New Republic PR is one the top Swedish public affairs companies, winning the Agency of Year Award the last three years.
They are supporting fact-based optimistic news by being Company Premium Supporters.
We have talked to Johannes Hylander, co-founder and partner at New Republic, about his view on fact-based optimism and the future.
How can new technology have a positive impact on your company and your profession in the future?
Technology runs faster than politics which gives consultancies that take the time to understand the implications of technological shifts a major strategic advantage.
Let me give you an example. We work closely with healthcare provider Min Doktor which, together with its global spin-off Docly, is at the forefront of the telehealth revolution.
This revolution has the potential to increase well-being, longevity, and productivity in society at large and those among us who can predict what that might mean for economic development, the insurance industry, global travel, housing prices in remote areas etcetera will win out.
Why did your company become Warp News Premium Supporters?
We want to help our clients effect positive and meaningful change in their respective industries.
Being a Warp supporter is a way for us to stay up-to-date with impactful technological changes and remain forward-looking in our thinking, which all in all makes us better advisers.
What positive impact has technology had for your company and the field you are working in?
Oh, where to begin… We try to be quick to adopt new tools and software that give our clients a competitive advantage. We are constantly on the look-out for better ways of identifying, validating, and organizing important pieces of news, government information, and forthcoming political initiatives.
Technology is not an end in itself but can be a means for us to contribute to a more democratic and sustainable society.
What technology do you think will do the most good for humanity in the future?
That’s a tough one because there are many exciting things happening. If I can only choose one, though, it would have to be the prospect of truly travelling without a carbon footprint.
The past nine months have taught us that we can manage a lot by using Zoom, Teams etc. But through the use of renewable sources, new innovative techniques for airplanes, trains, cars, boats, etc. we will be able to meet face to face all over the world without wrecking it.
Because in the long run I think an actual meeting of minds is a necessity for innovation to prevail.
What is your vision for humanity in the year 2100?
Wow, who am I to guess? Things could have gone in so many different directions by then, and there is a non-zero probability that global warming, nuclear war, or a new pandemic will have set us back.
But, I’m an optimist at heart and I’d like to think that a more likely prospect is that AI, Crispr, and renewable energy technology will have been put to good use and enabled us to once and for all eradicate poverty and dramatically increase the average human lifespan.
Got any inspiring book, podcast and documentary recommendations?
I love to read Zadie Smith and just ordered Grand Union, her latest collection of short stories. She always gives me new perspectives on the interplay of humans. And with regards to technology am I a sucker for any podcast dealing with new digital musical equipment designed to sound like guitars and tube amplifiers from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
