About the Author

When Descartes said ‘I think therefore I am’ he only got it half right. In business it’s also ‘I am what I think’. We are all prisoners of our frames of reference, chained to self imposed limitations. The world today is dangerous but awash with opportunity. The future awaits, but we need to challenge outdated assumptions and beliefs in order to seize it.”             Robert McGarvey

 Robert McGarvey

 A global market analyst, writer and lecturer, Robert has been an Executive Committee Member of the UK-based Economic Research Council since 1991. In conducting his primary research in London, Robert analyzed deep-seated mega trends impacting the global system. In doing so he worked closely with Tony Baron, a PaineWebber Managing Director developing insights into future trends and with Joseph Batty, CA examining the impact of the late 20^th century asset revolution. 

 Business/Organizational Leadership Experience

Over the course of his career, Mr McGarvey has held a variety of senior management positions. Robert began his career in the Oil Industry in Calgary, Canada and went on to become the Managing Director of Merlin Consulting, a London UK based geological and oil market research firm. Since returning from the United Kingdom in 1995 Mr. McGarvey has been the President of a Canadian electronics group and, for 10 years, Head of Strategy for Beckett Advisors, a management consulting and research group based in Los Angeles, California.  

 Educational Background

Robert is a graduate of the London School of Economics, where he did his post-graduate work in economic history and international relations. Mr. McGarvey has a degree in Physics, and a degree in Petroleum Geology from the University of Alberta.  

 Expertise and Value Proposition

Robert’s areas of expertise are in global trends, the asset revolution, and banking reform. He has presented at conferences around the world on subjects as wide ranging as ‘The Knowledge Economy’, ‘Managing Global Risks in a Changing World’ (American Plastics Industry conference) and ‘Managing Risks in an Evolving China’ (American Marketing Association, Southern California Chapter). Robert has made presentations on the subject of Future Trends and other associated topics for the American Coal Council and at numerous management conferences in Europe, Western Canada, USA and the United Kingdom.

“The challenges today are unprecedented; presenting management with a real-time crisis. This crisis, as the Chinese like to say, is a combination of both danger and opportunity. Understanding these challenges and gaining a larger perspective on the underlying forces of change are essential management instrumentation; tools that help you navigate effectively in this increasingly uncertain economic environment.”

 Published Works  

The Creation of a Civil Economy in Russia: The Need for Mercantilism, Robert McGarvey and Tony Baron, 1993

Welfare State Revisited: Homesteading in the Inner Cities, Robert McGarvey and Tony Baron, 1994

Re-Inventing Political Economy, 2004

The Knowledge Economy, 2005

Capitalism, A Positive Moral Force?, 2005

The Ethics of Capitalism, 2006

 A New Era for Mergers & Acquisitions?, 2007

 The Asset Revolution and the Sources of Volatility, 2007

 A Banking Bridge to the Future, 2009

 The Growth Conundrum: The Decline of the Middle Class, 2009

Articles (Newspapers and Other Publications)

 New Corporate Ethics for a New Economy, 2001, Global CEO, New Delhi, India

 Managing in a Dangerous World, 2002, Globe and Mail, Toronto, Canada

 The Asset Revolution, March 2007, Risk Management Magazine, New York, NY

 The Price of Nothing: Banking Intangible Assets, June 2009, Risk Management Magazine

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