Trendwatcher Adjiedj Bakas is a much sought-after speaker for conferences, strategy sessions and other business gatherings. He is captivating, stimulating, visionary, humorous, inspirational, challenging, and accessible. He is provocative but always positive, even in these times of economic decline, hence a favourite phrase is: ‘A kite rises highest when it flies against the wind.’
He lectures internationally, and in his 200 speaking engagements per year can reach and inspire up to 200,000 people worldwide. The topics he covers take in a broad range of interests and sectors. He can speak to entrepreneurs about future-oriented entrepreneurship, to bankers about the banking of the future, to IT professionals about the role of IT in peoples’ lifestyles, and to builders and developers about the future of construction. He can also speak about trends in the labour market, in the healthcare sector and about the future of public administration. His work is always well grounded in research information about trends and the future, but never fails to entertain. Unorthodox, optimistic, inspirational and animated: he is one of the most appealing speakers currently available.
Bakas is a born optimist. ‘When my grandmother was young, housekeeping was a full-time job. She didn’t have a refrigerator, freezer, vacuum cleaner, toilet, washing machine or supermarket. Now it’s possible to do the housekeeping in just a fraction of the time. That is a terrific advance isn’t it?’ Bakas’ view is that the human race is continually making such advancements and that every crisis offers the potential for new improvements, even if this throws some people off course. ‘Look at the facts: there is less hunger in the world than ever before, there are fewer wars. The human race is richer than ever and there is a better distribution of wealth. Humans are fantastically inventive creatures!’ This inventiveness leads to huge potential for innovation. In his book Beyond the Crisis he describes the opportunities created by the economic global crisis for real entrepreneurship and for a real transformation of the economy. ‘Difficulties are just opportunities with spikes,’ says Bakas. ‘For example, a lower exchange rate for the Euro means cheaper and expanding export opportunities for European exporters.’
Despite his infectious optimism, Bakas is also alive to ‘the reverse side of advancement’. When working on his book The Future of Love he found that one in four Dutch people are lonely; that 30% of Americans have fewer friends than people did twenty years ago; that 20% of Americans have absolutely no intimate friends. As a result, Bakas concludes that loneliness will become one of the hottest topics of the coming years. ‘In a time when we have more means of communication than ever before, more people feel lonelier than has ever been the case in the past’. According to Bakas, happiness can be created; it is a question of making sensible choices. ‘Unhappy people get just as many chances at happiness as happy people. But unhappy people often don’t see them.’
Bakas has a unique ability to link economic and spiritual themes. In his book The Future of Faith he shows how economic trends run parallel to spiritual trends. He predicts the emergence of the ‘Personal God,’ created by and for every individual, which fits in with peoples’ growing spiritual awareness. He calls the environmental movement the ‘Green Church’ and predicts that in the twenty-first century it will become the largest church in the world.
Bakas has written various bestsellers about the future that have been published in the Netherlands, the US, China, Brazil, England and other countries. His English language titles include: The Future of Faith, Beyond the Crisis, World Megatrends and, co-authored with Rob Creemers, Living Without Oil. His Dutch language titles include: The Future of Work (co-authored with Martijn van der Woude), The Future of Love and Microtrends The Netherlands. He is currently working on The Future of Health.
Bakas was elected ‘Trendwatcher of the Year 2009’ and ‘Black Businessman of the Year 2008.’ He is in the top ten list of most frequently booked speakers in the Netherlands. Trade journal Management Team recently voted him one of the 25 most creative Dutch people, and innovation magazine Sprout voted him one of the 50 most influential Dutch people under 50 years of age. The Dutch Marketers’ Association elected him the most influential trendwatcher in the country.
He is considered to be ‘eminent’ (Dutch TV show - De Wereld Draait Door – The World’s Going Crazy), ‘approachable’ (De Telegraaf newspaper),‘unorthodox’ (Het Financieele Dagblad newspaper), ‘Europe’s best trendwatcher’ (Story), ‘prominent’ (De Volkskrant newspaper), ‘well-founded’ (NRC Handelsblad newspaper), ‘the personification of advancement’ (Elsevier), ‘not commonplace’ (Intermediair magazine), ‘original’ (Elle magazine), ‘unusual’ (Linda magazine),‘exciting’ (Esta magazine), ‘optimistic’ (CNN), ‘inspirational’ (BBC), ‘provocative’ (TV2 Newscast Denmark), ‘festive’ (Quote), ‘a real citizen of the world’ (Times of India), ‘a major trendwatcher’( China Daily), and ‘an oracle’ (Zero Hora, Brazil).
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Adjiedj Bakas was born of Indian parents in 1963 into a family of teachers in Suriname and has lived and worked in the Netherlands since 1983. With roots in three continents, he is at home everywhere. He is widely travelled, erudite and combines craftsmanship and knowledge with a large dose of humour. He runs his own trend practice and utilises his own research and that of various other (inter)national partners and parties. He has worked in broadcasting and was the director of the trend communication agency Dexter bv. He studied Dutch (specialising in Communication skills) in Utrecht (1983-1987) and is currently a visiting lecturer at various universities and colleges in a range of countries, including the Netherlands, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, London, Suriname and Recife (Brazil).
Age: 46 years
Lives in: Main home in Amsterdam – South: nineteenth century merchant house
Education: Communication, University of Utrecht (1987)
Love: Married to Vinco David. No children (but I do have art!)
Favourite country: Germany, beautiful country, beautiful and innovative people
Favourite holiday destination: Brazil, lively cities, bubbly people
Hobbies: Impassioned art collector, travelling and reading
Hours worked each week: 60 hours
Superpower: Making people feel cheerful
Motto: Laughter is the shortest distance between two people
1967 – 1982: Lower and secondary school in Paramaribo, Suriname
1983: Moved to the Netherlands
1983 – 1987: Studied Dutch language and literature, University of Utrecht
1989 – 2006: Director– owner Dexter Communication
2005: Publication of bestseller Megatrends the Netherlands, first in a series of trend books
2007 and ongoing: Trend Office BAKAS
2008: Black Businessman of the Year
2009: Trendwatcher of the Year and publication of English-language trend series
2010: Publication of five trend books in Brazilian Portuguese
