Futures for Public Policy

16 Sep 2025 To 19 Sep 2025

(4 Days Programme)

9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

(Singapore time)

About The Programme

Futures Thinking enhances the capacity of policymakers to anticipate change in complex environments, surface hidden assumptions, and to uncover weaknesses and inflexibilities in their organisations. Futures Thinking plays an important role in provoking policymakers out of their comfort zones, to consider the bigger systemic context beyond their immediate domains, and to activate the imagination, at both the individual and organisational levels, so that the future is not simply a linear extrapolation of the present.

To think about the Future has never been more relevant as we seek to make sense of our place in a landscape of rapid and profound change. Given the ever-increasing disruptions that policymakers face in their various policy domains, and where complex interconnections between socio-economic, political, technological and environmental forces are poorly understood, Futures Thinking helps to sensitise organisations to fundamental surprise by rehearsing for different futures, thus deepening their agility and resilience.

In this run of Futures for Public Policy, we will deep dive into the Future of Work, where we uncover the future challenges and opportunities in the evolving landscape of work, workforce and workplace and investigate the implications on economic and social policy. By applying our Futures Thinking to the world of work, we will explore possible future scenarios facing workers, employers and society at large, and examine the impact of these global trends on Singapore and beyond.

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

Learning Outcomes

Gain new perspectives or uncover different approaches to your current processes through an exchange of ideas and sharing with other professionals.
Understand the philosophical underpinnings of Futures Thinking, and how it complements the strategic planning process in public policy organisations.
Develop the necessary skills in executing a Scenario Planning project focusing on the Future of Work, including scoping the project, planning scenario workshops, the development of scenario narrative frameworks, and communicating scenarios.
Learn the latest tools and frameworks that augment the Scenario Planning method, such as Causal Layered Analysis (CLA), Futures Wheel, and Dator’s Four Futures framework.

Target Audience

This programme is designed for:

Policy analysts, researchers, managers and domain specialists who have responsibilities for long-term strategic and policy formulation for their organisations.
Middle and senior level managers who might be commissioners and end-users of futures products such as scenarios and horizon-scanning reports.
Individuals who wish to gain a more future-oriented mindset and develop their futures thinking and foresight skills.

Programme Format

This will be an on-campus programme that consists of lectures, group activities, and panel discussions with faculty.
Attendance for all in-person sessions is compulsory.
Maximum class size of 30 people.

At the end of this programme, you will be conferred a Certificate of Completion.

Enrol In This
Programme Now

Application Deadline: 29 August 2025

APPLY NOW

Programme Dates

Dates: 16 – 19 September 2025

Time: 9am – 5pm (Singapore time)

Programme Fees

S$3,984* + 9% GST (Early Bird from now till 29 July 2025. Early Bird discount is also applicable to all LKY School Degree Programme/Executive Education Programme Alumni)

S$4,980* + 9% GST (Standard fee)

Group package: One complimentary place will be offered for every 3 participants paying the standard fee.

*Fee is inclusive of lunch, refreshments and learning support materials.

Contact

Executive Education Department
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
National University of Singapore
469C Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259772

Email: lkysppfutures@nus.edu.sg

Our Faculty

CHERYL CHUNG, Senior Director (Insights and Strategy), The Majurity Trust

A seasoned public sector futurist, Cheryl has two decades of experience working with senior decision makers in Singapore and the region to identify trends, understand policy implications, create alternative scenarios and develop strategies to prepare for the future. She is an experienced and sought-after practitioner, educator, coach and speaker across the public, private and academic sectors. Her main focus is the intersection of technology, economic and regulatory policy. Cheryl is currently Senior DIrector (Insights and Strategy) at The Majurity Trust. Previously, she was the Head of Singapore for Kantar Public, a world-leading independent specialist research, evidence and advisory business focussed on the public realm. She joined Kantar Public from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy where she led strategic planning and government relations, and then as the Programme Director for Executive Education Singapore Futures, overseeing the Singapore and Open Enrolment markets, as well as establishing the School’s Futures training and consulting practice. She spent the majority of her career in the Singapore Government, working across policy, strategy, and futurist roles in various economic and infrastructure agencies, including the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Centre for Strategic Futures (under the Prime Minister’s Office), and the Ministry of Transport.

ADRIAN KUAH, Director of Futures Office, Office of the President at National University of Singapore

Dr Adrian Kuah is Director of Futures Office, Office of the President at National University of Singapore. His research interests include futures studies, complexity science and political philosophy (focusing on pragmatism). Adrian started his career in the civil service as an economist in the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He then worked in the private sector as a business strategy consultant before embarking on an academic career with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. As Assistant Professor in the Military Studies programme, he taught on the MSc programmes as well as the Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College's courses. He returned to the civil service in 2013 as Lead Strategist in the Centre for Strategic Futures, Strategic Policy Office, Prime Minister's Office, where he was involved in Whole-of-Government futures research and scenario planning. He led a team of researchers in analysing complex, cross-cutting public policy issues across the social, economic, infrastructure and security domains. He joined the LKY School in July 2015. Adrian obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Economics and Politics from the University of York, graduating with first class honours, followed by his Master of Arts degree in International Politics from the University of Warwick. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Defence Policy and Economics from Cranfield University, where his doctoral studies were fully funded by RSIS.

JARED POON, Founder, Counter-Fictional

Jared Poon runs Counter-Fictional, which aims to help individuals, teams, and organizations tell healthier stories about ourselves and one another. Previously, he was at Singapore's Prime Minister's Office (Strategy Group) as well as the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, doing whole-of-government capability building work in futures thinking and citizen engagement. He was part of the team who developed and designed the last two National Scenarios exercises for the Singapore government. He is currently a Fellow with the Lee Kuan Yew School for Public Policy, and Adjunct Faculty with the Chandler Institute for Governance. He obtained his PhD in Philosophy from the University of California, Davis, specializing in evolution and the objectivity of moral norms. He also holds an MA in Philosophy from the University of Florida, and a BA in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Virginia. Jared has taught and facilitated extensively, both in the US and in Singapore, both in the Public Service and outside, always with a focus on conversations of depth and meaning. He has a special interest in metaphors, storytelling games, and cats.

VICNAN P., Executive Education Fellow, LKYSPP

Vicnan is an Executive Education fellow and runs pluswhat, an independent consulting practice. His work borrows from both futures and systems thinking, and is predominantly focused on private sector complexity with a background in data science, tech, and management. He is also co-founder of Void Deck Collective - a holding company that searches, acquires, and operates enduringly profitable small and medium-sized enterprises in Singapore to keep them from closing when their founders retire.

NUS LKY