Bill Hayton Keynote Speaker

Geopolitics Expert of Southeast Asia
Author and Journalist; BBC World News Broadcaster and Journalist
Associate Fellow with the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society

Bill Hayton's Biography

Dr Bill Hayton is an expert on the geopolitics of Southeast Asia and author of four books on Asia: ’The Invention of China’ (Yale, 2020), ’The South China Sea: the struggle for power in Asia’ (Yale, 2014) ‘Vietnam: rising dragon’ (Yale, 2010), and ‘A Brief History of Vietnam: Colonialism, War and Renewal’ (2022)

He is an Associate Fellow with the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He has worked in various roles for BBC News since 1998 including a year as the BBC’s Vietnam reporter in 2006-7 and another on secondment to the Myanmar state broadcaster, MRTV, in 2013-14.

He previously worked on European and Middle Eastern affairs, including a period working for al Jazeera (Arabic) television. He has given presentations for many government agencies, companies, think tanks and universities on the South China Sea disputes. He was awarded his PhD by the University of Cambridge in 2019 for his research on the history and development of the South China Sea disputes. He currently focuses on the politics of the ASEAN region and relations between South East Asia and China, the United States and other powers.

He is a leading authority on Southeast Asian geopolitics, with deep expertise on the South China Sea and regional power dynamics.
He translates complex geopolitical tensions into clear insight that helps leaders understand risk, strategy and global implications.
He brings a unique perspective shaped by decades of journalism with the BBC and firsthand experience reporting across Asia.
He is an accomplished author and researcher, providing historically grounded analysis on China, Vietnam and regional relations.
His insights help organisations navigate geopolitical uncertainty, inform decision-making and anticipate shifts in global power.