Martin Wolf Keynote Speaker

  • One of the World’s Most Acclaimed Financial Journalists
  • Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times
  • Author of "The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism", Why Globalisation Works' and 'The Shifts and the Shocks'

Martin Wolf's Biography

Martin Wolf’s unique perspective and experience gives him an unparalleled voice on European and global economies. He can speak with authority about the economic relationships underlying our complex financial systems, what we can learn from them, and what lies ahead for Europe, the US, and the rest of the world.

Of Martin, The Times of London recently wrote – The Financial Times’ top columnist is the most important economics commentator in Britain and arguably the world...

Martin is Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator at the Financial Times, London. In his regular columns for the FT, he covers a wide range of economically relevant topics. In the recent past, these have included: the state of the global, European and British economies; the “global savings glut” and “secular stagnation”; global monetary policies; the rise of populism; the political economy of Brexit; the future of the eurozone; the future of globalisation; the challenges to the Chinese and Indian economies; the past and future of the global financial system; radical monetary reform; the productivity slowdown and technological change; the economics of migration; the economics of climate change; reform of corporate governance; and the future of universities.

For his “services to financial journalism”, Martin was awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 2000.

Martin brings considerable practical experience to his writings. He was a member of the UK government’s Independent Commission on Banking between June 2010 and September 2011. Previously, he was a senior economist for ten years at the World Bank’s division of international trade. He has been a Forum Fellow at the World Economic Forum in Davos since 1999, where he has served as a moderator, and is a member of its International Media Council. He was Director of Studies at the Trade Policy Research Centre, London, and has advised governments and international organizations on trade and economic integration.

Mr. Wolf is the author of highly regarded books on economics and globalisation, Why Globalization Works (Yale University Press), the global financial system, Fixing Global Finance (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010). Fixing Global Finance describes how the financial crisis developed and what we can do to help ensure future global financial stability. China Business News named Fixing Global Finance its Financial Book of the Year for 2009.  In 2015, he wrote about the global financial crisis in The Shifts and the Shocks: What We’ve Learned and Have Still to Learn – from the Financial Crisis (Penguin).   His most recent book is ‘The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism” (2023), also published by Penguin.

Martin has won several prestigious awards for his journalism, including the Overseas Press Club of America’s prize for “best commentary on international news in any medium” for 2013; the James Cameron Memorial Award for 2012; a distinguished honorary fellowship by the European International Business Academy in 2012; and the 2012 International Ischia Journalism Prize (Italy’s most prestigious media award).

Other awards include the US Society of Business Writers and Editors 15th Annual Best Business Journalism award, and the “Ludwig-Erhard-Preis für Wirtschaftspublizistik” (“Ludwig Erhard Prize for economic commentary”) from the Ludwig Erhard Stiftung (Foundation) for 2009. He won “Commentariat of the Year 2009” at the Comment Awards, sponsored by Editorial Intelligence, and the Decade of Excellence Award at the 2003 Business Journalists of the Year Awards.

Martin has a well-deserved reputation for rigorous thinking, deep insight, and his incisive and witty delivery.

 

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Martin Wolf's Speaking Topics

Global macroeconomic dilemmas:

The future of the Eurozone:

Is the eurozone now securely on the mend? How much has this depended on the policies of the European Central Bank? Might the crisis return and if so, how?

The British economy

How is UK really coping with Brexit? What policies might follow and what might the implications be for future growth and employment?

The productivity slowdown:

Why is productivity growth now so low? Is this the result of failures of demand or of supply or of simple mis-measurement? How can this be happening when technology is supposed to be so dynamic?

Climate Change:

Was there a breakthrough over climate management in the Paris conference ? If so, what might it imply for the economy and business? If not, what might the consequences of unmitigated climate change be for the world economy?

The Chinese economy:

What are the challenges facing Chinese economic reform? Is the economy stable or could it suffer a sharp recession? How important is the rapid build-up of Chinese debt?

The Indian economy:

Is the Indian economy poised to take over from the Chinese as the engine of the world economy? What still has to happen if it is to achieve sustained success?

The challenges to globalisation:

Globalisation has stalled. What are the implications of this? Could it even go into reverse?

The rise of populism:

Why is populism of both the left and right surging? Is it mainly the result of the global financial crisis? Or are longer-term trends, particularly rising inequality, driving it? What role is being played by immigration in transforming attitudes to globalisation?

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Videos of Martin Wolf

REDEFINING GROWTH For The 21st Century
REDEFINING GROWTH For The 21st Century
 Room for Discussion
Room for Discussion
Martin Wolf: after the coronavirus pandemic (May 2020)
Martin Wolf: after the coronavirus pandemic (May 2020)

Articles, Media & Podcasts

Books by Martin Wolf

The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism (2023)
The Shifts and The Shocks
Fixing Global Finance

Comments & Testimonials

Martin, thank you for your graciousness, directness, incisiveness and humour. I think your talk will lead to more thoughtful activity here. It was a special occasion"
In these uncertain times, your approach to the major risk events that threaten the global economic prospects was very enlightening. We received extremely positive feedback on your brilliant presentation which, without a doubt, was key for the huge success of our event.

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