Giuliano da Empoli Keynote Speaker

Grand Prix du roman, Académie française (2022)
Prix Goncourt finalist for Le Mage du Kremlin (2022)
Senior advisor to Italian PM Matteo Renzi (2014–2016)

Giuliano da Empoli's Biography

Giuliano da Empoli is an Italian-Swiss novelist, essayist and keynote who decodes power, propaganda and political storytelling for global audiences. His debut novel, The Wizard of the Kremlin (2022), won the Grand Prix du roman de l’Académie française, was a Prix Goncourt finalist, and has been translated into 30+ languages.

A leading analyst of data-driven populism, his essay Les ingénieurs du chaos (2019) mapped the spin-doctor tactics reshaping democracies. In 2025, L’Heure des prédateurs advanced that inquiry, charting the convergence of autocrats and tech billionaires; the English edition, The Hour of the Predator, publishes on 7 October 2025.

Da Empoli brings rare inside experience to his analysis. He served as Deputy Mayor for Culture in Florence (2009–2012), advised Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (2014–2016), founded the Milan-based think tank Volta (2016–), and teaches at Sciences Po Paris (since 2021), connecting policy, history and contemporary geopolitics with a European lens.

On stage, he blends gripping narrative with clear frameworks leaders can use to read risk, counter disinformation and make better decisions. His storytelling has crossed mediums: Le Mage du Kremlin was adapted for the stage at La Scala Paris in 2024, underscoring the book’s cultural impact and Da Empoli’s unique perspective on Russia and the information age.

Power and propaganda: lessons from The Wizard of the Kremlin

Disinformation, algorithms and democratic resilience

Autocrats, AI and tech billionaires: navigating the predator age

Europe, Russia and geopolitical risk for boards and investors

Strategic narrative and decision-making under uncertainty

He is an award-winning novelist and analyst of modern power, with The Wizard of the Kremlin winning the Grand Prix du roman de l’Académie française and reaching global audiences through extensive translation.
He decodes data-driven populism and the mechanics of disinformation, giving leaders clear frameworks to read political storytelling, manipulation and democratic fragility.
He brings rare inside experience of government and policy, from serving as Deputy Mayor for Culture in Florence to advising Italy’s prime minister and teaching at Sciences Po Paris.
He equips senior audiences to stress-test decisions in an era of autocrats and tech power, drawing on his 2025 work The Hour of the Predator to clarify how influence, coercion and narrative now converge.
He delivers gripping, idea-led keynotes that help organisations anticipate risk, counter propaganda and communicate more confidently when information itself has become a battleground.