Transform your organization with Hope Engineering
Building positive futures
Hope is the energy to change the world, and we build hope to motivate the companies, governments and people to demand change.
Together, we strive to find signals of change, explore trends and scenarios, and shape stories of our futures that drive sustainable profit and growth today.
Together, we replace fear of the unknown with hope for a better world. That energy shift fuels future powerful visions of horizons where we see a resilient and thriving humanity.
We are the Futurist Think Tank – Hope Engineers that believe in incredible futures for all.
Learn MoreBecome Future Ready
Learn MoreExplore new horizons and futures
We help you consider 10, 20, and 30+ year horizons to ignite thinking about how the exponentially changing world will affect your business, and how possible futures might come to pass.
Discover and apply signals and trends
We scan the world for impactful signals that demystify the cultural shifts, technological advancements, societal developments and research that shows the trajectory of humanity towards different futures.
Anticipate impactful scenarios
We explore incredible stories on how our futures work and how people, systems, technology and culture collides to challenge us and create opportunities for growth.
Design the stories of our futures
We design and create inspirational and visceral stories of our speculative futures that allow leaders to challenge their poverty of imagination and encourage curiosity and exploration of new frontiers.
Deploy Futures Thinking
Contact NikolasNikolas Badminton and his highly-skilled team at the Futurist Think Tank has collaborated with numerous CEOs, executive teams, and organizations to implement practical tools for imagining futures, creating futures literacy and implementing strategic foresight in their organizations.
Nikolas’ proven Hope Engineering© Framework is a foundational approach that presents principles used to anchor the signals scanning, trends identification, what if… scenarios exploration, and developing stories that help us feel our futures. This framework kickstarts foresight as a practice and capability that augments existing strategic planning processes.
Contact Nikolas
Impactful Futures Work
Corporate foresight establishment for a global aerospace and defense company
The Challenge
To prime the organization to use futures thinking and strategic foresight in developing propositions within global business units across aerospace, avionics, transportation, and security markets. Worked with globally-dispersed teams across a number of to train people in foresight methods, explore signals, trends and future scenarios in project and program management, defense R&D, executive planning for global expansion, product development and more.
Incredible Results
Trained over 100 executives and R&D researchers in foresight methods and established an internal foresight capability. Strengthened strategic planning and created shifts in how executives plan with a view out to further horizons thus helping create a longer, more resilient view of the business.
Long-range planning for a European food producer
The Challenge
The client operates vegetable and fruit growing operations across several European countries and needed to understand possible futures in the ever-changing agriculture and agri-food markets. The executive team wanted to learn foresight methods, explore signals, trends and scenarios in climate change effects, new food products and processing methods, logistics, business expansion, energy production and more.
Incredible Results
Provided more robust risk planning across their business and new pathways forward for considering existing product offerings, and exploration of the extension of their business and in which ways to expand geographically and organizationally.
United Nations (UNFCCC) Resilience Frontiers Program design
The Challenge
Worked closely with the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat’s Director of Adaption on creating a new strategic foresight program to brainstorm and design future solutions for climate resilience. Nikolas provided program guidance and opening keynote to 100 designers, government leaders, and foresight practitioners for a week-long design exercise. See more about this here.
Incredible Results
Program establishment and ongoing mentorship with foresight-focused groups working with the world-renowned United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Post-covid-19 and global expansion planning for a trillion dollar tech company
The Challenge
Collaborated with a global tech leader’s security and resilience services executive team to provide a view on foresight practices and integration of new processes for longer-range planning within existing risk planning. And, ongoing research and advice on futures in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and keeping 114,000+ employees safe.
Incredible Results
Strengthened risk planning across product groups and security capabilities. Provided the ability to anticipate global events using the identification of weak and strong signals, and hypothetical scenario building. We coached and help establish their first ‘Futurist-in-residence’.
UHNWI consumer engagement and future product exploration for the No. 1 luxury car brand
The Challenge
Provided the executive with a speculative view of 2030 and the likely shifts in tastes and behaviors relating to Ultra-high Net Worth Individuals (UHNWIs). Analysis discussed recommended strategic initiatives in relation to wealth movement, shifting populations, property ownership, global citizenship, luxury goods acquisition/collecting, and automotive needs (including self-driving cars, electric vehicles, and incredible concierge services).
Incredible Results
Informed ongoing product and service work that will help maintain and increase market position and advantage against other luxury car manufacturers and brands.
YVR 2037: Engaging travellers to shape Vancouver International airport of the future
The Challenge
Worked with executive leadership to create public engagement for the 2037 Master Plan that looks to an incredible future, and ensures the best use of YVR’s land, drive growth in passenger, aircraft and cargo volumes. Nikolas wrote five short science fiction stories (read them here) and produced a video that used alongside media engagement to engage stakeholders and the communities YVR serves.
Incredible Results
Incredible local engagement through over a dozen stakeholder and community design sessions. This was incredible as only four were initially planned but demand was overwhelming due to the campaign. There was wide media engagement with 13+ impressions. Ideas about the future inspire community thinking.
Incredible Clients
“Nikolas is a talented futurist with a natural gift for futures and strategic business thinking. He made a huge impact for us to get the conversation about foresight going in North America but also the world”
“Nikolas brought great value to our organization and I recommend him to others looking to broaden their strategic planning and design capabilities with foresight and futures thinking.”
“Nikolas and his team provided a global and forward-thinking perspective that really helped jump-start our public input process.”
Futurist Consulting FAQ
Nikolas is the Chief Futurist for the Futurist Think Tank at futurist.com, a Fellow of The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (The RSA), and works with trillion-dollar companies, central banks, governments, startups and those willing to challenge our poverty of imagination, awaken curiosity and create incredible futures.
He has worked with hundreds of world-leading companies, including NASA, Google, Microsoft, United Nations, United Way, Bayer, Corteva, Bank of Canada, American Express, AT&T, Thales International, Rolls Royce, Heineken, Procter & Gamble, Government of Canada, UK Home Office, Government of Cayman Islands, IDEO, and many more.
Nikolas has been a mainstay in the media for the past decade talking about our futures. He’s appeared in the ‘Smart Drugs’ documentary, was an advisor to the ‘Age of AI’ series with Robert Downley Jr and appears in the upcoming series ‘The Secrets of Big Data’ on Discovery. He appears regularly on SIRIUSXM, and on CTV’s Future Friday. His essential research has also been featured by the BBC, VICE, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Techcrunch, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Forbes, Sputnik, Venturebeat, and Global News. He also produces and interviews incredible thinkers on the renowned Exponential Minds Podcast.
In Fall 2022 Nikolas’ new book will be released – ‘Facing Our Futures’ provides executives and organizations with the foundations for futures design and the tools to imagine new futures, create bolder visions, anticipate unforeseen risks, and strengthen strategic planning. Nikolas’ thinking can also be seen in the opening chapter of ‘The Future Starts Now’. Both are published by Bloomsbury Business.
Contact us to discuss your project needs.
Facing Our Futures: How Foresight, Futures Design and Strategy Creates Prosperity and Growth is a No. 1 Amazon Best Seller in Business Research & Development, JP Morgan’s “Next Gen Pick” for their esteemed 2023 Summer Reading List, and selected as a book to read by the Next Big Idea Club – purchase here.
Bulk purchase is available for your event – reach out to discuss.
Facing Our Futures: How Foresight, Futures Design and Strategy Creates Prosperity and Growth presents a fascinating insight into how professionals and businesses can develop their foresight and strategy to ensure that they are prepared for an unpredictable future.
Businesses, organizations and society-at-large are all subject to unforeseeable events and incidents that often have a dramatic impact upon prosperity and profit. Due to their unpredictable nature, business leaders and executive teams are unable to prepare for these specific events. But, through innovation, strategizing and an open-minded approach, they can restructure their organization and practices in order to mitigate (or even take advantage of) the impact of such events.
In Facing Our Futures, Nikolas Badminton draws upon his decades of experience as a consultant and futurist to provide readers with the skillset and outlook they need to prepare their organization, team and themselves for whatever obstacles the future may hold. CEOs, executive teams, government leaders and policy makers need to gain a broader perspective and a firmer grasp on how their relevant industry, society or community is evolving and changing. Once they have acquired this foresight, they need to then discover how to fully harness it – by strengthening their foundations, forecasting and establishing a resilient and adaptable strategy.
Facing Our Futures acts as a primer on the value of seeing how bad things can get and the power in imagining these futures. It also provides a proven strategic planning and foresight methodology – the Positive Dystopia Canvas (PDC) – that allows leaders to supercharge their teams to build evocative visions of futures that strengthen planning today.
Over many years we have brought together some of the world’s best and brightest foresight practitioners, researchers, science fiction authors, architects, designers and thinks in the Futurist Think Tank.
We challenge our collective poverty of imagination and awaken curiosity about our futures.
We disrupt the culture of short-term thinking by celebrating play, creative thinking and brave actions to challenge our failing industrial complex.
We develop resilient and future-ready mindsets that can imagine a multitude of possible futures that positively affect the lives of over eight billion people on this Spaceship Earth.
Contact us to discuss your project needs.
Nikolas Badminton FRSA is a world-renowned futurist researcher and speaker. He is the Chief Futurist at Futurist.com, Consultant, Author, Media Producer, and Executive Advisor. He has delivered futurist keynotes to and worked with executives and the C-suite at over 300 of the world’s most impactful organizations and governments.
Nikolas and the Futurist Think Tank help executives learn strategic foresight practices that shape the visions that shape impactful organizations, trillion-dollar companies, startups, progressive governments, and multi-billion dollar investment funds.
Nikolas’ keynotes are always customized for what you need and ignite your audience’s thinking to shift midgets from WHAT IS TO WHAT IF… The result is the ability to be curious, explore possibilities, and imagine incredible futures for all.
Contact us to discuss your research and keynote needs.
“If operations are the body, strategy is the brain then Foresight is the awareness and consciousness of an organization. We need to embrace foresight and challenge our collective poverty of imagination to create long-term profit and resiliency.” Nikolas Badminton
Nikolas Badminton and The Futurist Think Tank provides coaching to C-suite executives on augmenting corporate strategic planning and risk analysis with foresight capabilities.
In addition, monthly and quarterly signals and trends reports can be provided with active coaching on the implications of what we are seeing shape our futures. Coaching can also be provided for incoming Futurist-in-Residence and Chief Futures Officers (CFuO).
Contact us to discuss your executive coaching needs.
“If operations are the body, strategy is the brain then Foresight is the awareness and consciousness of an organization. We need to embrace foresight and challenge our collective poverty of imagination to create long-term profit and resiliency.” Nikolas Badminton
The Futurist Think Tank provides Strategic foresight services as a planning-oriented discipline related to work undertaken with trained futurists to provide value to progressive organizations and executives.
We structure our projects around the needs of our clients and undertake a number of key activities:
- Discussion of global megatrends, secondary research and scanning for signals.
- Identifying disruptive industry trends.
- Seeking challenges and seeing unforeseen risks.
- Building WHAT IF… futures scenarios.
- Writing speculative fiction and designing experiential futures.
- Backcasting and risk anticipation.
It’s been found that organizations that build anticipatory capabilities, strategic foresight practices, and future-proof their business have been found to outperform the average by a 33% higher profitability and a 200% higher growth. Those organizations that do not can face performance discounts of 37% to 108%.
Our clients become resident futurists in organizations and go on to establish world-leading capabilities that give them the edge over competitors.
Contact us to discuss your project needs.
The world is reeling in the wake of the pandemic, with global water-energy-food crises, geopolitical unrest and the specter of a recession.
Many say that now is the time to regroup and get focused on a way forward. We say that you cannot do that without exploring the potentialities of our futures beyond the next 2 to 3 years to see how we can establish more bold visions of the impact we can make.
Nikolas will deliver an energetic and inspiring keynote that ignites curiosity, shifts your mindset from what is to what if, and teaches you how to think like a futurist. He will share stories of the cultural shifts and winning strategies you have to employ in uncertain times. And, beyond that he will guide you through a workshop that helps you:
- Understand how foresight helps us navigate through uncertain times – we know that foresight is the missing link between strategic planning, disruption and our futures. Exploring positive and challenging futures is key to establishing a roadmap to navigate recessions and
- See shifting global megatrends and geopolitical dynamics that will shape the next 10 years – economic power, population growth, water-energy-food, waste, climate change and energy.
- Explore the trends and tensions that will change your industry – Future of Work, Artificial Intelligence and automation, Smart Cities and Urban Planning, Metaverse and Web3, Privacy and Security, Agriculture, Aerospace, Engineering and Manufacturing, Transportation and Logistics, Finance and Insurance.
- Establish a sustainability mindset – ESG policy, United Nations SDGs, and circular economy
- Learn how to operationalize foresight to create organizational resiliency – how we can write scenarios and tell stories of our futures
As always, the keynote and workshop is built in collaboration with clients to create resiliency, an incredible vision of our futures and a plan to get there.
Reach out to Nikolas to discuss how this can help you and your organizations navigate the next 3 to 5 years – click here.
“If operations are the body, strategy is the brain then Foresight is the awareness and consciousness of an organization. We need to embrace foresight and challenge our collective poverty of imagination to create long-term profit and resiliency.” Nikolas Badminton
Nikolas Badminton and the Futurist Think Tank provides Foresight Training to clients looking to learn more about the discipline of foresight.
The training empowers teams to look for global megatrends, run secondary research and scan for signals, identify disruptive industry trends, seek challenges and unforeseen risks, build WHAT IF… futures scenarios, speculative fiction, experiential futures, backcasting, and risk anticipation.
In addition, teams can learn more about the tools and techniques used in foresight
- Positive-Dystopian Framework (our proprietary method).
- Causal Layered Analysis (CLA).
- Building WHAT IF… futures scenarios.
- Writing speculative fiction and designing experiential futures.
- Backcasting and risk anticipation.
- and, other strategic foresight methods.
Contact us to discuss your training needs.
Nikolas Badminton and the Futurist Think Tank provides Foresight Development Workshops to complement the Futurist Keynotes and Foresight 101 Training. These use the proven Foresight Development Framework and help teams focus on the priorities and challenges they have today and imagine the futures ahead of them and their industry.
Our in-person and virtual workshops engage client teams deeply in the work of strategic foresight and our teams guide them expertly through
- Discussing global megatrends, secondary research and scanning for signals.
- Identifying disruptive industry trends.
- Seeking challenges and seeing unforeseen risks.
- Building WHAT IF… futures scenarios.
- Writing speculative fiction and designing experiential futures.
- Backcasting and risk anticipation.
Contact us to discuss your workshop needs.
Nikolas Badminton and the team at the FUTURIST THINK TANK have developed an interactive experience where you can interact with the keynote and learn about building complex futures stories from the signals, trends and scenarios we explore together across a number of areas that we identify as important for you and your audience.
Areas of exploration can include global megatrends, evolution and transformation in your industry, algorithms and data growth, security and privacy, circularity and sustainability (ESG), and more. We adjust for your industry and organization.
This interactive game is played throughout the keynote and can teach you how to
- Understand signals and trends that will shape the future of your industry
- Explore scenarios that define technological, human and wildcard futures
- Shift your mindset from what is to WHAT IF… and develop over 200 stories that can be used as a starting point for exploring the future of your organization and strategic planning.
- Create fun, engagement and discussion on important topics within your audience
And, following the keynote you will have a deeper understanding of how your organization considers possible futures – is it tech-driven , humanity-focused or hoping that they’ll survive the changes coming your way?
Contact us to discuss your event and how ‘The Futures Game’ will ignite thinking.
Nikolas is now offering three exciting new keynotes for the 2024 events season. I see huge potential with these – thanks for discussing these with me this Friday.
- HOPE ENGINEERING – the power to change our world
- SUPERCHARGE INNOVATION – find new opportunities with futures work.
- EXPONENTIAL HUMANITY – embrace new frontiers in A.I.
Each one builds off of my extensive experience and the needs he is seeing in the clients that he speaks to.
HOPE ENGINEERING – the power to change our world
Nikolas will deliver an energetic and inspiring keynote that shows you how hope is the energy that changes our world. He will ignite curiosity and shift your mindset from what is to what if. He will share stories of cultural shifts, insights into new disruptive technologies, and strengthen strategic planning in your organization by embracing futures thinking.
Nikolas will show you how to…
- Shift your mindset from what is to what if… – see the signals of change, trends shaping our world, and stories of our futures that inspire new thinking and strengthen strategic planning, increase revenues, and drive explosive growth.
- Understand global megatrends – see what is shaping geopolitical dynamics – economic power, population growth, water-energy-food, waste, climate change and energy.
- Explore the trends that will transform your industry – Data Science, Digitization, Artificial Intelligence and automation, smart cities and urban planning, privacy and security, sustainable agriculture and food supply, space and aerospace, progressive engineering and manufacturing, transportation and logistics, fintech, and more.
Once you see the potential for building hope and change, you can’t not do the work.
SUPERCHARGE INNOVATION – uncover new opportunities, grow your business.
Every organization wants to be seen as innovative, solving real world problems and leading their industry. The majority fall at the first hurdle – taking a chance and empowering their people to explore possibilities. Leading executives are now finding that the process of innovation can be revolutionized by leading with futures work to speculation on the futures ahead of us and their place in those incredible worlds.
Nikolas will show you how to…
- Build resilience and innovation into your organization – how to build innovation mindsets and capabilities across your organization, and in the heart of every employee.
- De-risk innovation through futures work – by looking at the signals, trends and scenarios that show us the dynamics of solutions we imagine will change the world. It also allows us to feel how we are in those places using design fiction and world building.
- Think like a futurist – how to question your own history and perspectives, be wildly creative & collaborate, look for pockets of the future in the present, and build hope as an energy to change the world.
Contact Nikolas to ignite your event with futures thinking.