Tim Harford - Speaker

Tim Harford is a behavioural economist, columnist for the Financial Times, bestselling author, and BBC broadcaster. Often compared to Malcolm Gladwell, he is recognised for his ability to tell stories that clarify complex topics. Tim's work focuses on risk, economics, and statistics.

His Radio 4 show and podcast, "More or Less", investigates misleading statistics in the news, addressing figures used by politicians, businesses, and social media. Other projects include "How To Vaccinate The World", "Fifty Things That Made The Modern Economy", and "Cautionary Tales", which explores human error through various narratives.

Tim has a strong background in economics, with experience at Oxford, Shell, and the World Bank. His FT columns provide insights into everyday economic issues, often with humorous solutions. His first book, "The Undercover Economist", sold nearly two million copies and drew comparisons to "Freakonomics" for its exploration of topics like coffee shops and organised crime. He has since established himself as a leading writer on economics.

Other notable titles include "The Logic of Life", which examines human decision-making; "Adapt: Why Success Always Starts With Failure", which highlights learning from failure; "Messy: How to Be Creative and Resilient in a Tidy-Minded World", which challenges conventional views on tidiness; and "How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers", a guide to understanding numerical data.

Tim's work covers a range of subjects, including learning from mistakes, uncertainty, forecasting, and innovation. He draws examples from diverse fields, such as the military and ballet, questioning established wisdom and statistical norms. He is a member of Nuffield College, Oxford, and the only journalist to be an honorary fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. Tim has received multiple awards for his contributions to economic journalism.