Afshin Molavi

Afshin Molavi helps audiences navigate a rapidly shifting global landscape—translating economic, geopolitical, and social changes into insights that matter for their businesses, industries, and communities. 

A leading authority on global trends, Afshin Molavi blends rigorous analysis with engaging storytelling to make sense of complexity, find the unexpected patterns, and uncover opportunity. With decades of reporting and research across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, Molavi connects the dots between geopolitics, supply chains, demographics, technology, energy, and finance. He shows how the forces reshaping boardrooms in London, Shanghai or Dubai also reverberate in Chicago, Dallas, and Detroit. Always forward-looking, he challenges audiences not just to weather today’s turbulence but to position themselves for tomorrow’s opportunities.

A Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins SAIS, Molavi is the founder of the Emerging World newsletter and co-founder of the emerge85 Lab. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Economist, Businessweek, and Institutional Investor, and he has held reporting roles with Reuters, The Washington Post, and the Financial Times. He has also served as a senior global advisor at Oxford Analytica and was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Molavi views globalization not as a relic of the past but as an evolving force that shapes our daily lives. As he often puts it, “Globalization is not somewhere distant—it’s in your cup, your car, your culture.” From your morning coffee to the technology in your pocket, he reveals how global connections create both challenges and opportunities for American companies and workers.

Known for his approachable style, wit, and sharp insight, Molavi often draws on history, literature, film - and even pop culture and sports to make global issues vivid and accessible. From Wall Street to Main Street, from the boardrooms of Europe to the stadiums and cities of Asia and the Middle East, he has delivered impactful keynotes for corporations, associations, and investors worldwide, leaving audiences with a clearer view of where the world is headed and how to prepare for what’s next.