David McWilliams

Why you should listen

David McWilliams is an economist, author, podcaster, journalist, documentarian and broadcaster. He hosts The David McWilliams Podcast, which aims to make economics uncomplicated and accessible, and is the founder of the world's only economics and stand-up comedy festival, "Kilkenomics" — described by the Financial Times as "simply, the best economics conference in the world." He also cofounded the Dalkey Book Festival, Ireland's largest literary and ideas festival. McWilliams has written five bestsellers, including The Pope's Children: Ireland's New Elite, The Good Room, Follow the Money, The Generation Game and Renaissance Nation: How the Pope's Children Rewrote the Rules for Ireland. He also writes a weekly column for The Irish Times and contributes regularly to The Financial Times.

McWilliams is an adjunct professor of global economics at Trinity College Dublin and the sixth most influential economist in the world, according to Richtopia. In a previous life, he had a few "real jobs," working as an economist at the Irish Central Bank, UBS and Banque Nationale de Paris.