John Howkins is a global strategist and adviser on creative economies, covering culture, media, entertainment, technology and innovation.

He is the author of three global best-selling books “The Creative Economy: How People Make Money From Ideas” (2001), “Creative Ecologies” (2009) and “Invisible Work: The Hidden Ingredient of Creativity, Purpose and Power” (2020).

Recent awards include the 2022 CogX AI Award for Outstanding Achievements and Research Contributions.

He is a former Chairman of BOP Consulting, Britain’s leading advisory company on creativity and innovation, and Tornado Productions, Britain’s first streaming video platform, as well as other tech and entertainment companies.

He is the Founder/Director of the Adelphi Charter on Creativity, Innovation and Intellectual Property and the London IP Advisory Service (‘Own It’).

He was associated with HBO Inc and Warner Bros Inc from 1982 to 1996 with responsibilities for business development in UK and Europe.

He is a former Chairman of the London Film School and CREATEC, Deputy Chair of the British Screen Advisory Council (BSAC), Executive Director of the International institute of Communications (IIC) and a board director of HotBed Media Ltd, HandMade plc and other companies.

The Shanghai government set up the John Howkins Centre for the Creative Economy in 2006. He is a founding investor in the Shanghai Creative Industries Investment Corporation.

He has a BA in International Relations and a MA and AA (Dip) in Urban Design. He is a Visiting Professor at City University London. In 2015 he was appointed Executive-in-Residence at the Drucker School of Management, Los Angeles.