Lionel Barber Keynote Speaker

Editor of the Financial Times (2005-2020)
Keynote Speaker on US Foreign Policy and Global Macro-Trends in Global Economic Climate
Expert on the Future of Journalism in the "Upheaval of Technological Change

Lionel Barber's Biography

Lionel Barber is an author, broadcaster and executive coach who as editor-in-chief led the digital transformation of the Financial Times (2005-2020).

In his post-FT career, Lionel specializes in advising and speaking on the future of media, with a focus on how artificial intelligence will impact the production and consumption of news and information.

As one of the very few journalists who have interviewed both President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, as well as many other world leaders in business and politics, he has a unique perspective on contemporary geopolitics in the age of the strongman.

Lionel is an experienced and entertaining live interviewer of CEOs and founders, having recently completed high-profile engagements with former CEO and chair of Goldman Sachs Lloyd Blankfein; Spotify founder Daniel Ek; legendary Wall Street investor Howard Marks; as well as former ECB president and Italian prime minister Mario Draghi, and former US treasury secretary Larry Summers.

Lionel is the author of Gambling Man, the wild ride of SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son (Allen Lane 2024, Simon & Schuster 2025) and The Powerful and the Damned, private diaries in turbulent times (Penguin 2020). He is co-host of the Media Confidential podcast and a regular contributor to the Financial Times, the I-paper, the Spectator and the New Statesman.

He is a senior adviser to Allen & Co in New York, a member of the international advisory board of Chubb, an adviser to Axel Springer, and an adviser to Capitol AI, a Washington, DC start-up, as well as Tramlines, a London-based incubator, and AlphaLens Intelligence, an Oslo-based start-up.

Lionel is exclusively represented by Chartwell Speakers, please see below for examples of his speaking topics.

What makes a great businessperson ?

The global political landscape of today

He led the Financial Times through its digital transformation as editor-in-chief, shaping one of the world’s most successful modern media organisations.
He translates the future of media and AI into clear insight that helps leaders understand how information, influence and trust are evolving.
He brings unparalleled access to global power, having interviewed world leaders including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
He is an experienced moderator and interviewer, engaging top CEOs and policymakers in high-level, insightful conversations.
His insights help organisations navigate media disruption, understand geopolitical dynamics and communicate effectively in a changing information landscape.