MITCH ILBURY
Strategist, scenario planner and future thinking expert
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
His career is built on a rigorous interdisciplinary foundation:
- Philosophy & Politics: He holds an Honours degree (cum laude) from the University of Cape Town, where he specialized in Aristotelian philosophy.
- Intelligence & International Security: He earned a Master’s degree (with Distinction) from King’s College London, focusing on how the U.S. National Intelligence Council uses scenario planning.
- Game Theory: He completed specialized training at the National University of Singapore.
- Doctoral Studies: As of 2025, he is pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration at Durham University Business School.
CAREER & PROFESSIONAL IMPACT
- Strategic Leadership: At Mindofafox, he facilitates high-level strategy sessions for boards and executive teams across Africa, the UK, and Australia.
- Regional Policy: He led the scenario development team for the SADC Vision 2050, shaping long-term policy for the Southern African Development Community.
- International Facilitation: He has designed and facilitated the African Union’s Emerging Leaders Programme in Addis Ababa for several years.
- Entrepreneurship: He founded Growing Foxes, an ed-tech company that teaches futures-thinking and strategic decision-making to high school students globally.
KEY PUBLICATIONS
- Thinking the Future (2021): Co-authored with Clem Sunter, this book reimagines seminal philosophical concepts to improve the art of modern decision-making.
- Fake News: A Roadmap (2017): He contributed a chapter to this NATO Strategic Communications publication, which was later cited in a UK Parliamentary inquiry.
Mitch is also a frequent media analyst on platforms like Cape Talk and 702, where he discusses strategic foresight and global uncertainty.