Professor Peter Madden
OBE

Teams and roles for Peter Madden

Professor
Welsh School of Architecture

Professor of Practice in Urban Futures, working on futures and foresight for cities and the built environment.

My research, teaching, and applied practice focus on how engagement with the future can help us create better places for people and planet.

I work half-time at the University, dividing my time between teaching, research, and impact, drawing on my practical experience and networks to stimulate transdisciplinary work and maximise impact.

Through my work on place-based and built environment futures, and my wider strategic roles with the University, I support the development of our Future Generations Thinking, Teaching, Research and Impact.

Thought leader and practitioner on futures, strategy, and innovation for the past 30 years. As well as my role with Cardiff University, I am Founder Director of Vivid Futures providing strategic foresight and future-proofing for the built environment.

Previously, I led Future Cities Catapult, Forum for the Future, and Green Alliance, as well as holding senior positions in government (DETR/Defra and Environment Agency).

I have held Board and advisory roles with Igloo Regeneration, The Crown Estate, Building with Nature (Chair) Bristol Energy, Trane Technologies, Groundwork UK, HP, and the South West RDA.

I was awarded OBE in 2015 for services to environmental protection and sustainable development.

I have done advisory work on futures, strategy, and innovation with some of the top companies in the world, including Apple, The Crown Estate, Levis, PepsiCo, Tesco, Sony, Trane Technologies, Unilever, and Vodafone. I’ve done futures with civil society organisations like Groundwork, Shelter, and Rockefeller Foundation. I’ve also worked on smart city strategies and sustainable urban futures with city leaders in the UK and across the world. Over recent years, I have focused on futures for cities and the built environment.

I am a member of the Association of Professionals Futurists, UK Green Business Council, Hwb Dyfodol, and the Future Matters Collective.