The Swedish futurologist and author Magnus Lindkvist, based in Zurich, Switzerland, is known for his thought-provoking ideas on technology and the future of business.
Lindkvist weaves together important current trends to forecast what life, society and business might look like in the future. His presentation style is dynamic with compelling content. His four books “Everything We Know Is Wrong,” “The Attack of the Unexpected,” “When the Future Begins” and “The Minifesto” (2016) have made him a popular international speaker. In his last book he describes how small ideas can change the world.
It is his fantastic timing, storytellig and politically incorrect humor that keep a global audience, laughing and talking well after his talks end. Magnus challenges our entire way of thinking about and looking towards the future.
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Based on Ingvar Kamprad’s idcea for IKEA, Magnus coined the term IKEAfication, which describes how technology travels along a trajectory that enables you to do more with less. “It’s not just for the rich or the cash-rich companies. An example is how making movies has gone from ‘kissing ass of old men’ to everybody being able to do it at home,” he says.
Lindkvist has given in excess of a thousand keynote speeches over the past decade to everyone from Fortune 500 CEOs and civil servants in the Middle East to anyone looking to be inspired and enlightened by trendspotting and future-thinking. He founded his company, Pattern Recognition in 2005 employing a number of top trendsetters who help companies sort through the complexities of what’s ahead and how it will impact their future.
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In 2009, Lindkvist won the “Business Speaker of the Year” award in Sweden. His talks are often described as ‘shows’ or ‘performances’. As a writer, Magnus Lindkvist is driven by a relentless curiosity about our mental space where the outside world collides with the human brain.
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He has won several awards for his ‘performances’ on stage and for his books, but perhaps the best acclaim ever given was from an HR director in the UK who said ‘Magnus Lindkvist is the best Swedish export since ABBA and meatballs.’
Swedish Trendspotter Searching for Patterns, written by Tor Kjolberg