Richard D Hames

An Australian citizen educated in the UK and Europe, now residing in Asia, Richard has garnered an impressive array of accolades, including a French Government Scholarship, a Leverhulme European Fellowship, the Mondadori Professorial Fellowship, and the inaugural Lord Attlee Fellowship. He holds doctoral degrees in music, medicine, and computer science, and most notably became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 1994 and a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science in 2004.

The visionary Centre for the Future, which he founded, and his role as Chairman of the esteemed Asian Foresight Institute in Bangkok underscore his transformative influence. Richard’s journey began in medicine, computer science, academia, and the arts before he emerged as the Group Chief Executive at ArtsMedia International. His adept leadership turned the struggling enterprise into a thriving European media powerhouse.

Rooted in his early work in Total Quality Management and inspired by his association with Dr. W Edwards Deming, Richard co-founded Global Business Network (Australia) and established ABN Learning, an innovative consulting division. In 1995, he established The Hames Group, an entity in Chicago fusing think-tank, design laboratory, and advisory firm elements. Until recently he was the Chief Strategist at Eternus, a global group that elevates ideas and businesses by providing support through advice, strategy, infrastructure or capital, to help businesses grow, profit and make a positive impact.

Richard’s global influence is evident through strategic advisement to governments, institutions, and multinational corporations across the USA, France, UK, Australia, UAE, China, Africa and beyond. His mentorship has extended to Presidents, Heads of State, entrepreneurs, and forward-thinking CEOs.

At the forefront is his groundbreaking Deep Design approach, rooted in complexity science and living systems, driving second-order change. Methodologies like Transformational Narrative, Systemic Acupuncture, and Strategic Navigation, all founded on generative learning principles, demonstrate his forward-thinking approach to managing complexity.

As an elder statesman in the field of anticipatory foresight, Richard has explored topics ranging from the future of conflict, the resilience of the Westphalian model, and the continuing impacts of colonialism in the “global south”, to the integration of machine learning into our daily lives. His predictive accuracy is notable, having forecast the rise of authoritarian figures like Trump, Erdogan and Modi, identifying patterns that led to the global financial crisis and recent pandemics, warning corporations about the impacts of the climate crisis on business, and anticipating socio-political events like the Arab Spring and the attack in America on 9/11.

A prolific author, Richard’s books like “The Management Myth: Exploring the Essence of Future Organisations” and “Burying the 20th Century – New Paths to New Futures” underscore his expertise. Recent works delve into societal transformation, pandemic insights, and more. For an in-depth exploration, engage with Richard’s writings on The Hames Report – Limited Edition and The Virtual Activist.