Helen Thompson

Helen Thompson is Professor of Political Economy at the University of Cambridge, specialising in the forces connecting energy dependency, geopolitical upheaval, and democratic fragility. Since 1994, she has researched how fossil fuels shape financial crises and political disruption, authoring three acclaimed books including *Oil and the Western Economic Crisis*. A regular contributor to the *Talking Politics* podcast since 2015, her analysis also appears in the *London Review of Books*, *New York Times*, and *Financial Times*. Her talks equip leaders with the historical context and strategic foresight to navigate volatility, anticipate structural energy and geopolitical challenges, and lead confidently through profound global transformation.

When central banks created more than $25 trillion of new money in response to cascading crises, when the European Union fractured under pressure, and when political fault lines split open across the United States, Helen Thompson had spent decades preparing to explain why. Professor of Political Economy at the University of Cambridge since 1994, she has devoted her career to uncovering the deep historical forces connecting energy dependency, financial collapse, and democratic fragility. Through three critically acclaimed books, including *Oil and the Western Economic Crisis*, and her regular contributions to the *Talking Politics* podcast since 2015, she has established herself as an essential voice for understanding how fossil fuels continue to shape geopolitical upheaval and economic turbulence, even as the world attempts a green transition.

Helen's research at Cambridge connects long-term historical trends with contemporary crises, revealing patterns that others miss. Her books trace the entanglements that define our era: *Oil and the Western Economic Crisis* explores how energy dependence shaped financial collapse, *China and the Mortgaging of America* examines the economic relationship between two superpowers, and *Might, Right, Prosperity and Consent* analyses how representative democracy intersects with the international economy. Her analysis extends beyond academia into influential public discourse. Her writing appears regularly in the *London Review of Books*, *New York Times*, *History Today*, and *Financial Times*, where she frames complex global shifts with clarity and urgency. Most recently, her work on Brexit and the eurozone crisis demonstrates her ability to explain how energy politics rewrites international order as profoundly as any political administration, offering leaders the context needed to make sense of volatility.

In her talks, Helen equips audiences to navigate the compounding story of geopolitical, economic, and democratic disruption. She traces three interconnected histories, showing how their collision created the turbulence now reshaping boardrooms, policy decisions, and societies. She explains how geopolitical competition intensified, how the Middle East destabilised, and how political divisions deepened across Europe and America, all rooted in problems generated by fossil fuel energies. Crucially, Helen does not offer false optimism about the green transition. Instead, she prepares leaders and organisations for the enduring predicaments that energy will continue to create for generations. Her insights help audiences anticipate structural challenges, understand the forces driving transformation, and lead with informed confidence through an era of profound global change. Helen provides the strategic foresight that turns uncertainty into actionable understanding.