Why Work with Melissa Sterry?

With a distinguished career spanning more than two decades, Melissa has established herself as a thought leader at the intersection of human and natural systems. She provides strategic foresight to multinational corporations, governments, research institutions, and pioneering start-ups seeking a competitive advantage through first-to-market innovation, resilience-building, and sustainability-driven transformation.

Her expertise is sought across diverse sectors, including architecture, urban planning, infrastructure, utilities, manufacturing, and communications. As a chartered scientist with a transdisciplinary PhD at the interface of Earth, ecological, and human systems, she has an unparalleled understanding of the local and global catalysts of change — how and why emerging discoveries, innovations, inventions, and trends disrupt industries and create new opportunities. Using methodologies such as scenario planning, horizon scanning, speculative design, and systems thinking, while also drawing on her copious experience at the coalface of innovation and enterprise, she enables businesses and institutions to anticipate risks and harness innovations before they become mainstream.

Sustainability, Regenerative Design, and Climate Resilience

Sustainability is at the core of Melissa’s work. Recognising the urgent need for climate adaptation and environmental responsibility, she helps organisations integrate regenerative principles into their operations. Her expertise extends across climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, circular economy strategies, and sustainable innovation, assisting clients in reducing ecological footprints while creating lasting economic and societal value.

Melissa has founded and led several first-in-kind initiatives exploring bio-inspired urban systems, nature-based solutions, and biomimicry-led design, and held board-level roles in pioneering sustainability start-ups and other initiatives across sectors including film, media, publishing, design, education, awards, the arts, and more. Her work moves beyond traditional sustainability models, advocating for regenerative solutions that actively restore ecosystems and enhance resilience to environmental threats such as wildfires, extreme weather events, and resource scarcity. Among her many credentials in the field, she has a PhD in building architectural and urban resilience to natural hazards, fellowships with distinguished institutions such as the Design Reseach Society and the Institute of Science and Technology, chartered status with the Science Council, and is a Design Council network expert.

Board-Level Advisory and Executive Strategy

Melissa is a trusted advisor to executive leadership teams, board members, and policymakers, offering high-level guidance on future-proofing business models, investment strategies, and operational frameworks. Her track record includes advising major corporations, including Toyota, Unilever, Vodafone, and the World Bank, among others.

By leveraging scientific research, emerging technological trends, and socio-political insights, she equips decision-makers with the knowledge to navigate uncertainty with confidence. Her executive workshops, masterclasses, and bespoke roundtables provide in-depth explorations of industry-specific future scenarios, empowering leaders to drive meaningful, sustainable change.

Biofuturism, Biodesign, and Nature-Inspired Innovation

Melissa is globally recognised for her work in biofuturism, examining how nature’s strategies can inform human innovation. Her pioneering projects include:

• Bionic City® (Est. 2010): Investigating how cities could be designed if inspired by nature’s systems and principles.

• Panarchic Codex® (Est. 2018): Researching wildfire resilience through biomimetic architectural and urban design.

• Bioratorium® and Labioratorium® (Est. 2019): Exploring bio-informed technologies, materials, and systems for future industries.

Her contributions to biodesign and biomaterials stretch back to the 1990s, when she developed the first biodegradable fashion collection. Today, her consultancy supports organisations in integrating bio-inspired strategies into architecture, urban planning, product design, and manufacturing, fostering sustainable and adaptive innovation.

Speculative Futures and Creative Foresight

Beyond conventional foresight methodologies, Melissa is an authority in speculative design and design fiction, using creative foresight to explore possible futures. Her climate and science fiction work has gained recognition in prestigious competitions and has influenced research, design, and media narratives. She has advised journalists, editors, media figures, filmmakers, and designers on near and far-future storytelling, providing scientifically grounded insights to shape compelling, plausible future worlds.

Her projects, such as Future in Flash™, have explored climate fiction through mixed media, engaging audiences in thought-provoking discussions on future scenarios and environmental resilience.

Thought Leadership and Global Influence

Melissa’s impact has been widely recognised through numerous international accolades, including:

• Voted one of the Top 20 Speakers Shaping the Future of Sustainability at an executive board level (2024)

• Woman Icon of the Year – International Inspirational Women Awards (2024)

• Mensa Education and Research Foundation International Award for Intellgence that Benefits Society (2010)

• 40 Over 40 ‘Women to Watch’ Honoree (US)

• Listed in the Libertine 100 – 100 women with world-changing ideas (UK)

• Ranked among the Top 100 Most Influential Futurists worldwide

• Ranked among the Top 30 Women Futurists worldwide

• Ranked a Top 20 Global Futurist

Regularly featured in global media, her insights have appeared in leading publications, including the BBC, Forbes, The Guardian, The Financial Times, and national newspapers across several continents, and over 450 titles spanning consumer, trade, and academic press. She has been cited in books such as Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk and has delivered more than 100 keynotes at high-profile international conferences.

Future-Proofing Organisations in an Era of Uncertainty

The world is changing at an unprecedented pace. Organisations that fail to anticipate and adapt to future disruptions risk obsolescence. Unlike generic trend analysts, Melissa provides tailored, research-driven strategies that translate into tangible business opportunities, risk mitigation, and long-term value creation. Her consultancy works across industries to develop future-fit strategies that balance economic growth with environmental and social responsibility.

Melissa works with organisations in multiple capacities, including:

• Advising executive boards on catalysing, scaling, and managing pioneering sustainable innovation at regional, national, and global levels.

• Strategic briefings on troubleshooting research, development, communications, and commercial sustainability start-up challenges.

• Designing and leading sustainable innovation and enterprise research and education programmes.

• Authoring and co-authoring white papers and seminal reports on how sustainable innovation can address complex environmental and societal issues.

• Delivering insights on sustainability, innovation, and enterprise in keynotes, fireside chats, and interviews, both in-person and online.

• Media figurehead and presenter for sustainable innovation-led campaigns across print, digital, radio, television, and film.

• Consulting for film, television, and media companies on emerging and near-future scientific, technological, engineering, and design breakthroughs.

• Conceptualising ground-breaking design solutions at the interface of human and non-human, biotic, and abiotic systems.

Work with Melissa Sterry

For organisations seeking world-class foresight, sustainable innovation, and visionary leadership, Melissa Sterry provides consultancy services designed to unlock potential and future-proof operations. Whether advising on strategic foresight, regenerative design, or disruptive innovation, her expertise empowers businesses to lead in an era of complexity and change.

Future-proof your organisation with expert insights and transformative strategies.

Get in touch to explore how Melissa Sterry can help your organisation navigate emerging challenges and seize new opportunities.