The Leading Speakers Bureau

Director of the Institute for International Economics

Fred Bergsten has been director of the Institute for International Economics since its creation in 1981. He is chairman of the “Shadow G-8,” which advises the G-8 countries on their annual meetings. He frequently testifies before Congressional committees. He was chairman of the Competitiveness Policy Council which was created by Congress from 1991 to 1995 and chairman of the APEC Eminent Persons Group throughout its existence from 1993 to 1995.

Leading authority on the global economic landscape

[expand title=”In detail”] He was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs from 1977-80 and Under Secretary for Monetary Affairs from 1980-81. From 1969-71 he served as Assistant for International Economic Affairs to Henry Kissinger at the National Security Council. He has been a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Council on Foreign Relations.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Few can claim to even come close to the level of expertise and understanding of global imbalances and the understanding of deeper sources which determine growth in industrial and developing countries. Decision makers across the globe will learn from his surveillance of the state of thinking on growth and the role of globalization in this context, making the case that the world is in need of globalization for the benefit of the poor and the rich equally.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Skillfully highlighting crucial issues and trends, Fred’s presentations are engaging, informative and always well received.[/expand]
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Expert on Corporate Globalisation and Asian Business

Frank-Jürgen Richter is the World Economic Forum’s Director in charge of Asian affairs. Under his leadership, the Forum’s Summits in Asia and the Asia part of the Annual Meeting in Davos have evolved to facilitate the exchange of expertise between leaders in business, government and civil society. He also had a distinguished career with multinational corporations in Asia and in Europe with a number of European multinationals.

An exceptionally gifted business thinker and advisor to companies of global reach.

[expand title=”In detail”] Under his leadership, the Forum’s Summits in Asia and the Asia part of ‘Davos’ have evolved to facilitate the exchange of expertise between leaders in business, government, and civil society. He is also an active scholar and has authored and edited a series of best-selling books on global strategy and Asian business. He has addressed audiences at the World Economic Forum, Brookings Institute, Harvard University, Beijing University, Royal Institute of International Affairs, and several high-level corporate events.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]As one of the leading analysts of international business and emerging economies, he influences major business and governmental decisions with his public commentary. He has a thorough understanding of how the world functions today – an understanding created through an on-going interaction with top business, political and intellectual leaders around the world.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]An informative and to the point speaker he has an unrivalled reputation for his ability to use distinctive scenarios on how to map the future to illustrate his proposals.[/expand]
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Economics Writer for The New Yorker, Author of How Markets Fail

John Cassidy is one of the world’s leading business journalists. A writer at The New Yorker and a contributor to The New York Review of Books, he has covered economics and finance there since 1995, writing on topics ranging from Alan Greenspan to the Iraqi oil industry and English journalism. He is also a financial commentator for the BBC and Contributing Editor at Conde Nast Portfolio where he writes the monthly Economics section column.

“John Cassidy is a highly respected financial journalist”

[expand title=”In detail”] John Cassidy joined the Sunday Times, in London, in 1986, and served as the paper’s Washington bureau chief for three years, and then as its business editor, from 1991 to 1993. From 1993 to 1995, he was at the New York Post, where he edited the Business section and then served as the deputy editor. He is the author of the highly successful ‘Dot.con: How America Lost Its Mind and Money in the Internet Era’ which examines the dot-com bubble, and ‘How Markets Fail: The Logic of Economic Calamities’ which combines a sceptical history of economics with an analysis of the housing bubble and credit bust. Two of his articles have been nominated for National Magazine Awards. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Using psychology and behavioural economics thought, John Cassidy shares his views with worldwide audiences about the crisis as well as the political and ideological factors behind the global meltdown. He provides unmatched analysis of the important current economic issues.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]John Cassidy illuminates complex issues with great clarity, in an eloquent and astute manner.[/expand]
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The World’s Preeminent Authority on the Economic & Technological Impact of Virtual Worlds

Cory Ondrejka is the co-creator of the Digital World, Second Life. In life after Linden Lab and Second Life, he was a visiting professor at University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communication. He is currently the Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy for EMI Recorded Music. He is an expert on the interrelation between innovation and learning, as well as the technological and social requirements of product development.

“A relentless innovator”

[expand title=”In detail”] Cory Ondrejka received his BS in Weapons and Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy, graduated from the Navy Nuclear Power School, and served as an officer in the United States Navy. As co-founder and CTO of Linden Lab, Cory Ondrejka has long been an evangelist for the power of virtual worlds. He constructed the core code and built the multinational team that created the award-winning Second Life. He has also driven Linden Lab’s unique distributed culture for geographically-diverse software development, establishing tools and practices for building the right internal teams for specific tasks, independent of the geographic location of the people.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Cory Ondrejka offers an exciting look at what’s ahead in Virtual Worlds and how it will affect business and society. He conveys the excitement about this new frontier where entrepreneurs are already exploring ways to generate real-world profits. He is passionate about showing how virtual worlds can be used to create a more connected workplace, the deep connection between learning and innovation, their impact on national power and much more.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]A skilled and exciting speaker, Cory Ondrejka expertly brings unique experience and current insight to the business challenges and opportunities inherent to these new technologies.[/expand]
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Joint Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, 2004

Dr. Edward Prescott was awarded the Nobel Prize for contributions to dynamic macroeconomics: the time consistency of economic policy and the driving forces behind business cycles. He is currently working as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and a Professor at Arizona State University’s W.P. Carey School of Business. His work has altered the course of macroeconomic thinking in the past three decades.

“Edward Prescott is a major figure in macroeconomics, especially the theories of business cycles and general equilibrium”

[expand title=”In detail”] Edward Prescott received his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Swarthmore College, a master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University and a Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University. He has held teaching positions at the University of Minnesota, the University of Chicago, Carnegie-Mellon University, and the University of Pennsylvania. During 1979-82, he served on the faculties of Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and Kellogg School of Management. He is a co-editor of Economic Theory and a research associate for the National Bureau of Economic Research. He is a former president of the Society of Economic Dynamics and Control and Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory and a former associate editor of the Journal of Economic Theory, International Economic Review and the Journal of Econometrics.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Lauded for a lifetime of original thinking that has addressed some of the most important long-standing questions in macroeconomics, Edward Prescott describes himself as an econometrician, namely someone dedicated to making neoclassical economics quantitative. His contributions to economics have not only fueled advances in theoretical work, but have also had profound impacts at a policy level and his audiences benefit from this wisdom. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Having transformed the methods of macroeconomic thinking, Edward Prescott lays out theory in his presentations, so simply and clearly, knowing and understanding the importance and power of good language. His audiences don’t learn to be acolytes of Ed Prescott – they learn to be excellent researchers, to think for themselves.[/expand]
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Expert on Employment and Workforce Diversity

Amin Rajan is Chief Executive of the Centre for Research in Employment and Technology in Europe (CREATE) – a pan-European network of prominent researchers undertaking high level advisory assignments for the UK government, City institutions, multinational companies and international bodies such as the EU, OECD and ILO. He is also a visiting professor at the Cass Business School, London Guildhall University and at the Centre for Leadership Studies at Exeter University, and also President of the Scientific Committee at Audencia-Nantes, Ecole de Management.

“ Amin’s work has proved so influential that he now provides leadership coaching to top executives and investment specialists”

[expand title=”In detail”] Amin Rajin was formerly an economic advisor at the National Economic Development Office, Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. He has also carried out numerous studies for the UK Government and international bodies, and acted as a consultant to companies such as BP, British Telecom, IBM, ICL, Legal & General, Motorola, Merrill Lynch, National Westminster Bank, Fiat, Rolls Royce, SunAlliance and Shell.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]As a prominent researcher Amin Rajan offers audiences valuable insights into the business benefits of and practical challenges involved in the promotion of workforce diversity. Amin Rajan also uses his experience to coach decision makers and offer essential advice on leadership and emerging business strategies. [/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Appearing regularly on business television as well as at numerous events around the world, Amin Rajan’s high content presentations are filled with invaluable information from his research perfectly tailored to suit individual client’s needs.[/expand]
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Editor in Chief of MoneyWeek Magazine

Merryn Somerset Webb is the Editor in Chief of the respected weekly financial magazine MoneyWeek. As well as editing Moneyweek she now has regular columns in the Sunday Times, the Spectator and Saga Magazine and has written for a variety of other publications including Harpers and The Week. Merryn is also a frequent radio and television commentator on everything to do with money.

“Make your money and buy your freedom”

[expand title=”In detail”] In 1992 Merryn moved to Japan to continue her Japanese studies and to produce business programmes for NHK, Japan’s public TV station. In 1993 she became an institutional broker for SBC Warburg, where she stayed for 5 years. Returning to the UK in 1998, Merryn became a financial writer for The Week. Two years later, in 2000, MoneyWeek was launched and Merryn took the job of editor. She became Editor-in-chief in November 2008.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]Combining years of financial expertise with a healthy dose of scepticism and an easy sense of humour, Merryn provides insights into the UK and current global economic outlook and also the bigger issues which affect financial markets.[/expand]

[expand title=”How she presents”]Merryn’s presentations are delivered in an articulate and relaxed manner. Merryn is an ideal speaker to address a wide range of audiences.

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Professor of Investment Banking at Harvard Business School

Dr. Josh Lerner recently led an international team of scholars in a study of the economic impact of private equity for the World Economic Forum. He founded, raised funding for and organizes two groups at the National Bureau of Economic Research: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy and the Economy. He is a member of a number of other NBER groups and serves as co-editor of their publication, Innovation Policy and the Economy. At Harvard, his research focuses on the structure and the role of private equity organizations.

“Renowned Harvard Business School professor”

[expand title=”In detail”] Josh Lerner graduated from Yale College with a Special Divisional Major which combined physics with the history of technology. He worked for several years on issues concerning technological innovation and public policy, at the Brookings Institution, for a public-private task force in Chicago, and on Capitol Hill. He then earned a Ph.D. from Harvard’s Economics Department. In the 1993-94 academic year, he introduced an elective MBA course on private equity and venture capital that has consistently been one of the largest elective courses at HBS. [/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]An advisor to a select group of private equity funds and major institutional investors, Josh Lerner helps his global audiences identify and respond to key trends in the private equity industry. He also examines the impact of intellectual property protection, particularly patents, on the competitive strategies of firms in high-technology industries. He presents at conferences and meetings organized by numerous accounting firms, investment banks, intellectual property trade associations, law firms, other intermediaries, private equity groups, publications and national venture capital and private equity associations.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]With a warm and genuine style, Josh Lerner skilfully does away with some of the myths surrounding private equity in his highly informative presentations.[/expand]
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World’s Leading Historian of the Global Economy

Niall Ferguson is widely acknowledged as the world’s leading historian of the global economy. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary politics and economics and a regular contributor to television and radio on both sides of the Atlantic. He is also a contributing editor for the Financial Times. In 2010 Niall takes up the chair in History and International Affairs at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

“the most talented British historian of his generation”

[expand title=”In detail”] Niall Ferguson is Professor of History at Harvard University and Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. In 2009 the London School of Economics appointed Niall to chair History and International Affairs. For a documentary series based on his book ‘The Ascent of Money’, Niall received the International Emmy for Best Documentary. He is currently researching the life and times of Henry Kissinger for a new book.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Named as one of the world’s hundred most influential people by Time magazine, Niall believes that money is the cornerstone of human progress but can also be the catalyst for catastrophe for individuals, companies and nations. Through his in-depth analysis and research into historical events as well as current economical and political trends, he offers invaluable advice for leading businesses world wide.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]An experienced television and radio presenter, Niall Ferguson is an accomplished and dynamic speaker. His thought-provoking presentations are delivered with the perfect balance of wit and analytical clarity to challenge conventional thinking.[/expand]
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Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics 2009

Prof. Oliver E. Williamson was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for “his analysis of economic governance, especially the boundaries of the firm” in 2009, sharing it with Elinor Ostrom. He is the Edgar F. Kaiser Professor Emeritus of Business, Economics and Law and Professor of the Graduate School, both at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. He is a prominent author in the area of transaction cost economics and related disciplines and is credited with the development of the term “Information Impactedness”, which applies in situations where it is difficult to ascertain what the costs to information are.

“Oliver E. Williamson is one of the leading economic theorists of our time”

[expand title=”In detail”] Oliver E. Williamson received his B.Sc. in management from the MIT Sloan School of Management, M.B.A. from Stanford University, and his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University. He is recognised for developing a theory where business firms serve as structures for conflict resolution, and has argued that hierarchical organisations, such as companies, represent alternative governance structures, which differ in their approaches to resolving conflicts of interest.[/expand]

[expand title=”What he offers you”]Author of one of the most important books on the corporation, Prof. Williamson has been instrumental in establishing economic governance as a field of research. His focus on the cost of transactions has led him to distinguish between repeated case-by-case bargaining on the one hand and relationship-specific contracts on the other. He is highly sought-after by government organisations and corporations eager to reap the benefits of his considerable expertise, in-depth research and proven economic strategies.[/expand]

[expand title=”How he presents”]Oliver E. Williamson is an engaging, enlightening and highly informative speaker with an unparalleled level of knowledge of today’s economic markets.[/expand]
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