One of the most original thinkers on globalisation, geopolitical risk and the “rise of the rest,” Afshin Molavi argues that the rise of the non-Western world is dramatically reshaping everything: how we all produce, consume, connect, and live. 

Afshin Molavi is a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Foreign Policy Institute and Co-Director of the emerge85 Lab, a joint initiative between FPI and the UAE-based Delma Institute on geo-economic multiplicity that explores the impact of the emergence or re-emergence of ‘non-Western’ global economic players by taking a holistic approach to geo-economic trends and their impact.
 
At the Foreign Policy Institute, Molavi writes broadly on emerging markets, particularly on themes related to 'The New Silk Road,' South-South trade, global hub cities, new emerging market multinationals, global aviation, the geopolitics of energy, and the intersection of Middle East states and the global economy.
 
Molavi was also a Senior Research Fellow at the New America Foundation, a non-partisan think tank, and a former director of the World Economic Roundtable, an ambitious effort to re-map the global economy in the wake of the Great Recession.
 
A former journalist, his dispatches from the Middle East and essays have been published in The New York Times, The Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Businessweek, The Journal of Commerce, National Geographic, and dozens of academic and specialty publications.
 
He is a regular speaker at investment conferences, universities, think tanks, and the media, and is currently a senior advisor for Oxford Analytica, the global analysis and advisory firm. He has also served as an analyst at the International Finance Corporation, the private sector development arm of the World Bank.

Testimonials

"Afshin Molavi provided an illuminating and entertaining talk for our Keynote at our annual Governor's Conference on Tourism. He dazzled our delegates with a tour d'horizon of the global landscape in an accessible and highly engaging manner.  One of his special skills is making the 500 foot view relate-able.  His talk was followed by a fast-paced and robust Q&A.  The conversation included a wide range of on-the-spot questions that he fielded with skill, grace and above all, humor. Afshin is a pleasure to work with and we appreciate his general awesomeness!"
Lily Etemadi, Visit Florida
 
“Over the past three years, Afshin Molavi has offered opening remarks and moderated a CEO-level discussion on emerging markets, the global economy, the Middle East, China, and India before a high-level audience of invited delegates from more than twenty countries in Dubai. His insightful comments always inspire debate, and he engages the audience and crystallizes the discussion around the changing economic realities of the world with great skill. He is always superb, bringing charisma and energy to the room.”  
Falcon and Associates, Dubai
 
"Afshin has been a regular speaker at our Global Commodities conference. He is consistently among our highest rated speakers. He brings both academic rigor and journalistic flair into his presentations and panel discussions, and always delivers compelling content for our global audience. We look forward to having him back soon."
Goldman Sachs