Thinkers50 and the Royal Academy of Management, Oman, announce the inaugural Future Readiness Award

Press Release

London, 26 May 2025 – Thinkers50, the premier global ranking of management thinkers, and the Royal Academy of Management, Oman, today announced the launch of a new Future Readiness Award. 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, to be held at London’s iconic Guildhall in November.

The Award is timely. The Covid pandemic and other global shocks have revealed the fragility of global supply chains and other vital infrastructure, underlining the need to develop organisations, talent, and human capital fit for the future. Being future ready involves organisations building capabilities and skills that are relevant not only to the current environment but also anticipate and prepare for future opportunities and threats.  

President of the Royal Academy of Management, Dr Ali Q. Jawad Al Lawati, explains: “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.” 

“Leaders from all walks of life need to build resilience into their organisations,” adds Thinkers50 co-founder, Des Dearlove. “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.”

Emphasising research quality, influence, and practical applicability, the new Future Readiness Award will honour a visionary thinker who has profoundly advanced our understanding of what it means to be future ready. It will recognise 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 until 30 June 2025. 

NOMINATE HERE

Nominations will be assessed on five key criteria:

1. Rigour: Is the work based on credible research and real-world examples? Does it have a recognised provenance from a recognised source?
   
2. Reach: Does the work span international borders and industries? Are the insights practical and broadly applicable regardless of industry and geography?  
   
3. Relevance. Does the work address current and emerging challenges facing real-world organisations in 2025 and into the future?
   
4. Resonance: Does the work have practical applicability and potential to make real-world impact?
5. Responsiveness: Does the work recognise and respond to existing trends and challenges in novel ways to advance our knowledge in this field?

A shortlist of eight nominees will be announced 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. They are:

Professor Arturo Bris
Director of IMD World Competitiveness Center, Switzerland

Cheryl Chung
Founder and CEO of Tent Futures, Singapore

Ravi Gurumurthy
CEO of Nesta, UK 

Hala Hanna
Executive Director, MIT Solve, USA

Professor Noboru Konno
President of the Japan Innovation Network, Japan

and 

Dr Ali Q. Jawad Al Lawati
President of the Royal Academy of Management, Oman

Des Dearlove
Co-founder, Thinkers50, UK

ABOUT

The Royal Academy of Management, Oman

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.     

Thinkers50

Thinkers50 is the world’s most reliable resource for identifying, ranking, and sharing the leading management ideas of our age. Since 2001, the prestigious Thinkers50 Ranking of Management Thinkers has been published every two years. 

Together with the presentation of the Thinkers50 Distinguished Achievement Awards, which recognise the very best in management thinking and practice, the new ranking is announced at the biennial Thinkers50 Awards Gala in London, described by The Financial Times as the “Oscars of management thinking.”

CONTACT

For more information on Thinkers50 please go to: www.thinkers50.com. 

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