Futurist in the press: Exclusive interview with Richard Branson, Metro newspaper

By Matthew Griffin Featured Futurist 2nd February 2018

WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

Richard Branson is one of the most iconic entrepreneurs of all time but sometimes you’ve got to give the critics fuel in order to create the future.

I have to admit I do sometimes have to sit back and pinch myself, after all, it was only a few months ago, comparatively, that the Discovery Channel interviewed me to illicit my opinions on Elon Musk and his vision for the future of transportation, and now, as we wave goodbye to January here I am again being asked to commentate on Richard Branson’s future visions. It’s a funny old world, but as I say in my interview, criticising people who are trying to make the world a better place, change the status quo and, or, push the boundaries of what’s possible is easy, but if more people got off the fence and holstered their poking fingers then we might already have managed to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.

You can find the excerpt of my interview below, happy reading, and let me know what you think – am I right or wrong in my opinion?

Matthew Griffin / About Author

Described by NASA as a "Walking Encyclopaedia of the Future" and one of the world’s most in demand keynote speakers Matthew Griffin, Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm, is a multi-award winning Futurist and strategic foresight expert, author, lecturer, mentor, podcast and YouTube host.

With a distinguished career running global business units at Atos, EMC, and IBM today Matthew helps leaders and titans of industry from all over the world explore the impact of the inter sections of technology, culture, and leadership, then helps them create high performance organisations that can continuously disrupt, outpace, and outthink their competition.

15 times author of the hit series the Codex of the Future series Matthew's ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends on global business, culture, and society has earned him a powerful reputation and a roster of clients that include royal households, world leaders across the G7, G20, and G77, and many of the world's most recognised and exceptional organisations including ABB, Accenture, ABN Amro, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi Group, Coca Cola, Deloitte, Dentons, Disney, Dow, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Microsoft, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Nokia, Paramount, PepsiCo, PWC, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, T-Mobile, UBS, Visa, WIRED, WPP and hundreds of others.

Matthew is regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, and his mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.