Bio

Brent Dixon is the founder of Dixon Strategic Labs, a creative studio that provides strategic planning, advising, and strategy design services to impact-driven organizations, including financial institutions of all shapes and sizes across North America.

As a strategist, facilitator, and designer, Brent has dedicated his career to fostering inclusive innovation in consumer finance, education, government, and humanitarian response.

Brent co-founded Trabian Technology, a digital technology studio that builds fintech solutions and was recently acquired by MVB Bank to lead technology innovation for new ventures.

He worked as an Innovation Specialist within the United Nations Secretariat, where he led the creation of Unite Labs and co-chaired the UN Innovation Network.

With over 15 years of experience in consumer finance, Brent is a thought leader known for his ability to help financial institutions think and do differently. He worked with the Filene Research Institute to launch advisory services focused on helping these organizations serve the next generation of customers.

Brent served as a Future of Finance Teaching Fellow at Singularity University, mentoring entrepreneurs and researchers from around the world on using disruptive technology to address global challenges.

He currently spends most of his time in Oakland, CA exploring the redwoods with his five year old son.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Speaking Topics

AI Agents: Preparing Financial Services for the Next Wave of Innovation

AI agents - autonomous software entities capable of complex decision-making and action - are an emerging technology with significant potential to reshape the financial services industry. As leaders, understanding and preparing for this technology is crucial for future-focused strategic planning.

This dynamic session will equip industry leaders with:

A clear explanation of AI agents and their potential applications in financial services contexts
Insights into the opportunities and challenges AI agents may present
A strategic framework for evaluating and implementing AI agents in your organization
Participants will learn to align perspectives, craft working principles, and navigate key trade-offs in AI agent adoption. Leave with a foundational understanding of AI agents and practical tools to inform your strategic decision-making.

Actionable Strategies for Generative AI at Credit Unions

Curious about what generative AI really means for your credit union? Join us for a practical session where we'll break down AI into understandable concepts and show you how it can work for your organization.

We'll cover:

1. What is Generative AI? - Learn the fundamentals in plain language. We'll demystify concepts like foundation models, agents, and explain how these tools actually work—without the technical jargon.
2. How to Put AI to Work - Discover practical applications specifically for credit unions. See real examples of how AI is helping credit unions enhance member experiences, streamline operations, strengthen risk management, and develop better marketing strategies.
3. Three Tips to Get Started - Walk away with a clear action plan including how to establish a governance framework, create a safe environment for experimentation, and ensure your AI solutions remain accurate and ethical.

Through real-world examples from credit unions and financial institutions, you'll see how AI works best when it amplifies your team's capabilities rather than replacing them. You'll leave with practical knowledge and confidence to take your first steps into this new technological landscape.

None of Us is as Smart as All of Us: Using Collective Intelligence to Build Teams of Problem Solvers

Solving complex problems requires new approaches to problem-solving. By bringing together diverse groups of people, data, and technology, we can create a greater collective intelligence than the individual parts in isolation. And by doing this, we can achieve things far beyond what any particular employee could achieve alone. This interactive presentation uses rich storytelling to cover:

• How to gather and use new sources of data
• How to improve your shared understanding of complex problems
• How to create and find solutions to current problems
• How to make more informed and inclusive decisions
• How to facilitate space for employees to think collectively

Frictionless Leadership

Friction. It's the force that resists the motion of one object against another. And in the world of work, it's the enemy of productivity.

How much time do you spend every day fighting friction? Dealing with unnecessary bureaucracy. Wading through mountains of irrelevant information. Pushing back against outdated processes.

It's time to put an end to the madness. It's time to get rid of the friction in your organization.

Brent Dixon is on a mission to do just that. In this talk he takes us through the causes of friction, and how we can heroically save our organizations from its wrath.

In this playful and interactive session, Brent uses Filene research to show us how bad organizational friction is the effect of well-intentioned systems and processes that overload employees, waste their time, and devalue their work. He then provides concrete examples of how we can overcome friction and make our organizations more productive, efficient, and human-centered.

If you're ready to tackle the enemy of productivity head-on, then this session is for you.

Innovation Through Experimentation

How can your organization drive innovation and remain competitive in today's fast-paced business world? Join Brent Dixon in this insightful keynote session as he shares why experimentation is fundamental to achieving successful innovation and how it can impact every area of your business, from product development to customer experience and operations.

You'll learn the fundamentals of designing, executing, and analyzing business experiments, and explore how to build a culture of experimentation that fosters creativity, curiosity, and healthy risk-taking. With insights ranging from startups to the United Nations, this session is sure to change the way you think about innovation and provide you with practical strategies to drive continuous improvement in your organization. Don't miss out on this opportunity to gain a competitive edge and thrive in today's business world.

Designing a 21st Century Strategy: Adapting to Thrive

How can your organization stay ahead in a rapidly changing world? This session explores the essential shift from rigidity to agility in strategic thinking, crucial for navigating the complexities of the 21st century. Discover how modern leaders leverage ambiguity, collective intelligence, and strategic agility to thrive amidst disruption. Learn to embrace systems thinking, inclusive decision-making, and continuous learning to transform your strategic approach. Uncover practical strategies to foster innovation, resilience, and sustained competitive advantage in today's fast-paced business environment. Join us to redefine your strategic mindset and lead your organization into the future.