Hamish McRae

Hamish McRae is one of Europe's foremost speakers on global future trends in economics, technology, business, and society. He is a principal economic commentator and associate editor for "The Independent" and "The Independent on Sunday," and a columnist for the "Wall Street Journal."

He authored the acclaimed book "The World in 2020: Power, Culture and Prosperity," which has been translated into more than a dozen languages, making him a sought-after speaker on future global trends. His follow-up book, "The World in 2050: How To Think About The Future," published in May 2022, examines the complex forces of change—demography, environment, finance, technology, and governance—and their potential impacts on global society.

McRae's other significant works include "What Works: Success in Stressful Times," which was long-listed for the Business Book of the Year at the FT/Goldman Sachs Awards in New York in 2010, "Capital City – London as a Financial Centre," co-authored with Frances Cairncross, and "Wake-up Japan," co-authored with Tadashi Nakamae. His extensive recognition includes receiving the “Financial Journalist of the Year” award in 1979, the “Columnist of the Year” award in 1996 at the Periodical Publisher’s Awards, the David Watt Prize for outstanding political journalism in 2005, and “Business and Finance Journalist of the Year 2006” at the British Press Awards.

Currently, McRae is a visiting professor at the School of Management at Lancaster University and a council member of the Royal Economic Society. His ongoing work predominantly focuses on the economic rise of Asia and the transformative impact of new technologies on the global economy.