Signal and Cipher

Signal and Cipher is the Future Decoded. We are an innovation and change management firm dedicated to helping the most impactful companies in the world navigate, operationalize, and monetize the impact of AI to drive the future of work.

From Hollywood studios to tech darlings and CPG, our clients are looking for ways to build the future today.

Keynote Speaker

I speak frequently on the future of work and the impact of rapid change on enterprises, employees, consumers, and the global economy.

Keynote Platforms: 
Billion Dollar Teams: The Future of an AI-Powered Workforce
Future Forward: Navigating Exponential Change
Creative Machines: AI and the Future of Creativity

Recent keynotes include Deloitte, Microsoft, Synchrony, Puig, SXSW, Adobe, Febraban, Icatu, Totvs, and Itau.

I have also given guest lectures on leadership and AI at several universities, including the University of Chicago, Northwestern, Loyola, DePaul, UIC, and IIT.

International Keynote Speaker

DeFiance Media

I write and produce the Future Report segment as a part of Defiance Daily on the Defiance Media Network, using Hour One's powerful synthetic media platform. Each news segment is delivered by an AI version of me - a Deepfake.
You can catch the segment at https://defiance.media or streaming on over 100MM devices and smart TVs worldwide.

AI Correspondent - Synthetic Host of "Future Report"

Coastal Spritz

Interim Fractional CMO

Update Beverage

Caffeine is obsolete. It’s time for an Update. Crush procrastination with a smart energy drink that's more advanced than caffeine. Now available at www.drinkupdate.com

* Rebuilt the brand from the ground up after two prior agencies failed to design a distinctive brand for this new beverage category
* Built a nimble team of freelancers to establish a visual identity, brand guidelines and design system, including an extensive library of 3D assets, and feature animations
* Defined core value propositions and key demographics for launch
* Lead launch strategy and execution 
* Worked with bleeding-edge tech platforms like Unreal Engine 5 and LightTwist to develop immersive brand experiences

Head Of Brand + Futurist in Residence

Cocktails For Hope

•  Successfully lobbied for the legalized sale of Cocktails-to-go in Illinois - providing bars and 
    restaurants a revenue lifeline during Covid
•  Built a team of 50+ volunteers, including some of the world's biggest names in hospitality
•  Co-wrote legislation that received overwhelming bi-partisan support 

Cocktails For Hope is an initiative that advocates for the temporary sale of pre-mixed cocktails in containers sealed by on-premise license holding establishments in the State of Illinois. Cocktails For Hope is committed to creating necessary cash flow to bars and restaurants throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to remain in business. The initiative also seeks to create an open line of communication with lawmakers for continued conversations as the hospitality landscape evolves over time.               Visit us at: www.cocktailsforhope.org

Co-Founder

SWAPP PROTOCOL (NFT Marketplace, Decentralized Exchange, Data Monetization)

Advising Swapp on 
- Implementation of structure and process needed to scale effectively
- Marketing and communications strategy

NFT Marketing and Operations Advisor

XR Founders

We are a collective of over 15,000+ interdisciplinary voices sharing ideas to shape the future of XR. Together we explore new capabilities, diversity, ethical design, accessibility, sustainability, and social impact within the industry. 

Join us on Clubhouse every Thursday and Sunday at  5PM ET.

Cohost

Hawkeye

Epsilon agency is now part of Hawkeye!

We’re a one-of-a-kind human experience agency.

We orchestrate experiences for people across their customer journey— leveraging human insight, the world’s best data, empathic creativity and the most powerful technology available. We do all this to deliver business results for our clients and to create more meaningful connections between humans and brands.

We call these Connections Designed to Matter™.

VP, Group Director: Digital Strategy + Innovation

Epsilon

Established the Creative Technology group to explore, prototype, and deploy new technologies in service of solving client business challenges.

Digital Strategy Practice Lead
Executive Development Program Graduate

Vice President, Digital Strategy

Decoding the future of work with the technologies of tomorrow | Futurist | Speaker

I help executives (including C-Suite and NEDs), and marketing teams understand the impact of AI on their organizations and augment the power of their teams with AI and reimagined workflows. 

For over a decade I've helped companies do mind-bending things with new and emerging technologies by showing them how to create, monetize and scale with bleeding-edge tech when few best practices and instruction manuals exist. At Signal and Cipher, we're focused on decoding the future of work for our clients.

My mission as a futurist and speaker is to inspire people to take ownership of their role in shaping the future, participate in building the world they want to see, be the wrong person asking the right questions, and approach the future with wonder, curiosity, and hope, not fear and confusion. The future is ours to shape, but you don't win by being as a spectator. 


_____

Considered one of the top voices in AI and the future of work, Ian is a trusted advisor to the world's most innovative companies. His firm Signal and Cipher transforms companies into AI-ready organizations with training, workforce reengineering, design, and development, resulting in meaningful routes to innovation that impact the bottom line, inspire cultural change, and create new products and ways of working.

Previously responsible for P&Ls and innovation departments at the largest agencies in the world, Ian is known for making bleeding-edge technology understandable and monetizable. Brands he has advised over the last decade include Samsung, Intel, Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, Nike, and dozens more.

Ian has pioneered a digitally immersive presentation style that brings artificial intelligence and extended reality to life so audiences can understand the future of technology in actionable ways. Ian is also the co-owner of a production studio designing virtual worlds and the first person ever to host a news segment as a synthetic human, streaming to over 100 million devices around the world.

A classically trained musician, Ian understands the magnitude of AI's coming impact on human creativity. As a strategist and speaker, he strives to educate stakeholders on the real-world implications of emerging technologies so they can make informed decisions that positively shape our world and advance humanity. In a rapidly evolving world that some consider dystopian, Ian remains a steadfast optimist and offers what everyone needs now: hope.

Specialties:  AI • Machine Vision • Emerging Technology • Digital Strategy • Process Engineering • Prototyping • Systems Thinking • Team Leadership

Ian Beacraft

Somos, Inc.

Director, Office of CEO & Board Chair

Northeastern University School of Law

• Inspire alumni and families to support the School of Law through philanthropy and financial investment in Northeastern’s programs and scholarship.

•Create, implement, and evaluate the organization’s annual fund campaign, including mailings, appeals, reports, and other relevant correspondence

• Collaborate with Dean and Director of Development of NUSL to develop comprehensive solicitation strategies that meet the needs of the Law School, its programs, and priorities. 

• Manage the Dean's Society including coordinating with the law school Dean regarding marketing efforts, direct mail, events, and the writing/creation of any stewardship of acknowledgments to donors on behalf of the Dean

•Recruit and manage reunion class committees. Develop, implement and solicit class fundraising plans

• Work closely with the Dean of the Law School to disseminate the Dean's message and coordinate stewardship of the Dean's Society communications in conjunction with the Director of Development for NUSL

• Partner with the Dean of NUSL, Director of Development, Chairs and Faculty to maximize the solicitation potential of prospects in portfolio

• Acquire and articulate an understanding of NUSL, including its priorities, programs and faculty

• Collaborate with University Advancement colleagues, including those in Donor Relations and Gift Planning, as necessary in an effort to meet fundraising goals

• Utilize Advancement data management system (Salesforce) to log activity, create call reports and progress reports, and maintain data integrity of prospect portfolio

Leadership Giving Officer

Framingham State University

• Responsible for implementing a multi-channel prospecting approach across phone, email, video, social and direct mail to reach a broad base of potential donors.

• Apply data analytics to develop and execute strategies to make initial contact with current and prospective donors.

• Manage the Graduates of the Last Decade Program, engaging the University's young alumni through events, career services, networking opportunities, and electronic & social media outreach.

• Manage prospect and volunteer activating using the fundraising database and associated reporting tools, ensuring that data is entered in a timely and accurate fashion.

• Utilize a variety of resources to provide regular progress reports on alumni and prospect identification and qualification.

• Provide regular content for the LinkedIn Groups supported by the Office of Alumni Relations

• Meet with colleagues across the University to share information and collaboratively outline strategic next steps to cultivate alumni donors, volunteers, and supporters.

• Support existing and new alumni engagement activities by identifying and securing speakers, volunteers, and event participants.

Associate Director of Development & Alumni Relations

• Connect Alumna/us with opportunities to engage with current students, attend programs/events and the with greater Framingham State community 

• Responsible for the identification, cultivation and solicitation of prospective donors with the capacity to make gifts to the University

• Conduct face-to-face meetings annually with prospects for the purpose of further qualification as to giving potential

• Successfully cultivate and solicit qualified prospects for leadership annual gifts and major and planned gifts

• Create comprehensive moves management strategies for all qualified prospects

• Provide regular and meaningful stewardship to existing donors, coordinating with departmental and campus colleagues as needed

• Complete post-meeting correspondence and document all activity in a timely manner

Associate Director Of Resource Development

South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC)

• Acted as internal communication officer with particular focus on executive-level staff communication and task prioritization, and on tracking activities and needs of the Team

• Directly support the Executive Team by executing assigned short-medium term task priorities, preparing materials and research for internal and external meetings/presentations, scheduling meetings      

• Foster relationships through regular communication with local and state officials, funding sources, foundations, and other critical agency partners

• Provide agency capacity during the development, launch and ongoing operations of new initiatives

• Provide timely and accurate communication to project contributors throughout all project phases

• Coordinate and assist Executive Team with organizational policy development

• Provide general assistance to the Executive Team with special projects and other identified tasks

• Identify and mitigate project risks, develop plans to move forward

• Maintain significant contacts for the agency database

• Extensive knowledge and ability to provide support as need to the various divisions in the agency which include: Administration & Finance, Energy Conservation and Financial Assistance, Non-profit Housing Operations, Workforce Development, Family Emergency Services, Behavioral Health Services, and Headstart/Childcare 

• Coordinated the development & implementation of SMOC’s Community Assessment Report & Strategic Plan for the next 3 years, as mandated by the Community Service Block Grant

• Worked with the Finance Department to develop and implement cost savings initiatives throughout the agency

• Worked with Facilities Department to improve Maintenance Operations: including improving efficiencies, developing processes & protocols, and reducing staff Overtime

• Responsible for a diverse portfolio of operating divisions including community development, real estate development, behavioral health services

Executive Team Project & Support Specialist

Massachusetts One-Stop Career Centers

• Conduct intensive needs assessment including, academic and skill level, career aptitude and interests, employability skills and barriers to education and employment

• Develop Individual Service Strategy based on comprehensive assessment

• Facilitate decision making and goal setting.  Identify resolutions to barriers. Introduce opportunities linking academic and occupational learning

• Input relevant customer data appropriately and timely by following all database entry policies 

• Utilize database reports appropriately and timely

• Customize approach to the individual's needs and elicit solutions and strategies from the customer

• Provide feedback and an objective perspective by gathering information through interviewing and observing individuals

• Research labor market issues and current workplace trends

• Maintain knowledge of state-of-the-art career assessment instruments; administer and interpret as appropriate

• Outreach to eligible applicants through a variety of resources

• Advocate for Career Connections Customers

• Function efficiently and efficiently as a member of the Career Connections team

Young Adult Career Advisor

• Work with a designated caseload of 25-30 clients receiving services from the Department of Mental Health to provide employment support services directed toward the goal of competitive employment.

• Assisted the Department of Mental Health clients obtain employment or education via the IPS Model

• Conduct an initial assessment of clients' vocational and educational functioning.  Review and monitor on an ongoing basis.

• Complete and maintain accurate documentation for each individual served within funder's required timeline.

• Developed Individualized Action Plans in conjunction with the clinical team to support client needs and goals 

• Collaborated with employers in the community to create jobs

Employment Specialist

As the Director of the Office of CEO & Board Chair, I work closely with the CEO to drive the evolution of the company's vision, strategy, and execution of goals. I provide oversight and guidance on high-importance projects, establish workflows and communication channels, and craft presentations and memos for the Board and C-suite. My role includes ensuring the timely completion of projects, managing follow-ups from meetings with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), and coordinating cross-departmental initiatives. I develop strategic plans to support company goals, create standard reporting formats, and consolidate project reports into comprehensive dashboards. Additionally, I facilitate meetings, organize agendas, and support company-sponsored events and activities.

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Ian Beacraft

Jake Hepler

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