David Rowan

David Rowan is known as the founding editor of the UK edition of Wired, and subsequently the magazine’s editor-at-large. He is an expert in new business models, technology trends and innovation, and now travels widely as a researcher, speaker and writer.

Rowan’s early journalism career started at The Times, before he became a section editor at The Guardian, and then editor of The Jewish Chronicle. He has written technology columns for The Times and The Sunday Times, the Tech Traveller column for Conde Nast Traveller, and the Digital Life column for GQ.

In 2009, Rowan headed the launch of Wired magazine’s UK edition, and was consequently awarded Launch of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors. He stayed in this role until 2017, during which time the magazine was twice named magazine of the year by the Digital Magazine Awards. Over these years, the magazine established itself as a major force in British publishing, and held a number of conferences featuring influential figures from the worlds of technology, journalism and beyond.

Rowan is the author of the book Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds. He has travelled the world to spend time with the founders of companies including WhatsApp, Google, Spotify, Twitter and many others, in an effort to discover the ideas and leadership styles that allow companies to thrive. He is now a sought-after keynote speaker, having delivered speeches to banks, governments and many of the world’s leading companies. Alongside this, he acts as an early-stage investor in tech start-ups, and founded Voyagers.io, which connects inspiring people on international adventures.