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WE ARE STRETCH
A team of thinkers, designers, and futurists helping organisations see differently.
We combine imagination with strategy to unlock bold ideas, challenge assumptions, and create meaningful change, not someday, but today.
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About John Vary, Founder of Stretch
John Vary is a futurologist and innovation strategist driven by curiosity and imagination. As founder of Stretch, he helps organisations think differently about the future, and how it connects to the decisions they make today.
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Before launching Stretch, John spent over two decades leading foresight and innovation initiatives at the John Lewis Partnership and Burberry, where he helped shape future strategy, explored emerging technologies, and created environments for experimentation and bold thinking.​​
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Recognised as one of the world’s most sought-after futurist speakers, John was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Kingston University for his contribution to Future Skills.
Diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD in his 40s, John’s neurodiversity shapes his approach to creativity and problem-solving, seeing patterns others miss and unlocking potential through difference.
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His work continues to champion diverse thinking, creative confidence, and the belief that progress starts when we have the courage to see differently.
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Progress begins when we have the courage to see differently.
Meet The Team
John Vary
I’m Co-Founder and Futurologist
Nicole Evon
I’m Co-Founder and Director of Operations & Coaching
We’re a growing collective of thinkers and creators who believe in the power of different perspectives to shape what’s next.
WHAT WE DO
We don’t do rigid, one-size-fits-all solutions.
Stretch works fluidly within leadership ecosystems, tailoring every engagement to culture, challenges, and ambition.
how we work
We believe meaningful progress happens when organisations have the courage to think differently about the future and its relationship with today. Stretch helps leadership teams cultivate that mindset, turning curiosity into clarity and uncertainty into action.
We begin by listening deeply, understanding people, culture, and context before shaping an approach. From there, we design journeys that blend foresight, innovation, and experimentation to help leaders make confident, future-ready decisions.
What We Offer
Strategic Foresight & Futures Design
Helping leaders explore emerging trends, build scenarios, and translate long-term possibilities into near-term strategic action.
Innovation & Transformation Architecture
Designing systems, processes, and cultures that turn creative ideas into measurable progress, embedding innovation as a sustainable capability.
AI & Technology Enablement
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Equipping organisations to understand, adopt, and govern new technologies responsibly. We align AI strategy with business purpose, people, and ethics.
Leadership & Culture Development
Cultivating adaptive, imaginative leaders and future-ready teams through workshops, advisory, and mindset programmes focused on curiosity, experimentation, and collaboration.
Thought Leadership & Narrative Strategy
Turning organisational insight into influence. We help leaders articulate their vision, share bold ideas, and shape meaningful conversations about the future.
Stretch helps organisations explore possibilities, design futures, and build the confidence to act boldly today.
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Our work spans five interconnected areas of expertise:
OUR CLIENTS
Trusted by organisations redefining their industries.
Projects
From retail to education and beyond, our projects are built on listening, trust, and shared exploration.
Each collaboration tells its own story, one of creativity, courage, and the stretch it takes to make meaningful change.
PERSIMMON
HOMES
Stretch created Persimmon’s first AI community, central database for AI use cases, and executive AI Working Group, aligning leadership on policy, governance, and strategic adoption.
VIRGIN
GROUP
Stretch partnered with Virgin to explore emerging technologies shaping travel, retail, and hospitality, helping leadership teams imagine the future of customer connection and brand purpose.
JAGUAR LAND
ROVER
Stretch worked with JLR to explore long-term mobility scenarios, sustainability challenges, and the evolving relationship between humans, vehicles, and intelligent systems.
what our clients say
AI Enablement - Persimmon Homes
Working with John Vary has been a real pleasure.
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He quickly helped us shape our early Al thinking, bringing structure, clarity, and energy to what could have been a daunting challenge.
His ability to engage stakeholders, build momentum, and deliver practical tools has given us an excellent foundation to take our Al programme forward.
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Group Strategy Director, Persimmon Homes
Leadership Development - Virgin Group
We brought John Vary in to open our Chief People Officer and People Pioneer event in June, setting the tone for two days of connection, creativity, and big-picture thinking.
His session blended macro trends, technology, and hands-on play with Lego in a way that was not only engaging, but truly transformative for the room.
From the outset, John worked in a highly iterative and collaborative way, adapting alongside us as our ideas evolved. Together, we ensured the essence of play was woven into the experience, creating an environment where new conversations and collaborations could flourish, especially between people who didn’t know each other well before.
John’s approach felt authentic and organic, naturally reflecting Virgin’s values. The energy in the room shifted and the feedback from our teams was brilliant.
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Senior Business Partner, Virgin Group
Futures Design - Jaguar Land Rover
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John Vary is unique.
I have been fortunate to spend time with John on a few occasions, including him leading a session for me at a recent team day for over 40 leaders. Everyone was engaged and captivated by his story, his ability to unlock creative thinking in us all and really question our approach to challenges and opportunities!
I received great feedback from the leaders, and I personally am looking forward to my next opportunity to spend time with John, to continue stretching my own creativity and innovative thinking.
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Head of Central Logistics, Jaguar Land Rover
More project details on request.