Series Five

This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Erik Korsvik Ostergaard, who is a futures-thinker and strategic foresight consultant. 

He uses futures-thinking to be curious about current and coming trends, and to turn them into strategies. He focuses on transformation and the future of work, leadership, and collaboration; with a particular focus on the Life Science and Healthcare domains.

Erik is also the author of "The Responsive Leader", "Teal Dots in an Orange World", and the newly published "Anticipatory Leadership". He’s also written articles for Thinkers50, Børsen, the Global Peter Drucker Forum, Fair Observer, India CSR, CEO World, Thrive - and others.

In this interview, we discuss all of the above, and along the way, Erik also outlines some of the issues on which he lectured at the renowned Copenhagen Business School for over a decade.

So…enjoy!

Series Five

This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Dr Isabella Hermann, a political scientist who analyses and speaks on the subject of science-fiction.

She focuses particularly on how the genre reflects emerging technologies, socio-political value systems, and global politics. This includes various topics like artificial intelligence and robotics, climate change and Mars colonization, as well as mobility and education and many more. 

Isabella believes that essentially, science fiction provides a “commentary on the present from the future” on every issue that concerns us today. The narratives oscillating between the realistically imaginable and the metaphorical, offering two distinct levels of interpretation. This, she thinks, is what makes the genre so compelling and relevant for our current times.

So, I hope you enjoy listening to her views in this wide-ranging discussion as much as I did!

Series Five 

This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Cynthia Scharf, a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Future Generations, a European think tank, leading their work on Climate Interventions. Issue of trust, global equity, behavioural psychology, archetypes and narrative are key to their  work.

She served as the senior strategy director for the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative prior to the CFG, which focused on kickstarting international governance for solar geoengineering and large-scale carbon removals. Cynthia previously served as head of strategic comms and chief speechwriter on climate change for UN Secretary-General before, during and after the Paris Agreement. 

Previously to her work on climate change, Cynthia worked for the UN and international NGOs on global humanitarian emergencies. She began her career as a journalist in Moscow in the early 1990s covering the collapse of the communist system in the former USSR and Eastern Europe. Her articles on climate change and geopolitics have been published in major newspapers across the globe. 

She's a deeply interesting individual, so we discuss all of the above and more, in what I hope you'll find to be a fascinating conversation. 

Series Five 

This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Diana Stafie, founder of Future Station, the renowned strategic foresight consultancy that empowers organizations to navigate change, identify emerging trends, foster innovation, and effectively prepare for the future.

Future Station specializes in guiding companies through scenarios-based strategic planning processes and equipping teams with the necessary skills to thrive in evolving realities. Their diverse client portfolio spans industries such as retail, telecom, banking, manufacturing, FMCG, and real estate, but also NGOs and public institutions.

In addition to her role as a strategic foresight consultant, Diana actively engages in research projects and contribute to various think tank groups focused on future topics. She's passionate about sharing her insights and regularly contributes articles and interviews on Foresight, Trends, and Exponential Technologies to business publications.

So, we discuss all of the above and more, in a discussion that also includes her impressions of the activity at, and the outputs from, the latest Dubai Future Forum.

Series Five 

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Velislava Petrova, Chief Programme Officer at the Centre for Future Generations. 

She oversees CFG's technical and cross-cutting programs, monitoring impact, aligning with political priorities and identifying strategic directions. 

Velisalva is also an ex-Senior Policy Consultant with the World Health Organization, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, Senior Manager at Gavi Vaccine Alliance, and a Disaster Risk Management Specialist with the World Bank. 

We discuss all the above and more in what I found to be a deeply interesting discussion - and I hope you enjoy listening to her views as much as I did.

Series Five 

This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Jonathan Barth: Founder, Think-Tanker, Brussels Expert and Author of the forthcoming book #EscapingCollapse. 

His passion is to illuminate how Europe needs to respond to the geopolitical turn and make our institutions ready for a security and climate-disrupted world, with particular focus on financial, fiscal, industrial and energy policy.

As a think tanker with various affiliations Jonathan maintains and works with a comprehensive network of high-level public officials and policy stakeholders in Brussels and Berlin; including the European Commission, the German government, governmental agencies, and international organisations such as the UN and the OECD.

He's a Senior Fellow at the Jacques Delors Institute, Exec Chair of the Board at Geostrategic Europe, Co-founder and Senior Fellow at the ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies, and Senior Strategic Advisor at the We Mean Business Coalition.

Jonathan is a deeply informed individual, and I found the discussion (which also included an overview of his book, which blends the psychology of grief and economics) to be fascinating. I hope you do too!

Series Five 

This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features Loes Damhof - UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies, award-winning pioneer in higher education, and TEDx speaker. 

As UNESCO Chair Futures Literacy in Higher Education, she designs, facilitates and researches learning spaces that are potentially transformative, where participants explore multiple futures to see the present anew. She uses the Futures Literacy Framework as developed by Riel Miller and applies/ modifies it for the larger public, where an 'openness to emergence' is her main drive and challenge, believing that is where new ways of being, thinking and acting can be explored.

So, I hope you enjoy listening to her as much as I did, as she discusses how to see the cracks in our thinking and stories, the need to imagine more futures, identify our assumptions, and enhance our perceptions regarding futures work and the discipline of anticipation...

Series Five 

This episode of 'The New Abnormal' podcast features the author, academic and consultant Nardia Haigh, who has spent nearly two decades helping people navigate uncertainty using scenario planning. 

She has taught hundreds of people how to apply scenario planning methods, and advised individuals and organizations across corporate, nonprofit, and public sectors. Her work has been referenced in articles published in outlets including Forbes, FastCompany, and Medium. 

Nardia holds a Ph.D. in Business Management from The University of Queensland, Australia, and brings a practical, real-world approach to managing uncertainty.

In this episode (which coincides with the COP30 climate summit in Brazil) we therefore discuss her practical approach to consulting activity, and the insights illuminated in her writing and lecturing. 

Series Five 

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Bulent Duagi, a 'cross-pollinator' in the Romanian futurists-ecosystem. 

He works with high-stakes decision makers, facilitating strategy execution and acting as a guide for organisations tackling tough challenges. He also works as a futures-skills trainer to help 'curious people stay relevant' via moderating workshops on core topics such as Strategic Thinking or Applied AI. 

Bulent has a passion for helping companies address their most critical business and organisational challenges, which has translated into a track record of him running over a hundred strategic initiatives over the last decade.

Always exploring new fields and connecting the dots, he likes to help clients 'decide and move'. So, if you're interested in gaining an insight into the futures-ecosystem in Romania, this episode is for you!

Series Five 

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Jordi Serra del Pino, who is a consultant with more than 40 years experience in foresight, strategy and intelligence.

As a professor, he’s participated in numerous academic programmes and currently holds several positions:Deputy Director at the Centre for Postnormal Policy & Futures Studies, Associate Professor at Blanquerna Ramon Llull University, Foresight professor at Lisa Institute, and is responsible for foresight at the Interuniversity Master’s in Intelligence Analysis. He also serves on the editorial board of Futures and World Futures Review.

Jordi has consulted for private companies, government agencies and international organizations.He’s also a writer, contributing to major journals and mainstream media, and as a public speaker has given keynotes at numerous events around the world.

In this episode, we discuss all of the above, along with some of the key influences on his thinking over a long and fascinating career. Jordi also outlines the imminent arrival of a dynamic new platform that he’s about to launch in the futures-consulting space…