Over the past decade, the digital space has become the primary environment for both business and private life. We pay bills through apps, communicate via platforms, manage our homes with the help of smart devices, and companies handle data in real time. Yet the more connected a system is, the more vulnerable it becomes. It is precisely this tension between efficiency and vulnerability that becomes the central theme of this year’s Future Tense powered by Lürssen conference.
The conference opens a strategic question for the business community: how prepared are we truly for a world in which digital connectivity has become the standard, and security risks part of everyday life?
Among the key speakers is Mikko Hyppönen, one of the globally most recognised cybersecurity experts, who has advised Fortune 500 companies and EUROPOL. His message is clear: every smart device is essentially a computer, and every computer can be a target of attack. At a time when healthcare, telecommunications and transport systems have already been targets of sophisticated cyber attacks, security ceases to be an IT issue and becomes a matter of strategic stability for states and companies.
Technology, however, is not only a matter of protection, but also of understanding. Märtha Rehnberg, adviser to European Union institutions and global industrial leaders, places the focus on developing “technological intuition.” In an era of accelerated change, competitive advantage will not come solely from adopting new tools, but from the ability to recognise their long-term impact on business models, sustainability and market dynamics.
The programme further broadens the perspective. Futurist Rik Vera will speak about the transformation of organisations in the context of new market rules, while scientist Susanna Søberg will open the topic of longevity and burnout prevention, reminding that system resilience begins with the resilience of the individual.
The conference, which will be held on April 22 in Zagreb, is organised with the support of partners such as Lürssen, Erste&Steiermärkische Bank, Kaufland and Končar, and with the endorsement of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, and the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth.
Through cooperation with the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies, IEDC Bled School of Management, the Association for the Promotion of Smart Industries and the European Forum, Future Tense builds a platform for dialogue between business, academia and the public sector. The focus is not only on predicting the future, but on preparing leaders who will actively manage it.
In a world where everything is interconnected, the question is no longer whether change will come, but how quickly we can develop the ability to understand it, control it and strategically leverage it.
More information about the event can be found on the Future Tense conference website.
