The New Abnormal

Series One In this episode of my podcast, I interview William Higham.  He's had a fascinating career that's taken him from working with some of the most iconic cultural figures of our time (Lydon / Strummer / McLaren) during his years in the music industry; before setting up his strategic consultancy 'The Next Big Thing' which looks into social & cultural trends and their i...

Series One This episode of 'The New Abnormal' features Tom Morton, a member of the leadership team at R/GA, one of the world's most creative and innovative companies, where he's the Global Chief Strategy Officer.  R/GA advise brands on what they should stand for and how they should behave and innovate in order to thrive in the connected world.  Tom's work extends into medi...

Series One In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview Khalil Zafar, who is a renowned HR & Strategy Consultant in the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. He's also travelled widely around the world, teaching and consulting about human resources and leadership. An ex-journalist, who still writes for a range of international magazines and newspapers, he's also the author of the rec...

Series One This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features the multiple award-winning magazine editor and brand consultant Steve Beale, who's observed / written about / been part of leading-edge subcultures for many years.  The ex-editor of the legendary Sleaze Nation, he then went on to write for an array of titles, including being Editor at Large of The Face and Senior Editor of Arena...before mak...

Series One This episode of #TheNewAbnormal features Jussi Solja -  'one of the beasts' at the Finland-based ' Sexy Beast' who are an 'anti-agency for startups and bold brands'.  Nicely put!   Jussi has many years of global experience in marketing strategy, digital marketing, service and user experience design to branding, content strategy and beyond.  Over the years h...

Series One In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Carl Ratcliff,  just after he’d set-up his consultancy 'This is the Day'.  Prior to that, he was Chief Strategy Officer at DDB Group Australia, whilst other previous roles included being CEO of One Green Bean in Sydney, CEO of Naked Communications and MD of BWM Dentsu in Melbourne.  Back in the day, he was Exec Planning Director...

Series One In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Ole Petter Nyhaug, who  is a high-profile trend researcher from Oslo, who conducts research across Scandinavia and, further afield, in numerous countries around the world.  He's the Global Head of Research for Opinion AS, and works with clients such as Coca-Cola, IKEA, Unilever, Audi and Vodafone.  I first met him years ago, when we...

Series One In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interview the writer, educator and consultant, Nilgin Yusuf.  The ex-Creative Director of the School of Communication at London College of Fashion and a graduate of Central St Martins. She's also been a journalist of over 30 years, including being Fashion Editor of the Sunday Times.  Nilgin is currently working on her third fashion book and stu...

Series Two In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interviewed the Creative Director & Editorial Consultant, Navaz Batliwalla.  A fashion journalist and stylist regularly contributing to international publications, Navaz is the author of 'The New Garconne' (which identified a new tribe of 'considered consumers'), the publisher of the renowned blog #Disneyrollergirl and co-fo...

Series One In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I interviewed the futurist and serious big-thinker Leon Kreitzman.  He's the author of 'The 24 Hour Society' which took an incredibly prescient look at the world today, when it was published back in the 1990's.  Leon also co-wrote the superb 'Rhythms of Life' and 'Seasons of Life' with Professor Russ...

Series One In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed Teresa Havvas, an award-winning creative communication consultant and educator (inc UCA Business School, Westminster, University of the Arts London, Conde Nast College and the British School of Fashion) regarding her blend of brand expertise, design sensibility and applicable theory.  Teresa is also the founder of 'The Advisory &amp...

Series One In this early episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed the incredibly dynamic Will Skeaping, an activist and strategist with Extinction Rebellion.  He's co-editor of the best-selling XR handbook 'This is not a Drill', and is currently challenging the advertising industry and art world to act now on the climate & ecological crisis.  When he's not haunting meeting...

Series One In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed John Shaw, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at Superunion 'a next-generation agency built on a spirit of creative optimism'.  (His past roles inc being Chief Strategy Officer of WPP Team Red, Strategy & Planning Partner at Rapier, Regional Planning Director EAME / Joint Worldwide Planning Director at Ogilvy, and Plan...

Series One In this episode of #TheNewAbnormal, I interviewed the fashion educator, writer and consultant Harriet Posner. She's the BA Programme Director at Conde Nast College of Fashion Design.  Harriet has spent her working life designing, teaching, writing about and generally immersing herself in the world of fashion and design; and specialises in the sector's branding, marketing, prom...

Series One In this episode, I interview the leading-edge artist Chemical X.  We start by discussing his latest work in Los Angeles, that led to him appearing on America's TV screens in the world's most surreal car chase c/o the LAPD; due to a series of 'provocative artistic statements' that saw the homeless community juxtaposed with the world of luxury brands.  I last saw him a...

Series One This episode features a masterclass in luxury branding advice from Alex West (co-founder of Maker London), a consultant who is renowned for being at the epicentre of the luxury sector.  He discusses his viewpoints on areas ranging from quality control and consumer touchpoints, to brand actions and communication reflecting the authentic values of the brand in question.  Alex also illumin...

Series One This episode of #TheNewAbnormal featured Gideon Wilkins, Head of Research at McCann Central.  (Part of McCann Worldgroup, who have an integrated network of advertising agencies in over 120 countries).  Prior to joining McCann's, Gideon was the Global Brand Guidance Director at Kantar Millward Brown, based in Shanghai.  In this podcast, he discusses the findings and implications of...

Series One  In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interview Kate Shepherd, Director and Co-founder of The Future Collective.  She specialises in strategic design direction and cultural intelligence, based on 25+ years experience in the design industry where her clients ranged from Rolls-Royce to adidas to P&G.  After working for leading agencies inc Imagination, Checkland Kindleysides, and Fi...

Series One In this episode of 'The New Abnormal' I speak with a truly inspiring individual, Kevin Braddock; who has 25 years' experience as a writer-editor and consultant, leading storytelling projects from conception into reality.  He was Features Editor of The Face, Contributing Editor (GQ, Esquire) and Editor-in-Chief (Sleek) and well as being the founder & publisher of Torch...

Series One This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features a deeply interesting individual...  Michael Cohen, based in New York, is a developmental psychologist and the President of MCG NYC, He has a great international reputation, partly due to his immense experience at dealing with crises: ranging from Chernobyl to 9/11. For example, in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks, he c...

Series One In this early episode of #TheNewAbnormal I interviewed Katrina Dodd, Editor at Large, Head of Trends and a writer at the mighty Contagious.  She's also a former consultant at Contagious Insider, and has worked on diverse projects for clients inc BBC Worldwide, Universal Music, Louis Vuitton and Diageo.  Katrina was also the launch editor of Contagious FEED, a bespoke intelligence s...

Series One  In this reposted episode, I interview Carsten Beck, who heads up research at the famous Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS).  I've known him for years, and we've given speeches together in various parts of the world over the last decade. He also kindly gave highly insightful quotes for my books.  CIFS specialises in scenario planning, trend analysis and risk manag...

Series One  In this episode, I interviewed the dynamic Joanna Catalano.  Her cv is daunting - President of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific / Board Member of WGI Worldwide / Advisor to Enrupt / the D&AD Impact Council / and President of the Female Founders - Singapore Chapter.  Previously, she spent several years as a Regional Head at Google, and she has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Busine...

Series One In this episode of The New Abnormal, I interviewed Stephen Hayward, an anthropologist and historian.  After completing his PhD at the Royal College of Art, he's worked as a consultant on a number of exhibitions, and has been published widely on design history and theory.  For nearly twenty years, he's been responsible for the critical context element of MA design programmes at...

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast was recorded soon after the Russian attack on Ukraine, and features the serial social entrepreneur Mark Hanis, who co-founded the Ukraine Corporate Index, which tracks corporate stance re: Putin's Russia in the aftermath of its invasion.  He also co-founded two startups: Inclusive America (a nonprofit to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in gov...