About FWF

The FutureWork Forum (FWF) was created in Brussels 20 years ago by a group of like-minded professionals with an interest in the challenges that managers and leaders faced in a rapidly changing world of work.

Today the Forum is a worldwide with partners across North America, Europe and Asia. We are business professionals, leaders of organizations, academics and consultants. We reflect together on how approaches to work are changing – and need to change – to meet the expectations of professionals and the changing rules of global business.

Our unique combination of expertise brings leaders new perspectives on how to best approach the transformation of the world of work for their organizations.

We share the conviction that new leadership styles are needed to excel by today’s rules. These are open thinking, valuing people over processes, and activating a positive exchange between people at all levels in an organization. With the constant evolution of the global economy, many of these values have been lost. It’s new up to forward-thinking leaders to bring them back.

The results of our future work reflections and analysis are shared in exchanges with leaders, and on live and virtual platforms and webinars. Most of our published thinking is a freely available resource to inspire the international business and academic communities.

We are not a consultancy, but an independent think tank; a group of professionals who share and learn from each other to develop a fresh view of the future of work. Partners are frequently called on to provide advice and professional support on leadership and management issues. See their profiles here, browse our experience and get in touch.

Mike Johnson

We are deeply sorry to announce the death of our founder and Chairman, Mike Johnson, who passed away peacefully in hospital on August 15th

Mike was a hugely charismatic and inspiring person. A journalist by trade, he wrote 12 business books, including “Winning the People Wars” and “Starting out on your Own”. He contributed to several world of work studies for the Economist and the Financial Times and consulted with many Fortune 500 firms and global institutions.

A truly engaging person, Mike was great company. His huge range of friends will remember many (often long) evenings spent putting the world, and particularly the world of work, to rights. He was well travelled and knowledgeable on global affairs. Never shy to share his opinion and provoke new thinking he would often challenge the status quo and disrupt vested interests He lived for many years in Brussels where he had a wide circle of friends. He returned to live in the UK with his wife and newborn son and settled in Lymington, where he quickly established himself in the community.

An example of Mike’s vision was the founding of the FutureWork Forum in 2003 – long before ‘the future of work’ became a fashionable term. The FWF was established to help leaders and organizations prepare for the challenges ahead and continues to flourish today. Partners of the Forum who knew Mike well will miss his stimulating contributions to meetings and his journalistic ability to express his ideas in writing. In recent years, his health had been in decline, following a stroke in 2014, which was then followed by the loss of his wife Julie and their son Cameron, both of whom he missed terribly.

Click here to reader some tributes from friends and colleagues.

“Innovative thought and the ability to deliver”

Jim has staked out a reputation for deep, innovative thought and the ability to deliver the message of design thinking successfully. Many of us have enjoyed his newsletters, focus groups, and think tanks over the years. He has managed to provoke and inform us with wit, charm, and grace.

MD, CB Richard Ellis

“Insights with passion and clarity”

Peter is a fluid, dynamic speaker and has vast experience in the area of the future of work. He communicates his insights with passion and clarity and was a great asset launching our book “Reinventing the Company in the Digital Age” at Harvard.

BBVA

“Sensitive to our needs and ideas”

We have found the company highly focused, rigorous in its approach, sensitive to our needs and ideas and imaginative in responding to them.

Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge

“A the link to the future of work”

This is the link to the future of work that everyone needs to understand. It will make you and your business ready to compete.

Chief HR Officer, BT Global Services

“A powerful, innovative way to engage staff”

A powerful, innovative way to engage staff – we got some very important issues onto the table.

Head of training and Development, Sony

Message from the Chairman

There’s only one way to describe The FutureWork Forum : An eclectic collection of people who share a deep interest (and we hope understanding) of the future of work and the workplace. We comprise a mix of experiences, expertise, ages and nationalities and we’d be delighted to discuss ideas and opportunities (as well as concerns and dilemmas) with anyone. If you want to talk, or add to the debate on ways of working in the world of tomorrow get in touch. We’re open to everyone. The FutureWork Forum is just that an open forum of ideas, come and help them make it work for a better workplace in the future.