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Previously Chief Economist at Shell International, and Head of Economics at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Sir Vince Cable speaks mainly on issues of finance, European Economic and Monetary Union, and the City. He is internationally renowned for his economic and political career, his straightforward manner and clear speaking.
He is invited to address a wide variety of audiences, who appreciate his straightforward manner, gentle sense of humour, and the way in which he both delivers his speeches with clarity and answers their questions directly. He is most often asked for his own views and insights into the economic future, both nationally and globally.
Sir Vince Cable led the Liberal Democrats in the United Kingdom Government from 2017-2019. In May 2019, he led the Liberal Democrats to their best national electoral performance since 2010, gaining 15 seats in the European Parliament election.
He was previously Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in March 2006 and Acting Leader for two months in 2007 following the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell. He has written a pamphlet on Brexit which he is often asked to take to corporate events.
Knighted in the Dissolution Honours List 2015, he was the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Twickenham from 1997-2015, and from 2017-2019, and formerly the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Shadow Secretary of State for Trade & Industry (1999-2003), Treasury Spokesman (June 2003), Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and spokesperson on Health and Social Care.
His book The Storm: The World Economic Crisis & what it means (March 2009) was widely acclaimed and correctly predicted the global economic crisis later that year. After The Storm was published in September 2015.
He gained a degree in Natural Science and Economics from the University of Cambridge, where he was also President of the Union. He gained his Ph.D. at the University of Glasgow. He was a special professor at the University of Nottingham and is a Visiting Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford. He has also lectured on Economics at the University of Glasgow.
He has a wealth of experience in the field of finance and economic issues, in the UK and globally, holding positions including:
- Special adviser to the Commonwealth Secretary-General Sonny Ramphal
- United Nations Association London and South East Region President
- Deputy Director Overseas Development Institute
- Diplomatic Service
- Treasury Official, Government of Kenya
- Freelance work for the World Bank and United Nations
- He has worked extensively in India and in Latin America
A regular broadcaster and columnist, Sir Vince has written for The Independent on economic and political issues and for The Economist. He has written books on Trade Policy and International Finance and published an in-depth study of international telecommunications – Global Superhighways. In 1999 he published a major book on Globalisation and Global Governance for Chatham House and Brookings.
He is very interested in environmental issues and drafted a report for the Commonwealth Prime-Ministers’ Conference on climate change and the ‘Greenhouse Effect’. He helped to prepare the report of the World Commission for the Environment with the Prime-Minister of Norway and Commonwealth Secretary General.
Vince’s wide-ranging interest and knowledge of international affairs, the environment and – most of all – his keen insight and grasp of global economic issues, ensures that his views are frequently sought by TV, radio and print media.