The Future Readiness Award recognises an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the understanding and practice of future readiness.
Created to acknowledge the growing body of research around future readiness, the Award will be presented for the first time by the Royal Academy of Management at the Thinkers50 2025 Awards Gala at London’s iconic Guildhall in November.
Future readiness is a measure of preparedness for the future. Being future ready involves organisations developing capabilities that are relevant not only to the current environment, but which also anticipate and prepare for future opportunities and threats. The Covid pandemic and other global shocks have revealed the fragility of global supply chains and other vital infrastructure and underlined the need to develop talent and human capital fit for the future.
“Preparing leaders for the future requires more than adapting to change – it demands the ability to anticipate it, shape it, and lead through it. At the Royal Academy of Management, we are committed to cultivating this kind of leadership by driving dialogue, identifying global trends, and turning insights into practical relevant solutions. This award reflects our shared belief with Thinkers50 that bold ideas, when grounded in real-world needs, can redefine how organisations prepare for what lies ahead.”– Dr Ali Q. Jawad Al Lawati, President of the Royal Academy of Management.
Leaders in all walks of life need to build resilience into their organisations. They need the agility to respond effectively to the disruptions and transformative changes that are appearing ever more frequently and suddenly, but they also need to be proactive in developing strategic foresight and innovating for the future.
Created in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Management, the Future Readiness Award honours a visionary thinker who has profoundly advanced our understanding of what it means to be future ready. It recognises a piece of thought leadership (from articles, books, studies, reports, white papers, for example) that illuminates how leaders can build forward-looking capabilities into their organisations; how they can focus simultaneously on innovation in the long term and adaptability in the short term.
As well as raising awareness of the field of future readiness, the Award will identify and spotlight ideas and practices that organisations can adopt to thrive in the present and succeed in the future, and foster a community of thinkers and practitioners dedicated to creating a future-ready world.
Nominations for the Future Readiness Award are open 1 May to 30 June 2025.
Emphasising research quality, influence, and practical applicability, nominations for the Future Readiness Award will be assessed on five key criteria:
A shortlist of eight nominees will be announced on 4 August 2025 and the recipient of the Award will be unveiled on stage at the Thinkers50 2025 Awards Gala on 4 November at London’s Guildhall.
Nominations for the Future Readiness Award are open 1 May to 30 June 2025.
Emphasising research quality, influence, and practical applicability, nominations for the Future Readiness Award will be assessed on five key criteria:
A shortlist of eight nominees will be announced on 4 August 2025 and the recipient of the Award will be unveiled on stage at the Thinkers50 2025 Awards Gala on 4 November at London’s Guildhall.
Nominations will be considered by the Future Readiness Award Panel of Advisors, selected for their expertise in futures thinking.
Director of IMD World Competitiveness Center, Lausanne, Switzerland
Arturo Bris is Professor of Finance at IMD and has led the world renowned IMD World Competitiveness Center since 2014. From 2009-2014, he was the director of Advanced Strategic Management, and he has also directed programs for senior executives in several industries and continents.
Prior to joining IMD, Arturo was the Robert B & Candice J. Haas Associate Professor of Corporate Finance at the Yale School of Management (USA). As a research associate of the European Corporate Governance Institute and a member of the Yale International Institute for Corporate Governance, he has worked extensively on issues of corporate governance, financial regulation, and international valuation. His research and consulting activities focus on the international aspects of financial regulation, in particular on the effects of bankruptcy, short sales, insider trading, and merger laws.
Arturo has also researched and lectured on the effects of the Euro on the corporate sector, as well as on the valuation impact of corporate governance changes. He is passionate about global competitiveness, financial development, and macroeconomics and his latest research identifies the relationship between income inequality, social mobility, and competitiveness. He is also developing a competitiveness-based investment portfolio that track the best and worst economies.
Arturo’s work has been published in the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, the Review of Financial Studies, the Journal of Legal Studies, and the Journal of Business.
Founder and CEO of Tent Futures, Singapore
Cheryl Chung is the founder and CEO of Tent Futures, a strategic foresight research, advisory and training practice focused on building long-term public good. Cheryl is concurrently Senior Director, Insights and Strategy, at The Majurity Trust, a philanthropic organisation that works with donors and social impact partners to build a thriving and sustainable community for all in Singapore.
A seasoned public sector futurist, Cheryl has two decades of experience working with senior decision makers in Singapore and the region to identify trends, understand policy implications, create alternative scenarios and develop strategies to prepare for the future. She is an experienced and sought-after practitioner, educator, coach, and speaker across the public, private, people, and academic sectors.
Cheryl was most recently the Head of Singapore for Kantar Public, a specialist research, evidence and advisory business focussed on the public realm. She joined Kantar Public from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy where she led strategic planning and government relations, and then became Programme Director for Executive Education Singapore Futures, overseeing the Singapore and Open Enrolment markets, as well as establishing the School’s Futures training and consulting practice.
Cheryl has spent the majority of her career in the Singapore Government, working across policy, strategy, and futurist roles in various economic and infrastructure agencies, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Centre for Strategic Futures (under the Prime Minister’s Office), and the Ministry of Transport.
Chief Executive of Nesta, London
Ravi Gurumurthy is the chief executive of Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation. Nesta’s mission is to design, test, and scale solutions to society’s biggest challenges, from sustainability and health to educational inequality. He also leads the UK’s Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), known as the “Nudge Unit.” BIT has grown from a small team in No 10 Downing Street to a 250-person global social purpose consultancy, and subsidiary of Nesta.
Prior to joining Nesta, Ravi co-founded and led the Airbel Innovation Lab at the International Rescue Committee, where he was responsible for designing new products and services for people affected by crises in over 40 countries. From 1999 to 2013, Ravi worked in the UK government. He was an advisor and speechwriter to the foreign secretary, David Miliband; led the creation of Every Child Matters and the Children Act 2004; and the world’s first legally binding climate legislation. Ravi has held several non-executive roles and is currently a governor of the Heath Foundation.
Executive Director of MIT Solve, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Hala Hanna is the executive director of Solve, an MIT initiative that finds and scales tech-based solutions to global challenges. Hala’s global career is about advancing equity and sustainability for all. It includes roles at the World Economic Forum, the World Bank, and various UN agencies, as well as degrees from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and the American University of Beirut. She is co-executive producer of The Big Idea, an award-winning docu-series about Solve.
Hala’s writing about using tech and innovation to close equity gaps has appeared in numerous publications including TechCrunch, The Boston Globe, and Project Syndicate. She frequently speaks at industry events including SXSW, the World Economic Forum, and Aspen.
President of the Japan Innovation Network, Tokyo
Noboru Konno is a professor emeritus and special appointed professor at Tama Graduate School of Business. He is known for his work in the fields of knowledge creation and innovation management. Noboru’s research focuses on developing theories and practices that help organisations create and manage knowledge effectively. Recognised in particular for his work on the concept of “Ba,” which refers to shared ontological place (dynamic context) that facilitate knowledge creation, Noboru has authored several books, including Intellectualizing Capability, Business Design Thinking, and Knowledge Creation Enterprises, which have contributed to both academic and practical understanding of knowledge management.
Beyond his academic contributions, Noboru engages with business leaders and practitioners to apply knowledge creation principles in various industries. His work has influenced how organisations approach innovation and knowledge management and his dedication to advancing the field of knowledge creation continues to inspire both scholars and practitioners.
President of the Royal Academy of Management, Oman
Dr. Ali Q. Jawad Al Lawati is the founding president of the Royal Academy of Management in Oman, where he leads efforts to advance leadership development across the region. Earlier in his career, he directed a socio-economic think-tank appointed by His Majesty the Sultan of Oman and was a strategic advisor for the government of Abu Dhabi. He also previously worked as a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton.
In academia, he was appointed Executive-in-Residence at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Scholar-in-Residence at INSEAD, and Visiting Scholar at Yale School of Management. Dr. Ali Lawati is the author of Government Reimagined (2020) and lead author of Leadership Intelligence: The 5Qs for Thriving as a Leader (2018), both of which have shaped leadership.
Co-founder, Thinkers50, London
Des Dearlove is the co-founder of Thinkers50. A former columnist to the London Times and contributing editor to Strategy+Business, Des is also the co-editor of The Financial Times Handbook of Management. He is an internationally recognised expert on management thinking and thought leadership.
Des is the author of multiple books including Gravy Training: Inside the Business of Business Schools, Generation Entrepreneur, Certain Uncertainty, and most recently Connectedness: How the Best Leaders Create Authentic Human Connection in a Disconnected World. He is a visiting professor at IE Business School and an associate fellow at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
About The Royal Academy of Management
Endorsed by the honorary patronage of His Majesty the Sultan of Oman, the Royal Academy of Management was established in 2022 to advance the nation-building vision and contribute to Oman’s broader aspirations. The Academy is dedicated to developing and empowering both current and future leaders, equipping them with the strategic insight and skills needed to navigate an ever-evolving global landscape.
As a leading institution for executive learning, the Academy provides a platform for reflection, dialogue, and long-term planning, fostering cross-sector collaboration between the public and private sectors. By working with globally renowned institutions such as Saïd Business School at Oxford University and IMD, the Academy brings together international expertise to address both local and global leadership challenges and focus on tackling present challenges, seizing future opportunities, and securing sustainable success.
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Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
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United Kingdom
Thinkers50 Limited
The Studio
Highfield Lane
Wargrave RG10 8PZ
United Kingdom
Nominations for the 2025 Future Readiness Award are open until 30 June 2025. The Award will honour an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the understanding and practice of future readiness, whether in the public or private sector, or academia. Nominations are open and inclusive and all submissions are welcome.
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