Benjamin J. Butler is a British-born futurist, storyteller, writer, and philosopher with a diverse background spanning finance, investment, and holistic thinking. He supports and advises leaders on predicting and reimagining the future. He is Founder of the Embassy of the Future and sits on a number of boards or advisory positions as a futurist including the United Nations Resilience Frontiers (UNFCCC), World Economic Forum Global Future Council, American Renewable Energy Institute, Horasis, Stop Ecocide and the Athena School of Management.
Benjamin left the U.K. a week after his last university exam and ” has been on the road ever since”; his adventures and conversations with frontier thinkers provide inspiration for his insights. He regularly provokes and inspires audiences at international conferences on global issues and long term futures.
During his career on Wall Street and in global finance, he became known for accurately forecasting major market trends, such as the Dotcom crash, the 2008 financial crisis, and the crypto boom. He co-founded Mind Fund, an early investor in TikTok, and wrote the International Column for the Dow Theory Letters alongside Wall Street legend Richard Russell. Over the past 25 years, Benjamin has lived across Asia—particularly Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong—fluently speaking Japanese and studying Chinese philosophy, Zen, and the Tao. In recent years he has began spending time in Latin America, inspired by both the ancient indigenous cultures as well as the heart-centred modern culture.
Writing
His writings and talks explore humanity’s future, emphasizing a shift toward a technologically advanced, ecologically conscious civilization, often integrating themes of collective intelligence, cultural renaissance, and decentralized systems like Bitcoin.
Benjamin is working on a number of books including an autobiography as well as The Futurist: A Prophecy, a dialogue between a futurist and a young Japanese woman named Kokoro, exploring the future and addressing topics like communication, money, ecology, and evolution.
The alternative resume is here for deeper reflections.
“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind wake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible”
Lawrence of Arabia
More formal resume is here on LinkedIn.
How my experience helps you?
My experience is that many people are confused about the future as we face several tsunamis of change. Clearly as the age of Robots and AI is upon us many are fearful about their jobs. But its so much more than that. Exponential technologies will affect every facet of our lives and the world of 2030 is going to be very different from today. In addition, political and social tsunamis of change are upon us. Our old institutions are no longer capable of functioning in the emerging new world.
My experience in exploring the future could be useful as you endeavour to look forwards and imagine tomorrow’s world. And perhaps more importantly, to guide you on your journey into the future. I have been coaching and advising leaders throughout my career on how to deal with uncertainty and the psychology of change. I have come to realise that finding your unique purpose and passion in life, is not merely a luxury but essential in these challenging times.