How we think

We integrate logic and imagination to help teams engage with complexity the way people experience it—in dynamic, spatial, and human terms.

Diagram illustrating key components of visual scenario modeling, including simplicity of communication, systems design, business anthropology, ecosystem & market dynamics, business intelligence, and foresight & futures thinking, all connected to a central hexagon labeled 'Visual Scenario Modeling'.

Who we are

We believe that most organizations don’t suffer from a lack of ideas — they suffer from a lack of shared foresight, testable strategy, and system-wide alignment. Traditional strategy models often reduce complexity to slides and frameworks, when what leaders truly need is a way to experience the future before committing to it.

That’s why we created New Scenario: to offer a better way of working. Scenario planning has a storied tradition that started with Royal Dutch Shell in the 1970s. We’ve added AI, visualization, and real-time simulations that are participatory and grounded in data and insight, where leadership teams can explore plausible futures, uncover blind spots, and stress-test potential strategic decisions together. In a time of accelerating uncertainty, organizations need more than plans — they need the resilience that comes from rehearsing the future. Our mission is to make that possible.

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Michael Colton

Co-Founder
Strategic Visualization & Systems Design

Michael is a senior strategist and visual systems designer with over 25 years of experience helping organizations make sense of complexity. He specializes in turning foresight, stakeholder insight, and technological transformation into new scenarios, new narratives and strategic blueprints that organizations can act on.

  • Former Head of Global Brand & Marketing for Medline Industries
    (from $8B to $23B in revenue)

  • Previous Director of Design Strategy at SGK, consulting on strategy and semiotics for brands like PepsiCo, SC Johnson, and Henkel

  • Expert in complex design systems, scenario modeling, business anthropology, and strategic storytelling.

  • Master's in Design Methods (MDM),
    IIT Institute of Design

  • Bachelors in Anthropology,
    Rutgers University

A woman with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair, wearing a black top and an orange scarf, smiling in front of a dark background.

Julie Anixter

Co-Founder
Transformation Strategy
& Organizational Design

Julie is a strategist, innovator and executive advisor with deep experience guiding teams through change and reinvention. Called a "walking master class" by Tom Peters, she's known for facilitating large-scale transformations that help align people, purpose, and performance. Her goal is always to unlock excellence.

  • Led Training & Learning to drive growth at two NYSE best-in-class companies. Both were acquired in record transactions — Anixter (Equity Intl, Wesco) and Equity Office (Blackstone.)

  • Led transformations at Aetna, Bayer, Chanel, Ian Schrager Hotels, GE, Genentech, Mondelez, P&G, Verizon, the US Postal Service, and the US Navy, blending U.S. Military and commercial brand practices.

  • Expert in communications, capability building, and creating value through networks.

  • Former Executive Director, AIGA, the association for design

  • Graduate studies at Northwestern University School of Learning Sciences. MFA from the University of San Francisco

Strategic partnerships

Black background with a white Orchid Black logo and text.

New Scenario is proud to partner with Orchid Black, a growth services firm specializing in value creation for tech-enabled businesses. Through this partnership, we gain on-demand access to a network of senior advisors and operators—from former founders to domain experts—who bring deep experience across industries like fintech, healthcare, and retail.

With Orchid Black, we bring:

  • Industry-specific expertise in fast-evolving markets

  • Financial modeling and value creation strategies

  • Go-to-market guidance for SaaS and product-led growth

  • Tech ecosystem insights that sharpen strategic options

SCM Globe provides supply chain modeling and simulation software that is engaging, easy to use, and accurate. Our map-based simulations help commercial and government organizations analyze and improve real supply chains or design new ones. We have been teaching principles of pragmatic supply chain management to university students and military colleges around the world for over a decade.

New Scenario is proud to continue our decades-long collaboration with Throughline, a creative technology and design strategy firm with extensive experience in designing interactive platforms for complex decision-making. Renowned for working with organizations such as the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Veterans Administration, it helps bring scenario models and strategies to life through digital dashboards, immersive workshops, war rooms and dynamic tools that convert strategic insights into actionable results.

With Throughline, we bring:

  • Secure, tech-enabled visualization and interaction platforms

  • Custom digital tools to explore future scenarios

  • Embedded UX and data integration capabilities

  • On-demand design and media production

  • Scalable infrastructure for both enterprise clients using NimbleStory™