01Featured
Megatrends & Weak Signals
What is already moving, and which early signals deserve a seat in this year's strategy conversation.
Best fit · Executive audiences · 200–800 attendees · futurist
Verbal · Futurist · Foresight & Megatrends
Now booking 2026Dr. Elina Hiltunen
See the weak signals before they become headlines.
Trusted byEuropean CommissionFinnish GovernmentNokiaNordic strategy forums… and more
Reply within 1 business day · +358 40 705 3490
About
One of the world's leading female futurists — Forbes-listed among the 50 Leading Female Futurists — turning megatrends, weak signals, and scenarios into decisions leaders can brief their boards on.
Elina has spent two decades on international stages from the Global Foresight Summit and GROHE-X to Riga and Nordic strategy forums, helping organizations read the future without pretending to predict it.
Forbes (Blake Morgan, March 2020) highlighted her crowdsourced futures tools and weak-signal practice: anticipating change through early signals so individuals and organizations can adapt as the world shifts.
Author of English-language works including Foresight and Innovation (Palgrave Macmillan), Technolife 2035, and the PhD thesis Weak Signals in Organizational Futures Learning; contributor to Nature; featured in The Parliament Magazine on NATO foresight; and a voice in futures podcasts and APF COMPASS.
“The future is already here, unevenly distributed.”
- Stage languages
- 2
- Books
- 4
- On international stages
- 20+ yrs
LanguagesEnglish · Suomi
Featured in
Featured in
Covered by international press.
Recent profiles and interviews that show why organisers trust Elina Hiltunen on stage.
Forbes · Mar 2020
50 Leading Female Futurists
“She created a tool to crowdsource organizational futures, especially regarding new technology — anticipating the future through weak signals.”
Read article ↗
Nature · Dec 2025
Science in 2050: the future breakthroughs that will shape our world
“Commentary on how science and futures thinking intersect through 2050 and beyond.”
Read article ↗
The Parliament Magazine · 2024
Stranger than fiction: How sci-fi inspires NATO's long-term planning
“Science fiction compels defence organisations to think about situations they might otherwise overlook.”
Read article ↗
Futures Intelligent Leadership · 2020
Crowd-sourced futures, metaphors, and mega trend convergence
“On collective foresight, weak signals, and why anticipation blends facts with imagination.”
Read article ↗
Palgrave Macmillan · 2013
Foresight and Innovation: How Companies are Coping with the Future
“A practical guide to anticipating, innovating, and communicating about the future in organisations.”
Read article ↗
Aalto University · PhD 2010
Weak Signals in Organizational Futures Learning
“Foundational research on weak signals, the Futures Window, and organisational futures learning.”
Read article ↗
Signature keynotes
What Elina speaks about.
Tailored for your event. Each topic adapts to your audience, theme, and the slot you have.
02
Future Scenarios That Stick
How to build scenarios in a keynote that teams actually use when budgets and bets are on the table.
Best fit · Leadership teams · Boards & C-suites · futurist
03
AI, Work & Skills in the 2030s
A grounded map of automation, talent, and organizational redesign, without the hype deck.
Best fit · HR & culture events · Full conference halls · futurist
04
Science Fiction as Strategy
How narrative futures unlock imagination in R&D, security, and leadership teams that think in quarters.
Best fit · Strategy days · Off-site groups · futurist
Formats
Built for your format and time slot.
Keynote speeches for your event, tailored to your audience, theme, and slot length.
0145–60 min + Q&A
Keynote
A futurist's read of megatrends and weak signals, translated into a strategy conversation your board can act on.
0230–45 min
Fireside
Moderated conversation on megatrends and weak signals, for strategy days that want dialogue on stage.
Fees on request·Honest range within 1 business day·Briefing included
Track record
Why clients rebook.
- books on the future
- 15
- Stage languages
- 2
- On international stages
- 20+ yrs
Trusted by
- European Commission
- Finnish Government
- Nokia
- Nordic strategy forums
- Defence and security agencies
She made foresight feel urgent and usable, not a slide about 2050.
Book Elina
Tell us about the event.
Strong fit for strategy days, innovation summits, and leadership forums, foresight keynotes for executive audiences.
- 1
You inquire
Today
Tell us the event, date, audience size, and goals.
- 2
We confirm
Within 1 business day
Availability and speaker fee within a day, itemised in the proposal.
- 3
Briefing call
Before the event
Included with every booking. We align the talk with your audience and the outcome you need.
Looking for Finnish speakers? verbal.fi ↗
Before you ask
The honest answers.
Will Elina tailor the foresight to our industry?
Yes. Every keynote includes a briefing call and sector-specific signals woven into the talk.
Where has she been featured internationally?
Forbes named her among 50 Leading Female Futurists (2020). She has contributed to Nature, been interviewed in The Parliament Magazine on NATO and sci-fi foresight, published with Palgrave Macmillan, and spoken at the Global Foresight Summit, GROHE-X, and forums across Europe.
What are typical fees?
The speaker fee is quoted privately for each event. We send an honest range within one business day, no obligation.
What languages does Elina speak on stage?
English, Suomi. The talk language is confirmed with the briefing.
How quickly can Verbal confirm availability?
Within one business day on most requests. If the date is taken, we offer replacement options before you have to ask.
Does Elina travel internationally?
Yes. We confirm international availability and logistics in the proposal. The briefing call is included.
Photos
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