Yanis Varoufakis

TED speaker and Former Greek Minister of Finance, Yanis Varoufakis, served from January to July 2015 when he chose to resign. The Greek politician, economist and academic was also a member of the Hellenic Parliament for Athens B. An incredibly intellectual individual, Yanis has a postgraduate degree from the University of Birmingham in mathematical statistics and in addition a PhD in economics. 

Yanis has taught at many different universities, from the University of Sydney until 2000 to the University of Athens and the University of Texas at Austin. As an expert on economics Yanis has also held advisory positions to George Papandreou from 2004 to 2006 and worked as the in house economist for Valve Corporation. A respected economist, Yanis has published a variety of texts including The Global Minotaur.

Appointed as Greek Minister of Finance in January 2015 during the Greek government-debt crisis, so, therefore, Yanis was responsible for leading negotiations with Greek creditors. Failing to reach an agreement with the European troika, Yanis resigned as Minister of Finance the day following the referendum. Yanis continues to share his insights and has appeared in many lectures, debates and interviews

The author of many publications, Yanis released a personal account in May 2017 titled Adults in The Room: My Battle With Europe’s Deep Establishment. This was a controversial account based on Europes hidden agenda and highlights the need to renew European democracy. He is a renowned speaker, recognised as an analyst for national news, whos unmatched expertise and outspoken opinion make him highly engaging and entertaining.