The Hay 30 – Rahaf HARFOUSH

Rahaf Harfoush is a Strategist, Digital Anthropologist, and Best-Selling Author who focuses on the intersection between Disruptive Technology, Digital Culture, and Human Potential. She is currently working on her third book entitled “Hustle & Float: Execution and Inspiration in a World of Constant Connection.” Rahaf is the author of “Yes We Did: An Insider’s Look at How Social Media Built the Obama Brand,” and co-author of “The Decoded Company: Know Your Talent Better Than You Know Your Customers.” Formerly, Rahaf was the Associate Director of the Technology Pioneer Program at the World Economic Forum.

Rahaf is the founder of Red Thread Inc., a Think Tank that supports organizations in transforming digital trends into strategic opportunities. She teaches “Innovation & Emerging Business Models” at SciencesPo’s Masters of Economics and Finance program in Paris. She was recognized as a Young Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum and as a Rising Talent by the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society.
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The Hay 30 is made possible by the generous support of the CASE foundation.

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Hay Festival 2017

Rahaf Harfoush

The Hidden Forces Behind our Technologies

Hay Festival 2017, 

Digital disruption and innovation are like any tools: capable of being used and abused. How are these technologies already influencing our attitudes, beliefs and behaviours and how do we ensure that these tools bring real and lasting benefits to society? Rahaf Harfoush is a digital anthropologist and best-selling author of The Decoded Company, and Yes We Did: An Insider’s Look at How Social Media Built the Obama Brand. Rahaf is the founder of Red Thread, a think-tank specialising in digital culture. She is currently working on her third book called Hustle and Float about  the intersections of technology, contemporary work culture and a post-work society. Formerly, Rahaf was the Associate Director of the Technology Pioneer Programme at the World Economic Forum, and the Research Coordinator on Don Tapscott’s Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything. She was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Shaper, and by the Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society as a Rising Talent for her thought-leadership in the fields of digital culture and technology.