We are a values-driven business
We recognise the power of innovation, diversity and inclusion in creating places and systems that are sustainable and fair because they work better for everyone.
Meet the team
Stephen Hilton - Founder and Director
Stephen Hilton is Founder and Director of City Global Futures. He has 20+ years’ experience of developing strategy and delivering innovative and impactful projects with cities, government bodies, universities, businesses and communities. He was named Local Government Innovator of the Year for his work on technology and democracy. Stephen is a Fellow of the new University of Bristol Digital Futures Institute; a former Fellow of the Bristol+Bath Creative R+D Cluster, which is examining Digital Placemaking. He is Sector Advisor on Smart Cites to Invest Bristol+Bath and is a Board Member of the Architecture Centre.
Stephen joined the Board of the Bristol Sight Loss Council in 2019. You can read more about his eyesight condition HERE
Sarah Toy - Associate Research Director
Sarah has 30 years’ experience as a Chartered Civil Engineer working on infrastructure projects around the world. She has a particular expertise in co-creating future city strategies which balance human and ecosystem health. As BFG Research Director she enjoys bringing city stakeholders together to develop shared insights into diverse topics such as civic engagement and the future of 5G and tourism.
Paul Davies - Associate Director of EU Partnerships
Paul Davies is a British EU affairs practitioner with more than 15 years’ experience in Brussels. Previously, Paul worked for 2 industry associations and as a consultant managing projects for the European Commission with Deloitte Belgium. In 2014, he became self-employed to launch the Bristol-Brussels Office for Bristol City Council. In 2017, he founded his own Belgian consultancy to establish its successor, the Bristol & Bath Brussels Office, a partnership of local authority, business and university stakeholders. Paul’s interest in EU affairs is reflected by his BA from the University of Nottingham in French and German, and ‘Euromasters’ from the University of Bath, Charles University, Prague and the Humboldt University in Berlin.
Our Story
We were established in 2016 by Stephen Hilton, who was formerly Director of Futures at Bristol City Council. Sarah Toy, the Council’s former Strategic Resilience Officer joined in 2018. The plan was to continue to work on smart, sustainable, inclusive futures, to collaborate with interesting people and to do interesting things.
The business was originally called Bristol Futures Global and also traded as Bath Futures. Bristol and Bath are globally recognised for their leadership on Smart and Sustainable cities so this forms part of our DNA - but in 2019 we became City Global Futures (CGF). This new identity reflected our commitment to working with partners across the UK and around the world - as well as locally.
The agendas we work on are increasingly recognised as being of global significance. The COVID-19 pandemic, Climate Change and movements such as Black Lives Matters have accelerated this understanding. The business has continued to operate and grow using a hybrid approach that effectively blends virtual and face-to-face working. We remain excited by the future – and feel more compelled than ever by our vision for smart and sustainable futures for all.
Our Values
Collaborative
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Collaboration is at the heart of everything that we do. We build and support public – private - people partnerships that create impact.
Sustainable
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Sustainability: our goal is to minimise negative impact on nature and the planet by promoting new behaviours and systems. We focus on the long term societal and environmental impacts of our work, as well as our working relationships with our clients. We embed sustainable practices so that we can continue working towards smart futures, today.
Inclusive
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Inclusivity is fundamental: we actively seek out diverse experiences and perspectives. Our work connects people who may not usually talk with each other, creating opportunity for different conversations to take place and ideas to emerge.
Creative
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Creativity: we think differently about how we tackle projects. Our agility allows us to apply bold and creative methods in our processes, unlocking more innovation and deeper insights. We cross traditional boundaries and silos and challenge our clients to consider balancing playfulness with impactful intent.
Smart
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Thinking Smart: we believe that a Smart world is all about balance, whether that means balancing the benefits of technology and digital innovation with human and emotional intelligence, or people living in harmony with nature and the planet. Where we live has to work for all inhabitants as well as the economy and nature.
Resilient
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Resiliency – to shape the future we need to be resilient ourselves. We aim to be bold and brave in how we work. As a resilient business, we stand side-by-side with our clients and equip them with expertise and tools to be responsive and continually adaptable to change.
Generous
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Generosity: giving, sharing and listening are key parts of how we work. We believe in being generous with our time, ideas and resources to allow for deeper levels of understanding and empathy. By ‘paying up front” we build good will, which is often returned later.
Our Project Philosophy
We are familiar with and can learn to use a variety of project management tools to meet client’s requirements. However, our overall project philosophy is more personal and is based on many years’ learning about what works. The project advice we often give to clients is:
People are more likely to care about things that they help to create, so we recommend methods of co-creation
Innovation happens in the real-world, so real-world testbed or ‘Living Labs’ provide a useful framework
Change is created by people so we should be action-focussed, even when thinking about the long-term future
Better connecting parts of the system can enable holistic goals, so think and act systemically
It often doesn’t matter where you begin, just as long as you start somewhere and then stay open to the possibilities that emerge
The journey is often as important as the destination – change happens iteratively, to borrow a term from IT, organisations and places exist in ‘permanent beta’. The processes that you follow and the relationships that you build are an important part of the future that you’re hoping to create.
