MasterCraft Series - Stewardship and the Future - Leading Beyond the Short Term

Sophie Howe

Described by The Guardian as ‘the Worlds First Minister of the Unborn’ Sophie Howe was the worlds first Future Generations Commissioner and for the last seven years has held a legal mandate to be the ‘guardian of the interests of the future generations of Wales.’ In this role she has led high profile interventions holding the Government to account on how they have considered future generations in their policy making and has secured fundamental changes to transport planning and education policies ensuring they are fit for the future generations.

She has served as an Adviser to two of Wales First Ministers and has advised the UN Secretary General on governance for intergenerational equity. She has been a significant voice in the United Nations passing the first Declaration on Future Generations and has influenced the development of similar approaches in Australia, India, Kenya, Cameroon, the EU, Scotland, Ireland and the UK. She is a TED speaker and has shared platforms with HRH Prince Williams Hollywood Superstars Michael Sheen and Chris Hemsworth as well as The Pope. She was named as no 5 the BBC Women’s Power List 2020.

She runs her own advisory business supporting governments and progressive corporates to implement sustainability wellbeing and future generations thinking. She is a Global Ambassador for the Wellbeing Economics Alliance and holds roles advising on wellbeing economics and future governance with the School of International Futures and Apolitical supporting 150k public officials across the world to develop skills for 21st century governments

Will Hartigan

Will Hartigan is a leading Australian expert in futures thinking and strategic foresight, with extensive experience leading futures teams and initiatives across multiple government departments. He most recently led the landmark Policy Fit for the Future project at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet — an APS Reform initiative that delivered strategic futures projects across the Australian Government to build capability and support long-term, cross-government policy analysis on emerging issues. The project culminated in the release of the Australian Government Futures Primer, a practical guide co-developed with the Futures Hub for applying futures thinking to policy development and advice.

Will brings deep policy experience across innovation, geopolitics, entrepreneurship and technology, with a focus on strategy and analysis. His background also includes executive roles in the tech sector and consulting work on startup strategy, scenario planning and business growth for multinational companies and state governments. Will holds a Master of International Affairs from the Australian National University.

Andrew Morgan  

Andrew Morgan is a Sir Roland Wilson Scholar whose thesis examined how policy bureaucrats manage uncertainty in the Australian Public Service, with a particular focus on the role of stewardship in navigating complexity. His research offers valuable insights into how public servants can better anticipate, adapt to, and lead through uncertain and rapidly changing environments.

Andrew works at the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, where he has built a broad and distinguished career across some of Australia's most complex policy challenges. A 2021 Joan Uhr Prize winner and 2015 Churchill Fellow, he brings extensive experience across climate, transport, safety, health and environmental policy, as well as governance, planning and evaluation.

Andrew's interest in futures thinking stems from a conviction that good stewardship requires looking beyond immediate pressures to consider the long-term consequences of today's decisions. He brings both scholarly rigour and practical policy experience to his role as facilitator, making him well placed to draw out the connections between futures analysis and stewardship accountability.