The New Abnormal

Series Four This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the brand innoventor & commercial strategist Stephanie Vilner-Sheppard, who consults globally on strategy to help clients innovate and futureproof their P&L (for people and planet). She’s a problem solver for brands and businesses, through a lens of planet-centred design-led thinking. That problem solving might mean creating inn...

Series Four This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Matt Boffey, Chief Strategy Officer at Design Bridge and Partners. He’s part of its Senior Leadership Team and Executive Committee, managing a business of nearly 300 people in London, where he leads a strategy team of ‘the brightest and best brand & design thinkers on the planet’!  We discuss a range of career highlights (so far) in...

Series Four This episode of ‘The New Abnormal’ podcast features the strategic psychologist Dr Max McKeown - a writer, consultant & researcher specialising in innovation strategy, leadership and culture. He’s written a series of influential books and conducts research with Warwick Business School.   An advocate of innovation culture, he also argues that failure can be positive for progress if i...

Series Four This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features the political scientist and university professor Sohail Inayatullah, who is the inaugural UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies at the Sejahtera Centre for Sustainability & Humanity, and instructs at the Metafuture think tank.  He helps individuals and organisations create alternative and preferred futures, theorises how the f...

Series Four This episode of the New Abnormal podcast features Toronto-based Alexis Tennent, who is an innovative leader, design & foresight strategist. She firmly believes that foresight should not be confined to the realms of academia, politics, or privilege; rather, it should be an opportunity accessible to all.  That's why Alexis aims to inspire inclusivity in foresight work, fostering...

Series Four  This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the renowned futurist and speculative designer, Monika Bielskyte.  She's also the founder of Protopia Futures, a life-centric design and collaborative foresight platform that centres previously marginalised perspectives. The project's mission is to inspire a new wave of future visions showcasing how a transcultural and interd...

Series Four This episode of The New Abnormal features the leading social philosopher Roman Krznaric, whose books focus on the power of ideas to create change. His international bestsellers, which include The Good Ancestor, Empathy, and Carpe Diem Regained , have been published in more than twenty-five languages. His new book History for Tomorrow is out now, and in it he unearths fascinating insigh...

Series Four This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Falk Fuhrmann, Executive Director at Shanghai HuiLue Business Consulting Co, and Visiting Professor teaching International Brand Communication & Innovation, Consumer Behaviour & Insights, at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou. He also is an award-winning creative strategist with more than 20 years of experience, who led the st...

Series Four This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the designer, researcher, and educator Lesley-Ann Noel, who is the author of Design Social Change and co-editor of The Black Experience in Design . She’s also created several design tools for critical reflection, such as The Designer’s Critical Alphabet and the Positionality Wheel .  Lesley-Ann has a bachelor’s in Industrial Design from...

Series Four This episode of The New Abnormal features Julian Boulding, Owner of The Network One. They provide “open source creativity” and communications services from around 1200 independent agencies in 109 countries, worldwide.  His annual review of the Cannes Lions Festival is always eagerly sought after, and the actual version will be sent out after this podcast goes live. In it, Julian discus...

Series Four This episode of The New Abnormal features Catherine Roy, Foresight & Design Leader at Thales.  She sets their foresight and design strategy, and helps to drive futures thinking & business growth. Overall, she aligns futures, business, product and service strategy with the needs of users / consumers in order to achieve goals.  In this podcast, she explains her approach to the ab...

Series Four This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Chloe Markowicz, Editor at Contagious, which helps agencies and brands supercharge their marketing by learning from the world's most creative and effective companies and campaigns.  They do that via their IQ intelligence platform, consulting services, training and events.  We discuss a range of issues including the late...

Series Four This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Paolo Gallo, a renowned executive coach, bestselling author and keynote speaker. He's the author of two superb books: 'The Compass and the Radar - the art of building a rewarding career while remaining true to yourself' and the newly published 'The Seven Games of Leadership - navigating the inner journey of leaders&ap...

Series Four This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Ari Wallach, who is a futurist and social systems strategist. He's also the author of 'Longpath: becoming the great ancestors our future needs' and host of 'A Brief History of the Future' (which premiers on PBS in April 2024) c/o Futurific Studios, a new production studio focused on shifting the narr...

Series Four   This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features the renowned Philippa Wagner, a creative thinker who connects people, places & spaces across a range of lifestyle industries with a particular focus on F&B, hospitality, wellness & retail. She's a highly creative, commercially-driven strategist with extensive big-brand experience, having worked with some of the industr...

Series Four  This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Jonas Gissel Mikkelsen, Futurist and Director at The Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, where he heads up business development.  Jonas is responsible for creating new initiatives, collaborations and joint-ventures, as well as overseeing publications and managing the Institute's brand & identity.   His primar...

Series Four This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Colin Strong, who is Head of Behavioural Science at Ipsos, and a Professor at Nottingham University Business School.  He works with a wide range of organisations (both private and public sector) to design and deliver behavioural change through the use of behavioural science.  His new book 'Out of Time: the revolution un...

Series Four This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Hilary Sutcliffe, Director of SocietyInside, who bring together people and ideas to help tech and its governance earn the trust of society.  The name #SocietyInside is a riff off the famous brand ‘IntelInside’ and aims to encapsulate their aspiration that we reverse-engineer innovation from the needs of society rather than j...

Series Four This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features the Leadership Advisor & Speaker, Diego Gilardoni, who helps leaders navigate uncertainty by achieving clarity through a future-proofed vision.  In the interview, we discuss issues such as cross-cultural management theory, strategic foresight, geopolitical depression (with a focus on the polycrisis), along with cognitive diversity, a...

Series Four This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Tom Morton, Global Chief Strategy Officer at R/GA. He helps brands solve the biggest challenges of a changing world: launching and scaling innovation, turning revolutionary technologies into legitimate brands, identifying and winning a radically different next generation of users, defining a purpose to transform the organisation and unlo...

Series Four  This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features the renowned futurist Tom Lombardo, Director at the Center for Future Consciousness, Exec Board Member of the World Futures Studies Federation, and Editor at the Journal of Futures Studies. Back by popular demand (and having previously covered 'Top Futurist Books') this time he returns to the series to give an overview of the...

Series Four The episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Shermon Cruz, the Founder & Chief Futurist of the Center for Engaged Foresight, a global futures innovation and strategic foresight hub.. He serves as the UNESCO Chair on Anticipatory Governance and Regenerative Cities at Northwestern University, Philippines.  As a full member of the World Futures Studies Federation (WFSF) and a pion...

Series Four This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Cecile Cremer,  Founder of 'Wandering the Future'. She's a renowned trends expert who explores the 'Added Value of the Future' by translating trends into future-proof business solutions. She's also the first female and youngest ever President of LaFutura Global Trend Network, and Co-Founder of the 'Huma...

Series Four This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features 'poet for hire' Andrew McLuhan, who also just happens to be the grandson of media-theorist Marshall McLuhan and son of Dr Eric McLuhan. He writes, teaches, coaches and consults about culture and technology from a McLuhan perspective. We therefore discuss his work regarding his exploration, documenting and inventory...

Series Four This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Adam Chmielowski, co-founder at the specialist cultural insight and brand strategy practice, Starling Strategy, who work for clients including Google, Nike, PepsiCo, Pan Macmillan and the National Trust. Adam has worked in the insight and brand strategy industry for nearly 25 years, during which his interests have shifted to...