KEYNOTES
DR LEON D. YOUNG
Huon Strategic
Leon is an internationally recognised futurist who is known for supporting the strategic decision making process through evidence-based scenario development and option analysis methodology.
Leon is a highly qualified and decorated Army Officer with over 20 years of experience in leadership, management and training. Leon is a Chief of Defence Force Fellow, Fellow of the World Future Society, Visiting Chair on Strategic Studies at the Centre for Defence and Strategic Centre, Board member of a private equity firm and Director of a strategic consultancy. He was recently employed by the Australian Defence Force as a Futures Concept Strategist and was responsible for writing joint strategic concepts and providing strategic policy advice. He has deployed on operations and has been part of joint, coalition and international operational planning headquarters.
DR VINCENT DUCHĘNE
IDEA Consult NV
Dr. Vincent Duchêne is senior expert and Team Leader of IDEA’s “Competitiveness and Innovation” department.
Vincent has more than 18 years experience in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) policies, and more than 10 years experience in industrial policy and regional policy.
CORNELIA DAHEIM
Future Impacts
Cornelia Daheim is a foresight expert and consultant, founder and director of Future Impacts Consulting in Cologne, Germany. Since 2000, she has been leading foresight projects for customers from several industries and policy fields such as Alstom, BASF, DEFRA, SKT or UKCES, up to CEO level, and within the framework of international as well as European research networks. In recent years, her topic focus was on the future of work, energy, mobility, future of food and societal change. Before founding her own company, she has successfully developed Z_punkt The Foresight Company’s international business, a new quantification and modelling approach in corporate foresight, and led the company as managing partner from 2008 to 2014.
IBON ZUGASTI
M.S. is Partner/Director at PROSPEKTIKER
Ibon Zugasti, M.S. is Partner/Director at PROSPEKTIKER, Manager of the Industry Business at MONDRAGON Engineering and Services Division, Chairman of the Millennium Project Node in Spain, Member of the Board of Foresight Europe Network (FEN) and National coordinator in Spain for the PREPARE Network.
Since 1999, Ibon has led several consultancy and research projects in fields like foresight, regional sustainable development, labour & training and energy for different Governments and Corporations (Repsol, Iberdrola, Guggenheim, MONDRAGON,...). He has also advised the Committee of the Regions of the EU for the launching of a European Platform on Territorial Foresight. Since 2010, he is the Chairman of the Millennium Project in Spain and President of the European Regional Foresight College.
ERICA BOL
Teach the Future Foundation
Erica Bol is a conscious future designer and has more than 10 years of experience working with different clients to help them engage towards a more sustainable future. She uses forward thinking, strategic thinking, creative thinking, sustainable thinking, concept development and entrepreneurship to engage in the project. Her approach does not only ensure sustainable outcomes, it also creates a positive mind shift for all.
DR PETER C. BISHOP
Teach the Future Foundation
Dr. Bishop is the Founder and Executive Director of Teach the Future, an organization whose mission is to encourage and support educators who want to include futures thinking in their classes and schools at all levels. In 2013, Dr. Bishop retired as an Associate Professor of Strategic Foresight and Director of the graduate program in Foresight at the University of Houston.
ALEŠ HANČIČ
Slovenian Tool and Die Development Centre
Dr. Ales Hančič is the Managing Director of TECOS Slovenian Tool and Die Development Centre. He has more than 14 years of experience in research, management of R & D projects and the management of the organization. His professional career began as an assistant at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. In 2005 he joined TECOS, initially as a young researcher, then as Director of Research and Development. In 2013 he was appointed to Managing Director of TECOS, which he still leads today. In recent years he was also complementary employed at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana and as an Associate Lecturer at the College of Polymer Technology in Slovenj Gradec, where he is also in the process for the election of the Assistant Professor.
He is an expert in the field of management of work processes, processing of polymer materials and the development of bio-composite materials. In particular he has in recent years focused on enterprise management, human resources and production processes. He has authored or co-authored more than 70 scientific and expert papers and has so far led over 20 international R & D projects (FP7, H2020, ERA-Net, EUREKA, Interreg, etc.)
BLAŽ GOLOB
President and CEO of European Blockchain
Blaž Golob, President and CEO of European Blockchain HUB, Director of GFS (GoForeSight) Institute, Slovenia EU (Millennium Project Node), Chairman Ljubljana Forum on Future of Cities and Co-Chairman of Zagreb forum on Creative cities. He is an author of Smart City Platform – Power to the People knowledge concept design that has an impact on smart city solutions developments in the region of South East Europe. He is an adviser to SmartIS company leading regional smart city solutions provider that has offices in Slovenia and Croatia. He became a member of the European Commission EU Strategic Policy Forum on Digital Entrepreneurship on February 2014 and European Commission Expert Group "Foresight Leaders for Research, Science and Innovation Policies" (FLEG) in March 2015. He was elected as president of Foresight Europe Network FEN in Paris UNESCO headquarters in November 2014.
