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RAFAEL POPPER

FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY

Rafael is our foresight guru - a powerhouse of intellect, creativity, and leadership, whose impact is felt far beyond the walls of the company. A true trailblazer in his industry, a big-picture thinker, but also a master of the details. His mind is as sharp as a freshly sharpened pencil, and his unwavering confidence allows him to fearlessly navigate any challenge. However, beneath his formidable exterior lies a delightful sense of humour, making him an absolute joy to collaborate with. With an ethos of "work hard, play hard," he seamlessly balances his fierce ambition with a light-hearted approach, creating an inspiring and enjoyable work environment.

Dr. Popper is Founder, Chief Scientific Advisor (CSA), and Co-Director of Futures Capacity at Futures Diamond Ltd (UK). He is also Adjunct Professor in Futures Studies, Foresight and Innovation Management at the Finland Futures Research Centre of the University of Turku (Finland), and has been Director of several Executive Education courses on Foresight at the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIOIR) of the University of Manchester (UK).

Dr. Popper is also Co-Founder and Director of the Centre for Foresight and Internationalisation at Technology Partners in Poland (TP-CFI). This new Research Centre, established in an independent non-profit RTO with over two decades of track record in successful collaborative research at European and global levels, succeeds the pilot and award-winning Łukasiewicz – Centre for Foresight and Internationalisation (CFI), which was also founded and led by Dr. Popper for the mainly government-funded Łukasiewicz Research Network until May 2023.

Dr. Popper was also Principal Scientist in Business, Innovation and Foresight at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. (2016-2021) and Principal Investigator in several research and technology development (RTD) projects while working at the University of Manchester from 2002-2017. He has won a few awards, including two Emerald Literati Awards for Outstanding and Highly Commended Papers and one Economics Award on ‘Breakthrough Solution’ for creating the Centre for Foresight and Internationalisation in Poland.

Dr. Popper has over 20 years of experience working as foresight and innovation policy consultant for several international organizations including the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), European Commission, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank, and for several public and private organisations in Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East.

LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafaelpopper/