The world is changing at a frantic pace, which will only continue to speed up in coming years. At the cusp of those changes are futurists, who keep their eye on what the coming months, years and decades may bring. And more than ever, women are making their mark on the field.
What Is A Futurist?
A futurist doesn’t simply predict the future. Rather, they prepare people for what the future may hold. No one can know with certainty what will come next, but futurists have their eyes tuned to the horizon and are connected to trends and changes that could dictate what the future has in store. Futurists examine multiple possibilities of how the future could pan out. Then they make recommendations to prepare their companies and audiences for what they confidently believe the future will bring. Futurists work in a variety of areas ranging from business and technology to science and global security.
Futurists have always been around, but the increasing pace of change in the world has highlighted the need to be prepared like never before. For far too long, futurists were predominately men. In recent years, however, we’ve seen women breaking into the field and bringing fresh eyes and new perspectives. About one-third of members of the Association of Professional Futurists are women, and the leaders of many futurist groups are female. At the same time, women hold more leadership positions across business than ever before. More input from women balances the equation and represents the entire population. The future belongs to everyone, and women bring a more diverse representation and way of thought.
Top 25 Female Futurists
Amy Webb
Named by Forbes as one of the “Women Changing the World”, Amy Webb is a quantitative futurist. She is a professor of strategic foresight at the NYU Stern School of Business and the Founder of the Future Today Institute, a leading foresight and strategy firm that helps leaders and their organizations prepare for complex futures. Founded in 2006, the Institute advises Fortune 100 and Global 1000 companies, investment firms and government agencies. Amy was named to the Thinkers50 Radar list of the 30 management thinkers most likely to shape the future of how organizations are managed and led and was won the prestigious 2017 Thinkers50 RADAR Award. She has advised three-star generals and admirals, White House leadership and CEOs of some of the world’s largest companies.
Cindy Frewen
Cindy Frewen is an architect and urban designer who examines how buildings will grow and interact with people in the future. She consults on the future of cities and how architecture and technology can work together. Cindy is the head of the Association of Professional Futurists and has received awards for her sustainable designs and community development.
Amy Zalman
Amy Zalman specializes in using storytelling to guide strategy and communications and has worked with governments and companies around the world. She is the former CEO of the World Future Society and is involved in a number of global causes, including promoting peace and global security.
Madeline Ashby
Madeline Ashby is a science fiction writer and speaker who has applied science fiction prototypes to a number of leading organizations. She examines the future by telling stories about topics ranging from smart cities to global security and the future of warfare.
Erica Orange
Erica Orange is an executive at The Future Hunters, where she identifies trends and changes for large companies and public agencies. Erica is focused on changing demographics, including millennials and the growth of the she-conomy, as well as new technology and its interaction with humans.
Shara Evans
Shara Evans’ expertise lies in telecommunications analysis. Her expansive career has provided the foundation to look towards the future of telecom in Australia and around the world. She is focused on the future of technology, including robotics, cybercrime and consumer tech.
Nancy Giordano
From a career of working with the world’s top organizations, Nancy Giordano has become a leading futurist helping businesses transform and succeed. She aims to help organizations become more sustainable and beneficial to society by combining the future of tech, business and social issues.
Tessa Finlev
Tessa Finlev works at the intersection of cultural change, diversity and inclusion with an eye towards the future. She encourages civic engagement and social change to create sustainable systems that solve the world’s problems.
Kristin Alford
Combining science, art and innovation, Kristin Alford is passionate about driving sustainable change in the future and in inspiring the next generation of futurists. She is involved in developing smart cities that offer sustainable environmental and economic solutions.
Mei-Mei Song
As a professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan, Mei-Mei Song is a global leader in the future of education and globalization. Her work has the potential to shape future teachers and universities around the world, especially as more technology is integrated into education.
Fabienne Goux-Baudiment
With a passion for the future of education and training new futurists, Fabienne Goux-Baudiment studies and speaks on a variety of topics ranging from climate change to robots and how cultures and people need to continually evolve. Her work has been applied to numerous government organizations and businesses.
Susan Cox-Smith
Based in the Netherlands, Susan Cox-Smith helps organizations combine research and storytelling to prepare for the future and make strategic decisions. Her “How to Future” project helps organizations, especially in healthcare and technology, create teams and structures to succeed in the future.
Gayemarie Brown
With more than 25 years’ experience, Gayemarie Brown helps worldwide companies use emerging technologies to update their business models for the future. She is an expert and global speaker on digital transformation and disruption, especially AI, robotics and blockchain.
Maria Konovalenko
With a goal of leveraging new technology to make people as healthy as possible, Maria Konovalenko uses her scientific background to look at the future of aging, including AI, cell therapy and regenerative medicine. She hopes to create a future where people can live longer and happier lives thanks to science and technology.
Anne Lise Kjaer
Anne Lise Kjaer’s organization focuses on business and communications trend forecasting for global corporations. She encourages organizations to look towards the future with trend management and establish mindful leaders to create a more inclusive economy.
Faith Popcorn
A vocal advocate for female empowerment, Faith Popcorn looks to the future as the “She-change”. She forecasts future trends and consumer patterns for numerous industries and has been called the “Nostradamus of Marketing” by Fortune Magazine.
Ufuk Tarhan
Based in Turkey, Ufuk Tarhan uses her background in economics and IT to consult companies on creating strong strategies for the future. She is also the curator of Future Day, a day she hopes will be an international public holiday dedicated to the future.
Elina Hiltunen
Elina Hiltunen created a tool to crowdsource organizational futures, especially regarding new technology. She aims to anticipate the future through weak signals and has created tools for individuals and organizations to look towards the future and adapt as the world changes.
Youngsook Park
A prominent figure in South Korea, Youngsook Park focuses her efforts on social justice and human development. She trains students and organizations on the future of housing and interior design and has established programs to prepare her country for social issues of the future.
Cecily Sommers
With a background in medicine and dance, Cecily Sommers looks towards the future of innovation. She runs a think tank that examines the impact of global trends on businesses and society over the next one to five decades.
Alexandra Whittington
Alexandra Whittington teaches Forecasting for Technology Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston. Her focus is on the future of social issues, including families, education and gender roles. She works with corporations and non-profit groups to prepare them for future changes.
Jennifer Gidley
With a background in education and psychology, Jennifer Gidley aims to raise awareness about new thinking that will be required in the future, especially in regards to youth education and sustainable urban development. Her work brings awareness to the growing climate crisis and the future plight of oceans.
Maree Conway
Maree Conway has spent her career consulting on the future of universities and education. She is the founder of an organization that helps professionals in education and government plan for the future by re-framing strategic conversations about the future using foresight.
Catarina Tully
As co-founder of the School of International Futures, Cat Tully advises the U.S. and U.K. governments on the future and national security. She also trains business leaders, lawmakers and activists around the world to prepare for the future. Cat encourages her clients to adopt a long-term view with foresight tools to adapt to change.
Blake Morgan
An internationally recognized customer experience expert, Blake Morgan has worked with top companies around the world. Her work looks at the future of customer experience and how modern customers are influencing how companies operate. She is a best-selling author and hosts a weekly podcast of top business leaders.
These futurists are 25 dynamic women to follow. They are thinkers to keep your eye on.
Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist and the author of two books including her new book The Customer Of The Future. Learn more by signing up for her weekly newsletter here.