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DHIRAJ MUKHERJEE

Shazam Co-Founder & Keynote Speaker on Leadership and AI

  • Shazam has been downloaded 2 billion times
  • Shazam was acquired by Apple in 2017 for a reported $400 million
  • Recognized by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s Top 50 technology entrepreneurs in 2015
  • Elected a member of The Digital Banking Club’s “Power 50” in 2016
  • Now an active angel investor focused on emerging technologies and “Tech for Good”, has invested in over 250 cutting-edge companies from climate tech to AI, including OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT)
     

Dhiraj is an international keynote speaker on leadership, AI, and adapting to emerging technology. He helped grow Shazam from the original idea to over 100 billion uses, and was named one of Europe’s Top 50 technology entrepreneurs by the Financial Times. Since Shazam’s sale to Apple, he has invested in over 250 leading AI and technology startups, including OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT).

Previously he held senior roles in Financial Services, Technology, and media and entertainment, and has an MBA from Stanford Business School. Dhiraj’s expertise is helping leaders build adaptable organisations, combining practical experience building an iconic company with first-hand foresight of a technology-driven future.

Expertise 

Dhiraj advises corporate leaders to build organisations that embrace adaptability as a core competency. He guides executives to systematically create companies that learn, evolve, and reinvent themselves, rather than reacting to disruption after it occurs.

His advisory work with major corporations including UBS, Eli Lilly, Unilever and PWC gives him a deep understanding of how large organizations approach innovation and transformation across diverse industries. His portfolio of 250+ investments across AI and emerging technologies provides a comprehensive source of innovation trends, business models, and success factors. Dhiraj draws on learnings from 35 years of company building, enabling audiences to understand both long-term strategic thinking and actions they can implement immediately.

Dhiraj tailors each presentation to the needs of his audience and is not limited to the topics listed below. Please ask us about any subject that interests you;

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Innovation
  • Disruptive thinking
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Leadership
  • Emerging Technology
  • Climate Action
  • Workforce of the future

Leadership in the Age of AI

GenAI has rapidly evolved from experimental to essential for growth in most organisations. This creates a fundamental challenge for leaders to shift from early initiatives to seize the opportunity to scale AI in the enterprise. Drawing on his experience as a founder, investor and early participant in the AI ecosystem, Dhiraj advocates “AI 2.0”: the shift from pilots to productive deployment across the organisation.  Dhiraj helps leaders understand how to make better judgments about where AI truly adds value and how leadership must innovate and evolve as AI becomes a core part of the workplace.

How to Adapt to the Future

Leaders today are grappling with ever-accelerating technological change, volatile geopolitics, and dramatic business and workforce transformation.  This keynote focuses on the leadership skills required to operate under uncertainty: building foresight, moving beyond rigid planning, and designing organisations that can evolve in real time. Drawing on decades of experience building Shazam through multiple market cycles and advising global organisations, Dhiraj explores how leaders can learn while they lead to transform their businesses. Dhiraj believes the best way to predict the future is to create it, and he shares proven methods for re-inventing business and building lasting success.

Building the Workforce of the Future

Most organisations are still building teams for jobs that won’t exist in a few years’ time. Technology is reshaping how we work, and the next generation of talent requires new skills to redefine the workforce. In this keynote, Dhiraj focuses on the leadership challenge of pairing future talent with emerging technology. Rather than optimising for specific skills or tools, he argues that organisations must rethink how they identify potential, develop people, and build teams to transform the workplace. The focus is practical and grounded, helping leaders make better decisions about who they hire, how they lead, and how they prepare their workforce for jobs that don’t yet fully exist.

Secrets of Shazam’s success

Dhiraj tells the story of founding Shazam in 2000 - long before smart phones existed - to selling to Apple in 2018 for a reported $400M. He describes the roller-coaster ride from idea to exit, surviving the dotcom crash and the great financial crisis to become an iconic global brand. The lessons learned in tenacity, teamwork and resilience apply to any business aspiring to re-define their industry.
 

GenAI and emerging technology

Just as Shazam transformed the music industry, GenAI and emerging technology will transform business beyond recognition. The question is: how will we transform ourselves? Dhiraj shares his insights into building businesses which positively thrive on uncertainty. The key is to actively design a fluid organisation, ready to embrace the challenges of business reinvention. Drawing on decades of experience, he shares proven methods for building foresight, embedding innovation, and leading in an age of hypergrowth.
 

Dhiraj's inspiring stories and authenticity resonated really well with this senior audience. The feedback from guests was incredible; his friendliness, humour and humility were especially highlighted. 

Google: Jonathan Groom, Product Marketing

Dhiraj delivered an exceptional presentation on the role and potential of generative AI in the financial services industry. Dhiraj explored the transformative impact of generative AI with both clarity and vision, sparking thought-provoking discussions and inspiring fresh ideas. From the moment he took the stage, he captivated the audience with his dynamic and energetic delivery. His deep expertise, combined with a natural ability to simplify complex concepts, kept everyone engaged and left a lasting impression. We received amazing feedback from his session, being the preferred one amongst all the audience.

Mastercard:Elena Martinez, VP Mastercard Europe

Dhiraj’s insights were incredibly useful especially where every business is  having to think differently and embrace technology like never before during this unique time. 

Real Madrid FC: Alex Wicks, Global Head of Partnerships

It was an absolute pleasure to host Dhiraj Mukherjee at our event in Paris! He brought a wealth of insight, experience and authenticity to the room, with a thought-provoking keynote that was not only engaging but truly inspiring - sharing his story of building Shazam from a bold idea into a globally recognized tech success was both fascinating and deeply motivating. Dhiraj has a rare ability to connect visionary thinking with real-world application. His reflections on the evolution of technology and the role of AI left a lasting impression on our audience. We are incredibly grateful for his time and insights, and look forward to seeing how he continues to shape the future of tech!. 

BCG:Sophie Cooley, BCG

At our recent annual Connect25 conference, Dhiraj’s session stood out as a clear highlight for attendees. While the backstory of Shazam was a great hook, it was Dhiraj’s insights on AI as an evolving space that really resonated. Given his investment in OpenAI we knew that he could credibly speak to this topic, and he didn't disappoint. His ability to relate to the audience and challenge us to stay curious and adaptable landed particularly well, sparking conversations long after the session ended. Thanks Dhiraj for a great session!. 

CarTrawler: Naomi Pedlaw, Marketing Communications Manager

 

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