coffee with

Vicki

Vicki heads the Futures team at Synthesis. A futurist by practice, she makes foresight tangible through data-led scenario planning and experience design. Energised by change, Vicki supports clients and internal teams to rehearse for what’s plausible and be future-ready, today.

A book I’d really recommend is

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. It tells the story of Nora who finds herself in a mysterious library full of alternate lives she could have experienced. The beautiful tango of confronting regrets and embracing hopes. What if we could relive our lives again and again, would we have made the same choices? I haven’t cracked time-travel - yet, so I’ve channelled my energy into writing future scenarios for brands instead.

My favourite quote is
"Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

There’s so many things I like about this quote: the power of belief, the hunger to explore, the interest in silliness and to top it off, the reward of breakfast.

The last thing I bought and loved

I got The LEGO® Ideas’ The Globe set as a Christmas gift to myself. There’s something romantic about going analog once in a while. It’s a full experience, I make myself some tea, sit with my blocks and build. It’s very gratifying to disconnect and create things with your own hands.

The best gift I’ve received recently

Silky bed sheets - the gift that keeps on gifting. Better sleep, better ideas, better everything.

In my fridge you’ll always find

Big ice cubes for whisky on the rocks adventures.

I’ve recently discovered

…that I actually enjoy bouncing ideas with and bantering with ChatGPT.

The best bit of advice I ever received

“Everyone you meet has something to teach you.” - Some enrich your life with stories, some make you better at what you do and some instil patience in you.

A sport I’m secretly good at is

Judo. My hips have served the nation.

My hidden talent is

Entertaining little kids. My sisters think I am qualified to be a kids’ show host.

My proudest achievement is

Reimagining how foresight work can be done. If change is dynamic, why plan for futures in a static way? It’s been an amazing journey innovating on the Scenarios Simulator by marrying Futures Thinking with Open Source Intelligence with a team of very talented strategists and data scientists.

My ideal pet would be

A hypoallergenic Shiba! Meet my favourite furry mate, Kooki. My love for her would grow more without her shedding seasons.

My favourite movie is

The Farewell Party (2014), a comedy about euthanasia. Love the irony? Please watch it.

I am most looking forward to

Early financial freedom where I work minimally and go on road trips maximally.

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