Update on / background to #TheNewAbnormal series…

01/01/24 • 2 min

Hi there – this is an introduction to ‘The New Abnormal’ regarding me (your host), the sponsors and the background to the series.
I’m Sean Pillot de Chenecey from the independent foresight/strategy /innovation consultancy Brand Positive, who specialise in #NowNextWhy projects for clients ranging from corporates to agencies to NGO’s, on a national and international basis.
My podcast was set up at the start of the first Covid lockdowns, and features dynamic conversations with guests including activists, creatives, writers, philosophers, strategists, artists, investors, psychologists, lecturers, futurists, researchers, etc.
The series focuses on ‘understanding today and anticipating the future’ – themes which (as a foresight strategist) I’ve spent over 20 years working on via catalytic projects around the world.
I’m also the author of ‘The Post-Truth Business’ which focused on trust, empathy and ethics, and that went to No1 in the Business Charts, and ‘Influencers & Revolutionaries’ which focused on innovation re: sustainability and AI, and that was shortlisted for the ‘Business Book of the Year’ awards. (My next book will focus on applied foresight, and will be published in 2024).
I’m a frequent public speaker, and have given keynotes at events in the US/EU/MENA/Asia for over a decade, speaking at venues including boardrooms, congress halls, stadiums and festivals. I've also been a university lecturer (on brand strategy / applied foresight / disruptive comms) for twenty years - and am proud to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Now, in an exciting move #TheNewAbnormal is bought to you in partnership with The Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, a global leader in applying futures studies to solve strategic challenges within organisations. (The podcast will also dig deeper into topics explored in their quarterly issues of FARSIGHT magazine).
The Institute’s core offerings include megatrend analysis, scenario planning, risk assessment, innovation processes, and strategic foresight. Clients use these services to help them be #FuturesReady.
So, I hope you enjoy listening to ‘The New Abnormal’ and that the series will also help you to understand today and anticipate the future!
(As a final note, the episodes are divided into Series One [2020-21] Series Two [2021-22) and Series Three [2022-23], which are indicated at the top of the info about each interview. I reloaded all of the early episodes, starting on 1st Dec 2022, the day after ChaptGPT was launched...)

Previous Episode

Sean Pillot de Chenecey 'Trends and Issues re: 2022 Speeches’

This isn’t actually the latest episode of #TheNewAbnormal at all…but as it’s my podcast series (with over 60,000 downloads), I’m taking the outrageous liberty of linking to a separate one that features me - as opposed to my guests, who usually come from the worlds of activism / psychology / philosophy / journalism / research etc .

The 'Speaker Show' podcast is run by Speakers Associates, the renowned speaker-bureau. By an extraordinary coincidence, they just happen to be my agents, and for whom I set up their own podcast back in pre-Covid days. I handed over the hosting of that show to the utterly brilliant Maria Franzoni a while ago, and she in turn interviewed me for their Christmas ‘21 / New Year ‘22 episode.

In the interview, we discuss some of the key trends impacting culture / society / brands etc and of how those issues connect to my books ‘The Post-Truth Business’ and ‘Influencers & Revolutionaries’. (Both were shortlisted for the ‘Business Book of the Year Awards’ in 2019 and 2021 respectively.) The themes that I mention in the interview also link to the wide range of fascinating guests I’ve interviewed for ‘The New Abnormal’ podcasts, since the pandemic began. Hence we discuss topics inc:

· Authenticity & Ethics

· Trends & Innovation

· Resilience & Leadership

Finally, I attempt to absorb all of the above into highlighting what I talk about in my speeches, and also how I see the business-events sector adapting in 2022, in order to make future sessions as dynamic as possible.

You can listen to the full episode (the intro here only lasts a minute) via this link: https://apple.co/3e6yI7N

So, I hope you enjoy the podcast!

Next Episode

Mark Hanis 'The Ukraine Corporate Index: on which side of the war does your brand stand?'

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast was recorded soon after the Russian attack on Ukraine, and features the serial social entrepreneur Mark Hanis, who co-founded the Ukraine Corporate Index, which tracks corporate stance re: Putin's Russia in the aftermath of its invasion.
He also co-founded two startups: Inclusive America (a nonprofit to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in government) and Progressive Shopper (a technology company to harness conscious consumption).
Previously, Mark has helped found several social impact organizations: to engage global leaders to drive social change at scale; to address the unnecessary deaths due to a shortage of transplantable organs; and to empower citizens and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide.
He also served as a White House Fellow working in the Office of VP Joe Biden as the National Security Affairs Special Advisor for South America, Africa, and Human Rights.
Named as a 'Young Global Leader' by the World Economic Forum, Mark and his colleagues have been covered by media outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC and NPR.
So, in this episode, we discuss all of the above, but naturally the main focus is on the activity undertaken by the Ukrainian Corporate Index, which asks 'on which side of the war do your brands stand?'