Webinars

International book launch

On Earth Day 2025, Novel Futures hosted the international launch of Darren Swanson’s debut fiction novel, Towers of Hiva. Wall street and Easter Island come crashing together in this epic and cautionary story of peace, sustainability and resilience, drawing on real world lessons of economic and social collapse and recovery from both the recent past (the U.S. derivatives market) and the distant past (Easter Island / Rapa Nui).

Watch the Book Launch Video

Launch Webinar Overview

Towers of Hiva author, Darren Swanson, and special guests from around the world, introduced the novel and engaged in an insightful discussion about sustainability & resilience in the era of the polycrisis.

From Berlin, Dr. Günther Bachmann, Fellow of Conservation International, former Secretary General of the German Government’s Sustainability Council, and author of the book ‘How to Successfully Encourage Sustainable Development Policy: Lessons from Germany’.

From Singapore, Dr. Sreeja Nair, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and author/co-author of several insightful books including ‘Rethinking Policy Piloting’, ‘Emerging Pedagogies for Policy Education’, and ‘Creating Adaptive Policies’.

And from Winnipeg, webinar moderator, Dr. William Glanville, former Chief Operating Officer (retired) of the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

Agility and adaptability for policy and strategy

May 20, 2020.

Covid-19 has highlighted how governments can act rapidly and coherently when collective fates are at stake. Why are we able to act quicker now versus under normal conditions? Could we be better at foreseeing such events?

This webinar features key concepts and approaches that can enable public sector organizations to be both agile and adaptive in the creation and execution of policy and strategy, including the use of scenario planning to enhance resilience to shocks and stress.

Seeing FAR: Essential Skills in Foresight-Adaptability-Risk

Webinar: World Trade Centre Winnipeg, January 26, 2022

Foresight, adaptability and risk analysis are proving to be essential skills for successful business in the 21st century. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) however, often don’t have the resources, staff or time to develop and apply these skills. Hosted by the World Trade Centre Winnipeg, this seminar introduces the FAR-sighted approach for rapid deployment of Foresight, Adaptability and Risk analysis methods by SMEs.

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Is Your Business REady for Climate Change?

2023

This webinar series, led by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, in collaboration with Novel Futures Corporation, is designed to help small-and-medium sized enterprises take climate action by assessing risk and enhancing resilience, reducing carbon via the circular economy, and using nature-based solutions.

Click the video to access the webinar and click here to visit the Climate Action Toolkit for Manitoba Businesses.

2023 Policy Community Conference

The Rise of Adaptive Policymaking

The 2023 Federal Government Policy Community Conference focused on the topic of transforming the policy landscape, including the application of adaptive policies.

As part of a panel session on November 24, 2023, I represented Novel Futures Corporation and the International Institute for Sustainable Development to discuss some of the core principles outlined in the 2009 book entitled Creating Adaptive Policies: A Guide for Policymaking in an Uncertain World, including how to bridge the gap between policy design and implementation.

Virtual Conference

The 2023 Policy Community Conference saw participation from 3000 public administration officials and policymakers from across Canada.

Click here to view the conference agenda.

Agenda

creating adaptive policies

Webinar

In 2009, I co-edited and co-authored the book 'Creating Adaptive Policies'. This webinar presents a summary of the topic at an event hosted by the Climate Risk Institute.

Click here to access the webinar slides and recording.