Category Archives: Futurist

HR needs to take the lead to revamp the approach to recruitment in view of boosting the attractiveness of the employer brand, says Rhona Tasmia, head of human resources at HALO Creative & Design (Timothy Oulton).

The big shift in HR practices in recruitment is the renewed focus on candidate experience. As much as a candidate tries to make the best impression in an interview it is equally imperative to provide a recruitment experience to candidates that goes beyond just the job they are interviewing for.

This is a critical factor in building and maintaining employer branding and attractiveness in the growing market of potential talent.

I consider candidates as our customers. As they say, one customer well taken care of could bring more value than thousands of dollars worth of advertising.

In the same way, if we create a positive customer-centric experience during the recruitment process, candidates will remember and talk about it among peers, and word of mouth in building brand attractiveness is a powerful weapon.

In the growing competition to attract and retain talent, in my opinion, the future is about building and maintaining a brand that people want to work for.

This starts from the very first interaction with an applicant or a potential candidate and continues throughout the experience and journey that we offer them.

Technology has already enabled the shift towards a candidate-focused experience. With the evolvement of AI, it will continue to facilitate the journey across the spectrum, from responding to applications and queries from a wider international market, sharing timely feedback, online assessments which candidates can take in their own space/time for convenience, through to the conclusion stage.

For employers, it allows tracking of a fair selection process, getting feedback from candidates about the recruitment process and experience all the while ensuring the candidate engagement and experience.

Candidates, the Millennials and Gen Y in particular, are increasingly more conscious of company and workplace culture, degree of flexibility and autonomy in roles and work/personal life balance as influential factors in determining the kind of organisations they want to work for.

Therefore, HR practitioners like ourselves need to take the lead to revamp the approach to recruitment in view of boosting the attractiveness of the employer brand and which reflects the culture and values of the company.

Its not only in the reviewing of the process, but a shift in the mindset.

The June 2017 issue of Human Resources magazine is a special edition, bringing you interviews with 12 HR leaders, with their predictions on the future of HR.

ReadThe Futuristor subscribe here.

Junior professionals in the country's banking and finance sector are highly sought after for the first time since the financial cr..

Bad news for bosses: Employees are still considering their next move, even if theyve just settled into a new job...

Could it be that employees are working too much and having trouble balancing their work and personal life?..

Increasing female board participation to 43%, and a 36-hour hackathon to crowdsource new product ideas - Digi's HR team isn't done..

The initiatives will be funded via the HRDF Pool Fund, government allocation as well as private partnerships...

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The Futurist: Creating a positive candidate experience is fundamental - Human Resources Online

Israel and its Eastern Mediterranean neighbors find themselves in a new geopolitical reality as the Atlantic Order ceases to be the predominant framework in which the regions relations are conducted.

With the weakening bloc led by the United States and its European allies ceding ground in the region to an emerging Eurasian order led by China and Russia, Eastern Mediterranean nations could benefit from examining how Kazakhstan attempts to constructively influence the developing economic and strategic contours of the new Eurasia.

Spanning the western border of China and the eastern borders of European Russia and the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan like the Eastern Mediterranean forms a vital geo-economic link between Europe and Asia.

However, in contrast to the Eastern Mediterranean nations, a central feature of Kazakhstans foreign policy is the consistent promotion of a futurist vision for Eurasia based on consensus-building, multi-lateral cooperation and sustainable development. To this end, Kazakhstan has hosted four major international events in 2017 The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, Expo 2017, the Astana Economic Forum and the Eurasian Media Forum.

This author participated as a delegate to the 14th Eurasian Media Forum in late June and witnessed the impressive array of high government officials and leading figures from the fields of business, hi-tech and media that were gathered to examine the challenges for Eurasia and the opportunities for creating a more prosperous, stable and sustainable future.

Reflective of the strong Kazakh-Israeli relationship, the agenda of the Eurasian Media Forum treated Israel as an important Eurasian actor whose voice should be heard.

The forum was initiated by Dr. Dariga Nazarbayeva, a political scientist and the daughter of Kazakhstans President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who himself is the architect of Kazakhstans multi-vectored foreign policy a careful three-way balancing among Russia, China, and the Western powers, mainly the European Union and the United States that has contributed to maintaining a certain great-power equilibrium in Central Asia and helped foster Kazakhstans economic rise to the ranks of an upper middle income nation.

Held in the Kazakhstani capital Astana with more than 600 delegates participating from over 60 nations, the Eurasian Media Forum brought together persons from varying ethnic, religious and political perspectives, modeling a process for civil and rational dialogue among actors with conflicting interests.

Conducted in the style of the Davos World Economic Forum, the opening plenary session addressed the macro political trends affecting the future of the Eurasian landmass.

The composition of the panel itself was indicative of the importance which Kazakhstan places on Israels role in Eurasia. Sharing the panel with former Turkish president Abdullah Gul, Jose Manuel Barroso, the previous president of the EUs governing body, the European Commission and former US ambassador to the UN Governor Bill Richardson was Gilead Sher, chief of staff and policy coordinator for the government of prime minister Ehud Barak, known for his role as a senior peace negotiator, including during the Taba talks.

The panels major theme, as framed by Turkeys former president, was the dangers posed by various forms of populism and the need for governments as well as multi-lateral organizations to be more responsive to the needs and concerns of local populations.

Shers contribution highlighted the need to better understand the growing disruptive role of non-state actors and was well received.

The panel at the forum that focused specifically on the Syrian crisis, while including an Iranian speaker did not include an Israeli speaker. However, through his participation as a delegate, Sher put forward an Israeli position on the crisis. When one of the participating delegates responded to Shers comments on Israels provision of humanitarian aid in Syria by attempting to impugn Israels role with a disingenuous narrative, one of the panels speakers, investigative journalist Shahida Tulaganova, effectively countered the delegates propagandistic grandstanding, which itself was something out of character for the forum.

Known for her eyewitness documenting of the Syrian civil war in the recent award-winning film Cries from Syria, Tulaganova provided her own personal testimony about Israels constructive humanitarian role. The panels ability to stay on track with a rigorous debate was reflective of the conference organizers overall effort to promote balanced dialogue.

Beyond the factor of geopolitics, the forum considered the future of Eurasia from a variety of analytical vantage points including: the sustainability of the Asian Economic Miracle and the prospect of greater commercial integration between Europe and Asia; how green energy may be effectively harnessed for sustainable economic development; the impact of emerging trends in digital technology on international commerce, intellectual property, global media and the security of the international financial system.

Just as Israels exhibition at Expo 2017, held concurrently in Astana, proved to be one of the most well received exhibitions, Israel was regarded in the panels and the delegate discussions as a leading-edge innovator, contributing solutions in several of these fields.

The importance for Israel of developing a robust Eurasian policy perspective cannot be overemphasized.

Already the EUs trade with Asia has surpassed the volume of trade conducted between EU and North America. Chinas Belt and Road Initiative from Beijings ownership and operation of the EUs fastest growing port in Piraeus, Greece to its construction of Egypts new capital is serving to integrate the Eastern Mediterranean region into an economically rational Eurasian order. Similarly, through its new military and energy partnerships, Russia has re-emerged as a major actor in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.

To this end, Kazakhstan can serve both as an exemplar and partner. Astana is one of Beijings key partners in developing road and high-speed rail routes to create overland commercial connectivity with Europe (the belt in the Belt and Road Initiative). Likewise, the former Soviet republic maintains a strong relationship with Moscow. Nonetheless, Kazakhstan has successfully rebalanced Westwards, offsetting the threat of Russian hard power and of Chinese soft power by deepening its security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and economic cooperation with the EU. In 2017, Kazakhstan became one the 10 non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Israel was one of the first nations to recognize Kazakhstans independence in 1991. On the occasion of the countrys 25th anniversary as an independent state, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became the first acting Israeli prime minister to visit Kazakhstan. Netanyahus visit reflected the importance of the bilateral relations that have developed between the two nations. However, there is much more work to be done. As Israels ambassador to Kazakhstan, Michael Brodsky, has pointed out there is great potential for Israel and Kazakhstan to expand their cooperation in the fields of agriculture, healthcare, telecommunications, security and renewable energy to reach a level of strategic partnership.

Israel needs to craft a strategic vision for securing its place in the emerging Eurasian order. With a population of only 18 million, Kazakhstan has managed to use its strategic assets to become an active player in setting the agenda along with the major powers.

As was abundantly clear from Kazakhstans 14th Eurasian Media Forum, Israels has an important place in Kazakhstans futurist vision of Eurasia. Israel should engage Kazakhstans vision as well as learn lessons from that vision as Israel starts to develop its own discourse on Eurasia.

The author is a fellow in the Middle East and Asia Units at the Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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Israel and Kazakhstan's futurist vision for Eurasia - The Jerusalem Post mobile website

Successful recruitment is about in-depth conversations, and new technologies arent able to help consultants understand candidates better, says Fabien Guerin, founder and CEO of Talent Fishers.

Many business leaders believe that Asia will spearhead the global economic growth for decades to come. Organisations from around the globe are hoping to get a slice of the Asian market, making it one of the hottest destinations for top talent.

Talent Fishers was set up in 2007 in China to cater to a growing demand from foreign-invested companies for human capital solutions in Asia.

When conducting a cross-cultural search, matching candidates to the right position is not enough. We dont only find the right candidates, we are here to advise clients on the best practices for Asian markets.

The mission of Talent Fishers is changing peoples lives by offering them better career and better responsibilities, and we change a companys future by finding the right people for the right roles, enabling the company to better develop.

With the use of the latest technology such as databases, job boards and social networks, a huge amount of time is being saved in extracting data on suitable candidates, but Talent Fishers is committed to taking things to the next level.

We believe having in-depth conversations with our candidates puts them in the best position to be successful, and these new technologies are not able to help consultants understand candidates better.

Our consultants ask candidates the right questions to learn about their professional backgrounds and find out who they really are and what they really want in life.

When conducting a search, understanding the organisation is just as important. Every company has a different culture, DNA and history. We combine all those factors to match an individual who fits in with the organisations culture and DNA at the right time.

Sometimes, the most talented individual might not be the best fit for a specific role at a specific time.

For our consultants to get to know the candidates, a face-to-face meeting is often the best way to communicate. With that being said, I believe technology such as virtual reality will bring a huge impact to the executive search landscape by allowing individuals to hold in-depth conversations without having to be seated in the same room.

I hope with VR technology, I will be able to interview candidates from overseas with the same quality of interaction as we have sitting in the same room.

In todays business world, people are more prone to move to explore another culture. As a result, I foresee top talent from different backgrounds gathering to work in an expertise hub.

There will be different expertise hubs set up around the world and I think Hong Kong is an interesting place for financial services-related functions to set up an expertise hub.

The June 2017 issue of Human Resources magazine is a special edition, bringing you interviews with 12 HR leaders, with their predictions on the future of HR.

ReadThe Futuristor subscribe here.

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The Futurist: Fishing for the right talent - Human Resources Online

Anders Srman-Nilsson (LLB / EMBA) is a global futurist and innovation strategist who helps leaders decode trends, decipher whats next and turn provocative questions into proactive strategies. With an average of 240 international travel days a year, Anders view is that the future and the now are converging in a city or start-up near you, giving the curious, the creative and the courageous a competitive and sustainable edge. At the same time, that same future contains fearsome forecasts for futurephobes.

This Swedish-Australian futurist has shared the stage with Hillary Clinton, Nobel laureates, and European and Australian heads of state. He is an active member of TEDGlobal, has keynoted at TEDx in the United States and Australia, was nominated to the World Economic Forums Young Global Leaders in 2015, and was the keynote speaker at the G20s Y20 Summit in Australia.

His thought leadership has been featured in international media like Monocle, Business Insider, Sky News Business, Financial Review, CIO Magazine and Boss. He is the author of the books Digilogue: how to win the digital minds and analogue hearts of tomorrows customers and Thinque Funky: Upgrade Your Thinking, and his most recent book Seamless: the futurephiles guide to leading digital adaptation and human transformation.

His presentations are meticulously researched, highly energetic and always fascinating with content tailored to the audience, which is why clients like Apple, Cisco, Mercedes Benz, Hilton, SAP, Gartner and Macquarie Bank have turned to Anders over the years to help them turn research into foresight and business impact.

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Anders Srman-Nilsson (LLB/EMBA), global futurist, speaker and author - InvestorDaily

Volvos surprise announcement that it will phase out the internal combustion engine by 2019 should be a wake-up call across industries that disruptive technology is already impacting short-term business planning. Anticipating how the economy and human behavior will be reshaped in the years ahead is an important exercise that should inform business leaders decisions and help position their businesses to more readily adapt to the future.

Commercial real estate is not disconnected from the challenges and opportunities posed by technology. Quite the opposite; it will be at the epicenter as outside forces impact how people live, commute, work and interact. As commercial real estate leaders, we should be mindful of how the developments were building now will be used in 10 or 15 years, when todays emerging technology has become tomorrows ubiquitous convenience.

Here are four technologies and trends that could shape commercial real estate in the not-too-distant future.

The University of Michigan is researching self-driving cars at a facility in Ann Arbor. (Image courtesy of the University of Michigan)

Fully self-driving cars arent too far from becoming a reality. In fact, Michigan authorized testing autonomous vehicles on public roads, and the University of Michigan will soon deploy autonomous vehicles around at its engineering campus in Ann Arbor.

While a single campus may seem like a small example, the University of Michigans research could soon open up new possibilities for people who would otherwise chafe at a long commute. If the car becomes a mobile workspace, driving to the office becomes productive work time and the distance traveled is less important. Its conceivable that the suburbs could become a magnet again for people looking for more affordable housing and access to amenities like golf courses, walking trails and better schools.

Flexible work arrangements and the normalization of teleworking could further accelerate a return to suburbia spurred by autonomous driving. These two converging trends may cause more peopleincluding aging millennials with school-aged childrento look beyond the urban cores and close-in suburbs for affordable and spacious housing.

If the sharing economy lives up to its hype, the implications for commercial real estate are enormous. Ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft are already well-established, but driverless vehicles could transform these services from a convenient option to a groundbreaking alternative to car ownership.

As ride-sharing companies mature and autonomous vehicles drive down the cost of rides even further, will it even make financial sense for Generation Z to own cars? What does that do to the footprint and design of multifamily developments? If people can rent out their self-driving cars to a ride-sharing service while theyre at work, will there still be a need for massive parking garages connected to office towers? Could it open new development opportunities for sites now occupied by parked cars?

Herzog & de Meurons design for 1111 Lincoln Road in Miami reimagines the parking structure.

These trends could also drive the redevelopment of existing spaces. Herzog & de Meuron, the Swiss architectural firm, reimagined the parking garage with its groundbreaking structure at 1111 Lincoln Road in Miami. This mixed-use parking garage includes office space, storefronts, apartments, a SunTrust branchand yes, some parking. The striking design and creative use of space could be a viable model for existing garages that have outlived their usefulness as a place to park cars.

Virtual reality is arguably one of the most disruptive technologies on the horizon, and the applications are endless, from revolutionizing how people communicate across continents to allowing people to experience places in immersive ways.

Applying VR to commercial real estate would be relatively easy. Developers could take investors on tours of planned buildings before any dirt has been moved; brokers may offer tenants virtual tours to multiple properties in the span of an hourall from the comfort of an office; and developers and bankers can test the waters by taking focus groups on VR-aided visits to planned communities before a single dollar is spent.

VRs usefulness to the commercial real estate industry might seem like more of a novelty than necessity, but enterprising people will find ways to make it financially feasible and convenient.

Millennials are not monolithic in their behaviors, contrary to what some industry experts seem to suggest. While many in this generation desire an urban environment close to work and lifestyle amenities, they are also demonstrating an interest in owning single-family homes. Seventy percent of millennials see themselves in the suburbs with their next home, according to a 2016 PulteGroup study.

The emerging desire of millennials to own homes could signal challenges for the multifamily industry, especially if the trend accelerates, too much supply is on the market and Generation Z demonstrates a similar propensity for homeownership.

In the event of prolonged multifamily vacancies, how can investors make the most of their holdings? Could apartments be refashioned and sold as condos for seniors who desire more walkable communities? Might local and state governments offer incentives to convert apartments into affordable housing? Reimagining existing multifamily communities may be necessary in the years to come.

The imperfect exercise of predicting the impact of technology is no reason to avoid asking difficult questions. The business opportunities and uncomfortable possibilities presented by innovation, if properly considered, can be addressed or mitigated now if leaders have the foresight to imagine how thingsand peoplewill change.

Technology has already demonstrated its ability to impact commercial real estate; reduced demand for office space is only one of many examples. If the last decade has taught the commercial real estate industry anything, its that searching the horizon for trouble and opportunities to stay ahead of the next paradigm shift is a smart way to conduct business.

Kathleen Farrell is head of commercial real estate at SunTrust Banks Inc.

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4 Big Trends That Will Shape CRE: A Futurist's Guide - Commercial Property Executive

To learn more, Fortune asked six humansthree executives, a researcher, an economist, and a futuristhow automation will impact society.

National Review's Armond White writes: Once again, the Transformer series verges on absurdity but that's less important than the unique big-screen spectacle of Bay's pop-art and futurist filmmaking.

National Review's Armond White writes: Once again, the Transformer series verges on absurdity but that's less important than the unique big-screen spectacle of Bay's pop-art and futurist filmmaking.

It was written as a futurist comedy that exaggerated its authors hopes and fears for a world to come that in many ways already existed.

Tim Bajarin is recognized as one of the leading industry consultants, analysts and futurists, covering the field of personal computers and consumer technology.

Could the time finally be right for the flying car to leave the drawing boards of futurists and take to our skies as a new form of transportation?

Uber and Googles Waymo, both working on autonomous car projects, have put the pedal to the self-driving metal, said futurist Faith Popcorn, who predicts trends for Fortune 500 companies.

So, episode one goes from Norwegian black metal and ends with Techno Boy with a futurist-type of computer music.

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Futurist | Definition of Futurist by Merriam-Webster

"In one day FutureWorld took me to a different horizon and left me recharged and inspired."

Serpil TimurayGM, Danone Turkey.

Extremely rich in examples of disruptive change.

Delegates to executive leadership programme at the Stockholm School of Economics - February 2016

"Phenomenal! Easily the BEST speaker, and the most informative, thought provoking presentation of the entire week!"

Management delegates at the Murray & Roberts Knowledge Week

"The Naked Leadership presentation this morning was brilliant, not just in content but the way it was put together, both in structure and the use of different media. Congratulations!"

Peter GettliffeMTN

"An excellent presentation on what the future could be for us, and a relevant insight for us to define our critical 'Must Win Battles'"

Olivier DespondsHead, Nestle Nutrition Africa

"Wow! That was great! I loved listening to your ideas! That was the most important set of concepts that I've heard anyone talk about in a long time."

Greg HomanDirector, Emerging Technologies, Nextel Communications

"This process paid for itself three times in 18 months."

David HathornCEO & Chairman, Mondi SA/Europe

"FutureWorld - yours is a truly visionary and amazing enterprise!

Tanya van der SpuySenior lecturer in tax at the University of Pretoria

"Your presentation was a perfect close to a near perfect conference. I could not have been happier about the content or your lively and engaging presentation."

Anthony TurnerCEO Europe, Publicitas Promotion Network

"Inspiring and thought-provoking session. You set a great tone for our two day session."

Wendy MartinSenior Vice President, Visa Europe

"Without this process, Deloitte's own revenues would be R260m less."

Vassi NaidooFormer CEO, Deloitte SA

"You intoxicated me with your future message at the 2008 East African Business Submit in Kampala, and I have been living in the future ever since!"

Tom MulwaMD, Liaison Financial Services Group, Kenya

"I really enjoyed your 'Future of Media' presentation. The material was well researched, interestingly formatted and your deliver was absolutely great. Well done!"

Wayne St JohnPast chair, Tourism Association of Canada

"I haven't seen the challenges and opportunities of future business, communities and people so powerfully presented before. FutureWorlds life cycles reminded me exactly of what went right and wrong in our business."

Dame Anita RoddickFounder of The Body Shop

"Practical and inspirational. Highly relevant if you don't want someone else eating your cheese."

Radames SotoCEO Wall Street Journal.com

"Thank you for such a thought-inspiring presentation. We received many, many comments from our delegates."

Beverley FurmanHead: Supervision, Strate

"Very good session on running exponential initiatives in large organisations."

Delegates to executive leadership programme at the Stockholm School of Economics - February 2016

"Everyone was in awe of your keynote presentation and couldn't stop talking about it; not just on the day but also during the remainder of the workshop."

Shafeeka ArnoldBritish American Tobacco SA

"The two-day Leader of the Future programme was inspirational! The content and tools are real and practical to implement. It would be a travesty for us not to take the learnings and apply them to become even better leaders!"

Alec JoannuGroup CIO, Sasol

"Inspiring and thought-provoking. Your session set a great tone for our two day session."

Wendy MartinSenior Vice President, Visa Europe

"Overwhelmed, useful and practical"

Commissioners of Inland Revenue India - May 2013

Absolutely amazing! Engaging and an eye-opener!

Senior UAE Government officialattending a leadership program organised by Oxford University's Said Business School

"We have gotten wonderful reviews from your session. It has been inspiring for us all."

Alan TanHR executive, SingTel

"By far and away the best session I have had on future thinking."

Delegate to an executive programme at the Stockholm School of Economics, June 2015

"You don't know how much value you added! You have blown my socks off!"

Izak SmitCEO, ABSA Life

"The process helped us to establish five new businesses in 18 months."

Leon VermaakCEO, Telesure

"FutureWorld's 'Radical Future' is another masterpiece of intelligent thinking."

Leif AlmCEO ScandNet AB

"LOVED this session, best I've ever experienced!!"

Delegate comment from the 2012 International Internal Audit convention in Boston, USA.

"In previous consulting relationships there has always been an obsession with driving costs down. Our partnership with FutureWorld goes way beyond that, to a constant drive towards new ideas and new revenue opportunities. It's amazing how much we have learnt from the future. That's unique in my experience, and great fun."

Bernard Swanepoelformer CEO Harmony Gold Limited

"Thanks also for your great presentation at the LBS which I have not only enjoyed but which has also inspired me a lot (does not happen that often!)."

Thomas BeckerWartsila

"Neil presented to a group of Deloitte partners from all over the world, and had them enthralled for two hours. He left them with new thoughts and new possibilities. His presentation was most stimulating."

Miles CrispDeloittes partner

Neil was succinct, direct and motivating.

Senior UAE Government officialattending a leadership program organised by Oxford University's Said Business School

"Breathtaking presentation. Great insight into future and how you can try and shape it. The future is nearby and we have to deal with that. We must spend at least 10% of our time understanding the future!"

London Business SchoolSenior Executive Programme

"Anton -We thoroughly enjoyed your brilliant, thought-provoking presentation.You ended our convention on a very high note, thank you so much.I have seen many, many presenters in my 27 years in the industry and you are most certainly one of THE BEST!"

Anton SwanepoelChairman, Financial Planning Institute Convention

"The feedback we received about your opening keynote across the board is fantastic. Our delegates loved your style and are inspired. It was of highest value to have you with us, thank you!"

Stefan LeppCEO, Clearstream, the clearing and settlement division of Deutsche Bourse

"Fantastic and insightful; extremely relevant in our context."

Peter SandsGroup CEO, Standard Chartered Bank

"Thanks again for the wonderful presentation - it is the only one I have been able to sit through in at least five years. You are really good."

Jalene MedalieManager - Special Projects, Sasfin Frankel Pollak Securities

"Very thought provoking! Now I am alive to new developments and how to leverage technology.

RK PadmanabhanExecutive Director, Securities and Exchange Board of India, Mumbai, India

"Very well presented (most capturing presentation) and real food for thought."

Delegates to executive leadership programme at the Stockholm School of Economics - February 2016

"An excellent presentation and a completely new way of thinking about the world. You provided vision and encouraged us to leave our comfort zones."Feedback from delegates to the SAD Business School Programme for the

Deloitte M&A EMEA teamAthens, October 2008

"Thanks again for your inspirational session in Mumbai.

Jules GoddardProfessor London Business School

"Opened my mind to what we still need to do to remain relevant."

Delegate to Standard Bank New Executives' conference

"Thank you for an insightful and thought provoking presentation. You have given us much to think about to adapt to meet the future needs of our market."

Ravi MoodleyHead of Strategy Nedbank Corporate Banking

"This was the most powerful presentation I have ever seen. You have absolutely shaken us out of complacency. We must 'think future' everyday, not just at annual retreats. There is no yesterday, only tomorrow."

Kitty ChoiHead, Efficiency Unit, Hong Kong Government

"Congratulations on a riveting presentation! I really enjoyed the session."

Leon SteynDivisional Executive: Human Resources, Prestige Cleaning Services (Pty) Ltd.

"This was the best, most provocative summary ever about (the future of) China."

William KistlerPresident, Urban Land Institute, Europe

"Thank you for another magical morning and interaction. Your lessons are now becoming part of our DNA and it is making a difference in allowing us to always plan ahead and create our own realities. Interoperability and cooperation is now our mantra."

Monica SingerChief Executive Officer, Strate Ltd

"Your presentation has been rated 'undeniably the best' at this year's Innovation Summit. Wow! That's what you did to our audience!"

Helena GabrielsPublisher, SA Innovator Magazine

Great opportunity to look over the garden wall.

Delegates to executive leadership programme at the Stockholm School of Economics - February 2016

"Thanks for an amazingly inspiring and informative presentation"

Cheryl StilesDivisional Marketing Manager, Nampak Cartons & Labels

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FutureWorld - Is your business FUTUREPROOF

HR professionals must create the right balance between the human touch and technology, says Christine Ip, CEO Greater China, United Overseas Bank.

As with almost any function in an organisation, the use of technology can transform how companies operate and what they can achieve. Professionals in human resources need to understand the potential use of technology, its relevance and be able to adapt it swiftly to help advise the business accordingly and to drive business outcomes.

Take recruitment as an example. Many organisations with an overseas presence are using technology to reduce the cost of hiring.

United Overseas Bank Hong Kong is no exception. The bank makes use of Skype and FaceTime to interview candidates at the preliminary stage of the hiring process. This allows the bank to widen its potential talent pool and is convenient when the bank is interviewing overseas candidates.

Technology is also used for various human resources initiatives within the organisation. Last year, UOB launched a new and interactive intranet portal to strengthen employee engagement in its offices and branches across the world.

In Greater China, the bank also engages its employees through a WeChat enterprise account. This ensures employees obtain timely information while they are on the go.

However, while technology can be used to improve processes and to broaden the reach of employee engagement programmes, it cannot replace entirely the people skills of human resources professionals.

After all, strong communication skills are essential for success in the relationship-driven sector. The bankers should be able to convey complex financial and market information in a way that is easy for clients to understand and apply to their businesses.

Personal interaction still plays an important role in employee engagement and team building. The bank organises regular town halls and interactive face-to-face forums with senior management, as well as team-building exercises and festive celebrations to enhance the connection and trust between employees.

Building trust starts at the individual level. It is like a drop of water in a pond which then has a ripple effect. Through character, competency and consistency, trust is built with others, across teams, in the marketplace and with the community.

By creating the right balance between the human touch and technology, human resources professionals can help a company attract the right people, keep them engaged and be more competitive.

The June 2017 issue of Human Resources magazine is a special edition, bringing you interviews with 12 HR leaders, with their predictions on the future of HR.

ReadThe Futuristor subscribe here.

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The Futurist: Why human resources is a people's job - Human Resources Online

Marty Sklar, arguably one of the most influential people to work at the Disney Company aside from Walt Disney himself, died this weekend. He was 83.

Marty Sklar in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland on July 11, 2005 (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Sklar started at Disney just a month before Disneyland opened in 1955 and would work his way up to becoming one of the most tireless and dedicated storytellers at the company. Sometimes described as Walt's "right hand man," Sklar started by writing speeches for Disney and eventually became President of Imagineering, the creative wing of the multifaceted entertainment company.

Along with Walt, Sklar helped produce the ambitious 1966 film that was shown to investors and government officials to get them interested in EPCOT, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. The original vision of EPCOT as a living laboratory would be neutered, but the theme park is still a point of inspiration for futurists and retro-futurists alike.

"Walt Disney had one foot in the past, because he loved nostalgia, and one foot in the future, because he loved new technology," Sklar told Esquire in 2015.

The original EPCOT film can be viewed on YouTube.

Sklar helped oversee the development of virtually every modern Disney park from the construction of Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris to expansion parks in the United States like Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida, as well as Disney's California Adventure park in Anaheim.

"Marty was the ultimate Disney Imagineer and Cast Member. From his days working as an intern with Walt to just two weeks ago engaging with fans at D23 Expo, Marty left an indelible mark on Disney Parks around the globe and on all of the guests who make memories every day with us," Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said in a statement.

"He was one of the few people that was fortunate to attend the opening of every single Disney park in the world, from Anaheim in 1955 to Shanghai just last year," Chapek said. "We will dearly miss Marty's passion, skill and imaginative spark that inspired generations of Cast, Crew and Imagineers."

From the Disney Parks blog:

Born in New Brunswick, N.J., on February 6, 1934, Marty was a student at UCLA and editor of its Daily Bruin newspaper when he was recruited to create The Disneyland News for Walt's new theme park in 1955. After graduating in 1956, he joined Disney full-time and would go on to serve as Walt's right-hand man scripting speeches, marketing materials and a film showcasing Walt's vision for Walt Disney World and Epcot.

During this period, he also joined WED Enterprises, the forerunner of Walt Disney Imagineering, and he would later become the creative leader of Imagineering, leading the development of Disney theme parks and attractions for the next three decades.

He retired as Executive Vice President and Imagineering Ambassador on July 17, 2009, Disneyland's 54th birthday. Disney marked the occasion by paying tribute to Marty with the highest Parks and Resorts recognition, dedicating a window in his name on Disneyland's City Hall.

RIP Marty Sklar. Thanks for your optimistic visions of tomorrow, something that seems harder and harder to conjure in the upside down world of 2017.

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Residents of Elan Tower in Sydney's Kings Cross are used to 100Mbps download speeds, thanks to the hybrid fibre coaxial cable they paid Telstra to install six years ago. Now the building is being forced onto NBN's copper-based fibre-to-the-building network. The copper telephone wire in the building, travelling up 40 floors, is 20 years old.

Qantas and Virgin have both confirmed via statements that passengers will need to arrive at the airport two hours before a domestic flight to allow for additional security screening. The amped-up security measures were put in place by the Australian Government after four people were arrested in connection to a suspected terrorist plot to bring down an aircraft.

Originally posted here:
Marty Sklar, Disney Legend And Futurist, Dies At 83 | Gizmodo ... - Gizmodo Australia

Glen Hiemstra, the Seattle-based founder of Futurist.com, basks in the red glow of a corridor at the Seattle Public Library during the Association of Professional Futurists gathering. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle)

Professional futurists are gathering in Seattle, for the second time in 15 years. But dont expect to recognize them by their business cards.

Many modern-day futurists tend to call themselves something else for example, foresight specialist, which is Jonelle Simunichs title at Arup, an engineering and consulting firm based in San Francisco.

I tell people Im a futurist, and they say, So, what, youre like a psychic?' Simunich told GeekWire today during the 15th-anniversary gathering of the Association of Professional Futurists.

The annual gathering isstructured as a series of seminars for about 40 futurists, rather than your typical trade convention. The group that became APF had its first gathering in Seattle in 2002. It didnt even have a name yet, Cindy Frewen, who chairs the associations board.

This year marks the first time we have ever been in the same place twice, Frewen told attendees at the Seattle Central Library.

One of the Seattle-based organizers of the event, Glen Hiemstra, isnt shy about the futurist job description. In fact, he owns the internet domain name for Futurist.com. Hiemstra acknowledges that APFs members use a wide variety of job titles, but he insists that being a futurist has a special cachet.

The simple way to describe it is, No. 1, help people anticipate the future, and second, help them design and envision the future. Hiemstra told GeekWire. People call futurists when they want to look further ahead than they usually do.

But when it comes to looking further ahead, even futurists need a little help sometimes. Thats the aim of this weeks gathering:

Tom Frey, founder of the Colorado-based DaVinci Institute, said being a futurist isnt just an exercise in navel-gazing. We spend a lot of time being thinkers and doers, and not just talking about it, he said.

For example, Frey has been working a concept for micro-colleges to train workers for high-tech jobs ranging from coding to drone maintenance in a matter of months. The first such micro-college, DaVinci Coders, has been in operation for five years.

So whats the future of futurism? One clear trend is the synergy of entangled trends for example, how pandemics could be made worse by climate change. That is one of the things that is actually going to make this harder, said Sarah Chesemore, the Gates Foundations senior portfolio officer for vaccine delivery.

Another example has to do with the rise of autonomous vehicles and its potential effect on the health care system. Frey said his calculations suggest that self-driving cars could reduce health care expenses by more than 15 percent. Thats half a trillion dollars that now gets spent repairing people after car accidents, he said.

The rise of big data is another biggie. Traditionally, futurists have not used a lot of algorithm-based forecasting, Hiemstra said. But todays bigger data sets have so much predictive power, for issues ranging from crime patterns to disease outbreaks, that theyll have to become part of the futurists toolkit.

And what about the future of Seattle? At GeekWires urging, Hiemstra took a swing at predicting the future of whats currently a tech boomtown.

Its hard to imagine this boom continuing beyond 10 years, but its very clear were going to be a denser and still an economically vibrant place, he said. Thats going to mean that we have to be not just environmentally sustainable, but environmentally productive as a city. What that means is, moving from sustainable buildings to buildings that produce more energy than they use.

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Professional futurists converge on Seattle to pick up hints about what lies ahead - GeekWire