The Future is ND – Network and Events

The Future is ND is a London-based network for neurodivergent people working in advertising, creative industries and tech, set up in 2018. It does two jobs at once: it gives neurodivergent creatives a room where they can talk openly about their work, their achievements and the friction they meet in agency and studio life, and it works with employers to change the conditions that create that friction in the first place. For someone in a creative or tech job who has never met another openly neurodivergent colleague, it is a practical way into a peer community that already understands the industry.

The network grew out of founder Lucy Hobbs's own story. An art director and writer with more than 20 years in London advertising and digital agencies, she was identified with ADHD in 2007 but kept it quiet because of stigma in the industry, until she spoke about it publicly at an industry conference in March 2018. The response to that talk led her to create a safe space for neurodivergent people to share their experiences. The core of the community is its programme of evening events, including the quarterly ND Leaders gatherings, held at Major Players on Rivington Street with talks, networking and drinks, and booked through Eventbrite.

Alongside the community, The Future is ND works with small businesses, brands and large organisations through keynotes, workshops, panel discussions and advice on HR policy, helping them support neurodivergent staff rather than expecting them to adapt to a workplace built for someone else. Its small in-house team of designers, editors and video makers also produces neurodiversity-focused creative content and campaigns for clients. The organisation frames neurodivergence as natural variation in how people think, and puts neurodivergent people's own stories at the centre of its work.