervey

In this powerful keynote, Angus reveals how humanity stands at an unprecedented crossroads, where the twin narratives of collapse and progress co-exist side by side. Drawing on a decade of research, he shows what’s happening beyond the headlines of disaster and division that dominate our attention.
From malaria vaccines in Africa, to growing social tolerance in Asia, to dramatic conservation victories in South America, this talk reveals the other half of the global picture that’s systematically overlooked. Through data-driven analysis and compelling storytelling, audiences will discover one of the most important complexities of our time: amidst our many problems, a lot is being solved too.
Perfect for organisations navigating uncertainty, this keynote equips audiences with a more complete map of reality, revealing opportunities hidden by our crisis-focused information environment.

While the headlines focus on what’s breaking, a scientific and technological revolution is reshaping our future. In this eye-opening keynote, Angus takes audiences on a global tour of the most important breakthroughs you’ve never heard about.
From CRISPR treatments eliminating once-incurable diseases to AI transforming agriculture, from drone delivery for medicine to clean energy crossing critical tipping points, this talk showcases how we’re entering an unprecedented golden age of innovation and discovery.
Combining rigorous research with powerful storytelling, Angus reveals how a convergence of artificial intelligence, clean energy, and biotechnology is creating a watershed moment in human history – one that deserves far more of our attention.
This keynote doesn’t dismiss real challenges but provides the missing context of human ingenuity and history-changing innovations. Audiences leave with a renewed sense of possibility and a clearer vision of the opportunities emerging in their industries.

In this perspective-shifting talk, Angus demonstrates how today’s news ecosystem operates on the principle of “if it bleeds, it leads” – systematically filtering out gradual improvement while amplifying sudden catastrophe, creating a dangerously incomplete picture of reality.
Drawing on evidence from cognitive science, media economics, and data from his work with Fix The News, Angus reveals how commercial incentives have transformed journalism into an anxiety-generation machine. Audiences learn how algorithms amplify outrage, why negative stories receive dramatically more engagement, and how even well-intentioned journalists render progress invisible.
Through compelling case studies and striking visualisations of the gap between media narratives and measured reality, this talk provides a practical toolkit for information literacy in the digital age. The result? A newfound ability to evaluate news sources, identify bias, and balance information inputs, revealing opportunities hidden by crisis-focused narratives.
Organisations and their people leave with a powerful new framework for processing information, making better decisions, and fostering an attitude of intelligent optimism.

Whether or not you believe the world is doomed might depend on where you get your news, says economist and journalist, Angus Hervey. In this presentation, he delivers data-driven stories of progress from around the world that most mainstream media organizations miss – from rising living standards, public health and human rights, to progress in clean energy, scientific breakthroughs and conservation victories — and shows why these stories are so often ignored as part of the current global conversation. Audiences will come away with a more balanced understanding of how, despite numerous challenges, including climate change and geopolitical conflict, the world is changing for the better, and why it’s crucial for today’s business leaders to pay more attention to such occurrences. “If we want more people to devote themselves to the task of making progress, then maybe we should be telling more people that it’s possible to make progress.”

The future belongs to the Full Stack Human, a term inspired by computer programmers who are the Swiss army knives of the development world. Fluent in both culture and code, they’re able to work across the entire development process. From the front to the back end, they can seamlessly transition from one environment to the next. They’re driven by a boundless sense of curiosity— it’s not enough to know that something works, they need to understand the how and why behind each functionality. In this presentation, Dr Angus Hervey explores how the same, Full Stack concept applies to our lives. Audiences will learn why using a full stack of systems – carefully curating your information diet, applying new approaches to problem-solving techniques, and harnessing the power of storytelling – can be a crucial driver of success in today’s world.