Having collaborated with the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies over many years, Sean is their UK Assoc Partner. The Institute (a non-profit think tank) is a truly global entity, working with public, private and academic organisations around the world.
CIFS apply futures thinking to societal and business challenges via applied thought-leadership for Govt’s and Fortune 500 Co’s, Startups and NGOs. Core advisory offerings inc megatrend analysis, scenario planning, strategic development, and stimulating innovation: the aim being is to assist clients in being ‘Futures Ready’.
Sean consults / gives speeches / runs courses for CIFS, particularly re: his key specialism in Foresight-Driven Innovation.
Here's a video intro about the Foresight-Driven Innovation FDI course that Sean runs for the Institute, either by himself, or with colleagues.
FDI is all about encouraging a Now-Next-Why strategy that combines an understanding of emerging trends with an exploration of the future(s) to highlight ‘friction and opportunity’ spaces for adaptation and growth.
Hence, the course inc insights into classic & leading-edge innovation approaches, understanding how multi-sector innovators build success, views on anticipatory-leadership & how to build an innovation culture.
It’s intended to be a catalyst that helps deliver ‘innovation with impact!’
The latest foresight toolkit c/o CIFS is a collection that has been carefully refined, based on the CIFS’ extensive experience in the field of foresight, combined with insights drawn from other thinkers & practitioners.
As stated in the opening section “while the toolkit will help you apply strategic foresight, it will not teach you how to predict the future, or provide you with definitive answers…”
The motivation behind the latest CIFS megatrend publication is twofold:
First, megatrends need to be periodically revisited & stress tested.
Second, but equally important, this publication aims to go beyond merely updating & recalibrating existing megatrends.
So - please read and enjoy!
Keynote re: Strategic Foresight
The annual governmental conference in Zagreb produced by their Economics Ministry was utterly superb, and I really enjoyed giving the keynote at their 2026 event on behalf of CIFS re: ‘Strategic Foresight in a Changing World’.
My talk outlined how previously key seperate challenges are converging, and why strategic foresight can help with this problem.
I focused on how to connect preparedness with competitiveness, and why hope / trust / resilience are such crucial issues. I proposed that trust provides the social capital required for transformation, hope provides the agency to undertake it, and both enable and strengthen resilience.
In doing so, I illuminated an approach that CIFS recommends i.e. taking a ‘futures-back’ perspective to innovation in a volatile era when organisations operate amid extraordinary uncertainty, yet need to make decisions with confidence…