Susan van ‘t Klooster

Susan van 't Klooster

Susan van ‘t Klooster, PhD

Dr. Susan van ’t Klooster has been a professional futurist since almost 20 years. Her first foresight exercise was a scenario project for sustainable Dutch water management. In 2002, she became a PhD student. In her thesis ‘Foresight: ambitions and practice’ she describes and analyzes several pitfalls related to foresight and the production of future knowledge (defended in 2008). After her PhD research, she became a researcher at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) at the VU University in Amsterdam. Since 2011, she works as an independent researcher and consultant, offering research, advice and support in the field of strategic policy making. She has been leading strategic foresight projects in various domains, including spatial planning, environmental policy, health, social security, employment, migration management, education and aviation. Susan is co-founder and member of the advisory board of the Dutch Future Society, local chapter of the World Future Society. She is also (co-) author of various publications about foresight methodology, including:

– Van Asselt, M.B.A., van ’t Klooster, S.A. & Veenman, S.A. (2014). Coping with policy in foresight. Journal of Futures Studies 19(1), pp53-76.

– Dammers, E., van ’t Klooster, S.A., de Wit, B., Hilderink, H. Petersen, A & Tuinstra, W. (2013). Scenario’s maken voor milieu, natuur en ruimte: een handreiking. PBL, Den Haag.

– Van ’t Klooster, S.A. & van Asselt, M.B.A. (2011). Accommodating or compromising change? A story about ambitions and historic deterministic scenarios. Futures 43(1), pp86-98.

– Van Asselt, M.B.A., van ’t Klooster, S.A., van Notten, Ph.W.F, and Smits, L.A. (2010). Foresight in Action: Scenarios for public policy, Earthscan, London.

– Van ‘t Klooster, S.A. & van Asselt, M.B.A (2006). Practising the scenario-axes technique. Futures 38(1), pp15-30.

Scenario methodologist

As a scenario methodologist, Susan helps people and organizations to take (better) decisions in times of uncertainty. She is an expert in translating clients’ needs and questions into methodologically sound projects. She always makes sure that such journeys into the future are instructive, fun, playful, creative and leading to concrete outputs and actionable insights.

Building bridges

Susan knows how to create a common ground between people with various disciplinary backgrounds, experiences and tasks. She uses both her expertise, communicative skills and enthusiasm to facilitate constructive dialogues, sustaining cooperative action and to simulate high performing teams.

Susan likes to challenge people’s fixed mindsets and stimulate people to look at the world from new and different perspectives. She gives people the confidence, tools, skills and insights they need to create a better future.

Contact me!

It’s time to take take a more creative approach to explore the future. Let’s talk about how to get better results from your strategy sessions.