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The AI Revolutionary and Global Thought Leader 

Contact Dean

The AI Revolutionary and Global Thought Leader since 2012.​

Contact Dean

ABOUT ME

Dean Furman

Dean Furman is a force in Artificial Intelligence, celebrated for his unique ability to make complex, technical subjects accessible and engaging for all audiences. As a master storyteller, Dean combines humor, profound insights, and dynamic delivery to captivate and inspire. His expertise and innovative approach have made him one of Africa’s most sought-after keynote speakers and trainers.

Recognized as one of Africa’s leading voices in AI, Dean’s influence spans across many of the continent’s largest companies, Fortune 500 organizations, and multinational corporations. Thousands of leaders and innovators have been transformed by his interactive keynotes, masterclasses, and strategy sessions. Whether addressing C-suite executives or entire organizations, Dean’s ability to turn technical concepts into practical, actionable strategies has cemented his reputation as a trusted guide in the AI revolution.

As the CEO and founder of 1064 Degrees, an AI innovation consultancy, Dean has pioneered groundbreaking methodologies that are now licensed globally. His flagship learning experience, Dawn of Disruption, is a game-based approach that has empowered hundreds of teams to confidently embrace AI with creativity and purpose.

Dean’s career is built on a foundation of excellence and innovation. As a qualified actuary, he twice won first prize for innovation at Discovery, outshining some of the country’s top actuarial minds. At Alex Forbes, he spearheaded initiatives that earned him recognition as one of South Africa’s top young business leaders by the Mail & Guardian.

Dean is also the author of the acclaimed book Exponential Potential, where he shares relatable, practical advice to grow any company in the digital age. As a regular guest on leading news and radio platforms, Dean’s expertise continues to guide audiences toward unlocking the exponential potential of AI in their businesses and lives.

For those seeking to thrive in the era of AI, Dean Furman is the ultimate partner—delivering fun, thought-provoking keynotes and training sessions that equip audiences with the tools to navigate and lead in an ever-evolving technological landscape.

Contact Dean

SERVICES

Dean's Offerings

Keynote Talks

Dean brings a symphony of thought provoking ideas and mind-blowing stories about the world of AI. There is a good reason that he is one of Africa’s most popular keynote speakers.

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Dawn of Disruption

Bridging the Gap between AI and Education.

Dean’s premier creation, ‘Dawn of Disruption,’ is much more than a game. It’s an interactive, AI-centric educational experience meticulously designed to foster curiosity, encourage logical thinking, and make the complex world of AI accessible to everyone. From South Africa to Australia, Israel to the United Kingdom, and the United States – ‘Dawn of Disruption’ is breaking geographical barriers and establishing a new standard in AI education.

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Generative Ai Masterclasses

ChatGPT’s remarkable capabilities have left professionals in awe. This comprehensive masterclass delves beyond the surface-level buzz, equipping attendees with practical knowledge to harness this transformative technologyand elevate their performance, and transform their daily work

Learn more

SERVICES

Dean's Offerings

Keynote Talks

Dean brings a symphony of thought provoking ideas and mind-blowing stories about the world of AI. There is a good reason that he is one of Africa’s most popular keynote speakers.

Learn more
Dawn of Disruption

Bridging the Gap between AI and Education.

Dean’s premier creation, ‘Dawn of Disruption,’ is much more than a game. It’s an interactive, AI-centric educational experience meticulously designed to foster curiosity, encourage logical thinking, and make the complex world of AI accessible to everyone. From South Africa to Australia, Israel to the United Kingdom, and the United States – ‘Dawn of Disruption’ is breaking geographical barriers and establishing a new standard in AI education.

Learn more
ChatGPT Masterclasses

Dean’s knowledge of AI enables him to offer a ChatGPT Masterclass that goes beyond novice content that is being bandied about. He gives practical yet powerful tips to take the work of attendees to a whole new level using generative AI.

 
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MULTIMEDIA

NEWS INTERVIEWS

ESTELLE DE BEER HEAD IT STRATEGY AND TRANSFORMATION, SASFIN BANK LTD

I thought it was very informative and actually quite mind boggling. Dean is exceptionally brilliant and well informed and great sense of humour. Can’t wait to read his book.

ZACHDA PRINSLOO ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR INNOVATION (AFRICA), ABINBEV

Dean’s energy during his Innovation Masterclass was infectious! He is very knowledge on the subject and I learned so much, especially which tools to use during various stages of the innovation process. I would recommend the course to everyone interested in Innovation!

MERLE VAN RIJSSEN SENIOR LEARNING SPECIALIST, NEDBANK

Most futurist presentations are so far into the future that they are excitingly non-relevant. Dean has a warm and exponential way of connecting you to the future by allowing you to leverage tangible free technology while you listen to him. He is engaging and his thinking is divergent. He demonstrates innovation and anyone attending his session will leave with a new mind set. If you are looking to improve your business exponentially and AI is not yet in your immediate grasp

MICHAEL S HEAD OF PROPOSITION & MARKETING, LARGE INVESTMENT PLATFORM

Dean Furman is my innovation go-to guru. His straight-talking, creative engagement evidences why he is one of the leading innovation experts in South Africa. Dean worked with me to create excellent, relevant content. With Dean’s help, our teams now more easily identify the possibilities around them and turn their ideas into practical action. He freely shares some of his ‘growth hacks’ so potential disruptors can benefit from his insight long after he has left the conference room. He ‘gets’ the corporate machine, helping teams think differently about their clients’ needs and cut through red tape.

JANET GOLDBLATT CFF AND YPO SPOUSE, JOHANNESBURG GOLD CHAPTER

I hired Dean to present the Dawn of Disruption event at a YPO function as part of our Education Year, where we had around 50 YPO members and their spouses in attendance. All our events are rated and Dean received a 9.8 rating! The event was extremely educational and stimulating and at the same time a great connection exercise. One of the members called me the next day and informed me that every single YPO Chapter should be exposed to this amazing opportunity.

NKULULEKO KHUMALO COO, ABSA GROUP LEGAL

Dean Furman is authentic and engaging. His ideas and material on innovation resonates with all and he provides expert advice. As a keynote speaker at our town hall event, our audience of in-house lawyers found his presentation “Excellent!”. As a facilitator, Dean gives clear tips and actionable suggestions on how to implement innovation strategies. His suggestions were all well received and have resulted in positive outcomes.

BRUNO OLIERHOEK CHAIRMAN AND MD, NESTLE EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA REGIONS

While we all know that digital technologies will play an increasingly important role and that the speed of change is only going to accelerate, many people are scared at all levels of organizations. Dean’s Dawn of Disruption is gamifying the whole topic of digital technologies. In doing so he demystifies these new technologies and opens everyone’s eyes to the possibilities that they bring. This focus on the positives and not the scary names of the technology solutions is very welcome. Having played the game myself in a YPO event, I invited Dean to play the game with my whole Senior Leadership Team of Nestlé for the East and Southern Africa Region and it was again a real eye-opener for all.

TASHLEY TRUSCOTT HEAD OF MARKETING, BDO

I would highly recommend the session to any company needing to communicate how technology is already disrupting our work and home lives in so many ways; and why we need to embrace and harness it for the future of our organisations.

TASKEEN KHAN INNOVATION LEADER, FNB

The Dawn of Disruption Game was amazing. To date our managers are talking about the ideas that came from it. The game was very insightful and helped the thinking of how to apply any technology into our own workspace. It shaped the minds of our people to apply the futuristic skills to our workforce and make it relevant.

ESTE DIGUE INTRAPRENEURSHIP, LEAD MOTUS GROUP

In order to solicit ideas from employees, relating to identified business challenges and opportunities, Dean facilitated workshops enabling employees to delve into their own perspectives & experiences, to come up with ideas. Dean’s novel approach, that is based on a board game, ensured a substantial improvement in both quality and quantity of ideas generated. Once we shortlist ideas with scalable potential, idea teams are taken through a 12 week idea-to[1]concept development process. Dean facilitated the experimentation component of this process. Dean taught & demonstrated to the teams why and how to compile experiments to test the underlying assumptions of their concepts. Demonstrating how to identify and execute experiments fast and cheaply, enabled the teams to present concepts to Motus executive leadership, that obtained approval.

LELE MODISA GROUP CHIEF LEGAL & REGULATORY OFFICER, MTN GROUP

Dean has changed the way we look at what we do and has inspired some of our operational innovative technological projects.

AVI MISHAN MD, SMD TECHNOLOGIES

Dean's ability to convery complex concepts in an accessible manner made the training exceptionally effective and engaging. His sessions have had a lasting impact on SMD, setting the stage for further technological advancements.

ESTELLE DE BEER HEAD IT STRATEGY AND TRANSFORMATION, SASFIN BANK LTD

I thought it was very informative and actually quite mind boggling. Dean is exceptionally brilliant and well informed and great sense of humour. Can’t wait to read his book.

ZACHDA PRINSLOO ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR INNOVATION (AFRICA), ABINBEV

Dean’s energy during his Innovation Masterclass was infectious! He is very knowledge on the subject and I learned so much, especially which tools to use during various stages of the innovation process. I would recommend the course to everyone interested in Innovation!

MERLE VAN RIJSSEN SENIOR LEARNING SPECIALIST, NEDBANK

Most futurist presentations are so far into the future that they are excitingly non-relevant. Dean has a warm and exponential way of connecting you to the future by allowing you to leverage tangible free technology while you listen to him. He is engaging and his thinking is divergent. He demonstrates innovation and anyone attending his session will leave with a new mind set. If you are looking to improve your business exponentially and AI is not yet in your immediate grasp

MICHAEL S HEAD OF PROPOSITION & MARKETING, LARGE INVESTMENT PLATFORM

Dean Furman is my innovation go-to guru. His straight-talking, creative engagement evidences why he is one of the leading innovation experts in South Africa. Dean worked with me to create excellent, relevant content. With Dean’s help, our teams now more easily identify the possibilities around them and turn their ideas into practical action. He freely shares some of his ‘growth hacks’ so potential disruptors can benefit from his insight long after he has left the conference room. He ‘gets’ the corporate machine, helping teams think differently about their clients’ needs and cut through red tape.

JANET GOLDBLATT CFF AND YPO SPOUSE, JOHANNESBURG GOLD CHAPTER

I hired Dean to present the Dawn of Disruption event at a YPO function as part of our Education Year, where we had around 50 YPO members and their spouses in attendance. All our events are rated and Dean received a 9.8 rating! The event was extremely educational and stimulating and at the same time a great connection exercise. One of the members called me the next day and informed me that every single YPO Chapter should be exposed to this amazing opportunity.

NKULULEKO KHUMALO COO, ABSA GROUP LEGAL

Dean Furman is authentic and engaging. His ideas and material on innovation resonates with all and he provides expert advice. As a keynote speaker at our town hall event, our audience of in-house lawyers found his presentation “Excellent!”. As a facilitator, Dean gives clear tips and actionable suggestions on how to implement innovation strategies. His suggestions were all well received and have resulted in positive outcomes.

BRUNO OLIERHOEK CHAIRMAN AND MD, NESTLE EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA REGIONS

While we all know that digital technologies will play an increasingly important role and that the speed of change is only going to accelerate, many people are scared at all levels of organizations. Dean’s Dawn of Disruption is gamifying the whole topic of digital technologies. In doing so he demystifies these new technologies and opens everyone’s eyes to the possibilities that they bring. This focus on the positives and not the scary names of the technology solutions is very welcome. Having played the game myself in a YPO event, I invited Dean to play the game with my whole Senior Leadership Team of Nestlé for the East and Southern Africa Region and it was again a real eye-opener for all.

TASHLEY TRUSCOTT HEAD OF MARKETING, BDO

I would highly recommend the session to any company needing to communicate how technology is already disrupting our work and home lives in so many ways; and why we need to embrace and harness it for the future of our organisations.

TASKEEN KHAN INNOVATION LEADER, FNB

The Dawn of Disruption Game was amazing. To date our managers are talking about the ideas that came from it. The game was very insightful and helped the thinking of how to apply any technology into our own workspace. It shaped the minds of our people to apply the futuristic skills to our workforce and make it relevant.

ESTE DIGUE INTRAPRENEURSHIP, LEAD MOTUS GROUP

In order to solicit ideas from employees, relating to identified business challenges and opportunities, Dean facilitated workshops enabling employees to delve into their own perspectives & experiences, to come up with ideas. Dean’s novel approach, that is based on a board game, ensured a substantial improvement in both quality and quantity of ideas generated. Once we shortlist ideas with scalable potential, idea teams are taken through a 12 week idea-to[1]concept development process. Dean facilitated the experimentation component of this process. Dean taught & demonstrated to the teams why and how to compile experiments to test the underlying assumptions of their concepts. Demonstrating how to identify and execute experiments fast and cheaply, enabled the teams to present concepts to Motus executive leadership, that obtained approval.

LELE MODISA GROUP CHIEF LEGAL & REGULATORY OFFICER, MTN GROUP

Dean has changed the way we look at what we do and has inspired some of our operational innovative technological projects.

AVI MISHAN MD, SMD TECHNOLOGIES

Dean's ability to convery complex concepts in an accessible manner made the training exceptionally effective and engaging. His sessions have had a lasting impact on SMD, setting the stage for further technological advancements.

Call or WHatsapp
082 890 1572
Email
dean@1064degrees.com
Call or WHatsapp
082 890 1572
Email
dean@1064degrees.com