Future Crunch

Future Crunch specialise in the creation and delivery of mind-blowing, visually spectacular learning experiences, both in-person and virtually. These include traditional keynotes and workshops, as well as professionally produced, interactive digital presentations and online streaming experiences. If you’re looking for a product that delivers engaging, relevant content backed by world-class research, they can help.

Future Crunch pride ourselves on ensuring that our knowledge is cutting edge, that our stories are tailored to a specific audience or industry, and deliver more value than they capture.

Future Crunch keep the facts sacred, and storytelling is at the heart of everything they do. Their team of un-like minds combine insights from different fields to create unexpected perspectives about the future. The idea is to say something new about the world.

They love science and technology, they think collaboration always trumps genius, and believe that if we want to change the story of the human race, we have to change the stories we tell ourselves.

About the Speakers

TANÉ HUNTER – CO-FOUNDER, CANCER RESEARCHER

Tané is a cancer researcher, bioinformatician, data scientist and science communicator. He is the CEO and co-founder of Future Crunch. He has a Masters in Bioinformatics from the University of Melbourne, and has worked for the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital diagnosing rare genetic diseases. As a data scientist and cancer researcher at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, he used artificial intelligence and non-invasive molecular biomarkers in DNA to improve treatments for people suffering from cancer. He’s also a former United States mountain biking champion and an avid sailor.

DR. SHASTA HENREY – CEO/ECOLOGIST

Shasta is a scientist and science communicator; a passionate adventurer, entomologist and educator. She has over a decade of experience speaking to professionals, communities and students, sharing science literacy and technological innovations. She is an intergenerational educator working with the Young Tassie Scientists program, Department of Education Victoria and the University of Tasmania, as well as a Co-Creator at Future Crunch.

Shasta gained her PhD in invertebrate ecology, using detailed knowledge of Australia’s insects to understand the ecosystems which humans depend upon. She’s worked at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, where she named beetles from the Amazon (and has one species named after her), and has spoken on the TedX stage about the intersection of science and Indigenous cultures.

REBECCA MAKLAD – INFLUENCE STRATEGIST

Rebecca is an advisor on purpose and a business influence strategist. As an authority in the professional speaking industry, she spent 15 years launching and advising the careers of the world’s most respected CEOs, entrepreneurs, authors, and thought leaders. Since 2014, alongside the co-founders, Rebecca has built Future Crunch into a global thought leadership brand. She is the creator of Ignite, a consulting business that supports leaders to stand out and transform their expertise into real influence and the host of the DNA Of Purpose Podcast.

DR ANGUS HERVEY – POLITICAL ECONOMIST

Angus is a political economist and a journalist specialising in the impact of disruptive technologies on society. He is a co-founder at Future Crunch. He was the founding community manager of Random Hacks of Kindness, a global initiative from Google, IBM, Microsoft, NASA and the World Bank to create open-source technology solutions to social challenges. He was also the first editorial manager for Global Policy, one of the world’s leading international policy journals. He holds a PhD in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics, where he was the Ralph Miliband Scholar.

MELISSA NEIGHBOUR – URBAN PLANNER

Melissa is an environmental town planner, community builder and sustainability specialist. She is the Owner of Sky Town Planning, a purpose-driven town planning consultancy based in Sydney. She has developed and implemented award-winning sustainable development projects across Australia, and is on a mission to activate sustainable forms of living in urban spaces of the future. She is a founding member of the World Economic Forum Sydney Shaper Hub, and was the National Convener for the United National Association of Australia Young Professionals Network.

DARA SIMKIN – PLAY AT WORK EXPERT

Dara is an expert facilitator, learning designer and Australia’s leading play at work specialist. She’s worked with organisations like The LEGO Foundation and McKinsey & Co., as well as world-renowned play researcher Dr Stuart Brown and Silicon Valley’s IDEO Play Lab. She is certified in the Danish learning methodology, KAOSPILOT, known for its innovative and dynamic approach to education and training. Dara landed in Australia from the US in 2009 after winning a video competition that had her travelling around Tasmania in a campervan for 6 weeks — and she never went home. She believes that if you want to change the world, you have to throw a better party than the people destroying it.

EHSSAN SAKHAEE – ENGINEER & CARTOONIST

Ehssan is a cartoonist, leadership educator, engineer, writer, philosopher and mindfulness practitioner. He has been lecturing at University of Sydney, UCLA Extension and Osaka University in the area of leadership, innovation and sustainability for close to a decade. He has founded a tech startup for measuring soft skill development (UpskillEQ) as well as an edutainment company (Wacky Wisdom) and Inspirational Management Australia using evidence-based personal and leadership development training.

RHEA MERCADO – HEALTHCARE HUMANIST

Rhea is an accredited exercise physiologist who has spent 15 years decoding human rehabilitation and recovery. Working throughout her career as a business owner, Rhea understands the challenge of balancing the ‘mission and margin’ of healthcare practice. Finding her passion in workers compensation, Rhea’s core focus has been on humanising healthcare and encouraging other professionals to bring their flare, personality, and humanity inside the treatment room. Alongside her mentoring and training work, Rhea is the host of The Intelligent Rebellion Podcast and author of “Compo – A Rehabilitation Consultant’s Journey.”

WILL TAIT – MC & MUSICAL PHILOSOPHER

Will Tait is a songsmith, MC and presenter with a passion for inspiring wonder and revealing the hidden potential in situations and gatherings. He is an educational presenter, founder of Our Planet Enterprises, and the lead singer for 8Foot Felix, a theatrical multi-genre festival band touring in Australia and overseas. He is motivated by the idea that our modern global culture is reaching out for a new story about the workings of the world, a story in which we see ourselves as integrally connected to each other and our universe.

SARAH ROWAN – SPEED PAINTER

Sarah is Australia’s top female speed painter. She has been speed painting for over 15 years, bringing a vibrant, energetic and fun vibe to everything she does, and to date has painted at over 400 events raising over $175,000 for charity. Sarah is also a speaker who inspires her audiences to embrace their own creativity and authenticity. As part of the Future Crunch team, she helps create extraordinary experiences, allowing audiences to learn with both the heart and the head. She graduated from Converse College in 2003 with a BFA in Studio Art, and moved to Sydney in 2005 to expand her art horizons.

Speaking Topics:

THE ADAPTABILITY QUOTIENT
THE NEW COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE IN A WORLD OF CONSTANT CHANGE

This present moment used to be our unimaginable future. Technology has become a layer over every industry, offices are no longer the place where work gets done, and people are looking for more from their jobs than just a salary. Amidst the upheaval, modern leaders face a choice: to continue with business as usual, or use this window of opportunity to forge a new, sustainable model that makes the existing model obsolete.

What is today’s key quality for individuals and organisations that wish to thrive in a world of constant change? In this presentation, Future Crunch provides the answer. The next decade belongs to those who are willing to adopt new ways of thinking. People with a high AQ, or Adaptability Quotient – the ability to thrive in unpredictable environments.

With trademark humour and dynamism, and showcasing the latest research and extraordinary stories from the worlds of technology and neuroscience, this talk reveals why today’s best predictor of success is the ability to embrace flexibility and experimentation. Audiences will walk away with an understanding of what it takes to foster AQ, how to identify it in others, and how it can be a superpower for anyone looking to maintain a competitive advantage, no matter what comes next.

FULL STACK HUMAN
HOW TO FUTURE PROOF YOURSELF

The future belongs to the Full Stack Human, a term inspired by computer programmers who are the Swiss army knives of the development world. Fluent in both culture and code, they’re able to work across the entire development process. From the front to the back end, they can seamlessly transition from one environment to the next. They’re driven by a boundless sense of curiosity— it’s not enough to know that something works, they need to understand the how and why behind each functionality.

Join the Future Crunch team as they explore how the same, Full Stack concept applies to our lives. Most of us use a limited set of tools, trying to solve our problems the same way again and again, and often ignore our more hidden backend systems. In this entertaining and mind-expanding presentation, audiences will learn why using a full stack of systems – carefully curating your information diet, applying new approaches to problem-solving techniques, and harnessing the power of storytelling – can be a superpower in today’s world.

ADAPTABILITY AT PLAY- WORKSHOP
NAVIGATING COMPLEXITY WITH CONFIDENCE

Unlock the potential of your team with Adaptability at Play, an immersive workshop that brings the Adaptability Quotient and Full Stack Human keynotes to life. We’ve teamed up with learning design specialists at Culture Hero to create a dynamic workshop that explores adaptability skills, helping participants identify their barriers to change, develop collaborative strategies, and cultivate essential mindsets for navigating complexity with confidence. Adaptability at Play combines interactive exercises, facilitated discussions, and hands-on activities to create a highly engaging learning experience.

This is a two hour, half day, or full day experience where you’ll have the opportunity to flex your AQ muscles and look at how to harness and practice play’s adaptive, exploratory and generative capacities to empower your people for change. Participants will enhance their adaptability and resilience, foster collaboration and teamwork, develop a playful mindset for innovation and build confidence in dealing with change.

THE FUTURE ECONOMY
A FIELD GUIDE FOR WHAT’S COMING NEXT

The next decade will be amongst the most important in human history, in which the decisions we make as a species will determine the fate of multiple generations. How do today’s leaders ensure they’re creating sustainable businesses that work for people and the planet? The first step is to understand what’s coming next.

In this presentation, Future Crunch draws on their latest, gold-plated research to explore the fundamental technologies shaping our future. It’s not just about digital any more. Artificial intelligence, web 3.0, the Metaverse, robotics, clean energy, electric vehicles, genetics, synthetic biology – each of these is transformative in their own right. Together, they constitute a true industrial revolution, creating unprecedented change in every industry at once. Audiences will come away with a powerful roadmap to the future, and the ability to think clearly about technological disruption – essential knowledge for anyone looking to harness the opportunities of a rapidly changing global economy. This talk is particularly relevant for leaders who wish to maintain a strategic advantage and play their part in creating a sustainable and equitable future.