About

Scott Smith is founder of Changeist and the principal voice behind the writing and research. He brings over 15 years’ experience studying the development of technology and tracking social and cultural change. His core work centers on developing and exploring speculative futures to help organizations make sense of emerging trends and uncover unexpected opportunities. He splits time between private consulting for design and creative groups, government agencies and NGOs, innovation scouting for clients, performing field research, speaking and writing. 

Scott has enjoyed an international career leading start-up research and consulting teams for major technology analysis firms, including creating and heading research teams at Jupiter Communications in New York City, Current Analysis in Washington, DC, and the Yankee Group in London. Before founding Changeist, he served as director of research applications and a lead futurist at Social Technologies, a foresight and innovation company, leading visioning around consumer lifestyles, social values and emerging technology. He has worked with leading names such as UNICEF, Nokia, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Herman Miller, P&G, Barilla, Kellogg’s, Target, Cisco and McDonald’s.

Scott has co-authored papers on applying ethnography to understanding the human factor in the future, and on playful methods in foresight. He has spoken and run workshops at the respected LIFT conference, as well as at SXSW, and the EPIC anthropology conference, PDMA conference, and at dozens of industry events and symposia worldwide. He has been quoted in Le Monde, Fast Company, been featured in WIRED and on MSNBC.com, appeared on CNN and CNBC and written for Worldchanging.

He is a contributor to the Super Ordinary Lab at OCAD University in Toronto, guest lectures on foresight and design at various institutions, and writes the monthly Discontinuities column for Current Intelligence. He is also co-developer and lead instructor for the Futures Institute at the Duke University TIP program.

Contact: ssmith@changeist.com

Twitter: @changeist

Skype: changeist