Sheryl Connelly

Sheryl Connelly, known for her unique ability to translate how consumer and lifestyle trends will impact organizations across industry sectors, outlines how to develop a futuring mindset. Connelly's expertise lies in forecasting potential influences on customer attitudes and behavioral patterns that directly impact business strategy.

As a corporate futurist for more than two decades, Connelly has honed her skills at identifying what’s coming around the corner. Prior to her retirement in 2022, she served as the Chief Futurist for Ford Motor Company for 27 years, leading a team responsible for tracking global consumer trends and supporting long-term strategy. In this role, she was twice named by Fast Company as one of its “100 Most Creative People in Business,” and TechWeek listed her among its “Top 100 Innovators”. Additionally, she has been recognized by Forbes Magazine as one of the Most Influential Women in Futuring and one of the top Female Futurists.

Connelly's insights into "what’s next" help explain how STEEP factors—social, technological, economic, environmental, and political trends—will affect short- and long-term business. From population growth to the proliferation of technology to mindfulness and the tiny home movement, Connelly’s big-picture outlook ensures organizational leaders recognize and take advantage of the trends that shape the way we live. Her work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Financial Times, Forbes, and the BBC.

Aside from her work with Ford, Connelly has sat on the Global Advisory Committee on transportation for the World Economic Forum in 2015 and 2016, and served on the Advisory Council on Transportation to the same forum. She has been a featured speaker at TED Global, TED Unplugged, and TED2018, and has made appearances on CBS’s “This Morning," CNBC’s “Fast Money,” and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Connelly has also shared her insights as a guest lecturer at University of Michigan Ross School, UCLA Berkeley Haas School of Business, and Michigan State University. Prior to her career in futurism, she practiced law. In addition to a juris doctorate, Connelly holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and a master’s in business administration. When her schedule permits, she teaches design research at Center for Creative Studies in Detroit.