Lisa Bodell
CEO
What is your role?
I'm the founder and CEO of futurethink. My goal is to help organizations better anticipate and capitalize on the future. To help in this quest, my savvy team of seasoned innovators, trained futurists and I spent the past 20 years developing the largest database of innovation research and tools in the world.
I like to immerse myself in the world of foresight and innovation. In addition to running futurethink and lecturing, I serve as a strategic advisor for the Institute for Triple Helix Innovation think tank, which is funded by Senator Inouye of Hawaii and is the only innovation initiative of its kind within the U.S. government. I also sit on the advisory boards of the Institute of Direct Marketing in London, The Women’s Congress, the membership board of the Association of Professional Futurists, and a member of the World Future Society. I’ve been privileged to serve as a finalist judge at the annual Idea Crossing Innovation Challenge and FIT’s innovation challenge (co-created with futurethink), have taught marketing and creativity at American University, and serve as a faculty member of the American Management Association.
What’s your story?
My belief is that everyone has the power to create change and be innovative, they just need to know how.
I began my career at Leo Burnett in Chicago, where I developed an appetite for marrying strategically-driven ideas with forward-thinking themes. I went on to start my own strategic planning firm, Strategic InSites, and then a marketing and branding firm, Harvest Partners, before focusing solely on the innovation space with my latest venture - futurethink.
What are your areas of expertise?
My expertise is in the areas of foresight, innovation, and change. I leverage my ability to cut through complex information and quickly distill learnings into key points of impact to help corporations understand not just "what’s next", but 'why it matters'. As a futurist, I am often asked for my ideas about the future. As a result, I’ve appeared on FOX News, and in publications such as Crain’s, Business Week, The Wall Street Journal, WIRED, Investor’s Business Daily, Successful Meetings, Inventor’s Digest, Harvard Business Review Online, and The Futurist.
What industries have you worked in?
I’ve worked across all industries, with an emphasis on Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Consumer Packaged Goods.
What companies have you worked with in the past?
I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the most respected organizations in the world:
3M, American Express, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever, Boehringer Ingelhiem, and MasterCard, to name a few.
Where did you earn your degree?
I earned my business degree from the University of Michigan, where I concentrated in business administration and marketing.
In my free time, I enjoy…
Expressing my creativity and experimenting through cooking, drawing and doodling, going on adventures in the woods with my kids, and playing games of any kind.
When it comes to innovation, I believe…
Everyone has the ability to embrace change and be innovative. Creating the future shouldn't be something that is left to small group of exclusive "thinkers" within an organization. Foresight and innovation is something where everyone’s perspective matters and it is crucial that it be a more inclusive process.
What do you have set as your homepage in your Web browser?
TED Talks (ted.com). I could spend my entire day listening to the videos of this diverse group of thinkers, visionaries talk about their thoughts on the world, their experiences in their lives, and their beliefs on the future. It is a very inspiring site to visit.
What is your personal favorite innovation of all time?
My favorite innovations range from the "simple" innovations we experience everyday, to the scientifically complex, but all of them share a common theme in that they make a big impact in our lives.
For example - why didn't I invent the cardboard coffee cup sleeve? Wheels on suitcases? Easy, but useful, right? But I also love the incredible work being done in think tanks and scientific labs, like using one of the strongest natural materials (spider silk) to create the strongest bandages available for use in war and emergency triage, genetically engineered plants that when their roots come into contact with old landmines underground, they grow a different color, enabling us to detect where landmines are by simply flying over a field vs. stepping on one? Or how about green roofs that are harnessing nature’s power to make our reliance on electricity less necessary? And of course, there’s the SmartStraw that enables people to have drinkable water in areas where it other wise isn't available to them? The inventors of these innovations are all my heroes.
