The Futour’s Team partners and experts have over twenty years of experience in problem solving, participatory planning and in the study and dissemination of facilitation and creativity techniques. The Team adopts the “Commedia dell’arte” and the Circus metaphor, with the members of the team acting out different roles according to the different sites and contexts in which they operate. The Futour team includes experts in improvisation with functions combining the art of facilitation with scientific research, architecture, cuisine, management, psychology, literature, sports, painting, dance, urban planning, singing, politics, foreign languages and history.

Paolo Martinez: a degree in Geography and Sociology from Oxford Polytechnic, four years of experience in the sector of maritime construction and offshore plants and more than 15 years in creativity and participation applied to innovation management, technology transfer and territorial development. As an architect of processes and an innovation pilot, through the application of participatory techniques and futurization methods, for years he has been coordinating and managing projects in Italy and abroad for clients in the following private and public sectors: design management, ICT, management consulting, policy making, knowledge society, intellectual capital, territorial marketing, strategic plans, cultural heritage, employment strategies, concerted action, collaborative working environments. For years he has been active in research, writing and teaching on innovation, participation, fast-prototyping and creativity, collaborating with Universities and national and international research centers. He is a founding member of The Future Center Alliance (UK), of International Initiatives for Societal Innovation i2Si (NL), and as certified Lego® Serious Play® facilitator, of the Duck Academy (DK). He is a Fellow of the The Royal Society of Arts (RSA), a London-based, British organisation committed to finding practical solutions to global social challenges and is a Full Member of the New Club of Paris, an international organization working as agenda developer for knowledge societies.

Ron Dvir (Ph.d) is an architect of innovation engines and future centers, specializing in integrating the organizational, methodological, physical, technological and financial perspectives of innovation into a working open innovation system. Ron co-led and served as chief scientist/system architect in several large scales international research and development projects in the domains of innovation.
Ron is the editor of the book “OpenFutures – an operating system for Futures Center”, and co-editor of several books and papers about disruptive innovation and innovation management. He is a co-leader of the international Future Centers community and member of the New Club of Paris and the founder and managing director of Innovation Ecology. Before that he was the Chief Knowledge officer of ECI telecom.
He has long working relationships with Futour for the last 10 years, with many joint projects. Ron loves interesting engagements and the magic of co-creating practical and innovative solutions to important challenges in the public and private sector. He also obsessed about the creation and design of knowledge products (in the form of websites, books and more) and spend his free time riding his vintage Mantra Klein mountain bikes.

Simoon Fransen has great experience with facilitation of change processes and in designing and realizing cultural change. She is highly skilled in many participatory techniques and models. In her approach, organizational development goes along with the development of personal leadership and of that of the team. Thereby she leaves sustainable marks, not only the memory of a good process. She touches the essence of the needed innovation and change and is capable to upscale this to a bigger perspective and higher level. She is a system thinker and a nature lover. As John P. Milton says about her: “She brings creative inspiration and nature based transformation. She helps people to hear what isn’t said and see what needs to be seen. By and through her work, learning from future, she brings movement and accelerates the paradigm shift required to address and solve the complex challenges being faced by government and business. Simoon deals with them with openness, lightness, humor, love and impact!”.

Matteo Baronti, after graduating, matured more than 10 years experience in managerial consulting and directed the HR & Organisation department of a prestigious automotive brand. After this “first phase” of his life he developed a peculiar approach for personal support that he registered as Perceptive Coaching®. Merge in this methodology his extensive training in Neuro Linguistic Programming (master level), Design Human Engineering, Hypnosis, Leadership, Guided Meditation, but also empathic methods of Mentoring aiming to convey effective tools of personal growth, borrowed from a multiplicity of ancient traditions, philosophies and currents of thought. Purpose and results are the resolution of limiting emotional states and consciousness development as foundations of long-lasting wellbeing. The corporate support is always tailor-made and finalised to conscious development and people valorisation. Within these projects the rebalancing between personal and professional life is a focus as a way to improve personal wellbeing both inside and outside the company.

Michele Coletti is Affiliate Professor of Innovation Management at Grenoble Ecole de Management, where he coordinates the MBA specialisation in Management Consulting and the Executive Certificate in Innovation, Design Thinking and Intrapreneurship. He also works as a management consultant and workshop facilitator. His research focuses on collaborative innovation instruments and policies. Michele holds an MBA in Management Consulting with Distinction from the Grenoble Graduate School of Business and a MSc in Technology and Innovation Management from SPRU at the University of Sussex (UK).

Elisa Tachis, senior facilitator, graduate in economic sciences at Ichec Business School in Brussels, in international relations at the University in Leuven and master in international development University of Bologna (Italy). Working experience as Manager International Trade at the EU confectionery industry, representing the industry’s interests toward the European institutions. Conceptualisation, drafting and management of EU projects in the sectors of strategic management, creativity & innovation, regional development and international cooperation. Organisation of professional training courses. Fluent in 4 languages. Experience as teacher and translator. She is a skilled facilitator and expert in several innovation and interactive methodologies. As Globetrotter in Latin America she strengthened her love for nature, in particular the mountains.

Cristina Raso is a Project/Account Manager and consultant working on market and technology scenario analysis and interactive / multichannel services analysis. A professional with experience in digital promotion, Web 2.0 and social media, Communication & Marketing, eBusiness strategies and digital convergence. She worked with various firms belonging to different industries (finance, entertainment, mass retail, hospitality industry ). She also has a strong professional experience in Events Management, PR & Comms. Her goals include: the support to customer executives and managers in achieving their business improvement goals; supporting customer to design a holistic marketing strategy, digital marketing and customer experience.

Silvia Zummo has in her DNA the drive to challenge complex problems, launch ambitious ideas and to co-design innovative and revolutionary solutions. Attentive to details, resourceful and lively in the development of work processes, she combines the natural and spontaneous ability to relate with people with a continuous search for quality and innovation of contents and processes. During her studies in architecture at the University of Rome, in search of new horizons where to empress creativity, imagination and have an impact on the future, she founded a non-profit association promoting grass root awareness activities for sustainable energy, transport and environment. She then created a company specialising in social and smart communication with public and private organizations. She has a long track record in communication, PR, co-marketing, business development, fund-raising, research and innovation programmes, organisation of events and workshops, and especially on integrated design and large scale participatory processes. Her core passion lies in the development and support of technologies, design models and technical training that converge on the environmental, economic, energy and economic strategy of Rifkin’s Third Industrial Revolution.

Ana Marí­a Solí­s, consultant and trainer in the fields of: sustainability, gender studies, green economy, Agenda XXI, climate changes. Experience in participatory processes and European Programs, Funds and Projects for Private and Public Bodies. She holds a Master Degree in Non-profit economy and cooperation to the sustainable development (University of Ferrara), a Master degree in Environmental Planning for Sustainable Urban Development and methodologies to promote the citizens participation (University of Bologna), specialization in Network Management and Sustainable Development (Ministry of the Environment, Italy), Master degree in Environmental and chemical sciences (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina), a degree in engineering Chemical and Processes (University of Bologna) and a degree in industrial engineering (Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina). She has a Climate-KIC Certified Professional in “Accelerating Transitions” as a proactive professional committed to greening the future. She has 15 years of experience in Latin America and other 15 years in Europe and is fluent in Italian, English, her mother tongue is Spanish.

Dimah Mahmoud, Ph.D. | Strategic Research Consultant. Dimah Mahmoud is a humanist, activist, and passionate change-maker. Her extensive interdisciplinary expertise in research, political analysis and project management are reflected in the diverse conferences she organizes as well as the initiatives and collaborations she spearheads through her strategic research consultancy. Her work contributes to advancing sustainable socio-economic and political development in Africa and the Middle East. She consulted for the League of Arab States, UN Women Arabia, ElKarama, Arab America Foundation, Massimedia, FUTOUR and more recently for EURAXESS North America and The Antiquities Coalition. Prior to this, Dr. Mahmoud was the Interim Executive Director of Bridges of Understanding Foundation, during which she helped launch it onto its current forward trajectory: emphasizing the necessity of youth-targeted educational programming as part of the effort to catalyze an effective, long-lasting paradigm shift. In addition to her consulting, she is co-founded The Nubia Initiative (TNI), a transboundary organisation aimed at leveraging art, academia and technology to protect, preserve and promote Nubia’s endangered heritage and languages. Dr. Mahmoud completed her MA and PhD at the University of Exeter in the UK on Middle East Policy Studies and Sudanese Foreign Policy and International Legitimacy respectively. She obtained her BA in Political Science from Towson University in the USA.

Claire Yuqi Chen is a global communication strategist, and specializes in technology, innovation, and cross cultural communications. She employs her skills in cross-cultural communication and global engagement throughout the Washington D.C. area and beyond. With an M.A. in International and Intercultural Communications from American University, undergraduate degrees from Humboldt State and Xi’an International Studies University, and years of experience working in China and the US; Claire has learned to adapt and excel in whatever environment she’s working within. She is currently following her passion of enhancing global engagements with her own creative problem-solving style. She is currently supporting the advancement of research administration and management globally and promoting EU’s Horizon2020 program in the U.S. and facilitating transatlantic scientific collaboration. Most recently, she worked on a cyber-security project for the Atlantic Council, organized large events for the D.C. diplomatic community, conducted social network analysis of the leading Chinese social media platform, and organized experts and resources for the protection of cultural heritage sites and artifacts in China.

Manuele Bellonzi is a jurist, with twenty years of experience in the field of civic defense and mediation in the public administration. He has worked on research, management training and health law in Italy and abroad, devoting particular attention to areas of clinical risk, communication and patient-physician relationship, bioethics and bio-law. For several years he has developed a specific expertise on conflict dynamics in the public health service, gaining practical experience as chairman of conciliatory joint committees in the Tuscany public health organisations. He has also been working on research projects relating to workplace well being and positive internal organisational climate. Manuel has held teaching appointments in the fields of research that have been carried out for the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa and Universities of Pisa, Milan (Italy), Paris Descartes (France), Marrakech (Morocco), and Neuchâtel (Switzerland).

Experts and co-players in multidisciplinarity and innovation

Ron Dvir (Israel), Andrea Giolitti (Italy), Francesca Mazzocchi (Italy), Roberto Berti (Italy), Hank Kune (The Netherlands), Michele Coletti (Italy), Thekla Schneede (Sweden), Valentina Piersanti (Italy), Gabriella Rossi Crespi (Italy), Lucia Cadore (Italy), Lars Karlsson (Austria), Stasys Bielinis (Lithuania), Carlo Adinolfi (Usa), Rob Bilderbeek (Olanda), Gloria Ceccherini (Panama), Simoon Fransen (Olanda).