Rising Costs and Increased Risks - the IMF Spring Agenda
We are seeing dramatic energy price hikes which are fueling inflation and likely interest rate rises. We are also seeing new challenges for global trade, travel and logistics. Governments, trading organisations and corporate firms alike are seeking ways to cope with soaring costs, while wondering if this is temporary or the new normal?
From April 13th-18th , the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will take place in Washington DC. These meetings bring together central bankers, finance ministers, private sector leaders, and academics to discuss global economic growth, financial stability.
Some client firms use this occasion to host bi-lateral meetings and invite clients or staff to meet key thinkers and to be part of the conversation. If you are hosting an event and would like to include a guest speaker, please let me know. Please also consider these speakers for other events during the year.
Leading Economists
Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at UCL, and the Founding Director of the Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP) – Author of ‘The Common Good Economy’ (June 2026)
Associate Editor and Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times – Author of ‘The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism’, Why Globalisation Works’ and ‘The Shifts and the Shocks’
Economics Editor, The Economist – His short videos on economics have over 10m views across platforms
Professor of Economics at Harvard University – First Deputy Managing Director and Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (2022 – 2025)
Chief Economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers (2021-2023) – Director of Economics at The Budget Lab at Yale Law School
President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (2011–2023) – Leading voice in U.S. monetary policy and global economic trends
President of the Peterson Institute for International Economics – Member of the Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England (2009–2012)
Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard University – Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund (2001–2003)
Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley – Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund (2015–2018)
President of De Nederlandsche Bank (2011–2025) – Chair of the Financial Stability Board (2021–2025)
Commercial Secretary to HM Treasury (2015–2016) – Creator of the BRICs acronym
Leading Geopolitical Experts
Independent Geostrategist advising the C-Suite on the business implications of global developments – Author of ‘Mad World: A Geostrategy Survival Guide for Leaders’ (July 2026)
Editorial Chair, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Co-founder and Editor in Chief of Politico (2014-2023)
Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, Financial Times – Author of books including ‘The Age of the Strongman’ and the forthcoming ‘War is interested in you’ (October 2026)
Distinguished Fellow and Director-General (2015-2025) of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) – Author of ‘Democracy by Force: US Military Intervention in the Post-Cold War World’
President and CEO of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs – Author and co-editor of ‘Anchoring the World: International Order in the Twenty-First Century’