From students to ministers, Freija knows how to stimulate their strategic thinking about the future. Freija delivers custom work. She offers the toolbox for working with foresight and anticipating change. Her handmade illustrations are stimulating designed to elicit imagination.
Description
Freija identifies those trends and developments that are likely to change the world. Her approach to strategic foresight is particularly effective in stimulating thinking beyond model based projections of the future. She uses systems thinking to help people understand how to anticipate the most profound global on uniquely hand drawn sketches, which is engaging and activates transitions, e.g. food system, energy system, ICT revolution and citizenship. Her in depth knowledge of strategic foresight –in academic writing and as a practitioner- is recognized internationally. Her presentations are based the right-brain. This allows for a different kind of thinking that is needed in foresight.
Freija has been a professional futurist since 2006. She has been leading strategic foresight projects in various government organisations in the Netherlands. She has worked at the OECD strategic foresight unit to design a scenario based policy discussion for the Ministerial Council Meeting. Freija is co-founder and president of the Dutch Future Society, local chapter to the World Future Society. She is also part of the ‘Trendrede’, a collective of trend researchers who present an annual trend analysis to contribute to society and the Dutch economy.
Topics of her presentations
Insights in the most significant global transitions of the 21st century
In the next 30 years, the global population will grow from 7 billion to 9 billion people, and we strive to ban poverty. Climate change is already a reality. What will a sustainable energy system for a global population look like? How do we transform food and agriculture sustainably? Whether we like it or not, there will be major transformations this century. Disruptive technological innovations enable bold solutions. What is needed to target the societal challenges for the 21st century?
Anticipating the energetic society
Platform economies, sharing communities, local initiatives with a global reach are all finding solutions that used to be the domain of institutions. From health care to education, we see entrepreneurship mixed with citizenship and community power. They all demonstrate power and resilience in standing together to build a better future. Which new developments can we expect, given all kinds of disruptive innovations? How can we better understand change? What is the meaning of these dynamics for governments and service organisations?
Thinking as a futurist
Text book knowledge of trends and foresight is not enough? Why is it so hard to really incorporate strategic foresight in organisations? Why do we use so little of the foresight projects commissioned by our organization? Freija not only clarifies the answers to these questions, she also offers the tools to master the skills of thinking as a futurist.