A Chief Futurist is the executive responsible for making the future a decision rather than a surprise: identifying the technological, workforce and societal shifts that will reshape an organisation, and converting them into choices its leadership can act on now. The role sits at the intersection of strategy, foresight and governance, and it has moved from novelty to necessity as artificial intelligence compresses the time between a signal appearing and a market changing.
Dr Kate Barker is the world’s first Chief Futurist and has served in the role at NEOM since 2018, building the future of work and leadership frameworks for the world’s first cognitive city. Her work shows what the role looks like in practice: benchmarking hundreds of global organisations, advising heads of state and boards, and turning foresight into decision architecture, the systems by which leaders decide what to hand to machines and what to keep human.
Organisations engage a Chief Futurist perspective through keynotes, board sessions and advisory mandates; all three routes are available through this site.
NEOM Leadership Summit · World Economic Forum · MIT Future of Work Symposium · World Government Summit, Dubai
A short FAQ. For longer conversations, please write directly.
A Chief Futurist identifies the shifts that will reshape an organisation, in technology, work and society, and converts them into decisions its leadership can take now. The role combines strategic foresight, scenario judgement and governance, and increasingly centres on artificial intelligence.
Dr Kate Barker was ranked Global No.1 Chief Futurist by the International Association of Top Professionals in 2025. She has been Chief Futurist at NEOM since 2018 and is a TIME100 AI Impact Award honouree.
Most organisations need the capability more than the title: a disciplined way of turning foresight into present-day decisions. Dr Kate provides that capability to boards and executive teams through keynotes, retreats and advisory engagements.
Twelve weeks minimum lead time. Eighty bookings a year. Every enquiry is read personally.