Helen Thompson

Political Economist, Author of Disorder

Helen Thompson is best known for explaining why modern geopolitics cannot be understood without energy, money, and the hard limits of the physical world.

A political economist and professor, her work examines how oil, gas, financial systems, and state power interact, and why globalisation has always been more fragile than it appeared. Thompson shows how energy dependency, monetary instability, and geopolitical rivalry are inseparable forces shaping today’s crises, from war and inflation to democratic strain and great-power competition. Rather than treating global disruption as accidental or cyclical, she traces it to structural dependencies built into the post-Cold War order.

For leaders, her insight reveals why energy markets drive political outcomes, why economic shocks quickly become security crises, and why assumptions about stability are repeatedly undermined by the material realities states cannot escape.

Signature Keynotes

Why fuel shapes geopolitics.
Where the system breaks.
Why crises cascade.
What leaders must now accept.
Strategy under pressure.

The Thompson Effect

Geopolitics becomes grounded, not abstract.

Leaders leave able to:

Understand energy as a driver of power and conflict
See monetary and geopolitical instability as linked systems
Recognise why global order is structurally fragile
Anticipate political consequences of economic shocks
Lead with realism in an era of constraint

Why Book Helen

Helen Thompson brings intellectual rigour to conversations about global order, energy security, and political risk. She is trusted by leaders who want explanation rather than reassurance, and who understand that strategy now requires confronting limits, not assuming equilibrium.

HelenT@92Speakers.com