Open Banking Expo UK & Europe 2026 will conclude with a high-energy challenge to conventional business thinking as Maz Farrelly delivers the Closing Keynote ‘Why be boring when you can be bad ass’ on the battle for attention.
In a world saturated with content, information and increasingly similar ideas, Farrelly’s message is uncompromising: being good is no longer enough. Businesses must create a reason for people to notice, connect and care, or risk disappearing into the noise.
Drawing on more than 30 years creating some of the world’s biggest television shows, including Big Brother, The X Factor, and The Celebrity Apprentice, Farrelly will examine what business can learn from showbusiness about holding an audience.
She will explore how bold ideas, purposeful communication and carefully designed experiences can turn a fleeting moment of attention into something memorable.
For leaders competing in crowded markets, the keynote will pose a timely question: does caution really reduce risk?
Farrelly will argue that familiar language, predictable presentations and safe ideas can be more dangerous than taking a creative leap, because work that blends in is work that audiences forget.
Provocative, practical and entertaining, the closing session promises to leave attendees reconsidering how they present ideas, engage customers and build brands. Her message is simple: in the contest for attention, playing it safe might be the riskiest strategy of all.
Catch Maz Farrelly’s Closing Keynote at 14.45 on the Main Stage on Day Two of Open Banking Expo UK & Europe 2026 at the Business Design Centre in London. Check out the agenda here and get your ticket.
