TUNE INTO THE FUTURE
The “FutureReady” podcast
The world is in a state of transformation unlike any time before. New and disruptive technologies, huge societal shifts, erosion of trust amongst consumers towards businesses.
As society, as organisations and individuals we feel that we feel that the old world that we know is changing: how we work, how we live, how we connect. Business as usual is over.
The question is though: do we want a return to business-as-usual? What do we want to keep? And what can we change for the better?
Luckily there are progressive and independent people and organizations who are already finding innovative and exciting answers to these questions, showing us that it’s possible not only to survive, but to adapt and thrive!
FutureReady is a podcast for and with thought leaders and change makers. Host and co-founder of COSYN, Arne Kötting talks to business leaders, academics, independent experts, artists and more, exploring four key pillars of a successful, resilient and future-ready organization:
- Transformation & Innovation
- Workplace & Culture
- Thought Leadership; and
- Sustainability & ESG
Focusing on one of these topics in each episode, we’ll look at the companies who are getting it right and talk to the experts and thinkers who are leading in each area, finding out what they can teach us about building future-ready organizations.
Expect insight, expect surprises – and definitely expect inspiration. Time to get FutureReady.
You can find us through one of the following providers:
Or listen to our episodes here:
#14 Sustainability & ESG
How can neuroscience help us catalyse sustainable change?
How can we make sustainable behaviours more appealing? Dr. Brandi Shaw Morris suggests that neuroscience can help us catalyse sustainable change by understanding how our brains work and what drives our behaviour. Brandi has worked in both academia and the private sector for more than 15 years. Currently, she is an assistant professor at Aarhus University in Denmark. Conducting research at the intersection between sustainability and neuroscience, Brandi believes that by understanding our brain's natural tendencies, we can design interventions that nudge people towards more sustainable behaviour. In this episode, we learn from Brandi about the importance of changing people's minds before we can change entire systems – and about the role of communications and storytelling in doing so.
#13 Sustainability & ESG
How can purpose unlock systemwide sustainability transformations?
“Long-term well-being for all is the ultimate goal of an economy.” This can be easy to forget, since today's economic systems are largely designed for profit-maximization. But capital is not valuable in itself. It is merely a tool to move humanity towards long-term well-being. Putting this insight into practice requires a radical rethinking of business-as-usual. Companies must recognize sustainability as their raison d'être. After all, what is sustainability if not the pursuit of long-term well-being for all? **In this episode, we learn from Dr. Victoria Hurth about how purpose can help companies position sustainability at the core of their operations - for widespread change.** Victoria is a pracademic who helps organizations and markets define, operationalize and achieve sustainability. She is currently a member of the Sustainability Impact Committee of the Una Terra Venture Capital Fund and a Fellow of the prestigious Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). FutureReady is produced by **COSYN**, a global communications and change agency on a mission to shape healthy and thriving businesses. Find out more at www.wearecosyn.com. If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review. Or forward this show to someone who you think will love it. This episode is presented by Arne Kötting, and was produced by Dhriti Kamath, Charlotte Irigoyen, Ashwerya Narula and Ana Luiza Loio. FutureReady music theme "Botanics" by Elizabells, and sound editing by Carsten Steffens.
#12 Sustainability & ESG
How to join forces for sustainability?
**Building partnerships across sectors is an essential aspect of tackling sustainability issues effectively and holistically.** The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognise sustainability as always having social, environmental, and economic facets. Addressing the SDGs therefore requires varied approaches -- acting on multiple fronts and involving different actors. **It requires the private, public, and non-profit sectors to work together.** But joining forces for sustainability is not an easy task. Interests, objectives, and resources vary among stakeholders, and thus many pitfalls might arise. How can partners align on their sustainability vision and make a difference together? **In this episode, we hear from Simon Brown about how businesses and non-profits can build strong partnerships for sustainability.** Simon is Deputy Technical Director for Economic Empowerment at Sightsavers, an international organization that works with partners to treat and prevent avoidable blindness. With his extensive experience working for both businesses and NGOs, Simon has been building inter-sector partnerships for many decades. FutureReady is produced by **COSYN**, a global communications and change agency on a mission to shape healthy and thriving businesses. Find out more at www.wearecosyn.com. If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review. Or forward this show to someone who you think will love it. This episode is presented by Arne Kötting, and was produced by Dhriti Kamath, Charlotte Irigoyen, Ashwerya Narula and Ana Luiza Loio. FutureReady music theme "Botanics" by Elizabells, and sound editing by Carsten Steffens.
#11 Sustainability & ESG
How can you get rid of your sustainability department?
Every industry faces distinctive challenges when it comes to sustainability. But dare we say, **some industries face greater challenges than others due to the nature of the products they manufacture**. The chemicals industry is one of the sectors where sustainability transformations can feel like a real enigma. Chemical manufacturing companies must undergo drastic changes to reduce their negative footprint while maintaining profitable revenues. The size of these challenges means that companies must be reoriented towards sustainability across the board – a single sustainability department is not enough. This is the intricate mission that *Evonik Industries AG - a leading chemical manufacturing company** - is currently in. In this episode of the FutureReady Podcast, host Arne Kötting talks with Stefan Haver. At the time of this conversation, Stefan Haver was working at Evonik as Head of Sustainability. Since January 2023, he has been working as Head of Communications & Sustainability at the **RAG Foundation**. Among many exceptional insights, Stefan shares knowledge about assessing product portfolios, the importance of language, and methodological approaches to sustainability. FutureReady is produced by **COSYN**, a global communications and change agency on a mission to shape healthy and thriving businesses. Find out more at www.wearecosyn.com. If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review. Or forward this show to someone who you think will love it. This episode is presented by Arne Kötting, and was produced by Dhriti Kamath, Charlotte Irigoyen, Ashwerya Narula and Ana Luiza Loio. FutureReady music theme "Botanics" by Elizabells, and sound editing by Carsten Steffens.
#10 Sustainability & ESG
How do you ensure product designers think sustainably?
Though all industries need to address environmental impact, **the path to sustainability is not homogenous**. Different business models and diverse socio-economic contexts require businesses to find unique solutions to sustainability challenges. Merging creativity with problem-solving, effective design is key to successful sustainability transformations. Did you know that 80% of a product's environmental impact is decided in the design phase? In this episode of the FutureReady Podcast, host Arne Kötting talks with **Frouke Bruinsma** about designing more sustainable value chains from A to Z. At the time when this conversation was recorded, Frouke worked in the Sustainability, Procurement and Legal department at **Fatboy the original – a global home and garden goods manufacturer**. In this captivating chat, Frouke shares valuable knowledge on the importance of product design, the role of consumers in sustainability transformations, the concept of circular economy, and much more.
#9 Sustainability & ESG
How to make sustainability your north star?
To successfully navigate sustainability transformations, companies must expand their operational toolkits in response to ever-changing challenges. The urgency of sustainability transformations requires strong strategic thinking, extreme adaptability, and a serious commitment to innovation. Zeynep Özbil understands the complexity of these tasks. She is the Executive Director of Global Communications at Arcelik Group-Beko-Grundig - a global home appliances brand that is setting the benchmark for sustainability in the industry. In this episode of FutureReady, Zeynep talks to our host Arne Kötting about how companies can successfully approach sustainability, develop strategies and KPIs, and create narratives that work for these transformations.
#8 Sustainability & ESG
How can you find your way through the sustainability maze?
The call for more sustainable business models and corporate cultures is getting increasingly stronger from all sides. To create meaningful change in the long run, companies must weave sustainability into every aspect of their operation – including communication, employee engagement, partnerships, and more. The task is huge and even harder than it sounds! To help you find your way through the sustainability maze, our host Arne Kötting talks with Marina Schmitz about how to create sustainability transformations. Marina is a CSR expert at Polymundo AG and a researcher and lecturer at IEDC - Bled School of Management. In this episode of the FutureReady Podcast, Marina shares unique insights on the differences between ESG and sustainability, the importance of building emotional connections to the issue of sustainability, the shift to impact-driven business models, and more.
#7 Executive Positioning
Can psychedelics help create better leaders?
Could psychedelics be an effective ally in the quest for wiser, more compassionate modes of leadership? Organizational change experts have increasingly been highlighting deep listening, humility, and intense self-reflection as the top qualities of future ready leaders. At the same time, recent scientific research has been suggesting that the openness necessary to embody these traits can more easily be acquired through psychedelic therapy. In this episode, FutureReady host Arne Kötting speaks to Maarten van Huijstee – the CEO and co-founder of Spinoza, an Amsterdam-based company that provides its clients with curated psychedelic experiences. Maarten is a strong believer in the potential of psychedelics to help make us better people – and to create better leaders. He is also a serial entrepreneur, and someone who has occupied executive positions in multinational companies such as Heineken and Unilever. That is to say that Maarten is the perfect person to share insights into the business, spiritual, and scientific sides of psychedelics. Ready to open up your mind?
#6 Workplace & Culture
How can money close the workplace gender gap?
In 2020, there were fewer female Chairs of the board than male Chairs called John in the S&P 500 companies. In 2015, working in the philanthropy division of a major bank, Diana van Maasdijk felt that she had hit a wall in her mission to advance gender equality. Frustrated by the slow pace of change when it comes to the workplace gender gap, she decided to resort to a powerful, yet controversial tool: money. Diana then founded Equileap – a company that provides investors with data on gender equality in the workplace, allowing them to make more responsible investment decisions. In this episode of the FutureReady podcast, she chats to host Arne Kötting about the current state of gender diversity in the corporate world. She also shares valuable pieces of knowledge and practical wisdom on how to change workplace culture, getting gender equality off the page and into life.
#5 Transformation & Innovation
How to lead in the unknown?
In today's fast-paced business world, change may sometimes feel like our biggest enemy. Just when we think we have found the most effective structures and visions for our organization, change comes unsolicited and forces us to rethink it all. But instead of letting fear take over, future-ready leaders must step into newness to catalyze organization-wide breakthroughs and innovation. To learn more about leading in the unknown, FutureReady host Arne Kötting talks to transformative leadership expert Dr. Nick Udall, CEO and co-founder of the nowhere group. In this 59-minute episode, Nick guides us through the "creativity roller coaster journey". Join us on this ride!
#4 Workplace & Culture
How to build anti-fragile organisations in the 'new normal'?
There’s a lot of talk about bringing people back to the office (or not), and what the optimal hybrid work environment looks like - but there’s often something missing from this ‘operationally-focused’ discussion. What about the impact remote work has had on people, and organizations as a whole? And how can we use our understanding of this to design the ideal hybrid scenario? Join us for a 42-minute deep dive into the complex transformations taking place in the 'new normal'. In this episode, host Arne Kötting talks to Dr. Lucia Garcia Lorenzo, Associate Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology at the London School of Economics, on how insights from organizational psychology can help us digest and learn from the wide-reaching changes taking place in today's hybrid workspaces.
#3 Workplace & Culture
How to design a unique employee experience?
Organizations spend around USD40 billion on customer marketing research, and 100x less than that on understanding and shaping the journeys of their employees.” Quite the contrast isn’t it! Maybe this accounts for some of what we’re seeing with the great resignation? And it also raises the question, if you don’t take care of your people, how will they take care of your customers? In our new podcast episode, we launch our chapter on Workplace and Culture by speaking to Magali Demierre, Global Head of Employee Experience at Philip Morris International who talked us through her learnings of shaping an end-to-end employee journey for 71k colleagues at PMI as it undertakes its ambitious transformation to a smoke-free future.
#2 Transformation & Innovation
How to change with behavioral science?
Changing our own actions is difficult, let alone changing the behavior of others. One of the hot topics when it comes to the question of how to effect change within organizations is an emerging discipline called #behaviouralscience. Tune in from today to hear our fascinating discussion with Antoine Ferrere, Global Head of Behavioral and Data Science at #Novartis where we explore how data and science can be used by organizations to both measure and improve the impact of #change on behaviors…
#1 Transformation & Innovation
Can companies suffer trauma?
Organizations everywhere are going through huge upheavals and transformations. On a change consultant’s PowerPoint slides, these can look like nice, neat and easy ‘projects’ that seamlessly move the company into its new MO. But can anything ever truly be neat and easy where humans are involved? Even the biggest transformation is ultimately a very personal, emotional thing – and what motivates one, can block the other… To understand the human dimension of change we spoke to Professor Dr George Bonanno, an expert in trauma, grief and resilience. Tune in to discover why trauma isn’t what we think it is, how we might remain flexible in the face of adversity, and why resilience is like a pie.
#0 General
Introducing FutureReady
Join our host and COSYN co-founder, Arne Kötting as he introduces the FutureReady Podcast to the world.