I started Global Experience Consulting for two major reasons. On the one hand, I wanted to spend all of my time inventing solutions that fascinated the markets. Moreover, for me, this was the frontline between Qualitology and strategic work.

Secondly, it was evident that the ability to understand
and interpret changes in the surrounding world was crucial for companies and organizations looking to survive in turbulent environments. Our company brought a great deal of practical experiences from the corporate world, the public sector, and the oil sector.

I recognized that these different environments could cross-fertilize to good effect. Our employees have had quite different educational backgrounds, yet it was clear to us that the combination of these divergent perspectives could also work in our favor. We had international backgrounds, and we realized how limited much of the debate was in the national arena. Our employees have had both worked in strategic organizational development and individual development. Our employees have had worked as entrepreneurs, both in loose ¡¯network organizations¡¯ and in commando-like corporate structures, and we had seen the advantages and disadvantages of both. I did spend a lot of time reflecting, writing, lecturing, and problem solving and working in process consultancy.

This was the background to the emergence of the idea of G.E.C.. We wanted a company, not a loose federation of consultants. We wanted to put effort into an integrated diversity of people with different backgrounds but a common focus. We wanted to create a company dedicated to the future without disappearing in the future ¨C a company that worked actively with strategic measures based on a thorough analysis of the world and future. We wanted to create a consulting company that did not work with obscure concepts, but engaged with public debate through public studies, disseminating ideas, and giving

talks and lectures. In short, we wanted to create an environment in which we could combine ideas with business, training with strategic consultancy, technology with humanities. And, above all, to tackle serious tasks with a sense of energy and zest. In the same period, we have become a dominating player in our niche market: tackling questions that spring up in the frontline where the future meets a need for strategy. In later years, many other companies have set up in the same niche. This gives us a great deal of pleasure and confirms our feeling that we are heading in the right direction. It also motivates us to keep evolving into the future. This year¡¯s first step is a big investment in training courses, which we have been running on a smaller scale since the mid-1990s.

The biggest challenge for companies today is not to get their hands on information. The challenge is to draw a speculative map ¨C to understand driving forces and consequences in the shape of conceivable futures ¨C and develop visions and strategies to fully exploit and benefit from those changes.

Welcome to Global Experience Consulting Future.

Mohammed Tawfik Soukieh