Top Futurists from Around the Globe

Following our list of the top 50 female futurists around the world, based on a flurry of requests, we’ve curated a list of the top 30 futurists from around the world. These influential futurists and futurist speakers are shaping the world in 2024 and encouraging others to join. We’re bringing forward a diverse mix of change-makers and go-givers shaping the future. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this list!

Top 30 Futurists from around the globe🌎 (alph. order)

Lindsay Angelo is a top innovation leader, TEDx Speaker, and Woman to Watch. She's a strategic futurist who partners with a wide range of purpose-driven brands, business leaders, companies, and organizations to craft their strategies while illuminating a future where business is an agent for change. An impact speaker and consultant with a thumb on the pulse of consumer trends and the future of business, she can be found hitting global stages to deliver keynotes on the future of consumerism. Born and raised in Canada and a dual citizen of the US, she now shares her time between Seattle, WA, Vancouver, BC and Los Angeles, California.

Madeline Ashby is a science fiction writer and author of three books. Her novels "Company Town," "Inexorable" and the recent release, “Nexaland” are about robots gone wild, and nanotechnology in our skies but her most-recent book reveals where she thinks we're headed: to Nexaland. Her Strategic Foresight continues to amaze many. Who knows, maybe we'll see Science Fiction Prototypes in her next piece?!

Kristin Alford - the next generation of futurists could be in her hands and she has a few tricks up her sleeves to make that happen. Her passion for sustainability is something you can feel through each word, as it radiates from every inch of this woman’s being into an empowering stance towards change.

Nikolas Badminton is a Canadian based futurist, bestselling author and media producer focused on a myriad of cutting edge topics including how to innovate and disrupt amongst a changing landscape.

Gayemarie Brown wants to help you escape the robot takeover with her expertise in digital transformation and the future of business. She's a global speaker on AI (Artificial Intelligence), robotics, and blockchain who has more than 25 years of experience helping companies update their business models for 2020+.

Maree Conway is a foresight consultant that spends her time advising on the future of education and the future universities. As an organization, they help professionals in government or education plan for their futures by re-framing strategic conversations about these topics using foresight.

Susan Cox-Smith is an expert in combining research with storytelling to prepare for the future and make strategic decisions. With her company called “How To Future,” she helps organizations like healthcare and technology create teams and structures that will survive into our next era of time. Offering a unique perspective on digital health and how we can be prepared for anything when it comes to what's happening around us, Susan has proven herself as someone who won't stop speaking up about those things at risk of being lost forever.

Grand Cardone is a bestselling author, world's #1 sales trainer, renowned speaker, international social media influencer and real estate mogul.

Ross Dawson is a futurist based in the UK who speaks on a range of topics from leadership to innovation, technology, AI and more.

Shara Evans is a telecom expert, with an expansive career that has provided the foundation to look towards the future of Telecom and the future technology in Australia and around the world. Her focus on robotics, cybercrime, and consumer tech allows her to take advantage of every opportunity for innovation as they arise.

Tessa Finlev is an expert in developing sustainable systems to solve the world's problems. She works at the intersection of cultural change, diversity, and inclusion with a witty tone to create positive social change for everyone.

Cindy Frewen is the foremost architect and urban futurist of our time. She has created buildings that grow with people, explores the future of cities, community development, and smart cities - how they will evolve as they become more prosperous than ever before, designs sustainable structures for communities of all kinds to thrive within them, and consults on what architecture can do when it works together with technology. An Award-Winning Futurist, Cindy is also a sought-after keynote speaker who speaks about her work at conferences around the world from Dubai to Paris; she's been awarded by prestigious institutions like UNESCO for her innovative thinking and creativity every step along this journey.

Fabienne Goux-Baudiment, with a passion for the future of education and training new futurists, studies and speaks on a wide variety of topics ranging from climate change to robots. Her work has been applied to numerous government organizations as well as businesses that want an insight into how cultures will evolve in the coming years.

Jennifer Gidley is a visionary thinker and one of few visionary leaders, with a background in education and psychology. Her work focuses on raising awareness about the changes that will be needed for youth education and for youth to live sustainably. She also brings attention to ocean conservation issues due to climate change.

William Gibson is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. His work explored the effects of technology, cybernetics, and computer networks on humans and helped to create an iconography for the information age before the ubiquity of the Internet in the 1990s (source: Wikipedia)

Nancy Giordano wants to help organizations become more sustainable and beneficial to society by combining the technology of tomorrow with business practices. Her goal is for these companies not only to survive but thrive in a future that includes tech innovations such as artificial intelligence or autonomous cars. A technology futurist, the Future of tech and the future of innovation are her passions.

Maria Konovalenko - After witnessing her father's death, Maria Konovalenko has dedicated her life to the study of aging. With a scientific background and background in medicine, she believes that science and technology will create a future where people can live longer and happier lives than ever before thanks to scientific advancements in AI, cell therapy, and regenerative medicine.

Anne_Lise_Kjaer is not afraid to look towards the future, constantly researching and forecasting industry trends that will impact global corporations. Her organization encourages companies to establish mindful leaders who can create a more inclusive economy for all employees with every decision they make. Trend forecasting is her specialty.

Erica Orange is a one-woman revolutionary. Erica's keen eye for business trends and her ability to see the future of big business have made her an asset at The Future Hunters, where she identifies changes in demographics like Millennials and women who are empowered by their careers as well as new technology that can create better ways for humans to interact with machines.

Heather E. McGowan is a futurist, author of The Adaptation Advantage, lawyer, futurist and former business strategist and business leader.

Bob Phibbs, aka The Retail Doctor, is focused on, you guessed it...the future of retail amongst a dynamic climate. He also specializes in sales training for the retail industry.

Faith Popcorn is a vocal advocate for female empowerment and has been called the “Nostradamus of Marketing” by Fortune Magazine. She forecasts future trends and consumer patterns in numerous industries, all while looking to the future as "She-change."

Cecily Sommers, a future pioneer, renowned futurist and founder of the think tank Global Trend Institute (GTi), is more than just an expert in her field. A medical background paired with extensive experience as a dancer has fostered Cecily's love for innovation. Her passion led to GTi which seeks out innovative solutions that tackle global issues -- like climate change or dwindling natural resources-- while considering how these developments will shape our society over time.

Doug Stephens is a Canadian-based futurist, author and media contributor who specializes in the future of retail amongst a changing landscape.

Mei-Mei Song is a professor and leader in the field of global education. Her work has been groundbreaking because she's helping to shape future teachers, educators, and universities around the world as technology becomes more integrated into our lives. Futures studies have never been more important.

Catarina Tully also known as Cat Tully is a futurist, public speaker, and author. She has served on the UK's Cabinet Office Futures Programme Advisory Group advising government leaders about long-term strategic planning for national security issues as well as providing advisory services to U.S., Canadian and Australian governments in similar capacities. Cat also trains people in business leadership positions to use foresight tools that will help them adapt when change happens - especially if they've been blindsided by it before!

Mike Walsh is the author of three bestselling books and a leading authority on the future of technology, transformation and leadership

Amy Webb is not only changing the world, but she's making it better. Forbes recognized her as one of their "Women Changing The World." Amy Webb has a degree from NYU and founded Future Today Institute in 2006 which provides foresight to help organizations prepare for complex futures. A Quantitative Futurist, Amy delivers foresight that helps these Fortune 100 companies foresee what might happen so they can be prepared now.

Amy Zalman is a story-telling strategist with an arsenal of wit, insight, and strategic foresight. She's worked around the world, helping governments and companies alike to see their way through communications challenges by using storytelling as her guiding principle for strategy development.

Alexandra Whittington is a woman on the rise. She teaches Forecasting for Technology Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston, and her focus in her lectures is social issues affecting families, education, and gender roles. With the support of corporations like Exxon Mobil Corporation or non-profit groups such as Habitat For Humanity International, she has been able to prepare them for future changes to come so that they can be successful now while preparing themselves for what's next!

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Looking for more information? Check out our blog posts on what a futurist is, how to become a futurist and the top 50 female futurists around the world.

Extended list of female futurists (sourced from: Forbes list of professional futurists):
The following are a list of female futurists makes waves in a variety of industries. From motivational speakers to futurist keynote speakers to best-selling authors to renowned thought leaders, they are advancing the human race forward. Want to time travel? Check them out!

Ayelet Baron, speaker, Canadian Futurist and former Chief Strategy Officer at Cisco Canada  

Emily Empel, former workforce futurist at Disney Company

Cathy Hackl, technology futurist

Elatia Abate, Stanford professor and futurist with a deep knowledge about human capital management

Esther Dyson , chairman of EDventure Holdings (acceleratin start-ups) and journalist.

Lisa Bodell--founder & CEO of FutureThink

Maddy Dychtwald--author who has cofounded Age Wave an organization that specializes in meeting the needs for older workers. She focuses on Organizational Futures

Crystal Washington—technology strategist from Socialtunities

Sierra Modro—manager within Amazon Web Services

Karen Sands, futurist who focuses on gender diversity, people and the workforce

Joyce Gioia , Celebrity Futurist, Clinical Professor of Innovation

Eleonora Barbieri Masini , professor of Social Forecasting 

Tracey Follows , founder of Futuremade Ltd and futurist

Marina Gorbis,  Institute for the Future Executive Director

Cynthia G. Wagner,  AAI Foresight

Dana Klisanin, CEO of Evolutionary Guidance Media R&D

Yvette Montero Salvatico,  Kedge LLC

Sheryl Connelly, futuring and global trends, Ford Company

Sari Stenfors, Augmented Leadership Institute Futurist

Claire A. Nelson Ph.D.,  The Futures Forum 

Maya Van Leemput, researcher, Erasmushogeschool Brussel

Jody Turner, The Marketing Arm trendwatcher

Guillermina Baena Paz, National Autonomous University of Mexico Professor 

Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist and speaker who also works at Columbia University and is a Rutgers MBA program adjunct faculty. She is one of few touted a "Customer Experience Futurist".

FAQ

  • Check out our blog post here for a deep dive on this.

  • Check out our blog post here to learn 10 tips on levelling up your Futurist game! Or enroll in our brand new training program here.

  • Absolutely - have a peek at the top female futurists making big moves here.

  • The field of futurism, has come a long way since it was born in the 20th Century. The 21st Century has bred a diverse mix of futurists and Futurist Manifestos.

    Predictive futurists analyze current trends, scrutinizing data to make informed predictions about the future.

    Imaginative futurists, unshackled from the chains of convention, conjure up radical visions of tomorrow that challenge the status quo.

    Futurist Artists focus on the intersection of Futurism and Art. 

    And let us not overlook the critical futurists, who examine the social and ethical implications of future scenarios, reminding us to consider the human impact amidst technological advancement.

    This scratches the surface. There are many types of Futurists and more popping up as the field continues to evolve.

  • The term "Futurism" was coined in 1909 by Italian poet, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. He published “Manifesto del Futurismo” (“manifesto of Futurism”) in a Paris Newspaper. Led by Marinetti, Italian Futurists celebrated technology, speed, and the modern metropolis of the Twentieth Century (Source: rem.routledge.com). Years later, the term has taken on a life of its own!

    Futurism was further fueled by manifestos that crackled with revolutionary ideas. Words became weapons for change, wielded by the likes of Gino Severini and Luigi Figini. Severini, a veteran of military service, traded in his uniform for a paintbrush, unleashing artistic innovations that broke free from tradition. Luigi Figini, on the other hand, fearlessly blended architecture and futurism, constructing a world where form followed function in the most awe-inspiring ways.

    Not confined to canvas and sculptures, futurism eventually seeped into music and literature. Claude Debussy dared to explore futuristic sounds that transported listeners to uncharted sonic territories. And who could forget Arthur C. Clarke, the mastermind who seamlessly merged science fiction and futurist ideas, igniting our imaginations like never before? But amidst the creative fervor, futurism danced with Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime, leaving a complex legacy in its wake.

 

About the Author

Lindsay Angelo is an award-winning Futurist, Strategy Consultant, MBA and TEDx speaker. She's advised Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, think tanks, and celebrities - all the while creating a nomadic lifestyle rooted in travel, family and community. Named a Woman to Watch and Global Innovation Leader, Lindsay's delivered over 100+ keynotes and has worked with organizations including lululemon, Unilever, the LEGO Group, Snapchat and the Human Potential Institute. She is also the founder of Futurist-in-50-days, supporting impact-driven professionals, teams and organizations in learning to think and lead into the future. Her experiences culminate in what she refers to as her sweet spot - where strategy, innovation and foresight intersect, where the rational meets the emotive, where facts meet insights and where logic meets creativity. Want to collaborate with Lindsay? Contact us here.