A selection of testimonials about my work
"I cannot speak highly enough of Woody, his knowledge of the industry, or to the benefits scenario planning will bring to [our division]. With the heightened uncertainty and volatility that doing business internationally brings, scenario planning positions [us] to be nimble and prepared to quickly change course in response to external factors outside of our control."
Mary Lynn Elizondo, Chief Human Resources Officer
Marriott International
USA
"My team and I had the pleasure of working with Woody Wade to examine potential threats our country might face a decade from now. Woody's experience and knowledge was obvious in his approach to delivery and in his facilitation of the workshop, which forced us to think about the future in ways some of us had not in the past. The alternative scenarios that we generated provided us with a better understanding of what the future might realistically hold – for our unit and the country as a whole. It enabled my team to think beyond the ordinary planning thought systems, gain a better understanding of how the future landscape might evolve, identify opportunities and challenges that could arise, as well as design appropriate threat mitigation procedures. I would highly recommend Woody to any organization that is really interested in a long-view approach to decision-making.”
David Anyanwu, Manager
Integrated Threat Assessment Centre
Office of the Prime Minister
Trinidad & Tobago
“Woody led a large-scale workshop at our company’s annual General Management Meeting to look at ‘The Future of the Global Oil and Gas Industry’ ten years in the future. The exercise culminated in a separate wrap-up session where Woody presented key elements of the scenarios we had generated, and our CEO commented on the strategic implications of each one. It was a very interesting process, and feedback was excellent from all sides. We appreciated not only Woody’s thinking and on-stage style, but also the innovation and planning he put into making the workshop a success. Very professional, and a lot of fun, too!”
Johanna Strengers, Global Brand and Event Manager
CGG
France
“Woody demonstrated the power of scenario thinking by enabling the participants at our workshop (senior strategy officers from several major companies in Japan representing diverse segments of the Japanese economy) to visualize and describe 4 different ways ‘The Future of Japan’ could unfold. Everyone was truly impressed that he was able to grasp the interrelationships between so many potential driving forces so quickly, and foster a consensus among us all on the country’s critical uncertainties for the year 2024. It was a big ‘Aha!’ experience for everyone.”
Takahiko Nomura, Professor
Kanazawa Institute of Technology
Japan
“I had the pleasure of working with Woody while he was a keynote for HFTP’s inaugural HITEC Amsterdam. Woody’s presentation was both thought-provoking and highly applicable, not only to a business environment but also to one’s personal career planning. Very well received and easy to apply.”
Carson Booth, CEO
Snapshot
Germany
"When we contacted Woody to…design our scenario planning activity, we knew we had found a partner that would go the extra mile. In this case it was a change in venue that required flying to meet and work with us in Barcelona. Our project — developing likely business scenarios around ‘Augmented Reality in 2020’ — is highly successful in no small measure as a result of the support we received from Woody. He quickly learned about a totally new topic and enthusiastically applied his approach to our objectives. Working with Woody, we have a better understanding of the risks and the possibilities, and are taking actions in preparation for the future. Everyone is very pleased with the high-quality workshop results we achieved with his help."
Christine Perey
Augmented reality expert
Switzerland
“At the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai, Woody conducted a one-hour ‘speed scenario’ workshop that ended up generating four different business landscapes that developers of luxury properties in the Middle East might face in ten years’ time. The energy level was high throughout the session and at the end, the participants were clamouring for more. Excellent feedback from the delegates.”
Jonathan Worsley, Chairman and CEO
Bench events
United Kingdom
“As a long term investment and development organisation, we truly appreciate the role of scenario planning in our business and the economy in general. To enhance awareness on the topic among decision-makers, we conducted a one day workshop on scenario planning. It was an absolute delight to work with Woody who delivered a very informative, engaging and case study-based workshop with clear linkage to Oman. The overall response from the attendees was very encouraging. We look forward to working with Woody in delivering another presentation and highly recommend him for his expertise on scenario planning."
Rizwan Malik, Strategic Planning & Development Manager
muscat national development and investment company
Sultanate of Oman
“Woody brings a thought-provoking, intelligent, engaging approach to the topic of scenario planning which I do highly recommend. It is such an important topic and yet so rarely truly understood or time committed to the subject. Too often, senior decision makers just react and respond to situations unfolding in front of them. Woody brings alive the importance of planning, working through solutions in advance and understanding both the market and audiences.
We have used Woody for events and he is a very engaging speaker. More importantly, I would urge most boards to use Woody to help challenge their own thinking and perspectives. The world is changing at no little speed, and having someone of Woody's pedigree working alongside can only be of benefit.”
Chris Sheppardson, CEO
EP Business in Hospitality
United Kingdom
“I met Woody at a conference in London and thought that scenario planning could be very useful to the work of our unit. I therefore invited Woody for a session on ‘The Private Fundraising Landscape in Emerging Countries in 2025’, at a time when our unit is planning its work and activities for the years ahead. This session proved to be very useful as it generated a lot of ideas and helped us organize our thoughts and our planning accordingly. The great style in which Woody presents his method and runs the session is very conducive to create the kind of environment in which ideas emerge and are discussed within the team. He has a great talent to connect rapidly with the specificity of a given industry/organization and with the different people of the team. This session not only helped us in defining our strategy but was also a great team bonding exercise. We thank Woody for his professionalism and great insight.”
Marek Resich, Head of Unit, New & Prospective Donors
INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS
Switzerland