Johan Norberg

He is the intellectual superstar from Sweden. Johan Norberg has lectured all over the globe about the positive effects of our open, innovative, global world. He has published more than twenty books and is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker and honorary member of several prestigious institutes.

With their unwavering focus on spreading the virtues of an open world, his lectures are described as elegant, sharp and powerful. Using numbers, history and economics, Norberg addresses common objections to capitalism, liberalism and globalization. He explains how these forces have made the world a better place – and he has the numbers to prove it.

The news is dominated by civil unrest, conflict and war. Every day we read about humanitarian disasters, refugees and widening social divides. But if you can rise above the media noise, you will see that science, technology and innovation provides us with more opportunities every day.

With all the unrest that has characterized our world in the 2020s, there is no doubt that we are in an unpredictable time with worrying questions about the future. But with his usual optimism, Norberg reminds us that no matter how shaky geopolitics and world markets may seem, it is neither easy nor safe to turn inwards and put all your eggs in the same geographic basket. Businesses can still gain opportunity and security from a global focus. There is still security to be gained by spreading your business around the world. However dramatic the conflicts, history teaches us that nothing is as short-lived as the notion that everything has changed forever.

Norberg is the lecturer, documentary filmmaker, writer and historian of ideas who knows how to separate facts from assumptions and anecdotal storytelling. He has lectured all over the world, from Stockholm to Sydney, Buenos Aires to Beijing, Cairo to Capitol Hill. Celebrated for his ability to simplify complex ideas, he has made a name for himself among students as well as politicians and leaders of major corporations.

Drawing on his broad interests and deep knowledge, Norberg lectures on everything from global economics to popular science. He serves up grand narratives of human history to help you to understand the past, present and future. In a rapidly changing world, in which hundreds of countries and thousands of business areas are intertwined, we must nurture our ability to think through complex problems and allow ourselves to be challenged. And remember: the wisest military and economic leaders know how important it is to have a plan that you can deviate from, a plan that is flexible enough for improvisation and adaptation, because the only thing we know we can expect is the unexpected.

Anyone who sees Norberg speak is guaranteed lessons for life – lessons that will help your company see the big picture. His qualities as a lecturer are valued by large corporations and major institutions. Norberg’s positive energy radiates from the stage and through the screen.

With books such as In “Defense of Global Capitalism” (2003), “Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future” (2016) and “Open – the Story of Human Progress” (2020), Norberg has established himself as one of the world’s foremost experts in liberalism, free markets and globalisation. Throughout his career he has published some twenty books, earning not only awards but also glowing reviews from world-renowned intellectuals including Steven Pinker and Matt Ridley.

He has been honoured with prestigious awards such as the Distinguished Sir Antony Fisher Memorial Award and a gold medal from Germany’s Hayek Stiftung, which he shared that year with former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

In addition to his impressive writing career, Norberg is also a documentary filmmaker. In his films he refutes claims with facts, and challenges simplified assumptions about subjects such as geopolitics, the environment and exotic places like Sweden. He also has a bi-weekly video series on innovation and entrepreneurship called “New and Improved”. He consistently uses the history of ideas as a powerful tool to better understand the present.

He is also a regular contributor to several major Swedish newspapers and appears frequently in the international press.