Global trade is changing, and fast. Traditional trade dynamics and geographical alliances are being challenged, with knock-on effects impacting everyone.
With escalating tensions between superpowers like the U.S. and China, Trump’s protectionist policies, the disruptive reality of AI and evolving trade alliances – today’s trade/geopolitical landscape has created uncertainty reaching new heights.
With that being said, the average supply-chain length measures over 5,000 kilometres, is globalisation really dead and buried? What does a new era of global trade look like?
These Top Global Trade Speakers are renowned experts in economics, technology and international politics, providing insight into the seismic shifts within the current world order. What will these changes mean for business and society at large, and how can we adapt to them?
The following thought-leaders help governments and corporations gain clarity and strategic insight into this volatile landscape.
Carmen Reinhart
Professor at Harvard Kennedy School and Former Senior Policy Advisor and, Deputy Director at the IMFCarmen Reinhart is the former Chief Economist of the World Bank, and current Professor at Harvard Kennedy School.
She’s a leading voice on global boom-and-bust cycles, helping make sense of financial crises across both emerging and advanced economies.
She is the former Deputy Director at the IMF.
Charles Michel, President Emeritus of the European Council, is a seasoned global leader who helped steer the EU through major challenges, including; the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine crisis, and global climate and trade negotiations.
Elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2022, he was instrumental in launching the Next Generation EU recovery fund and uniting the EU’s response to critical global issues.
Charles Michel
Minister of State, President Emeritus of the European Council (2019-2024) and Former Prime Minister of Belgium (2014-2019)
James Rickards
Global commentator on finance, risk and geo-politics, and author of bestseller Currency WarsJames Rickards is Editor of Strategic Intelligence and a New York Times bestselling author of six books on global finance.
Rickards regularly advises institutions and governments, and his insights appear in top platforms like the Financial Times, New York Times, and Bloomberg.
He played a key role in the 1998 LTCM rescue.
Joseph Stiglitz is a Nobel Prize-winning economist and University Professor at Columbia University, where he co-leads the Initiative for Policy Dialogue.
His work has helped explain the circumstances in which markets do not work well, and how selective government intervention can improve their performance.
The former Chief Economist of the World Bank and now with the Roosevelt Institute, Stiglitz has taught at Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, and Oxford, and was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal for outstanding contributions to economics before age 40.
Dr. Linda Yueh is an economist, author, and broadcaster who has advised institutions including the World Bank, European Commission, and UK Government, and serves on several major boards.
A former BBC Chief Business Correspondent and Bloomberg TV Economics Editor, her latest book was named one of the best new economics titles of 2023 by the Financial Times.
She was awarded CBE for Services to Economics in The King’s New Years Honours List 2023.
Pascal Lamy is the former Director-General of the World Trade Organization, serving from 2005 to 2013.
He is currently President of the Paris Peace Forum, Brunswick Europe Chair, and a special advisor to the European Commission.
A graduate of HEC, Sciences Po, and ENA, Lamy has been honored with multiple international awards and honorary degrees for his global leadership in trade and diplomacy.
Philip Hammond
British Conservative politician; Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019Philip Hammond is a former UK Cabinet Minister who held four major roles over nine years, including Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2016 to 2019.
He played a central role during the post-Brexit referendum period, advocating for a negotiated outcome that preserved strong economic ties between the UK and the EU.
Dr. Yu Jie is a Senior Research Fellow on China at Chatham House, specialising in Chinese foreign policy and economic diplomacy.
She is recognised as one of the "Leading Women" by the London School of Economics in 2018, having made significant contributions to public debates on China’s global role.
Dr. Yu was also named a "Young Leader" at the 2022 Shangri-La Dialogue on Asian Security.
Yanis Varoufakis is an economist, author, and former Finance Minister of Greece.
He was elected with the largest majority in 2015, he served during a critical phase of the Eurozone crisis, challenging the austerity measures imposed by international institutions.
Varoufakis resigned after refusing to endorse policies he believed would deepen Greece’s economic hardship. He is the author of a number of best-selling books, including Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism.
Supachai Panitchpakdi is the former Secretary-General of UNCTAD and a past Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
Panitchpakdi has held key roles in both international organisations and Thailand’s government and banking sector.
He also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand.
