Killian
MacDonald
Senior Associate Director
Latest from Killian:
Areas of Expertise:
Killian MacDonald is a narrative futurist specializing in data-driven storytelling and business intelligence. As APCO’s AI Business Solutions lead for Europe, based in Scotland, Killian leverages cutting-edge foresight methodologies and advanced analytical tools to help clients uncover emerging trends, anticipate challenges and craft strategies for sustainable success in complex markets.
If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?
— Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Her prior role as deputy chief of staff in the Office of the Executive Chairman and chair of the firm’s North America DEI Council honed her expertise in executive advisory, multicultural VIP stakeholder engagement and the operationalization of new service offerings, notably in the development of international advisory boards. She has a versatile background working with clients across cultural heritage, tourism, NGOs and consumer brands, augmented by her on-the-ground experience in markets such as China, India, Saudi Arabia and the U.S. Her earlier career includes roles at the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s protocol team.
In addition to her professional roles, Killian is a novelist and co-author of ‘The Kepler Files’. She is also the former curator of the World Economic Forum Global Shaper’s Edinburgh Hub and actively contributes to the preservation of intangible cultural heritage in Scotland as an apprentice traditional Scottish storyteller, beginner Gaelic speaker and member of multiple heritage organisations. Killian holds a dual B.A. in Public Communication and Religious Studies from American University, and a MSc in Narrative Futures: Art, Data, and Society from the University of Edinburgh’s Futures Institute. Her insightful research into the application of generative AI for creating multimedia fantasy worlds was shortlisted for a Creative Edinburgh 2023 award. She also holds certifications from the McKinsey Management Programme, the Digital Marketing Institute and the Protocol School of Washington.