Professional and Executive Programmes

A 4-Day Executive Programme on Designing Tomorrow
Delivered by the Stirling Centre for Strategic Learning and Innovation
Certificate awarded by Cambridge Innovation System

 

Overview

How do today’s leaders prepare for tomorrow’s complexities?
Strategic Foresight & Future Shaping is a transformative executive course for leaders, strategists, and changemakers navigating volatility, disruption, and opportunity in an increasingly complex world.

This intensive, practitioner-led programme introduces proven foresight methodologies from the UK, EU, and global thought leaders. It is paired with hands-on strategy design, future scenario labs, and real-world trend mapping to equip participants with the tools and confidence to shape the future, not just survive it.

 

Why Attend?

• Master futures thinking, horizon scanning and strategic scenario planning
• Learn from global best practices, including NESTA (UK), OECD Strategic Foresight Unit, and Finland Futures Research Centre
• Design and implement a foresight strategy tailored to your organisation or sector
• Engage in immersive, real-world applications with public and private sector partners
• Connect with a network of forward-looking peers and international faculty

 

Who Should Attend?

• C-Suite executives and strategy directors
• Government planners, policymakers, and public sector innovators
• NGO and international development leaders
• Innovation and transformation professionals
• Futurists, educators, sustainability strategists, and R&D leaders

 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, you will be able to:

• • Apply structured foresight tools to scan, analyse and interpret emerging trends
  • Build robust, adaptive strategies to thrive in uncertainty
  • Facilitate future-oriented conversations in your organisation
  • Translate long-range scenarios into near-term actions
  • Understand geopolitical, technological, social and economic drivers of change
  • Co-create resilient and regenerative strategies for the next decade

 

Course Format & Duration

• Duration: 4 Days
• Mode: In-person (preferred), hybrid, or online
• Locations: UK and international delivery available
• Certification: Executive Certificate from Cambridge Innovation System
• Partner Endorsements: Aligned with practices from NESTA, OECD, Futures Literacy Labs (UNESCO), and Finland Futures Academy

 

Programme Structure

Day 1: The Practice of Strategic Foresight

• What is Foresight? Definitions, Purpose & Power
• Trendspotting vs. Trendsetting
• Tools: PESTLE, STEEP, Megatrends, Weak Signals
• Case Study: UK Government Office for Science / NESTA Strategic Foresight
• Exercise: Horizon Scanning for Your Sector

Day 2: Scenarios, Uncertainty & Future Narratives

• Futures Thinking and the VUCA Context
• Scenario Planning: Oxford & Shell Methodologies
• Mapping Uncertainty: The Cone of Possibility
• Workshop: Building 4 Plausible Futures for Your Sector
• Guest Lecture: “Foresight in Government and Global Strategy” (OECD or Finland Futures Research Centre)

Day 3: Strategic Design for Future Impact

• Backcasting and Wind Tunnelling
• Futures-Driven Strategy Development
• Adaptive Governance & Systems Thinking
• Real-World Tools: Three Horizons Framework, Futures Wheels
• Live Case: From Signals to Strategy (public or private sector partner)
• Panel: “Designing Futures: Lessons from Leaders”

Day 4: Leading Foresight in Your Organisation

• Creating Internal Futures Teams
• Communicating Futures to Stakeholders
• Strategic Agility and Decision-Making in Uncertainty
• Final Project: Presenting Your Strategic Foresight Plan
• Capstone Dialogue: “The Role of Foresight in Building Regenerative Futures”
• Certificate Ceremony & Leadership Network Induction

 

Included in the Programme

• 150+ Trend and Signal Deck (updated quarterly)
• Scenario Planning Templates & Foresight Canvas
• Tools from NESTA, OECD, UNESCO, and the Futures School
• Certificate and Digital Badge (Cambridge Innovation System)
• Post-programme support through the Futures and Foresight Leadership Circle

 

Faculty & Partners

Led by global experts in foresight and strategic leadership:

• • Prof. Jeff Gold, Strategic Learning & Futures Thinking
  • Visiting lecturers from NESTA UK, OECD, Cambridge Innovation System, and selected national foresight units
  • Partner institutions may include:
    • Finland Futures Research Centre
    • UNESCO Futures Literacy Labs
    • OECD Strategic Foresight Unit
    • Institute for the Future (IFTF)

 

Key Features at a Glance

Feature	Description
Duration	4 Days (optional post-course coaching)
Delivery	In-person, hybrid or online
Certification	Cambridge Innovation System
Projects	Foresight Challenge + Capstone Strategy
Partner Resources	NESTA, OECD, Futures Literacy Labs, FFRC
Outcomes	Strategic foresight toolkit, ready-to-deploy roadmap, access to leadership network

 

 

Register Your Interest

Email: jude@stirlingcentre.co.uk
Next Delivery: Autumn 2025 | Spring 2026