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MARK STEVENSON
RELUCTANT FUTURIST

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'Reluctant Futurist’ Mark Stevenson is a strategic advisor to governments, investors,NGOs and corporates and co-founder of Carbon Removals company CUR8.

 

Though branded a ‘futurist’ by others Mark is more, as one client puts it, ‘ChiefAnnoying Question Asker’. He helps organisations change the way they feel, think, invest and operate in order to answer the intertwined questions the future is asking us- on climate change, inequality, the retreat of democracy and the failures of the markets to price risk properly (to name just four).

 

His two bestselling books, An Optimist’s Tour of the Future and the award-winning We Do Things Differently map out some existing and proven solutions to our current dilemmas.

 

He is Global Ambassador for environmental law firm Client Earth and former strategic advisor on peace, national security and climate change to the UK Ministry of Defence.

 

He also enjoys a successful sidec areer as a comedy writer and songwriter, which he regards as essential for maintaining key skills needed in his strategy work. “The brain does the PR for what the heart has already decided, if you can’t speak to the heart any systems change is dead in the water.”

 

His hit podcast with comedian Jon Richardson and fellow systems change advocate Ed Gillespie is available on all major platforms.

POPULAR TALKS

Building the post-Covid world

 

Channelling Mark’s experience in helping governments, corporations and NGOs think through the implications and legacy of the pandemic, this talk explores the extraordinary moment the world finds itself in – and how the pandemic is, and will continue to be, a huge catalyst for long needed change. Those organisations that know how to embrace that change and the challenges it brings will define the direction of the next 20 years. “The pandemic is a mirror,” says Mark “and you can either look into it as Narcissus or as a Catharsis”. Drawing on clients as diverse as the Ministry of Defence, major NGOs, multinational corporations and even private banks Mark explores the new territory of business, commerce and civil society. As Andy Jordan, CEO of Intel put it: “Bad companies are destroyed by crises, good companies survive them, great companies are improved by them.” The moment is unique, don’t squander it.

 

The Future and what to do about it

 

Take a whistle stop tour of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of the next 20 years and why ‘business as usual’ is a recipe for disaster. How is the landscape of society going to change in terms of technology, energy, governance, health and commerce? What questions should smart organisations be asking themselves? And how can your organisation be fit for the future? Mark will show you. We’re in for a rocky ride, but future-literate organisations have a shot at greatness. Available as either a keynote or masterclass.

 

The 8 principles of successful optimists

 

Having spent 10 years working with and writing about some of the most innovative and extraordinary people and organisations in the world, Mark has distilled this learning down to his ‘eight principles for successful optimists’ that can be used at a personal, team and organisational level. What’s more, they can be implemented immediately with profound effects. Available as either a keynote or masterclass.

 

How to get people to change

 

How do you talk truth to power and get away with it? What does it take for change to go beyond good intentions and turn into action? How do you take people out of their comfort zones and have them thank you for it? The answers are unexpected, but surprisingly uncomplicated. Drawing on his experience advising organisations as diverse as Medecines Sans Frontiers and Virgin, Mark will take you through the theory and practice of moving the immovable, to make a different future. Available as either a keynote or masterclass.

 

Innovation in an age of chaos

 

How can an organisation maintain any kind of innovative edge when chaos abounds? Our increasingly VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world may seem almost impossible to navigate, and yet some organisations and individuals do, remaining relevant even as their competitors flail in the madness. While writing his last bestseller, We Do Things Differently, Mark spent four years in the company of some of the world’s most innovative people and organisations and he’ll distill what he learnt about the principles, techniques and skills they use to stay ahead – and how you can too. Available as either a keynote or masterclass.

 

The (really) big picture

 

Where the world is, how it got there, the options open going forward and your organisation’s unique role in building a better future.

 

Systems change and how to do it

 

Drawing on examples from his bestselling books and his own strategy work Mark explores why most attempts to battle the status quo fail, and how to approach change from the outset in a way much more likely to succeed.

 

The principles of successful optimism

 

What are the key principles behind personal, team and organisational change? There are 8, and you can apply them tomorrow.

Building the post-Covid world

The Future and what to do about it

The 8 principles of successful optimists

How to get people to change

Innovation in an age of chaos

The (really) big picture

Systems change and how to do it

The principles of successful optimism

“Stevenson wears no blindfold. His tools are curiosity, open-mindedness, clarity and reason.” - Chris Anderson, TED Curator

“Mark did a spellbinding job. It was a tremendous speech met with a standing ovation. It is not often that you can hear a pin drop in a room that size – but the audience was enthralled. Wonderful!”

US National Space Symposium

A - £10k to £25k

Futurist Speakers, Creativity and Innovation Speakers

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