“Walk a colourful path”
Benjamin J Butler is a former investor and now writer, futurist, and philosopher. Whilst continuing to imagine and forecast futures, he is an evangelist for our transition to a technologically-advanced ecological civilisation. He regularly speaks at international conferences on global issues and long term futures. He left England 25 years ago and has been ‘on the road ever since,’ accumulating a unique international perspective to advise leaders on where the world might be heading.
Benjamin advises the leadership of a number of organisations about the future including Zurich-based Horasis, the American Renewable Energy Institute , Ubiquity University, the UN’s Resilience Frontiers initiative (which uses collective intelligence to create desirable futures for 2030-2050) and the World Economic Forum on quantum technology. Benjamin is the founder of the Embassy of the Future.
Benjamin started his career on Wall St and in global finance and was a highly prescient sense maker and forecaster of the future. He worked with numerous investment banks predominantly advising Chief Investment Officers or with hedge funds. In 2011 he co-founded Mind Fund and was an early investor in Tik Tok. For several years he wrote the International Column of Dow Theory Letters with Wall St legend Richard Russell.
He has been a long term practitioner of Zen and the Tao, having been based out of Asia for 22 years. In his early twenties he moved to Japan and learnt the Japanese language, culture and Zen.
The alternative resume is here.
“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible”
Lawrence of Arabia
More formal resume is here on LinkedIn.
2018
Member, Global Future Council on Computing , World Economic Forum
2018
Faculty of Futur.io
2015-Now
Emerging Future Institute, Founder and Futurist
2011-2015
External Strategist to a macro hedge fund and family office , Blue Sky in Australia
2014-2017
Dow Theory Letters, Wrote about the future and financial markets with Wall St legend Richard Russell
2013-2014
Advisor to the School of Design, Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, Co-Creation and Creativity
2011-2013
Mind Fund, Co-Founder and Managing Partner. Invested in California-based start ups and also early investor in Bytedance (most valuable start up in the world)
2009-2011
UBS, Executive Director, Equities, Hong Kong
2008-2009
Edge Capital, Portfolio Manager
2002-2007
Nomura Securities, Senior Executive Manager (Equivalent to a Managing Director),. Trusted advisor to CIOs and Fund Managers around the world. Tokyo and Hong Kong.
1999-2002
Morgan Stanley, New graduate program trained in New York City and sent to Tokyo. Equities Department.
1997-1998
Monbusho Scholar, University of Osaka – Wrote a Dissertation in Japanese about the Asian Financial Crisis
1995-1999
SOAS, University of London, Japanese and Economics
1993-1995
Kings College London, Dickson Poon School of Law
1987-1993
Embley Park School (now Hampshire Collegiate School)
How my experience helps you?
My experience is that many people are confused about the future as we face several tsunamis of change. Clearly as the age of Robots and AI is upon us many are fearful about their jobs. But its so much more than that. Exponential technologies will affect every facet of our lives and the world of 2030 is going to be very different from today. In addition, political and social tsunamis of change are upon us. Our old institutions are no longer capable of functioning in the emerging new world.
My experience in exploring the future could be useful as you endeavour to look forwards and imagine tomorrow’s world. And perhaps more importantly, to guide you on your journey into the future. I have been coaching and advising leaders throughout my career on how to deal with uncertainty and the psychology of change. I have come to realise that finding your unique purpose and passion in life, is not merely a luxury but essential in these challenging times.