Lydia Caldana

Futures-As-A-Service

Lydia Caldana has been applying foresight to solve challenges across public and private sectors for 10 years.
Read about some of her selected work below.

Good Ancestors exhibition at UN HQ, NYC

Exhibit to support the UN Declaration on Future Generations during UN Summit of the Future, organized by the co-facilitators of the Declaration, the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations. September 16-27, 2024.

Identifying and overcoming barriers to sports for young women in Brazil

The research findings resulted in the client creating a soccer uniform designed specifically for the female body for the first time ever, and creation of a brand official online platform focused on promoting soccer amongst women in São Paulo.

UN-Habitat: Global Housing Panorama During Covid-19

In a collaborative effort, 50 countries were analyzed in terms of sustainability and temporary Covid-19 housing measures. The broad and complex information was then transformed into policy insights to inform broader measures during COVID-19.

Real-time data-levering system for actionable consumer insights for corporate-wise use

Development, ideation, testing and launch of mobile app for real-time capture of emerging behavioral and category trends, as well as the insights portal along with navigation, content and data integration. The portal produced AI-generated trend reports that link all datapoints for corporate teams including R&D, Marketing, PD, etc.

Talk and Round Table at UN's World Creativity Day

The talk introduced concepts of generational behavior and context, as well as case studies of institutions who are adapting well to the new young audience. Later, Lydia ministered a conversation with Gen Z people who are creating the world they want with their own hands, using their creativity. Including Manoela Merioti, 10-year-old entrepreneur, programmer since the age of 6 and speaker; Mahlu Floriano, 20-year-old Black plus size model, content producer on YouTube, fashion student and owner of the Ave Marias brand; and KK Ousado, rapper and artist.

MA Thesis: Women in Brazil's Urban Settlements & Dignity: Income and Racial Barriers to Accessing Dignity

Thesis for my master's degree at The New School, investigating the intersections of gender, class, race and housing issues.

Futuring Skills

Foresight Strategy

Future studies
Brand / Organization strategy
Data strategy
Strategic and innovatively thinking
Systems thinking
Analytical problem solving
Experience curation
Consumer Insight
Data modeling for relevant findings
Trend analysis
Analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities
Creative outlook
Anticipatory strategy

Research

Academic research
Empirical research
Brief design
Knowledge creation
Data collection, management and governance
Qualitative research
Quantitative research
Desk-based research
Semiotic analysis
Focus groups & interview
Diary studies
Online survey
Ethnography and Netnography
Social listening
BI tools
Project management
Workshop facilitation

Urban Policy & Planning

Inform policy and regulatory reform
Develop culture-sensitive housing finance systems
Evaluating sustainable housing measures, building materials, construction technologies

Gender Mainstreaming & South-to-South Cooperation

SDGs localization
Implementation of the New Urban Agenda
Social inclusion
Gender equality
Diversity
Human rights

Communication & Leadership

Data visualization
Writing
Reporting
Presenting
Public speaking
Storytelling
Information sharing
Content curation
Networking
Lecturing
Co-creation
Teamwork
Inclusive collaboration
Team management
Events organization and
management
Mentoring

Professional Experience

Lydia has been performing futures-related work since 2013 in various environments, spanning from consultancies, academia, startups, international corporations and the public sector.

Foresight Strategist
Freelance

Co-founder; Networks Director
Future Days

Consumer Foresight Intelligence Manager
The Estée Lauder Companies

Lab Manager
The SexTech Lab at The New School

Senior Insights Consultant
WGSN Mindset

Housing Policy Analyst
UN-Habitat

Futures Department Manager
Box1824

Foresight Strategist
CO.R Inovação

Insights Intern
Protein Agency

Editorial Intern
Trend Union

Futures Learning

Lydia is one of the few in the field to be fully academically trained as a futurologist, thanks to having identified her passion and talent for it early on.

Master of Arts: Social Studies

Aug 2019 - May 2022

New York, USA

The New School

Certificate: Gender and Sexuality Studies
Global Urban Futures Minor
Member and manager at The SexTech Lab, an applied psychology lab
Merit Scholarship Award
NSSR Rothenberg-Janey Award

The United Nations Summer Study

Jun 2020 - Jul 2020

New York, USA

The New School

Understanding of the United Nations system and preparation for international careers
Focus: development, human rights, humanitarian action, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, and environmental and reform issues
A UN practicum for hands-on experience through consultancy work with the UN system