Francisco Araújo

Chico Araújo, Ph.D., is an anthropologist, futurist, systems thinker, and impact catalyst with over two decades of experience at the crossroads of exponential technologies, innovative financial and business models, and anthropological insights.

As the founder of Beyond Tomorrow, Chico advises organizations on strategy, foresight, innovation, and social impact. He specializes in integrating human and machine intelligences and new consensus mechanisms (leveraging AI and blockchain) across multiple stakeholders and diverse cultural frameworks to drive transformation in business, finance, sustainability, and social prosperity.

Renowned for his ability to bridge diverse social groups, Chico is passionate about unlocking the untapped potential of individuals and organizations through knowledge, skills, mindsets, and tools. Throughout his career, he has led and implemented conflict resolution programs and complex negotiations involving multinational corporations, local governments, universities, financial institutions, foundations, NGOs, and grassroots communities, consistently promoting social prosperity and organizational innovation.

In the corporate sector, Chico served as Senior Head of Futures, Innovation Strategy, and Open Innovation at Santander Brazil, where he led teams to identify trends, develop future scenarios, and restructure major operations to foster financial innovation. At Viva Rio, as Chief Innovation Officer, he spearheaded transformative initiatives like the Favela Hub—an innovation center supporting entrepreneurship in marginalized communities—and launched the Viva Primeira Infância program, focusing on early childhood development alongside various initiatives in education, health, environment, and human security.

As a senior researcher at the Public Policy Analysis Directorate (DAPP) at FGV, Chico also served as an innovation consultant for FGV Projetos, contributing to policy development across several governmental initiatives. He directed pivotal research on the evaluation and mitigation of socio-environmental impacts on indigenous communities for the licensing process of the Jirau Hydroelectric Plant. Chico was a collaborating expeditionary for the Genographic Project Brazil, a National Geographic initiative mapping human migration patterns. His hands-on work with indigenous groups includes experiences with peoples such as the Kaxarari, Oro-Wari, Uru-eu-wau-wau, Amondawa, Kayapó, Xavante, Baniwa, Tariano, Wanano, Desana, Dâw, Hupda, Guarani, and Kaingang.

Chico has been a guest lecturer for the Global MBA in Business Management and other MBA programs at IBMEC, as well as for the Leadership, Innovation and 4.0 Management and Digital Transformation and Future of Business MBAs at PUC-RS and UoL EdTech. He has lectured at prestigious institutions, including the Global Solutions Program at Singularity University, the Prince of Wales Business and Sustainability Programme at Cambridge University, and the 20th Latin American Conference at MIT Sloan School of Management.

Academically, Chico holds a Ph.D. in History of Science and Technology & Epistemology from UFRJ, a Master’s in Social Anthropology from the Museu Nacional-UFRJ, a Master’s in International Business Management from the Université Pierre Mendès-France/IAE-Grenoble, and an MBA in Marketing from IAG/PUC-RJ. He is a graduate of the Singularity University’s Graduate Studies Program, supported by a full scholarship from Google. He has also completed the Environmental and Resource Economics Training Course in Impact Evaluation through LACEEP and the Executive Leadership in Early Childhood Development program at Harvard University.

Chico’s career is defined by his ability to connect diverse perspectives and foster collaboration across sectors. His leadership is rooted in building bridges between corporations, communities, governments, and grassroots organizations, always striving to combine cultural knowledge with cutting-edge technologies to address complex societal challenges. He firmly believes that addressing emerging global challenges requires mobilizing humanity’s cultural heritage and harmonizing traditional wisdom with the exploration of new possibilities created by exponential technologies.