Nik Gowing Profile Picture

Keynote SpeakerNik Gowing

BBC World News main presenter

Nik Gowing founded the Thinking the Unthinkable project in 2014. He is co-author of Thinking the Unthinkable (2018) and Director of Think Unthinkable Ltd. Nik was a main news presenter for the BBC’s international 24-hour news channel BBC World News 1996-2014. He presented The Hub with Nik Gowing, BBC World... Read more

Biography

Nik Gowing founded the Thinking the Unthinkable project in 2014. He is co-author of Thinking the Unthinkable (2018) and Director of Think Unthinkable Ltd.

Nik was a main news presenter for the BBC’s international 24-hour news channel BBC World News 1996-2014. He presented The Hub with Nik Gowing, BBC World Debates, Dateline London, plus location coverage of major global stories.

He spent 18 years at ITN in senior roles including bureau chief in Rome and Warsaw, plus Diplomatic Editor, Channel 4 New. He received a prestigous BAFTA award in 1982 for his coverage of martial law in Poland.

He is a Visiting Professor at Kings College London and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

He has been a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Geo-Economics. He is an adviser on leadership challenges to the President of the UN General Assembly.

Nik has been a member of the councils of major think tanks like Chatham House and the Royal United Services Institute.

His peer-reviewed study at Oxford University ‘Skyful of Lies and Black Swans’ (2009) predicted what is now labelled ‘Fake News’. It identified the new vulnerability and brittleness of institutional power in the new all-pervasive public information space.

Nik was awarded Honorary Doctorates by Exeter University and Bristol University. They recognise his ongoing cutting edge analysis and distinguished career in international journalism.

“We would like to express a big thank you to the two of you for facilitating and moderating our Network Conference in such a smooth way. The engagement that you put in ahead of the conference – now for the third time – is exceptional. We do appreciate the way you push us and from what we have heard from the participants so far, this year’s conference was a true success. We are now working on how to take the next step and work with the participants on radical change and future proofing. Over the next few days we will also send out a survey to the participants.” Investor AB
“We feel that the Summit was a resounding success which can be attributed in large part to your invaluable contribution. This sentiment is backed by echoes received from speakers and attendees alike and we hope you feel the same way. Your strategic planning in the months leading up to the event and your mastery of orchestration on the day enabled voices to speak with boldness and courage. The Summit was not only content-rich but also effectively conveyed the saliency, urgency, and interconnectivity of the global sustainability challenges. To this end, please accept our sincere gratitude and thanks.” The Building Bridges conference
"Nik Gowing was a lead moderator at our biennial Network Conference for 240 global Chairs and CEOs in our Wallenberg group of companies. His excellent moderation contributed to ensuring the closed event was a huge success. Our post-event survey concluded it was the ‘most appreciated conference since 2005’. Nik received largely the top rating of ‘Very Good’ from participants. We appreciated especially his pre-conference commitment plus his contribution of ideas, insights and preparation for key issues and interviews. We look forward very much to working with him again."

Popular Talks by Nik Gowing

  • Changing Nature of Power
  • Media Management
  • Managing Crisis in the Internet Age
  • Conflict and Policy