About

Noah Raford is an American futurist, entrepreneur, and strategist known for his work in foresight, innovation, and organizational transformation. He holds a PhD in the management of complex systems from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and has worked with various government organizations, startups, and multinational corporations.

Raford is particularly recognized for his role in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government, where he served as the founding Chief Operating Officer and Futurist-in-Chief at the Dubai Future Foundation and senior advisor to the UAE Prime Minister's Office.

In this capacity, he helped shape the UAE's future strategy and foster innovation in areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence, blockchain and renewable energy. While there, he was the founding Executive Director of the Museum of the Future, and led projects such as the Dubai Futures Accelerator and the Global Blockchain Council.

He is currently the CEO & Co-founder of LazyBrain.ai, as well as a leader in the civil society initiative Visionary50; a group of 50 leading CEO's, government officials and remarkable individuals dedicated to launching 50 new projects for the next 50 years.

Raford is also an active speaker and thought leader in the fields of innovation, futurism, and technology. He frequently participates in conferences and events, sharing his insights and experiences with a broader audience. His interdisciplinary background allows him to bring together ideas from various fields and inspire innovative thinking.

“Noah connects incredible people to deliver extraordinary projects that would be impossible under ordinary circumstances.”

Noah is responsible for several global and regional firsts, including the world's first fully functional 3D printed building and helping to legalize cryptocurrency and blockchain in the MENA region.

Some his projects include:

He has a background in urban design and public policy, completed his PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), his MSc at the Bartlett School of Architecture and his undergraduate degree at Brown University.

He served as a member World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Agenda Council on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, a Senior Research Fellow at the London School of Economics, a fellow at the Bartlett School of Architecture and a member of the International Futures Forum.

He lives between Dubai, London and America, has two children and is a fantastic DJ.