Futurist & Innovation Expert
Anant
Sharma
Overview
Founder & CEO of Matter Of Form, Luxury Design Consultancy
Host of the What The Luxe Podcast
Board member of the UK’s Crafts Council
Guest MBA Lecturer at EHL Hospitality School
DJ & Producer
Anant has spent the last 14 years leading Matter Of Form – a design consultancy specialising in brand strategy, CX, digital innovation for timeless brands. In everything he does, Anant places a ruthless focus on craft and creativity to bridge the gap between the minds of tomorrow with the C-suite of today.
A futurist, innovation enthusiast and keen advocate of developing meritocratic cultures that promote ideas and learning, Anant is also a dedicated teacher and student of behavioural design; exploring what drives us to do the things we do.
It’s a fascination he brings to all ventures; including co-ownership of design thinking school Experience Haus, lecturing as an adjunct professor in branding, CX and innovation at EHL and through his role as part-time host of What The Luxe – a podcast series designed to shun boring ideas of luxury and instead reframe timelessness as the relentless pursuit of craft. Since April 2023, Anant has sat on the Board of Trustees for Crafts Council – the UK’s national charity for craft enrichment.
Outside of Matter Of Form, Anant moonlights as a DJ and producer, having played sets at clubs and festivals all over the world, Glastonbury included. He is also a very proud father of two; three if you include Molly – the dachshund adored by the entire studio.
Key Themes & Takeaways
01
We favour the term timeless over luxury – the principle that the spirit of something can last well beyond any single shape it may take.
02
If you get your brand and customer experience really humming, you have the power to change people’s perspective.
03
In a world of too much noise, it’s the details that really matter. It’s far better to craft less in favour of crafting beautifully.
04
When you remove every ounce of friction in favour of conversion, you optimise things to death.
05
Value comes from the tales we tell ourselves. It’s why Arnault (perceived value) is worth more than Zuckerberg (utility).
06
Before thinking about any form of innovation, we must revisit brand. Purpose, positioning and spirit. Otherwise innovation becomes gimmick.
Curated Sessions
A selection of the talks Anant offers, tailored to you, your audience and sector.
Interested in booking Anant for your next event, panel or podcast?
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The Term: Lazy. Stale. Static.
The Talk: Tongue-in-cheek.
At first glance, Anant’s made a career out of working with luxury brands. On closer inspection, the work is always underpinned by long-term, timeless thinking. Kicking away the heritage crutch in favour of action and meaningful innovation. This talk covers how the luxury market is changing, and why it has a role in designing a better future.
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Brands are made in the mind. The sum of every interaction they have with a person. People, in turn, crave ritual, story, effort. And in a world of too much noise, it’s the details that really matter – that carve out that place in the mind. Despite humans’ fundamental simplicity, luxury brands love to overcomplicate. This is a talk for the leaders who have every element needed to connect with the human behind the metric, but who are just as overwhelmed as the rest of us – in need of some re-simplification. solutions that are both functional and beautiful.
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We assume that innovation is technology, and that what’s new is what’s next. But even with the AI hype dominating headlines, we’re seeing a return to craft in every facet of luxury. In our era of automation, we’re unwavering advocates for that heightened focus on human-made and building healthy friction into the guest experience. Firm believers that every interaction matters, automated or analogue, if brands want to craft a journey worth remembering. Because when you remove every ounce of friction, you optimise things to death.
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As the travel industry grapples with technological acceleration—AI-driven personalisation, algorithmic planning, seamless automation—there’s an urgent need to rebalance. In this talk, we shift the spotlight back to emotion. By drawing on principles from behavioural psychology and environmental design, we reveal how emotional resonance, not efficiency, is the most powerful currency in luxury hospitality.
We’ll explore how space, sequence, sensory input and even silence can be designed to heighten meaning and memory. We’ll also look at how data and AI can support—not replace—the art of intuitive, emotionally intelligent service design.
Anant Speaking
Virtuoso Symposium
Inhorgenta
Walpole Luxury Summit
What The Luxe
Hosted by Anant & Business-Partner-in-Crime Fred Moore, Matter Of Form’s What The Luxe podcast is a series dedicated to reframing ideas of luxury, debunking convention and debating what’s next with an enviable line-up of industry leaders.
