Douglas McWilliams
Douglas McWilliams | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 24, 1951 United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Economic consultant, author |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Known for | Founder of the Centre for Economics and Business Research, Gresham Professor of Commerce |
| Notable work | The Flat White Economy, The Inequality Paradox, Driving the Silk Road |
Douglas Francis McWilliams (born 24 November 1951) is a British economic consultant with expertise in forecasting and the technology industry.
Following senior positions at IBM and the Confederation of British Industry, he received a Sunday Times accolade in 1992 and established the Centre for Economics and Business Research. Subsequently, he held the post of Gresham Professor of Commerce at Gresham College located in the City of London.
Early life and education
McWilliams was born in November 1951 and attended Stonyhurst College before studying at the University of Oxford, where he completed a degree in philosophy, politics and economics and later earned an MPhil in economics.
Career
Between 1988 and 1992, McWilliams acted as Chief Economist for IBM (UK) and Chief Economic Adviser to the Confederation of British Industry. In 1992, he was honored with the Sunday Times Golden Guru Award recognizing the top UK economic forecaster, and that same year he founded the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). From 2012 to 2014, he served as Professor of Commerce at Gresham College, delivering lectures on the economic consequences of globalisation; his successor was Jagjit Chadha.
In February 2012, McWilliams, together with Roger Bootle from Capital Economics, provided testimony to the House of Commons’ European Scrutiny Committee regarding the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance within the Economic and Monetary Union.
His 2015 publication, The Flat White Economy, emphasizes the digital sector's role as a fundamental driver of the UK economy and achieved the number one spot on Amazon’s Business and Law Best Seller List. The 2018 book The Inequality Paradox offers a critique of Thomas Piketty’s perspectives on economic inequality. In Driving the Silk Road (2020), McWilliams narrates his journey driving a vintage Bentley during the 2019 Peking to Paris Rally while sharing observations about Asian and European economies.
As of 2022, McWilliams holds the position of Deputy Chairman at CEBR, serves on the Council of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, acts as Economic Adviser to the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and is a member of the advisory board for e-Propelled, an American electric motor company.
Personal life
He is the son of the late Sir Francis McWilliams, an engineering consultant who also served as Lord Mayor of London. In 1979, McWilliams married Ianthe Wright, whom he met while supporting Oxford during the Boat Race. The couple live in a spacious residence near Regent's Park.
Books
- Basic Economics: A Dictionary of Terms, Concepts, and Ideas (London: Arrow Books, 1976, co-authored with Tim Congdon)
- The Renaissance of British Management (IBM Lecture, Kingston Business School, 25 May 1988)
- The Flat White Economy: How the Digital Economy Is Transforming London and Other Cities of the Future (London: Gerald Duckworth & Co, 2015)
- The Inequality Paradox: How Capitalism Can Work for Everyone (New York: Overlook Press, November 2018; London: Abrams Press, September 2019)
- Driving the Silk Road: Halfway Across the World in a Bentley S1 (Whitefox Publishing, 23 December 2019)
External links
- The Winning and Losing Nations, a lecture presented by Douglas McWilliams at Gresham College on 21 March 2013
- The Inequality Paradox by Douglas McWilliams, address delivered by Nick Gibb
- Doug McWilliams, The Treasury has miscalculated its mini-budget figures, Reaction Life, 23 September 2022
- Doug McWilliams, What became of Rishi Sunak’s £30bn surplus? Reaction Life, 3 November 2022