
Cathy Hackl is the founder of The Futures Intelligence Group, a tech futurist, metaverse strategist, keynote speaker, author, and media personality. As CEO and chief metaverse officer of The Futures Intelligence Group, Cathy consults for the world’s leading brands on metaverse growth strategies, NFTs, gaming, virtual fashion and how to extend brands into the virtual worlds.
With over 15 years of experience in media and emerging tech, Cathy is a highly sought after speaker and one of the leading women in innovation, AR, VR, and spatial computing. Her expertise allows her to address audiences across sectors and in multiple industries, drawing on her experience to help them become better leaders, innovators and future smart. As a respected tech expert, she has given talks at the headquarters of Twitter, Facebook, and Sony.
Holding a BA in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, Cathy also has a double master’s in Mass Communication and International Studies from Florida International University. She began her career as an associate producer and trainee at Discovery Communications, spending the next few years working in media and communication for several companies, including CNN, FOX 5, and the University of Florida.
Cathy went on to gain experience in metaverse related fields with companies such as HTC, VIVE, Magic Leap and Amazon Web Services. In the process, she has become a globally recognised metaverse expert, tech futurist and top business executive. Dubbed the ‘Godmother of Metaverse’, Cathy has been included in the Thinkers50 Radar list of the 30 management thinkers most likely to shape the future of how organisations are managed and led. Furthermore, BigThink named Cathy one of the top 10 most influential women in tech in 2020 and 2021.
Host of Adweek’s Metaverse Marketing podcast and Dean of the Republic Realm Academy, Cathy is currently writing her highly anticipated third book titled The Metaverse Economy. As a highly respected expert in her field, she has featured in CNBC, Barron’s, Thinkers 50, NBC News, VentureBeat, Forbes, Top Voice LinkedIn, and Vogue Business. A highly accomplished, thought-provoking, and insightful speaker, Book Cathy Hackl now.
Social Media

7.1K

65.7K
Books

The Augmented Workforce: How Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and 5G Will Impact Every Dollar You Make

Marketing New Realities: An Introduction to Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality Marketing, Branding & Communications
How to hire Cathy Hackl
Contact the Champions Speakers agency to provisionally enquire about Cathy Hackl for your event today. Simply call a booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Cathy's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Future of Business
- Future of any Industry
- Future of Leadership
- Direct to Avatar
- Marketing to Robots
- Augmented Reality
- Virtual Reality
- Spatial Computing
- XR
- Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence
- Innovation
- Emerging Technology
- Futurism
- Virtual Beings
- Future of Work
- Future of Marketing
- Future of Travel
- Future of Manufacturing
- CGI Influencers
- Personal Branding for Women in Tech
- LinkedIn Strategy
Cathy is often booked as a speaker for a range of corporate events, read her latest feedback below.
"As a notable tech leader and futurist, we invited Cathy Hackl to keynote the Nevada Governor's Global Tourism Summit. Her talk was informative, engaging and really showcased how Nevada can be a leader when it comes to tourism innovation" - Brenda, Acting Director, Nevada Department of Tourism & Cultural Affairs
"Cathy is knowledgeable, engaging and passionate about the field of technology and social media. I came away with so much information that I am excited to move forward and try new ways to get information out through a variety of tools and platforms" - Nutan, Executive Producer, US Department of Defense
"The best speaker of future technology! Her talk was phenomenal. It truly brought forth the reality of the future of marketing and opportunities. She did a great job at explaining the things to come and providing useful information to take back to our business" - Event Attendee, Social Media Marketing World, San Diego
"Cathy Hackl is not only a seasoned broadcaster, but a compelling trainer who received a 90% approval rating at a Public Relations Society of America's recent workshop. Cathy's ability to share implementable strategies, while offering cutting-edge digital engagement techniques, was impressive, especially considering her audience-career communications" - Colleen, Professional Development, Public Relations Society of America
"Cathy Hackl is such a great source for information on Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. Her insights put these new developments and trends in context to show how they will have a practical impact. I follow Cathy's posts on LinkedIn and Twitter and I am sure to read articles she posts. It was such a pleasure to talk with her in our broadcast at Automation Fair at Home this year. Her network helped us to amplify messaging and reach industry influencers. Thank you, Cathy!" - Dave, Director of Advanced Technology, Rockwell Automation
"I requested Cathy to speak at our AR/VR team at Facebook and she did not disappoint. Her talk spanned a wide range of topics. She was energetic, engaging and easy to work with. We would love to have Cathy back in the future" - Sarah, Event Specialist, Facebook Reality Labs
"Cathy is a phenomenal speaker who is able to engage the crows with her well-rounded experience and anyone could tell how passionate she was for the future of reality. Not only was her keynote speech intriguing and informative, but her question and answer segment was one of the most interesting aspects of the conference. She was able to offer insight on so many sides of the industry and will always be welcomed back at OrlandoiX" - David, Executive Producer, OrlandoiX & Immersion
- 2021 - Dean of the Republic Realm Academy for Everyrealm Inc
- 2021 - Host of the Metaverse Marketing Podcast for Adweek
- 2021 - Volumetric Video/ Hologram Advisor for Avatar Dimension
- 2021 - Partner of the WXR Fund & Metaverse Growth Strategist for Uplandme Inc
- 2021 - Futurist in Residence at VRM & The ARIA Network
- 2020 - CEO & Chief Metaverse Officer of Futures Intelligence Group
- 2020 - Partner Activation Leader for Amazon Web Services
- 2018 - Enterprise Strategist for Magic Leap
- 2018 - Futurist for You Are Here Labs - Immersive Experiences
- 2018 - Experiential Marketing & Partnerships Lead, Emerging Technology for Mozilla
- 2017 - Launch Pad Fellow of Oculus VR
- 2017 - VR Evangelist HTC Vive
- 2016 - Contributing Writer to VRScout
- 2016 - Chief Communications Officer for Future Lighthouse
- 2015 - Director of SummitLiveLA
- 2014 - Public Relations Strategist & Strategic Communications for University of Florida
- 2013 - Adjunct Professor at the IE Business School
- 2012 - Communications Director of Ellas 2.0
- 2010 - Communications Coordinator for EARTH University Foundation
- 2007 - Senior Account Executive for Spaulding Communications
- 2007 - Associate Producer for FOX 5 Atlanta
- 2004 - Associate Archive Coordinator for CNN
- 2003 - Associate Producer for Discovery Communications