Ben Hammersley

One of the world's leading futurists, Ben Hammersley, is the founder and principal of Hammersley Futures, an international strategic forecasting consultancy whose main work is to guide corporations and governmental agencies to think clearly about the future. The company specializes in how society reacts to technological innovation, including the future of crime and conflict, the changing nature of the workplace and the market, and the new cognitive tools needed to flourish in the coming decades.

Previously, Hammersley was executive editor of WIRED, the writer and presenter of the BBC’s “Cybercrimes with Ben Hammersley” (now on Netflix or Amazon Prime internationally), a war correspondent in Afghanistan, an advisor to the European Commission, a pilot and wilderness medic in the USA, the author of five books, and the inventor of the word "Podcast."

Hammersley is the author of the acclaimed book "64 Things You Need To Know Now For Then," a guide to the new concepts of the modern world. His most recent book, "Now For Then: How To Face The Digital Future Without Fear," is on the latest ideas in technology, culture, business, and politics. It demystifies the Internet, decodes cyberspace, and ushers us through the innovation revolution in which we all live. Additionally, Hammersley is editor-at-large for WIRED magazine, a columnist for BA Business Life magazine, and the Principal of Onwards, Friend, a program that develops science and launch platforms for high-altitude and low-earth orbit. In fact, he is building his own personal satellite.

When Hammersley speaks to audiences, he dissects intricate concepts, develops technologies, and adds fascinating stories and analogies to make these topics accessible. While some speakers and pundits use a “doom and gloom” method to scare people about our rapidly developing future, Hammersley employs humor and common sense to illustrate his views. His methods are especially helpful when illustrating that spheres of power and influence have dramatically changed in the last generation and how most of us employ a way of thinking that doesn’t line up with today’s society—or the future. “Our jobs, our businesses, our institutions and governments, and civic infrastructure, the marketplace, the flow of ideas, wars, and the supply chain, are all—to a degree I think most would find terrifying—far more complex and weird than we’re generally aware. This is partly because of a reluctance to truly look, partly because orthodox understandings of the world are deeply culturally embedded, and partly because we lack the cognitive tools to actually do that thinking,” Hammersley says.

A speaker and consultant who can mold to any industry’s needs, Hammersley consults with organizations and corporations about trends, technology, and security, whether it’s in travel, financial services, human resources, or government. But he doesn’t just talk to the big guys; he also consults with smaller associations and organizations. Through detailed research, he will sort through the issues troubling you, find your strengths, and devise a completely customized speech and action plan that will help your organization move forward. He’ll share what holds your company back, what or who the disrupters are in your sector, and exactly how you can navigate, succeed, and thrive—in the future.