Gil Friend

We live in a time of staggering uncertainty—climate chaos, economic turbulence, political polarization, and the disruptive force of AI. As Antonio Gramsci warned one hundred years ago, “”The old world is dying, and the new struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”

So how do we navigate this transition? How do we make sense of the chaos, craft resilient strategies, and cultivate equanimity, grace, and power?

The answer, Gil Friend has discovered, lies in reimagining business and the human economy as though we truly belong to the living world—and to each other. Drawing on nature’s 3.8 billion years of open-source R&D, he offers four guiding principles, common mistakes to avoid, and an action plan for reorienting—and leading.

For leaders looking for a compass to help navigate in a time of shifting landscapes, this session will challenge you, inspire you, and equip you to shape the new world that is rapidly emerging.

Too many companies still see sustainability as an expensive luxury—something to invest in “”if and when we can afford it””—rather than a strategic imperative.

The problem isn’t that sustainability doesn’t make business sense—it’s that you’re looking through the wrong lens. The reality? You’re already paying for it—through hidden costs, unseen risks, and value leaks buried deep in your balance sheet.

Gil Friend reveals how CFOs and CSOs—not only CEOs and COOs—can unlock massive untapped value by identifying the submerged risks and overlooked opportunities already shaping their bottom line. You’ll learn why traditional financial metrics have you flying blind, how to apply a “future-fit” business lens, and why putting Nature on your board might be the smartest governance decision you’ll ever make.

If you’re ready to move beyond quarterly capitalism and build a resilient, profitable future, Mr. Friend will show you where the real money is hiding—in plain sight—and how to capture it.

Is AI merely the hype du jour or about to transform the world more profoundly than any technology since fire. What does AI mean for the deeper challenges we face—sustainability, human connection, and the way we build our world?

Gil Friend cuts through the noise to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, augmented intelligence, and nature’s intelligence—and why language is the key to making sense of it all. He’ll unpack current challenges, emerging opportunities, and practical applications, and reveal the five critical communication mistakes most organizations make—with both their AI systems and their people.

You’ll learn how leading companies are using AI not just for efficiency but to drive innovation and identify opportunities that mitigate risks threatening long-term profitability. You’ll leave with a practical understanding of how to harness these powerful tools in service of both innovation and planetary health.

Whether you’re navigating AI, climate risk, or the future of work, whether you’re running a business or running a city, Mr. Friend will give you the insights you need to lead with clarity and courage.

You’ve heard the phrase “waste, fraud, and abuse” tossed around in politics and finance—but the real story is deeper. Through a provocative examination of the “cheater economics” that weaken modern companies and market economies, Gil Friend exposes the structural defects that threaten capitalism as we know it, and offers a practical theory of change that moves beyond lofty purpose statements to actionable strategies, and a prosperous path forward.

He explores how even small organizations can drive meaningful change within their spheres of influence, through federated networks—local, bioregional, national, and global—that may hold the key to transformative economic models—at municipal as well as national scale—that honor both human and natural systems.

Mr. Friend provides a rare combination of systemic critique and pragmatic optimism, equipping leaders to participate in reshaping economic relationships for a more resilient, regenerative future.