James Hoefnagels studied public policy at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy. While studying he gained his first experiences in the field of futures studies which is an interdisciplinary approach to explore various possible futures. Since his introduction to the field, he has completely immersed himself in everything from various methods, applications, and topics that are futures focused.
Born and raised in Canada, he has provided a unique perspective when working for various futures institutes. He started as a junior associate at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, where he worked on topics such as the future of work, healthcare, and retail. Not only did he gather valuable knowledge about the future of these industries, but he also gained insights in how futures research is understood and conducted in Scandinavia.
Upon returning to Germany, James began working as a researcher at 2b AHEAD ThinkTank. It was here that he refined and further improved capabilities in understanding how various developments and technologies impact industries and specific businesses. As he developed to become a senior researcher and strategist, James provided international clients strategic recommendations about how they could respond to certain developments and become leaders in their industry. During his time at 2b AHEAD, James gave many presentations to executives about his research, the implications on their business, and discussed concrete steps they could take to support their long-term success.
James Hoefnagels Lecture topics:
- The future of cybersecurity: The main developments shaping the next 10 years of the industry
– Quantum safe security (post-quantum encryption, quantum key distribution), Internet of Things, legacy systems, etc. - Future of financial services:
– Liquidity for large corporations
– Retail banking: digital currencies and other impacts on retail banks - Quantum computing
James Hoefnagels currently works for Themis Foresight, a futures institute that strives to separate fact from fiction. Since joining Themis Foresight he continued developing his expertise in strategic foresight in areas of wholesale banking and cybersecurity. James continues to offer executives with valuable information about how their industry may develop by translating complex, interconnected advancements from research and in-depth expert interviews into actionable knowledge for their company.