What if we could learn to see the future more clearly — not as predictions, but as landscapes we can design? Björn Theis, Head of Strategic Foresight at Evonik’s Creavis, does exactly that. By studying the “future shadows” cast by today’s bold bets, he helps leaders and organizations prepare for uncertainty and act with clarity.

His foresight work raises powerful questions for us all:

• How can we learn the skills to recognize weak signals and shape them into opportunity?
• What if failure tells us as much about the future as success does?
• How do we stop merely predicting tomorrow and start co-authoring it?

With a background in ethnology and years leading futures research, Björn shows how scenario-building and foresight aren’t abstract exercises — they are practical tools for designing robust strategies today. This keynote is an invitation to illuminate tomorrow, and to build the bigger, brighter futures we want to inhabit.

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