Marie Stafford tells stories about the future – the kind that help brands see around corners and seize opportunity before the competition. As Global Director and co-lead of VML Intelligence, VML's renowned foresight practice, she distils signals of disruption into clear, actionable strategies that enable global brands to navigate cultural and technological change with confidence.

Marie co-edits VML's flagship Future 100 trends report, now in its twelfth edition. Her futures research spans a wide range of themes from AI to inclusion, sustainability and immersive experience, and has earned industry-wide recognition. She led the "Inclusion's Next Wave" report which won the WPP Atticus "Creativity with Purpose" award for Original Thinking, and her work has even inspired a Hollywood film. Her insights have been featured by The New York Times, The Guardian, CNN, Ad Age and Fortune, and she contributes bylines to outlets like Campaign, Marketing, WARC and The Drum.

As a trusted foresight consultant, Marie partners with leadership teams across food and beverage, beauty, retail, technology, entertainment, energy and telecommunications, leading commissioned projects and strategic briefings that uncover new value, de-risk innovation, and build brand relevance. Clients include The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, Nestlé, Microsoft and more.

Marie is a sought-after international speaker, delivering keynote sessions and speaking on panels at premier events including Sustainable Brands, MIPCOM, Cannes, The Travel Convention and Advertising Week. She has also served on industry judging panels including the MMA SMARTIES Awards.

Committed to education, she regularly delivers futures and trends sessions, and this year takes trend forecasting to Parsons School of Design - the New School.

Through compelling storytelling and speculative scenarios, Marie helps leaders grasp the implications of emerging change and transform future risk into present advantage.