David Smith

David challenges, informs and engages his clients and audiences on the key issues of the near future, in order to stimulate ‘out-of-the box’ thinking to help organizations embrace new technologies and generate new visions, strategies, products and services. 
 
A futurologist, and Chief Executive of Global Futures and Foresight (GFF) - a strategic futures research organization, David’s 35-year technology, marketing and business career has made him recognisable as one of the world's leading futurists and strategic thinkers. David knows that "with each new technology first we do things differently then we do different things". Today there isn't time for this two-stage change. Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Blockchain, 3D fabrication and mass machine generated data, amongst other drivers, compel us to understand and engage with them and change faster than ever before. David helps to achieve this. Since founding GFF, David has worked with many of the world’s largest organisations, and government bodies as well as academic institutions and industry associations. His insights have led many organizations to embrace change and prepare innovative strategies to renew themselves and generate new growth. In his career he has held technological and senior management positions in both large and small organizations. He has been involved in public sector, commercial and financial markets and has held technical, sales, marketing and general management positions in companies such as the UK based DRG group and The US Unisys corporation. Whilst at Unisys he held the position of Strategic Marketing Director for their $2bn global financial services business. He has advised the UK and EU governments on strategic research investment decisions.