Peter Schwartz (futurist)

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Peter Schwartz is the cofounder and chairman of Global Business Network (a partner of the Monitor Group), a company based in Emeryville, California that works to help big companies think about the future.

[edit] Personal History

Peter was born to Klara and Benjamin Schwartz, Hungarian Jews who had been in concentration camps, in a displaced persons camp in Germany in 1945, shortly after the end of World War II. The family soon moved to Norway, where they lived until Peter was five. At this point, they emigrated to America, and found a new home in Camden, New Jersey. Peter grew up there, attending school with such future stars as Steven Spielberg. He won a National Merit scholarship, and was able to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on full scholarship.

After graduating with a B.S. in aeronautical enginereeing and astronautics, Peter taught high school in Philadelphia and worked in the innovative student housing program at UC Davis. After this, he worked at the Stanford Research Institute, where he began to develop his unique method of scenario planning. In 1982, he moved to London to work for Royal Dutch Shell as head of scenario planning.

In 1985, while giving a speech at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab of UC Berkeley, he met his future wife, Cathleen Gross. He moved to live with her in Berkeley, California in 1987, and they bought a house together and were married. Their son, Benjamin, was born in 1990. Benjamin currently attends College Preparatory School.

[edit] Writings

Peter has written many books, on a wide variety of future-oriented topics. Inevitable Surprises (Gotham, 2003) is a look at the forces at play in today's world, and how they will continue to affect the world. His first and most famous book, The Art of the Long View (Doubleday, 1991) is considered by many to be the seminal publication on scenario planning, and is used as a textbook by many business schools. He also co-wrote The Long Boom (Perseus, 1999), a look at a future characterized by global openness, prosperity, and discovery. When Good Companies Do Bad Things (Wiley, 1999), is an argument for corporate responsibility in an age of corruption. China's Futures (Jossey-Bass, 2001), is a vision of several different potential futures for China.

He has also worked as a consultant on several recent movies, including "The Minority Report," "Deep Impact," "Sneakers," and "War Games."

[edit] Global Business Network

Peter founded GBN in his Berkeley basement with several close friends including Stewart Brand, Napier Collyns, and Jay Ogilvy. It has since expanded greatly, and become a major consulting firm. In 2001, it was bought by the Monitor Group, though it continues to operate as a separate entity. Peter is the chairman of GBN, and an active participant in its many seminars and projects.