Mariana Mazzucato is best known for redefining how value is created, and who gets credit for it.

A globally influential economist and Professor at University College London, Mariana challenges the assumption that innovation is driven primarily by the private sector alone. Her work demonstrates how governments, public institutions, and mission-oriented investment have historically played a decisive role in shaping markets, funding breakthrough innovation, and directing long-term growth.

Her relevance to board-level audiences lies in strategic re-design. Mariana examines how value is measured, rewarded, and extracted, and why many economic systems privilege short-term financial return over long-term innovation, resilience, and public benefit. She reframes capitalism not as a static system, but as something leaders actively shape through policy, governance, procurement, and capital allocation.

As the author of The Entrepreneurial State, The Value of Everything, Mission Economy, and The Big Con, Mariana has reshaped debates on innovation, inequality, and growth across governments, corporations, and international institutions. Her work is increasingly central to discussions on sustainability, industrial strategy, and economic transition.