Garry Ridge
Former Chairman & CEO, WD-40 Company | Founder, The Learning Moment | Bestselling Author | Expert in Corporate Culture & Servant Leadership
Mariana Mazzucato
Professor in the Economics of Innovation & Public Value, UCL | Founding Director, Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose | Bestselling Author & Global Policy Advisor
Mariana Mazzucato is one of the world's most influential economists and a Professor at University College London, where she founded the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. Bestselling author of The Entrepreneurial State, Mission Economy, and The Common Good Economy, she advises governments and global institutions on how to shape markets for public value. On stage, she gives senior leaders mission-driven frameworks for rethinking growth.
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Mariana Mazzucato biography
Economics speaker Mariana Mazzucato ranks among the world’s most influential economists, shaping how governments, institutions, and markets think about innovation, growth, and public value. She is Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London, where she founded the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, a research institute dedicated to redesigning capitalism for inclusive and sustainable outcomes.
Her work challenges conventional assumptions about the role of the state, showing how public institutions can actively shape markets, direct innovation, and drive long-term prosperity. That contribution has been recognized at the highest levels. In 2025 she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to economics, and in 2021 she received Italy’s highest civilian honor, the Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana. Pope Francis appointed her to the Pontifical Academy for Life, and she holds honorary doctorates from nine leading universities.
Influential Author and Global Advisor
Mazzucato is the author of several landmark books, including The Entrepreneurial State, The Value of Everything, Mission Economy, and The Big Con. Her latest, The Common Good Economy: A New Compass, argues that public goods and the commons should be treated not as corrections to market failure but as the organizing principles of economic design, offering a practical compass for governments and businesses that want to build markets around collective value and long-term human flourishing. Much of this work is developed and shared through her research at UCL.
Beyond her writing, she regularly advises governments and international organizations on innovation-led, inclusive growth, with roles including Chair of the World Health Organization’s Council on the Economics of Health for All, Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, and Special Advisor to the European Commission, where she embedded mission-oriented thinking into the EU’s Horizon research framework. As a speaker, Mariana Mazzucato brings intellectual rigor, policy relevance, and strategic clarity to audiences seeking to understand how innovation can be governed in the public interest, equipping senior leaders with frameworks to rethink growth, redesign institutions, and mobilize missions that align economic performance with societal goals.
Mariana Mazzucato Speaking Videos
Mariana Mazzucato - What is economic value, and who creates it?
Mariana Mazzucato - The COVID-19 crisis is a chance to do capitalism differently
Mariana Mazzucato Keynote Topics
Drawing on her newest book, Mariana Mazzucato presents a bold rethinking of how economies are structured and governed. She challenges the assumption that public institutions exist mainly to fix market failures and shows how governments, businesses, and civil society can co-create markets built around shared prosperity and long-term value.
The keynote introduces a practical common good compass for aligning innovation, finance, procurement, and regulation with collective goals. Through examples that range from water governance to mission-driven industrial strategy, she demonstrates how purposeful public-private collaboration can expand opportunity, strengthen trust, and deliver sustainable growth.
Mariana Mazzucato draws a line from the ambitious moonshot programs of the past to the systemic challenges capitalism faces today, from inequality and the digital divide to the climate crisis. She argues for a coordinated approach between the public and private sectors, one that reimagines the role of government as an active partner in innovation.
By organizing economic effort around clear, ambitious missions, she offers a transformative roadmap toward a more inclusive and hopeful economy.
Based on her book The Value of Everything, this keynote asks what truly counts as wealth in the modern economy and how value creation came to be confused with value extraction. Mariana Mazzucato reveals the dynamics that can reward takers over makers, from a narrow focus on shareholder returns to pricing strategies that capture value rather than create it.
More than an economic critique, the talk is a call to redefine value itself and to rebuild capitalism as a system that is both sustainable and shared.
Mariana Mazzucato challenges the mainstream story about where innovation and growth come from. Rather than a slow bureaucratic actor, she argues, the state has often been the bold, high-risk investor that opens the way for private sector dynamism.
Drawing on case studies from the origins of the internet to breakthroughs in biotechnology, she shows how public investment has repeatedly taken the first leap, creating the conditions in which businesses go on to thrive, and asks how citizens can share more fairly in the returns.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Mariana Mazzucato
Why Mariana Mazzucato?
Mariana Mazzucato is one of the world's most influential economists, a Professor at University College London, and the bestselling author of The Entrepreneurial State, Mission Economy, and The Common Good Economy. She translates cutting-edge thinking on innovation and public value into clear frameworks that senior leaders can act on, which makes her keynotes as practical as they are visionary. Book her through Aurum Speakers Bureau to give your audience a rigorous, forward-looking perspective on the future of growth and capitalism.
What is Mariana Mazzucato's mission-oriented approach to innovation?
Mazzucato's mission-oriented approach argues that governments and institutions should not simply correct market failures but actively shape markets around bold, clearly defined societal goals, or missions. Instead of picking winners, this model mobilizes investment, regulation, and innovation across public and private actors to tackle challenges such as climate change, health, and inequality. It has influenced policy frameworks worldwide, including the European Union's Horizon research and innovation program.
What audiences and events book Mariana Mazzucato as a speaker?
Mariana Mazzucato is regularly booked by governments, international institutions, corporations, financial organizations, universities, and global conferences. Her audiences tend to include senior executives, policymakers, and public sector leaders looking for strategic insight on innovation, sustainability, and long-term competitiveness. Aurum Speakers Bureau works with organizers to tailor her keynote format and framing to the audience, sector, and goals of each event.
What are Mariana Mazzucato's most influential books?
Mariana Mazzucato is best known for The Entrepreneurial State, which reframed the debate on public versus private innovation; The Value of Everything, a critique of how value is created and extracted in modern capitalism; Mission Economy, which applies a moonshot mindset to societal challenges; and The Big Con, an examination of the consulting industry. Her latest book, The Common Good Economy: A New Compass, sets out a framework for organizing economies around collective value.
How to book Mariana Mazzucato as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Mariana Mazzucato as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Mariana Mazzucato's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Mariana Mazzucato or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Mariana Mazzucato speaking fee?
Mariana Mazzucato speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Mariana Mazzucato to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Mariana Mazzucato.
How can I contact Mariana Mazzucato?
We only work with Mariana Mazzucato on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Mariana Mazzucato and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Mariana Mazzucato speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Mariana Mazzucato for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Mariana Mazzucato for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Mariana Mazzucato is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Mariana Mazzucato for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
