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Featured Futurist: The Climb to Digital Transformation, Cherwell
Digital transformation programs were already being prioritised before Covid-19 arrived, but post Covid they're going to be supercharged.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2020) 'Featured Futurist: The Climb to Digital Transformation, Cherwell', 311 Institute, 20 May. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/featured-futurist-the-climb-to-digital-transformation-cherwell/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Firstly, a big thanks to Ann and the team at Cherwell Software who in 2018 invited me to be their keynote speaker at their annual European Conference in Reading in the UK alongside the amazing Sir Ranulph Finnes, and then again asked me to participate at this year’s conference albeit that this year it turned out that Covid-19 had a distinctly different agenda for us all in store which resulted in that particular events cancellation.
Still, never ones to be outdone by a virus or a pandemic we of course went digital instead and now that companies around the world are all announcing their plans to accelerate their digital transformation programs post Covid-19 it seems that the trend that was already at the top of everyone’s minds has now just been supercharged.
With all this in mind then the series that Cherwell, I and others have been contributing to and developing over the years now seems more pertinent than ever, so if you’re wondering where to begin when we enter the “new normal” of the “new world” then here’s as good a place as any.
So sit back, enjoy a rewind and watch last year’s Cherwell keynote, and if you want to push your digital thinking to the maximum then why not have a look at some of my other keynotes on the Future of the Workplace with Accenture and the Future of the Workplace with Aon.
A FUTURISTS POINT OF VIEW
Ask yourself this question: If you could envision the future accurately how do you think that would alter the way you design and develop your company's digital transformation programs? For example, would human-like avatars that sell to and serve your customers come into your mind, and how would the emergence of a fully autonomous and automated new competitor change your vision? These are just two of millions of future narratives that are already here and being spun up by companies - the future is not what you think.
In this Cherwell blog I discuss some of the new style thinking that I, as a Futurist, think companies should be thinking about, and if you are still hungry for more then feel free to explore our first of a kind Codex of the Future series.
START THE CLIMB
One of the greatest challenges with any new program, especially in an age where disruption is the only constant, is determining where to begin, so in this series I and others explore the barriers to overcome and the success factors needed to develop, implement, and execute future fit digital transformation initiatives, and we discuss this in the following guide. Click here for the source if you can't see the embedded content below.
This is not the end ...
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Digital transformation programs were already being prioritised before Covid-19 arrived, but post Covid they're going to be supercharged.

About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Cherwell software 311institue.com
- Future of the Workplace 311institue.com
- Accenture 311institue.com
- Future of the Workplace 311institue.com
- Aon 311institue.com
- Digital humans 311institue.com
- sell to and serve your customers 311institue.com
- fully autonomous and automated new competitor 311institue.com
- this Cherwell blog cherwell.com
- Digital transformation cherwell.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 20 May 2020. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2020). Featured Futurist: The Climb to Digital Transformation, Cherwell. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/featured-futurist-the-climb-to-digital-transformation-cherwell/
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