Fit for the future? Using strategic foresight in Government

Dr Noah Raford is a globally-respected independent futurist who, until October was the Futurist-in-Chief and Chief of Global Affairs for the Dubai Futures Foundation. As an advisor to the UAE Prime Minister's Office, he was responsible for many global firsts such as the Dubai Museum of the Future, the world's first 3D-printed office, the Dubai Blockchain Strategy and more. He is the former CEO and co-founder of Futurescaper, a cloud-based foresight company.

He is currently director of the Oxford Programme on Peace, Policy and the Metaverse as well as Chairman of the DNR Group, a leading network of advisors, futurists and creative directors. He was a speaker at TED in 2022 with a focus on gaming for good. Noah holds a PhD in futures from MIT and a Masters in Built Environment from UCL. He is also a DJ.

Dr Kristin Alford is a futurist and the Director of MOD. at the University of South Australia. MOD. is an immersive museum of discovery, a place to be and be inspired. Kristin leads a team dedicated to creating dynamic, changing exhibitions showcasing the edge of knowledge and emerging technologies. MOD. opened in May 2018 to surprise and delight young adults, opening new possibilities and pathways so that we can all live prosperously and sustainably.


Prior to this role, Kristin was the founding director of foresight agency Bridge8, facilitating futures and engagement on water sustainability, nanotechnology, health, advanced manufacturing, clean technologies and climate futures for government, corporates and not-for-profits.


She is a member of the Study Adelaide Board and the Inspiring South Australia Steering Group. She was the inaugural licensee and host of TEDxAdelaide.


Kristin has had various careers in engineering, human resources, strategy and product development for companies including BHP Billiton, Ansett-Air New Zealand, the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria and Nanotechnology Victoria. She holds a PhD in process engineering and a Masters of Management in Strategic Foresight. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Fellow of the Governor’s Leadership Foundation.

Brenton Caffin is Executive Director of Strategy and Policy in the South Australian Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

He has twenty-five years of experience at the intersection of public policy, innovation and reform, during which time he has advised governments and multilateral institutions in over twenty countries on ways to strengthen their innovation capabilities.

Brenton was the founding Executive Director of States of Change, a global learning collective of public innovation practitioners, and the founding CEO of The Australian Centre for Social Innovation. He was an Executive Director at the UK Innovation Foundation Nesta from 2013-19.

He began his career as a graduate in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Brenton holds degrees in Public Administration, Economics and International Relations.

Dr Ashley Kingsborough is the Manager of Water Security with the Department for Environment and Water. Ashley is an environmental engineer and policy advisor who has worked on Water Resource Management and Climate Change Adaptation projects in Australia, the UK, South-East Asia and the Pacific. He has more than 15 years’ experience in the water sector across consulting, government and academia.

Ashley has undergraduate degrees in science and engineering from the University of Adelaide and a Master’s degree in Environmental Change and Management and PhD in Climate Change Risk Assessment and Adaptation Decision Making from the University of Oxford. He is interested in addressing complex water resource management problems, using innovative methods and putting climate adaptation into practice.

Dr Ariella Helfgott is the Director of Strategic Foresight in the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, of the Government of South Australia.

She has almost 20 years of Strategic Foresight experience, having been the Director of Scenarios with the World Energy Council, a member of the Shell Scenario Team, Director of Collaborative Futures, Senior Fellow at the Universities of Oxford, Utrecht, Wageningen and Adelaide, and Strategic Analyst with the Australian Department of Defence.

She has worked across 26 countries in 8 global regions on collaborative systemic change processes that enable the co-creation of better futures.