Clients

GFN has extensive experience in multi-stakeholder projects

GFN has extensive experience in the successful design and facilitation of complex projects many of which involve multiple stakeholders. A sample of these projects is showcased below.

Food futures

GFN have been leading a conversation about a future food system for Australia for over two years. Part of this has been through our design of the Sustainable Food Summit conferences and part through the Sustainable Food Lab initiative in partnership with the Constellation, a group of international corporate philosophers and mentors. GFN has also worked with many sectors and regions (this included the development of a regional Food Plan for Gippsland), leading international companies and also with many agencies in the public policy space. One of our projects focused on Trends and scenarios for the Victorian Sector and DPI Victoria. At a time when issues of water and climate are challenging how food is grown in Australia, GFN partnered with Kevin Nuttall of Waterfield Consulting to explore future shapers of Victorian agribusiness 2030 and the implications for government agencies. This included facilitation of a large multi stakeholder group from both state and federal levels. The key output from this consultation was a future impacts paper and a range of interesting, different and challenging scenarios that are now being used as part of further conversations and to frame Victoria DPI’s strategy

Energy futures

GFN has been, and is, a prime mover in the debate about the shift from centralised energy models to a new distributed environment. It is currently working with the emerging opportunities group inside Ergon to understand what this means for their strategy and business models.  In 2010, GFN was commissioned by the South East Queensland utility Energex, to explore a range of 2030 scenarios about the future of energy in Queensland. Their concern was that energy spikes were driving unrealistic capacity expectations for the network. GFN’s work has extended into a global debate on energy futures especially in the UK.

New constructs in public policy: Regional Development, Clean Technology, Spatial Infrastructure

Local Government futures: New delivery models, New economic opportunity through Industrial Symbiosis.

GFN have had numerous consulting and keynote engagements around the future of local government. These have included keynotes in Victoria (MAV), NSW (LGMA) and Queensland on the future of local government, work with local sustainability groups and the creation of new economic entities through a process known as Industrial Symbiosis. With its partner the Shaper Group (who have links to the World economic forum), GFN was part of a process that identified 19 significant new opportunities in an area that was depressed both socially and economically.  GFN is currently working on a comprehensive model that will demonstrate how, through the use of social networking technologies, significant leaps in the level of service delivery for resources used can be achieved.

Sustainable Cities: Brisbane, Tauranga Tomorrow, Council of Capital City Lord Mayors

GFN has worked extensively with cities large and small across many countries in developing strategy and major change. This included the development of both the 2010 and 2026 strategies for Brisbane, the development of Tauranga Tomorrow Project in New Zealand (recognized as the best communities outcomes process in that country in 2009), and with Boroondara City in Melbourne as they explored how a city might migrate rapidly towards a Factor 4 world. Scenarios for the Future of Australia’s Capital Cities; GFN partnered with the Strategy Policy Group of Brisbane City Council to provide research, strategy design, and facilitation support to the Australian Council of Capital City Lord Mayors (CCCLM).  Prior to, and during the workshop series, GFN provided an online newsletter service highlighting emerging trends and disruptions, as fuel for the Scenario Development process. The primary output of this engagement was a discussion paper designed to inform debate on the future of Australia’s Capital Cities; “Scenarios for the Future of Australia’s Capital Cities.” This was published in July 2004.

Transport, Logistics & Distribution Futures

GFN has also been active in the transport space and has been actively contributing to the national debate on future mobility and logistics options in both the public and private arenas. Our work with Transport and Main Roads Queensland, has involved a major futures think piece for the agency looking at Transport Futures out to 2070, a number of senior team presentations, the development of an internal futures viral network, master classes in futures thinking and the link to strategy and mentoring of the futures directions team.

Scientific Futures

GFN has also worked with a number of scientific organisations across Australasia. This included the repositioning of CSIRO’s Centre for Fibre and Textile Technology as it transitioned out of Wool, HortResearch and LandCare Research in New Zealand. We also continue to work with agencies like the International Water Centre.

Health Futures

Like many other sectors health is undergoing significant change as Governments everywhere seek to find new ways to deliver value through the health dollar. GFN has recently been involved in facilitating strategic conversations for a Medicare Local, Australia’s largest GP training organisation and with the Transition board for the Australian College of Nursing. In 2010 it also worked with a group of six underperforming hospitals as they sort to rationalize their resources and access to specialist expertise.

The New Zealand Foresight Project

The Foresight Project was undertaken by the New Zealand Ministry of Research Science and Technology (MoRST). GFN was engaged to co-design and facilitate a process, which realigned the priorities for future government investment in research with key future trends.  The process was focused on strategically repositioning NZ as a key player in the Knowledge Age.  This is driving a significant reorientation in thinking across sectors, which previously have been focused on commodities.

The Future of Antarctica – International Conference

This project involved Antarctica New Zealand engaging GFN to design, and facilitate a unique event, which sought to lead the global thinking about the future of the continent. The conference attracted a diverse group of representatives from nations, environmental groups, science, tourism operators and other interested people.  A key outcome of this conference has been the emergence of The South Oceans Initiatives at a treaty level, new tourism and scientific protocols and NZ’s leadership of this process.

Finance Sector Futures

Throughout 2017-19 GFN in partnership with Axilo worked extensively with Australia’s largest insurer to explore the fast changing environment for insurance and the finance sector generally. Using the Chôra Foundation’s strategic risk framework, multiple futures were explored particularly in ration to the deployment of AI. critical uncertainness and structural shifts were articulated and potential responses or options were pursued. GFN was also engaged by the Australia’s Credit Unions and its industry association and shared services entity, Credit Unions Services Corporation (Australia) Limited (CUSCAL), to lead a multi-stakeholder strategy renewal process branded – “The Way Ahead”. GFN designed and facilitated a representative taskforce of Credit Union and CUSCAL executives through a series of research projects, scenario development and strategy workshops, to achieve a shared industry agreement on a five-year transformational strategy.

Future of Queensland Fisheries

 The Queensland Government Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries, engaged GFN to design and facilitate the development of a view of the future, a shared direction, and potential pathways among a diverse and fractionated stakeholder base.

Geospatial futures

The development and management of geospatial technologies is essential for the location–based services that underpin many emergency services, logistics management systems and retail offerings. GFN worked closely with PSMA Australia to redesign its strategy and later with VSIC who engaged GFN to lead a multi-sectoral consultation, which included companies like Microsoft and BHP Billiton on the future of spatial technologies in Victoria. This led to a new VSIC strategy with a GFN commissioned future vision paper as the lead chapter
 

Biofuel Futures  

In 2006 Global Foresight Network was commissioned by Single Vision Grains Australia, to develop a vision for and Australian grain based biofuels industry. The project involved broad cross industry and sector consultation with over 20 organisations. Since it’s publication in February 2007, the “Green Paper: Prospects for a viable grain based Australian Biofuels Industry” report has been downloaded from the Internet over 4,500 times. Subsequent feedback has rated the report as one of the most interesting papers currently available on biofuels, globally

Client List

 A partial listing of current and former Global Foresight Network customers:

Keynotes and conference leadership (recent sample only)

Rethinking the Public Sector in Uncertain times. Address to the Mongolian Civil Service Council Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia February 2020.

Organisation sensemaking as a reflective practice. Asia Pacific Futures Network Bangkok. Sept 2019

All revolutions are equal but some are more equal than others, Asia pacific Futures Conference Bangkok Sept 2018

Eco city Imagination as an Analectic challenge, With Tim Tompson Eco cities International Conference, Melbourne May 2017

The Future of Property Valuation, 23rd Pacific Rim Real Estate Society Conference, Sydney January 2017.

The Future for Aged Care Services; A Spectators View – Leading Aged Care Services Victoria, June 2013.

The Future of Food; PMA Fresh Connections, June 2013.

Nine Trends in Health Care – Medtronic Education Series – May-June 2013.

The future of form and space – RMIT School of Property & Construction Industry partnership day – Jan 2013.

Strategy for Board members, AICD Mastery of the BoardRoom Program – Australia & Singapore –  2008 -2010.

Future directions meeting Queensland State Cabinet & Directors General – October 2012

Designing Better Futures – NRM Knowledge Conference Adelaide – May 2012

The future of manufacturing – Nth Melbourne Business Enterprise Network June 2011.

Transforming the Australian Food System. Sustainable Food Summit April 2010.

The future of Local Government MAV Futures conferences 2010 & 2011.

Strategic Foresight Master Classes,  Asian Business Forum Singapore 2010.

Seeing whats next and how to get there – The Executive Connection 2009 -2010.

The future of International Procurement, SA Government Adelaide 2008.

The future of Water Utilities – International Water Centre 2011 & Queensland Urban Utilities. 2011.

Sample past keynotes

• Key note presenter at the 2009 National Business Leaders Forum on Sustainable Development.
• Key note presenter for The Executive Connection (TEC)
• Lead presenter at Victoria’s “Future food, Future health” conference
• Key note presenter at the 2007 Australian Meat Industry conference
• Key note speaker at the 2007 QMAC conference.
• Facilitator of “Can the Long Boom continue?” forum at the AICD Shanghai conference.
• Speaker at the May 2007 Philadelphia Supply Chain World Forum on seeing supply chains through an environmental lens.
• Presenter of a future cities paper at a 2006 UNESCO sponsored, high tech cluster, forum in Daejon, Sth. Korea.
• Lead facilitator and commentator at the World Technolopolis Association Future Cities Forum in June 2006
• Key note presenter at the 2006 Adelaide International Procuremnt forum.
• Key note on the future of Innovation and Science at the first Qld. Innovation Park lunch series.
• Key note speaker at the Q400 annual awards.
• Key presenter Nov 2005 at a Global Leadership Forum in Hong Kong for senior managers from Shell, Dell, Cathay, Prudential (UK), and FedEx focused on unthinkable change.
• Speaker at the 2005 American Society for Training and Development [ASTD] International Conference and Exposition and the 2005 World futures conference in Chicago.