Gerald Ashley is widely respected for his expertise in all things risk-taking and decision making. Having enjoyed over 30 years of experience in international finance, travelling across the globe to work in locations such as Hong Kong and Switzerland, Gerald is now a popular choice as a speaker for corporate events. As a speaker, Gerald is sought to cover how we misunderstand risks and how we can make decisions with rational analysis, along with topics of behavioural finance and financial markets.
Best known for his career in international finance, Gerald is currently acting as the Non-Executive Director of Equitile Investments. For the past three decades, Gerald has established a distinguished reputation in risk analysis, decision making and finance and has also worked as the Managing Director of St Mawgan & Co Limited for the majority of his career. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Gerald has also authored several books- Two Speed World, The Tangled World and Financial Speculation.
Back in 1977, Gerald started his career in the banking, treasury and trading departments of Baring Brothers & Co Limited. Building his experience of the financial sector, Gerald then went on to work as Head of Markets Group for Dow Jones Markets and Deputy Head of FX & Gold at the Bank for International Settlements. In these roles, Gerald built his expertise on risk taking and decision making, learning that there is often no perfect solution to problems and rational analysis is needed to determine the best option. Gerald has also enjoyed the time as a Visiting Fellow at the Newcastle Business School, influencing future generations with his knowledge and expertise.
A specialist on risk in all kinds of industries and sectors, Gerald is passionate to lead individuals to fresh and innovative ways of thinking. A challenger of traditional economic models, Gerald is now booked as a speaker for corporate events on topics such as finance, irrational financial markets, human behaviour and mistakes. Gerald has previously spoken for clients such as the South African Chamber of Commerce, the Insurance & Reinsurance Legacy Association, The Daily Telegraph Wealth Management Awards, the Royal Bank of Canada and many more. He has also chaired and moderated events for the likes of The London Stock Exchange, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and the City Book Fair. Commended for being ‘thoughtful’ and ‘concise’, Gerald brings a fresh perspective to business risk and strategy and is the perfect speaker for a variety of corporate clients.
How to hire Gerald Ashley
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Gerald Ashley for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Gerald's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Why we make poor decisions- and how we can improve
- How to think about risk & decision making
- Behavioural finance & irrational financial markets
- How human behaviour often repeats the same mistakes
Gerald is often booked as a speaker for corporate events, read his latest feedback below.
"A thoughtful yet concise and high-level introduction to risk management" - BVRLA
"Thank you so much for such a fantastic talk last night. We’ve had incredibly positive feedback from members who felt that the distinction between a mess, problem and puzzle has definitely changed their outlook on their businesses!" - Lyndsey, South African Chamber of Commerce
"Gerald made a great contribution to our conference. A thoughtful yet concise and high-level introduction to risk management, with just the right level of humour and some excellent, simple take-aways" - Toby, British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Assoc
"Gerald Ashley gave us one of the quotes of the day with “certainty is the crystal meth of risk management” as he demystified this increasingly popular management process" - Chris, Marketing Director, Transport for London
"Gerald has that rare gift of being both deeply knowledgeable and sublimely accessible and being that he understands a lot more about the vagaries and machinations of the finance world than many a CEO in the field, that’s saying quite a lot. Gerald has spoken at various events and trade association gatherings and his wit, intelligence and easy manner always make such occasions an enlightening delight. I would recommend that either Radio 4 snap him up or that he turn to politics and finally saves the world or at least the country from itself! Thoroughly recommend!" - Gary
"Gerald was a keynote speaker at the 2011 CCH TeamMate EMEA User Forum. He diligently researched his international audience and flexed his Messes Problems & Puzzles presentation for maximum relevance. Thought-provoking, entertaining and highly recommended" - Dimiter
