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Keynote SpeakerPaul Johnson

Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the UK’s leading economic research institute

Paul Johnson is Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the UK’s leading economic research institute. He writes a weekly column for The Times and is an Honorary Professor at the UCL Policy Lab. In addition, Paul is a board member of the Climate Change Committee. The IFS has won... Read More

Biography

Paul Johnson is Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the UK’s leading economic research institute. He writes a weekly column for The Times and is an Honorary Professor at the UCL Policy Lab. In addition, Paul is a board member of the Climate Change Committee.

The IFS has won ‘Economic and Financial Think Tank of the Year’ four years in succession and hosts two major research centres combining its leading role in public policy with world leading academic economic research.

As well as working at the IFS, Paul Johnson has also worked at the FSA, was chief economist at the department for education, and director of public spending at HM Treasury as well as deputy head of the Government Economic Service.

Paul’s book Follow the Money: How Much Does Britain Cost? was published in early 2023, illustrating how well – or not – the government raises and spends £1 trillion every year. It has already been a Sunday Times top 10 bestseller and aims to hold the government to account. Robert Peston described it as ‘an important book by the economist who has set the terms of so much political debate over the past decade.’ “Gripping and horrifying…witty and brilliant. Buy it.’ The Times.

Paul Johnson is a frequent contributor to written and broadcast media and his radio recordings include the acclaimed ‘Austerity Audit’ for Radio 4. He has published extensively on the economics of public policy including tax, welfare, housing, pensions, education, climate change and public finances.

In 2018 Paul Johnson was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list for services to the social sciences and economics.

"Thank you very much indeed for speaking at our away day. We all really appreciated the time you took, and everyone really valued the insight you provided. The feedback was very positive." Tesco
"Paul has been a regular keynote speaker at our client conferences and we continue to receive great feedback about Paul’s sessions year after year. He has kept his sessions fresh and topical for each of the events that he has spoken at. Paul listens carefully to briefings and always delivers his presentation material on time – a pleasure to work with." Willis Towers Watson
"I just wanted to say thanks to Paul Johnson for presenting at our Scottish Widows webinar. I know we had asked quite a lot of him in terms of topics to cover, but he came across really well and we had excellent feedback from guests." Scottish Widows
"It went really well yesterday, thank you, the attendees were very engaged and enlightened by Paul’s insights – he was a really great speaker, thank you so much." IGD
"Your insights and predictions for the economy for the coming year were very interesting to attendees and has sparked further thinking on how we must adapt. Thank you very much for attending and for making the Conference a success." Airport Operators Association
"It was a pleasure to meet you in Manchester this week, and to hear your thoughts. Many thanks for an excellent job in chairing a very well received panel session, plus the opening address for our Leadership Forum. The session set a super basis for the whole event and thoughts to take into the rest of the agenda." Civica
"Paul really managed to bring economics to life for our audience. He was interesting, engaging, very easy to work with and conveyed the subject matter’s importance without making it appear in any way dull or dry. A great speaker." Creative England
"I wanted to pass on thanks from us all for delivering such incisive thinking, some excellent charts and conclusions for our clients. Your session was exactly what we hoped it would be, setting us up well for the day ahead." Liontrust

Popular Talks by Paul Johnson

  • Economic Overview
  • Social Responsibility