Ed Gillespie is a polymathic serial investor, futurist, podcaster, poet and sustainability expert. He pivoted from leading Futerra, the change agency he cofounded in 2001, to a full-time career as a responsible leadership facilitator, communicator and speaker. Ed has advised multinationals and governments on climate change and sustainability, served on the boards of companies and institutions, including Greenpeace UK. Ed, who describes his speaking style as “shoot from the hip,” is also a serial investor and has backed many successful sustainable startups. ... Read more
Ed Gillespie is a serial entrepreneur, podcaster and futurist who focuses on sustainability and innovation. He is an expert communicator with an ability to unpack the complex issues facing the world, such as climate change or the disruption of AI, and present them to a non-specialist audience. Ed’s real talent is taking the interconnected ‘metacrises’ we face, and the threat of societal collapse, and explaining them in compelling and accessible ways for possible resolutions, and what sort of leadership might be required to get us there.
Ed Gillespie is a creative writer and his book Only Planet: A Flight-Free Adventure Around the World, was published following his popular Guardian/Observer column The Slow Traveller. He has also published three volumes of poetry.
In 2001 Ed co-founded Futerra, one of the world’s first sustainability agencies, which advised corporations on strategy and communications, but in 2019 he stepped back in order to focus on his speaking career. Ed’s style is lively and combative and he is an experienced Chairperson, keynote speaker, compère and moderator. Recent engagements include the U.N., The World Bank, KPMG, CBRE, PWC and the European Space Agency, and he gave the inaugural Bonn Speech on Global Transformation for the German Government.
Ed, who began his career in marine biology, is also a senior facilitator in responsible leadership at the Forward Institute and has held a number of directorships and senior advisory positions, including Chief Futurist at the Global Destination Sustainability Movement. He is a former director of Greenpeace UK and a trustee of Onboard:Earth and Out There Arts.
Ed has invested in many sustainable businesses and startups. These include successful exits from Loco2.com (which was sold in 2018 and renamed Rail Europe), Breakroom and Engaged Tracking and ongoing investment in CUR8, Piclo, Bennamann, Common Objective, Demand Logic, Byway and FLOWN.
Ed is a popular podcaster, co-hosting Jon Richardson and the Futurenauts – How to survive the Apocalypse alongside fellow Futurenaut Mark Stevenson and comedian Jon Richardson. He also presents The Great Humbling alongside Dougald Hine. He is a prolific poet who has dabbled in stand-up comedy and believes that the power of creative writing can unleash deep change in our world.