Robert Guest | The Economist's Deputy Editor

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Robert Guest

The Economist's Deputy Editor

Robert Guest
Biography

Robert Guest is Deputy Editor of The Economist, arguably the most influential news magazine in the world. He travels constantly around the world and speaks regularly to CEOs and entrepreneurs in all industries. He is a witty and entertaining speaker, who simplifies complex subjects and spices up his presentations with jokes and first-hand anecdotes.

He is regularly asked to chair conferences or give keynote speeches. Few other speakers can give such a vivid, up-to-date or global perspective on business and politics. Mr Guest has reported from more than 90 countries and lived in six. He has won numerous awards.

As The Economist's Deputy Editor, Robert helps oversee all the magazine's coverage of current affairs, from geopolitics to global economics. His previous roles include Foreign Editor, United States Editor and Business Editor. 

Robert Guest
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Global Views of the US Election

As deputy editor of The Economist, this is the biggest question Robert Guest is tackling this year.  It is the one question he asks CEOs and cabinet ministers in every country he visits, and their answers suggest they think it matters more than any recent election. Robert Guest understands that audiences are likely to include a wide range of political views, so any speech is scrupulously factual and courteous.

Robert tailors his speech to the specific audience, which may be most interested in a particular industry or region. The questions he addresses could include:  

1. How the US election looks from a multinational boardroom. Among many policies that have grabbed the world's attention, Trump suggests he might impose a blanket 10% tariff. Biden, meanwhile, would double down on green industrial policy. Either leader's approach would have big effects on the US economy and how it interlinks with the rest of the world. Multinational businesses are already reviewing their investment plans and reshaping their supply chains. Robert Guest explores the nuances, based on economic analysis and his own recent reporting from the US, India, China, Vietnam, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.

2. How the US election looks from Europe. The two candidates would take a very different approach to Ukraine and Russia. Robert Guest explores how Europeans are preparing for a Trump victory, and what the effect of an end to US military aid to Ukraine might be on geopolitics and commodity markets, based on reporting from Ukraine, London and Brussels, with added colour from the European backlash against high energy prices and the parts of North Africa that suffered bread riots when the Ukraine war pushed up the price of wheat.  

3. How the US election looks from Beijing. The surprising reasons why some of Xi Jinping's advisers favour a Trump victory, and others fear it. 

4. How the US election looks from Taiwan. One small, vulnerable island produces 85% of the global supply of top-of-the-line semiconductors. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan, if it happens, would thus send shockwaves through the world economy. Since the main thing deterring China from attacking Taiwan is America's unwritten and ambiguous promise to defend the island, it matters enormously who the US commander-in-chief is. Robert could explore how the US election might affect the odds of a war over Taiwan, and how global supply chains are shifting to reduce the risk to the entire high-tech sector.

5. How the US election looks from the rest of Asia. India's government would be happy to see a Trump victory. Japan is quietly dreading it. Vietnam figures it will do well regardless. Robert can explore the nuances of how Asia is adapting to the turbulence of American politics. 

6. How the US election looks from the Middle East. With Iran-backed terrorists in Yemen shooting missiles at cargo ships in the Red Sea, some in the Middle East yearn for a return to Trump's transactional approach to diplomacy; others are eager to work with Biden to put out the region's fires and safeguard the booming economies of the Gulf. 

This is just a sampling of the most popular questions he can cover. Robert works with you ahead of time to learn about your audience event and to customize his presentation.

Customized Speaking Topics

Robert Guest is happy to speak on a variety of topics related to global business or politics. As the foreign editor of the Economist, he continually travels the globe, researching and speaking on topics such as the rise of China, India, Latin America and Africa, the interplay between politics and business in the USA and Europe, and the way talent and technology are shaping the global economy.

Other Keynote Topics

Borderless Economics: Chinese Sea Turtles, Indian Fridges and the New Fruits of Global Capitalism

The Shackled Continent: Power, Corruption, and African Lives

Robert Guest
Featured Book

Borderless Economicsby Robert Guest

Borderless Economics

by Robert Guest
A century ago, migrants often crossed an ocean and never saw their homelands again. Today, they call--or Skype--home the moment their flight has landed, and that's just the beginning. Thanks to cheap travel and easy communication, immigrants everywhere stay in intimate contact with their native countries, creating powerful cross-border networks. In Borderless Economics, Robert Guest, The Economist's global business editor, travels through dozens of countries and 44 American states, observing how these networks create wealth, spread ideas, and foster innovation. Covering phenomena such as how young Chinese studying in the West are infecting China with democratic ideals, to why the so-called brain drain--the flow of educated migrants from poor countries to rich ones--actually reduces global poverty, this is a fascinating look at how migration makes the world wealthier and happier.

Robert Guest
Featured Reviews

Robert Guest
Featured Articles & Resources

Robert Guest - A Dispatch from the US-China Trade War

Article by Robert Guest: Foreign Editor, The Economist, created exclusively for Premiere Speakers Bureau.   When I was an intern at a Japanese software firm in Tokyo in...
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