J. Walker Smith is Executive Chairman of The Futures Company, the leading global foresights and futures research consultancy, that is part of the Kantar Group of WPP, with a mission of “unlocking new sources of growth for clients.” Walker has been described by Fortune magazine as “one of America’s leading analysts on consumer trends,” and he consults with clients globally about trends, futures, marketing and advertising strategy. He is the co-author of four highly regarded books, including Rocking the Ages (1997), a book about generations now regarded as one of the standards in the field that has been included in one list of the top 100 marketing books, and Life Is Not Work, Work is Not Life (2001), selected by the Wall Street Journal as one of the ten best work-life books of 2001. He is a much sought-after speaker, a columnist for Marketing Management, a blogger for Branding Strategy Insider, an avid daily tweeter of links to must-see material, and a former weekly radio commentator for almost ten years on Smart City, a public radio show about cities and community life. He is a 2012 inductee into the N.C. Advertising Hall of Fame. Walker holds a doctorate in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.