FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FUTURE FORUM LAUNCHES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Global Platform Focuses Lens on Tomorrow

LONDON – 9 March 2026: A new global initiative designed to break down industry silos and explore the forces shaping the future of societies and economies was announced today.

Future Forum unites leading thinkers from academia, business, and enterprise across diverse fields including advanced manufacturing, clean energy, the creative industries, engineering, fintech, health, life sciences, tech, and the 21st century workforce.

Beginning in the United Kingdom, with an international rollout planned for 2027 and 2028, Future Forum connects leaders across industries to explore how emerging technologies can be applied to create new opportunities and solve shared challenges – from gaming to energy, fashion to healthcare and beyond. The initiative is designed to spark new partnerships and practical cross-sector collaboration.

Central to the year-round platform is TOMORROW – The Future Forum Podcast, a weekly series spotlighting cross-sector collisions exploring critical questions, thinking and systems defining the global economy. Presented by Oli Barrett MBE, TOMORROW’s first guest is Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, who recently concluded her tenure as CEO of the Royal Society of Engineering. TOMORROW will also publish regular long- and short-form content, with the flagship podcast produced in partnership with Viral Tribe Entertainment.

The first edition of Future Forum culminates with a global gathering in Londons’s Knowledge Quarter, King’s Cross from 13-15 October 2026. With support from the UK’s Department for Business & Trade, the Forum thought leadership agenda will focus on six interconnected themes:

• Work Reimagined: How talent, technology, and creativity collide to reinvent productivity
• Human Upgrades: The expanding potential of human health, longevity, and performance
• Making & Materials: The new frontiers of engineering, biology, and imagination
• Systems in Motion: The networks moving people, goods, capital, and data
• Living Planet: Climate resilience and regenerative systems
• Press Play: How breakthrough AI & creative expression shape our shared realities

The UK’s cultural heritage and comeback story as a home of innovation makes King’s Cross a natural home for the inaugural gathering – a district that weaves a commercial and academic hub of world-class talent, global pioneers including Meta and Synthesia, and research institutions such as the Crick Institute and UCL.

Over three days, the daytime thought leadership programme will host debates, roundtables, and hands-on labs and studios. A dedicated plenary session will examine and reconcile the challenge of explosive growth of energy hungry data centres and our delicate water supply. By night, the Forum will transform into a showcase of UK and international talent, featuring live performances and immersive experiences across London’s most iconic and creative spaces.

National Reach, Global Impact

Prior to the autumn gathering in London, Future Forum is aligning with the UK’s Innovation Accelerator programme and will host regional editions in Glasgow, Manchester, and Birmingham throughout 2026. Each will highlight local strengths and connect regional ecosystems to global partners ahead of the October Forum in London.

With a projected audience comprising 70% UK and EU leaders and 30% global delegates – including representation from APAC and North America – Future Forum will place UK ideas and talent at the centre of the global conversation.

The initiative was envisioned by Advertising Week founding CEO, Matt Scheckner, and is led by Rupert Turnbull (Former Director of Fortune in Europe), TOMORROW Presenter Oli Barrett MBE (serial entrepreneur, co-founder of StartUp Britain), and Rebecca Eaves (Former Director of Advertising Week Europe and Charity CEO).

To drive participation and leadership from across borders, a Global Ambassador programme was also launched today, with Quantum Marketing & longtime CMO Raja Rajamannar as Chair of the Global Ambassadors. Among those Ambassadors already committed are Canada’s Dr. Samantha Nutt, Canada’s Alexandra Faith Cameron, Japan’s Rei Inamoto, South Africa’s Dr. Tumelo Chaka, New Zealand’s Malcolm Poynton, Italy’s Mattia Garofalo, Spain’s Fathima Beckmann, Australia’s Kerry McCabe, and Germany’s Karl-Heinz Land all confirmed to represent their countries.

Matt Scheckner, Chairman & Founder of Future Forum, said: “This is all about convening the people and ideas that will build and shape what comes next. Collaboration is what unites us, transcends language and borders, and yields optimism. As a nation that has always punched above its weight, the UK is the right place at the right time to widen perspective, connect across sectors and share ideas. And when people of all ages and backgrounds step outside their comfort lanes, curiosity kicks in. That’s when magic happens.”

Rupert Turnbull, CEO of Future Forum, said: “This year’s programme will help showcase the very best and brightest from across UK industries, academia, and enterprise. We are delighted to have the support of HM Government’s Department for Business & Trade in 2026 and beyond. We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship, built on our mutual ambition to drive long-term, sustainable growth in the UK’s highest-potential sectors.”

The Forum was launched privately at Abbey Road in late 2025 with support from the UK Department for Business and Trade and launch partner Meta, led by Reality Labs.

Future Forum is now inviting expressions of interest from prospective partners and leaders who wish to help shape the agenda together.

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Notes to editors:

For more information, please visit https://futureforum.co/.

Access episodes of TOMORROW – The Future Forum Podcast via Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

Media Contact:

Matthew Rowlands, Seven Hills BPI

mrowlands@sevenhillsbpigoup.com

About Future Forum:

Future Forum is a year-round content and event platform, established as a credible, optimistic intersection of creativity and technology. It connects ambition with opportunity across industries, generations, and borders through the Tomorrow podcast, regional summits, and a global flagship annual event, and is supported by the UK Government Department for Business & Trade.