Cecily Sommers

A leading business futurist, Cecily Sommers is a keynote speaker who writes about and consults on the forces of change that are shaping our world. With a warm and purposeful style, Cecily helps leaders get to the future faster through her dynamic presentations and her signature "Lead Like a Futurist" program. She has been called a "catalytic and brilliant" leadership keynote speaker, known for her unique ability to distill complex issues into simple, relatable terms.

Kicking the futurist-as-guru paradigm to the curb, Cecily joins her clients in the trenches of their deepest resistance and greatest opportunities. She equips her audiences and clients with the thinking they need to become their own best futurists and to move with confidence, purpose and optimism through these times of wild disruption and accelerating change.

A two-time TEDx speaker, Cecily has spoken to and served as a trusted advisor to organizations including Accenture, American Express, BBDO Germany, Best Buy, Dow Chemical, General Mills, Google, Great River Energy, HealthPartners, JPMorgan Chase, Kraft Foods, Nestlé Purina, Salesforce, Target, and a number of universities, professional associations, and public service and arts organizations. 

Cecily’s book, Think Like a Futurist, has been translated into several languages, was listed on the "Top 25: What Corporate America Is Reading" by the Tribune Review, and was nominated for “Most Significant Futures Work in Methods and Practice” by the Association of Professional Futurists. She has been named one of the “World’s Top 50 Female Futurists” (Forbes, Wired), a “Fast 50 Reader’s Favorite” by Fast Company, and a “Woman to Watch” by the Business Journal. She is currently an Advisory Board Member for University of Houston’s Graduate Foresight Program. She is also a frequent contributor to NPR's "All Things Considered" and other media outlets.