This GFC masterclass offered a compelling deep dive into how governments could navigate the turbulence of the coming decades. Jaana Tapanainen-Thiess revealed how Finland had been building future resilience through the world’s most ambitious whole-of-government foresight process. Participants were invited to explore the forces that shaped Finland’s long-term operating environment - and to discover how uncertainty might have unfolded toward 2045 through four scenarios blending geopolitical shifts, technological disruption, economic transformation, social change, and environmental pressures. But it went beyond scenarios. Jaana also opened the hood on Finland’s unique foresight process. She shared its wide expert participation, bold use of wild cards to challenge assumptions, and insights drawn from nationwide citizen dialogues. She also presented examples of how ministries had already applied the joint foresight to shape policy and strengthen preparedness. Seeing how a government turned foresight into action - and how strategic anticipation supported both the Government and Parliament while strengthening preparedness across the state administration - this masterclass offered a clear and compelling example.
Jaana Tapanainen-Thiess: Whole-of-Government Foresight in Practice: Finland’s Strategic Operating Environment Analysis and Scenarios to 2045
- Date
- 27 November 2025
- Time
- 12:00-13:00 CET
About
Speaker
Jaana Tapanainen-Thiess
Secretary General of the Government Report on the Future, Prime Minister’s Office of Finland
Jaana Tapanainen-Thiess is the Secretary General for the Government Report on the Future, the Government Foresight Group, and the Ministerial Foresight Panel in the Prime Minister’s Office of Finland. She serves as Finland’s Sherpa in the EU-wide Foresight Network and is an Advisory Board Member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Foresight Network. Ms. Tapanainen-Thiess previously worked as an Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office of the United Arab Emirates and was an Executive Board Member of the World Futures Studies Federation. She also served on the Knowledge Committee for the European Commission’s Intergenerational Fairness Citizen Panels.
Ms Tapanainen-Thiess has designed and led Finland’s whole-of-government scenario process; an ambitious, 20-year outlook carried out with all ministries, forming the base for anticipatory governance. This process identifies key issues for long-term decision-making, forms the basis for formal futures dialogue between the Government and Parliament, and supports strategic decision-making across government. In 2022, Ms Tapanainen-Thiess was decorated Knight of the Order of the White Rose of Finland by the President of Finland. A native of Finland, she has lived abroad for more than 25 years. She has studied and/or worked in the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Belgium, Spain, the United States, Hong Kong, and Israel.