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Gordon Brown

WSB Exclusive Speaker

The Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (2007-2010) and Chancellor of the Exchequer (1997-2007)

Gordon Brown

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Gordon Brown served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2010 and as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1997 to 2007, the longest-serving Chancellor in modern British history, and as a Member of Parliament for his home county of Fife, Scotland, from 1983 to 2015. In May 2026, Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed him the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Global Finance and Cooperation.

He is the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and is a passionate advocate for the rights of children and believes every girl and boy deserves the opportunity of an education, learning and skills for the future. Since September 2021, he also serves as WHO Ambassador for Global Health Financing.

Gordon is Chair of the High-Level Steering Group of Education Cannot Wait, the education-in-emergencies fund, and Chair of the Inquiry on Protecting Children in Conflict. He previously chaired the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, whose work led to the creation of the International Financing Facility for Education (IFFEd).

Gordon is the author of several books including Beyond the Crash: Overcoming the First Crisis of Globalisation, My Life, Our Times, Seven Ways to Change the World, and Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World.

Gordon Brown’s Speech Topics

Confronting Change, Managing Uncertainty

Drawing from his candid memoir, Gordon Brown shares the lessons he learned from more than 30 years as a Member of Parliament and 13 as a Minister. He describes how those lessons can be applied to the challenges the world faces today: financial
crises, rising nationalism and protectionism, and uncertain bilateral and multilateral relationships. And he explains how they can also make a difference for your company, whether you are confronting external changes to policies and regulations or implementing internal changes across your organization. You will walk away with unique insight into how Brown overcame unexpected challenges, and with unbridled optimism that your company can do the same.

The Intersection of Education, Innovation and Technology

Around the world, leaders are talking about the future of work. Gordon Brown believes they should be talking about the future of education—because he believes that the key to developing the workforce of tomorrow is transforming education today. He explains how education unlocks better health, promotes social stability, and unleashes innovation. As UN Special Envoy for Global Education, he is petitioning G20 leaders to unlock billions of dollars in financing for education. Brown explains how education boosts economies, how technology is changing the way people learn, and how to give both young people and those already working the skills they need to compete.

The Next Ten Years

Virtual reality, artificial intelligence, automation—a new generation of scientific, medical and technological advances that will fundamentally change what we do, who we are, how companies operate and what companies survive.

Gordon Brown is completing a new piece of work on what the world will look like in the next ten years and how this will affect us as individuals. He’ll look at China and Asia, Europe and America and how they will fare. He will explore the huge technological changes afoot. He’ll look at the capacity that algorithms will have to control our lives and our perceptions, and to scrutinize what we do. He’ll suggest what’s going to happen when issues of privacy, inequality and individual liberty arise. He’ll paint a picture of what we can do to put ourselves back in control.

The Response to Globalization

Drawing from his unrivalled experience as UK Prime Minister, Finance Minister, and Chairman of both the G20 and the IMF Advisory Committee, Gordon Brown analyzes how each continent is coming to terms with globalization—and examines how we might manage the phenomenon better. He explores who might have the correct answers to peoples’ grievances about technological unemployment, stagnant living standards, and rising inequality: Is it America’s “responsible nationalism,” the bring-back-control movements across Europe, or China’s new attempts at global leadership? Brown argues that the way to national prosperity lies not just in getting decision-making right at the national level, but in developing more effective ways of cooperating internationally.

His Life, Our Times: Lessons from the World Stage

Drawing from his candid memoir, My Life, Our Times, Gordon Brown opens up about his relationships with U.S. Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama, as well as with prime ministers and world leaders from Chancellor Merkel to President Xi. He shares the lessons he learned from more than 30 years as a Member of Parliament, 10 years as Finance Minister and 3 years as Prime Minister. And he describes how those lessons can be applied to the challenges the world is facing today: financial crises, rising nationalism and protectionism, and uncertain bilateral and multilateral relationships. You will walk away from this eye-opening presentation with unique insight into Brown’s personal life and professional career, and unbridled optimism for our collective future.

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