Gerd Leonhard – For the Human Future. Globally recognised and top-rated futurist, humanist, author, film-producer and the Host of Gerd.tv . Gerd foregoes the all-too-frequent techno-optimism in favour of progressive humanism, balancing exponential technological progress with human needs. Gerd zeroes in on what the future holds for humanity, and how we will create the future we want (rather than just the one we could have).
These are some of my colleagues and fellow speakers that I work with on a regular basis, and that I recommend for your consideration if and when I am not available for your event. Please contact my office anytime to request an introduction or to get further details.
The Business Philosopher & Technology Evangelist
Frankfurt · English, German, Norwegian
Norwegian-born philosopher and deep-tech investor, recognized by Thinkers50 as one of the leading thinkers in technology and leadership. A bridge-builder between humanity and technology, he is a trusted sparring partner for international CEOs and political leaders and a guest lecturer at leading business schools. Author of four Spiegel bestsellers — The Viking Code, The Infected Thinking, Quantum Economy and Wild Knowledge — and founder of the Njordis Group and GILT.
Key topicsThe Quantum Economy · The Singularity Paradox · AI on AI · How near is singularity? · Capitalism – Prosperity for Posterity · Beyond Sustainability
Corporate Futurist & Strategic Foresight Expert
São Paulo, Brazil · Portuguese, English
Brazil-based corporate futurist and one of the most influential references in foresight and corporate cases in Brazil. A TED speaker, she helps companies turn the future into a source of present-day decisions and strategy, and builds Futures Observatories and Foresight Centers inside organizations. She speaks on long-term futures, disruptive innovation, ASI and business, the future workforce, and climate.
Key topicsPanoramas of the Future · AI & Business · Trends and Innovation · Leaders Who Anticipate the Future · Sustainability & Opportunity in Crisis · The Future of Work · Education 2050
One of the world's 20 most influential business thinkers (Thinkers50)
London, UK · English
Chairman of the trends-forecasting company Global Change Ltd and a physician by first training, often described as Europe's leading futurist. He is the author of 18 books on global trends — including The Future of Almost Everything and How AI Will Change Your Life — and has advised over 400 of the world's largest corporations on strategy, trends, innovation and risk. Founder of the AIDS charity ACET, he was appointed MBE in 2024.
Key topicsAI & Robotics · Digital Transformation · Education & HR · Energy & Environment · Finance & Insurance · Philosophy & Ethics · Security & Privacy · Technology & Humanity · Work & Jobs
Futurist & Founder of ROOS Trends & Futures
Lucerne, Switzerland · English, German
One of the leading futurists of the German-speaking world and a self-described future optimist. He is founder and CEO of ROOS, a private futures-studies think tank, and founder of the European Futurists Conference Lucerne; he also serves as co-president of swissfuture. A University of Zurich graduate with more than 20 years guiding strategic foresight, his work names the risks bluntly while emphasising the opportunities.
Key topicsMegatrends & future scenarios · The five transformations shaping our future · Demographic & value change · Digitalisation & technology · Globalisation
Globally recognized futurist, entrepreneur & bestselling author
Sydney, Australia · English
A leading futurist, keynote speaker and strategy advisor who has delivered in over 30 countries across six continents. He is Founding Chairman of the Advanced Human Technologies Group and author of five books, including Thriving on Overload and the acclaimed Living Networks, which The New York Times credits with predicting the social-networking revolution. He consults to Google, Coca-Cola, EY, PwC and Visa, and speaks five languages.
Key topicsAI and the Future of Work · Thriving on Overload · Success in a World of Accelerating Change · Creating the Future of Work · The Next 25 Years · Profiting from Technology Trends
Forbes Top-50 Female Futurist
Espoo, Finland · English, Finnish
A Finnish futurist with a D.Sc. in Business Administration (Aalto) and an M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, listed by Forbes among the world's 50 leading female futurists. She has authored or co-authored 14 books and worked as a futurist at Nokia, the Finland Futures Research Centre and Finpro. A co-inventor of the TrendWiki tool and creator of Futures Windows, she is known for her weak-signal research and an energetic, humorous stage presence.
Key topics10 megatrends · Foresight tools & methods (weak signals, wild cards, scenarios) · Consumer trends · The Future of X (work, health, cities, education) · The ABC of AI
Futurist & host of the Supertrends podcast
Copenhagen, Denmark · English, French, Danish
Founder of the innovation and futures company Future Navigator and host of the Supertrends podcast, named among the world's most influential futurists. She was previously Director of Research at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies and MD of Saatchi's Fahrenheit 212, and holds an M.Phil. from Oxford. Appointed to Danish government expert councils on mobility, she consults for IKEA, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson and Novo Nordisk.
Key topicsAI and the new world · The future of work & six generations of talent · Re-humanization & ethics · Trend-spotting & scenario building · Mobility & smart cities
Entrepreneur, investor & tech futurist
Manchester, UK · English, German
A serial entrepreneur, executive and investor who has founded or co-founded seven companies, including an exit to BlackBerry, where he became Global Head of Business Development – Games after growing Scoreloop to 450m users. A partner at Brainworks Ventures and former CCO of the UK's Medicines Discovery Catapult, he is an angel investor in AI, health, edtech and big data. An FRSA, he has keynoted TEDxManchester, SXSW and Mobile World Congress to over 100,000 people.
Key topicsAI and the Future of Work · XR / the human–machine interface · Education technology · Startup funding & growth · Commercialising hard science
Shapership Leader & Club of Rome member
Brussels, Belgium · English, French, German
A provocative strategic and creative thinker, narrative practitioner and full member of the Club of Rome. She co-authored Business Model Generation and Shapership: The Art of Shaping the Future, and co-invented "Shapership" — a set of practices for paradigm shifts that helps teams "dissolve" problems by inventing radically new future narratives. A TEDx speaker and invited professor (Solvay, ULB, UCL), her passion is to "make the future the cause of the present."
Key topicsShapership & shaping the future · Imagination & utopia · Reframing mental maps · Hope & optimism for the Good Future · Transformative narratives
Renegade Futurist & Ecocentrist
London, UK · English
A leading female futurist and ecocentrist who deconstructs the techno-optimist narrative, arguing that tomorrow isn't a tech problem — it's a value problem. CEO of Futurenautics and a global authority on the sustainable transformation of business, she is an adviser, author, presenter and film-maker whose talks are described as "a TED talk on steroids." Her client list spans Google, Audi, Bugatti, Deloitte, Mastercard, Chanel and Airbus, and she commentates for the BBC, Bloomberg, CNN and the FT.
Key topicsGeopolitics · Society · Climate & environment · Economics · Technology & digitalisation · AI · The future of business (Nobleization)
Futurist Philosopher & "Larry King of the Singularity"
Toronto, Canada · English, Bulgarian
Bestselling author of Conversations with the Future, keynote speaker and creator of the Singularity.FM podcast — the first in the world dedicated to AI and the technological singularity, with over 7 million views and guests including Ray Kurzweil, Noam Chomsky and Marvin Minsky. A graduate of Singularity University at NASA Ames, he translates complex trends into stories that help audiences embrace rather than fear accelerating change.
Key topicsAI & the technological singularity · Transhumanism & post-humanism · Accelerating change / future shock · The stories that shape our future · New media & podcasting
Futurist & business strategist, Senior Partner at FutureWorld
Cape Town, South Africa · English
Co-founder and Senior Partner of FutureWorld International (since 1991), he drives the FutureWorld process of strategic thinking "from the future back to the present," turning traditional strategy on its head. An angel investor and entrepreneur with a background across wealth management, law and property, he lectures at London Business School, Oxford's Saïd Business School, Duke CE, Cornell and the Indian School of Business, challenging leaders to reimagine long-term success.
Key topicsStrategy from the future back · Radical innovation · Leadership in uncertainty · Shifting business models · Building exponential & flourishing futures
Behavioural expert & founder of Whetston / strategic foresight
Amsterdam, Netherlands · English, Dutch
Founder of Whetston, an Amsterdam-based strategic-foresight think tank focused on future human behaviour, societal trends and generational change, and a lecturer in social psychology at Utrecht University. Author of Future Human Behavior – Understanding What People Are Going To Do Next (Routledge, 2023), he has been ranked "highest-rated speaker" at more than 100 business conferences. His clients include IKEA, Morgan Stanley, Google, Novartis, Microsoft and Nike.
Key topicsFuture-Proof Leadership · The Future of Work · The Human Side of Technology · Navigating the Polycrisis · Generation Z · The Future of the Planet · Mental Surplus
Gerd Leonhard — Futurist, Humanist, Author & Keynote Speaker · CEO, The Futures Agency, Zürich
Booking Inquiry · Contact · futuristgerd.com
The Futures Agency (TFA) is a Swiss GmbH (LLC) and is the corporate entity owned and operated by Public Thinker and Futurist Gerd Leonhard in Zürich, Switzerland. TFA is Gerd's corporate entity, and also works with other well-known futurists and keynote speaker that that help TFA's clients and events audiences to discover, understand and design their preferred future, and to make better decisions, today.