Ravi Agrawal Keynote Speaker

Editor-in-Chief, Foreign Policy (2020–present)
Host of FP Live: Interviews with world leaders and policymakers
Author of India Connected, acclaimed by Financial Times and Wall Street Journal

Ravi Agrawal's Biography

Ravi Agrawal distils frontline reporting and boardroom briefings into crisp, actionable insight. As Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy and host of the flagship FP Live video and podcast series, he probes world leaders and top thinkers on the forces reshaping geopolitics, economics, and technology, giving audiences unrivalled access to the conversations that matter most.

From 2006 to 2017, he steered CNN’s coverage across London, New York, and South Asia, culminating as New Delhi Bureau Chief (2014–2017). Earlier, as senior producer of Fareed Zakaria GPS, he helped the programme win a coveted Peabody Award and earn three Emmy nominations—an editorial apprenticeship that honed his skill at translating complexity into compelling narrative.

Agrawal is the author of India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy (Oxford University Press, 2019). Hailed by the Financial Times as “timely and absorbing” and selected by the Wall Street Journal among the five best books on contemporary India, the work underscores his ability to spot transformative trends before they hit the headlines.

In 2024, Agrawal moderated high-level dialogues on artificial intelligence and global governance at the FP Tech Forum during the 79th United Nations General Assembly, engaging with leaders from OpenAI, Meta, and the International Telecommunication Union.

London-born, Calcutta-raised, and Harvard-educated, Agrawal embodies an international outlook. Whether decoding U.S.–China rivalry, India’s digital surge, or the statecraft of emerging powers, he equips audiences with the clarity, context, and confidence to navigate a world in flux.

Geopolitics 2025: Navigating the U.S.–China–India triangle

Technology, media & democracy: Disinformation and digital power

India’s rise: Opportunities and risks for global business

Leadership lessons from interviewing world decision-makers

The future of multilateralism in an era of great-power rivalry

He distils frontline reporting and boardroom-level conversations into clear, actionable insight on the geopolitical and economic forces reshaping business and society.
He translates complex global dynamics into compelling narratives, informed by more than a decade leading CNN coverage across the United States, Europe, and South Asia.
He gives audiences direct access to the ideas shaping global agendas, drawing on his role as Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy and as host of FP Live interviews with world leaders and top thinkers.
He helps leaders anticipate the next inflection points in technology and governance, building on his track record moderating high-level dialogues on artificial intelligence and global governance at the United Nations General Assembly.
He equips organisations to navigate a world in flux by connecting US–China competition, India’s digital transformation, and the rise of emerging powers to practical implications for strategy and risk.