About
The INSEAD Future Council (IFC) is a living network for the future of business — a founding cohort shaping research, executive learning, talent and ecosystem impact. Bringing together enterprises, startups and scale-ups, investors, global innovation corridors, think tanks and the academic community, the Council is designed to create practical value through cross-sector collaboration.
Built as a two-way partnership between academic excellence and industry leadership, the IFC connects INSEAD’s global platform, faculty, talent and institutional credibility with the strategic challenges, data, validation and executive perspectives of Council members.
Recent Activity
Official Launch of the INSEAD Future Council
The INSEAD Future Council officially launched at the INSEAD AI Forum Americas 2026, bringing together leaders from business, academia, investment and technology around a shared goal: creating a trusted forum for dialogue on the forces shaping the future. The launch introduced the Council’s mission, founding community and ambition to turn cross-sector exchange into ongoing learning, collaboration and impact. (Launched at the INSEAD AI Forum Americas 2026.)
KNOWLEDGE: Growth Through Sustainability, Backed by Data
Read the latest INSEAD Knowledge piece co-authored by Professor Karel Cool and IFC member Solera, exploring how sustainability, data and innovation can work together to drive both growth and competitive advantage.
OpenAI X INSEAD
Learn more about the latest collaboration between IFC member OpenAI and INSEAD
The Innovation Pendulum & Shared Wisdom
Drawing on Alex “Sandy” Pentland’s (Stanford HAI, MIT) work on collective intelligence and Michael Liou’s (Main Character Capital) perspective from venture and technology, the INSEAD Future Council explored how ideas move between academia and industry — and how shared knowledge, AI and changing models of expertise are reshaping innovation and learning. Moderated by Heinz Blennemann (Blennemann Family Investments). (Part of the INSEAD AI Forum Americas 2026.)
Bifurcation and Collaboration: Knowledge Security, Geopolitical Talent Shifts, and the Rise of Physical AI
Against a backdrop of shifting geopolitical tensions, the INSEAD Future Council brought together Zhang Qingquan (Science and Technology Section, Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco), Paul Manwell (Archimetis), Emmanuel “Manny” Benhamou (EAIGG) and Gerard de Graaf (European Union), moderated by Jing Liao (Solera Foundation), to examine how innovation ecosystems are diverging — and where collaboration still has room to grow. Pengfei Gao (Science and Technology Counselor, Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco) also joined the session. (Part of the INSEAD AI Forum Americas 2026.)
Future of Learning & Research
The INSEAD Future Council featured Yossi Matias (Vice President, Google & Head of Google Research) in a conversation moderated by Heinz Blennemann (Blennemann Family Investments), exploring how AI is changing the way knowledge is created, discovered and shared — from accelerating scientific research and expanding access to expertise to reshaping education and the future of learning. (Part of the INSEAD AI Forum Americas 2026.)
Leadership
Senior Director, INSEAD San Francisco Hub for Business Innovation
Founding Cohort
Managing Director, INNOVIT
Managing Partner, BGV; Founder, Ethical AI Governance Group
Executive Director FACC California, SF–LA
Head of EAIGG Europe & Co-Founder, Asenion
CEO, Swissnex
Managing Director, EAIGG
Regional Director, Americas, Singapore Economic Decelopment Board
Chief Administration Officer, Solera Inc.
Managing Partner, Loyal VC
Managing Director, Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at UChicago; Former Chicago Deputy Mayor
Executive Director, Head of AI Research Center (ARC), Gilead
Ambassadors
Principal, Blennemann Family Investments
Venture Partner, Main Character Capital
Global Executive, Entrepreneur & Growth Advisor
Founding Member Organizations
