Thursdays, 6,13, and 20 August 2026
6 August: What Do Futurists Do?
13 August: Five Famous Futurists: What Might They Say About Our World Today?
20 August: Chiang Mai 2060: Practicing for the Future City
11:00 am – 12:30pm
Description:
In this era of global uncertainty and unrelenting change, it’s natural to think more frequently about what the future will bring. Futurists do this as a profession, but what does that actually mean? The word futurist might make it easy to assume they make their living predicting the future, but that’s not the case.
The first session introduces the world of futures thinking and strategic foresight. Drawing on practical examples from the field of international economic development, we will explore how governments, businesses, and organizations can use futures thinking to reduce risk, challenge assumptions, and prepare for a wide range of possible, plausible futures. In this 90-minute discussion, we’ll explore what futurists do and how you might adopt some futures practices in your own life.
The second session explores five influential futurists whose ideas have shaped how leading thinkers approach the future in remarkably different ways. Drawing from fields as diverse as science fiction, systems design, Thai society, corporate strategy, and cultural transformation, we will examine a variety of approaches to understanding uncertainty, imagination, and long-term change.
The final session considers how thinking about future generations can influence policy-making and strategy. Using the Future Design process developed in Japan, we will examine how adopting the viewpoint of “future citizens” can lead to more sustainable, equitable, and forward-thinking choices. Participants will adopt the perspective of Chiang Mai’s future citizens to consider growth and policy issues in the present.
Presenter:
The presenter is a cross-sector partnerships advocate, a futurist and an advisor to organizations that focus on making the world a better place.
Cecilia Brady has had a long career in international development. She spent 7 years at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as a Senior Partnerships Advisor. Ms. Brady has also advised other institutions on cross-sector collaboration, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); established and emerging bilateral aid donors; multiple US Government agencies; the Government of Mexico; and the African Union. Prior to USAID, Cecilia was a consultant at the World Bank; she has worked in more than 20 countries around the globe. She turned to the field of futures work and scenario planning during the 2020 pandemic, recognizing that organizations must be better prepared to navigate uncertainty and change. Cecilia was admitted as a professional member of the Association of Professional Futurists in 2023.
Ms. Brady holds a B.A. in Government from Oberlin College and an M.A. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). She also holds a Certificate in Foresight from the University of Houston and has studied immersive scenario design through The New School. Cecilia studied for two years in Thailand in the 1980s; she is fluent in Thai and Spanish.
Cost: 350 THB per session or 1,000 THB for all three sessions
