Clem Newton-Brown - Futurists & Future Trends - OAM, CEO and Founder of Skyportz

Travels From Victoria

Speaker Topics

Delivery Drones and Flying Taxis

Clem explores how delivery drones and flying taxis are going to change the way we live Read less

Planning for Future Cities

Planning for cities in an autonomous future driven by electric vehicles and aircraft Read less

Uber Air and Urban Aerial Mobility

Discover the world of aerial mobility and it's influence on the future Read less

Clem Newton-Brown

OAM, CEO and Founder of Skyportz

Clem is a former planning barrister, Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne, and Member of Parliament. Having spent a lifetime around politics, law and planning, he is now at the frontline pushing the boundaries for city planning. With his experience, Clem has a unique insight into how this transport revolution can be realised.

Nowadays, Clem spends his time putting his legal, planning, and political skills to use by helping bring about urban aerial mobility in the form of flying taxis.

He is the CEO and Founder of Skyportz. With Uber Air announcing Melbourne as the first international test city for flying taxis, Skyportz is developing the network of landing infrastructure necessary for urban aerial mobility. In this, Clem and Skyportz have been at the forefront of assembling the pieces of the emerging air taxi ecosystem for several years.

In his presentation, Clem can provide insights into what this will mean for Australia and why Melbourne was selected as the test city. Having started the first water taxi service on the Yarra River in 1992 and travelled via a powered scooter 25 years before the current micro-mobility trend, Clem is a futurist predicting the future years in advance. In addition, he is also actually creating the urban environment to facilitate the biggest change the world has seen since the invention of the motor vehicle.

The future will be here sooner than you think, and Clem will give you a fascinating insight into this new world.

Currently, Clem is the chair of the Advanced Air Mobility working group of the Australian Association for Unmanned Systems, serves on the Federal Government's New and Emerging Aviation Technologies committee and the NASA Advanced Aerial Mobility working group in the United States. He runs Whitemark Property and Planning, a consultancy specialising in strategy for complex projects.

In 2019, Clem received a Medal in the Order of Australia for services to the Parliament of Victoria and the community of Melbourne.

Testimonial

Clem’s presentation on the future of urban aerial mobility with Uber Air certainly opened our eyes to the opportunities for our clients in the property sector. He guided us through topics such as the current status of various prototypes aircraft to practical issues around air traffic control, political imperatives, community licence and where property owners can play a role in aerial ride sharing services. He also covered the related topic of drone deliveries (which Google have already started in Australia) and what is required from a regulatory perspective to get our Uber Eats by air. Our team have been given a lot to think about as we prepare for this transport revolution which is going to fundamentally change the way we live and move through cities

CBRE Melbourne

Clem presented at our industry conference on the emerging urban aerial mobility (UAM) capability and associated challenges. Clem has an articulate, well-informed and entertaining style that kept the audience fully engaged. Surrounded by industry folk who believe that UAM reality is still far into the future, Clem was able to deliver a compelling presentation convincing many that future is here already.

Australian Association for Unmanned Systems (AAUS)

Clem was a guest speaker and brought a nuanced and considered perspective to the conversations, thanks to both his breadth and depth of experience, including his first-hand knowledge about commuting on the Yarra as a the pioneer of Melbourne’s first water-taxi service. As a long-time Yarra user, business owner, entrepreneur and former State Government Member of Parliament, Clem was able to offer insights from multiple perspectives based on his own lived experience - a rare find. Clem was nothing short of professional, communicative and respectful. We have no hesitation in recommending Clem as a speaker on transit, innovation and cities.

Open House Melbourne