Laurence Brahm

Laurence Brahm is a lawyer, political-economist and author. His work in China spans three decades. He has written over thirty books on China’s economic reforms, Asian finance, and sustainable development (including China’s Century, and Zhu Rongji). His latest book is Fusion Economics (2014). He is a member of the United Nations Theme Group on Poverty and Inequality.

As Chairman and CEO of Hong Kong Naga Group Limited, he has pioneered one of China’s first green social enterprises, serving as a model for sustainable development. He is also founder of Himalayan Consensus Institute, an environmental think tank concerned with water security and inclusive sustainability.

During China’s critical reform process in the 1990s Brahm served as an advisor on China’s state owned enterprise reforms. He was also central bank advisor to Vietnam and Laos during their transition from socialism to market economics.

He has spent the past decade working on solutions for local finance to support rural community development and green growth in western China, South Asia and Africa. He first articulated the concepts of Himalayan Consensus and African Consensus as fresh economic paradigms, recognized by both UNCTAD and the African Union respectively. He is often invited as an independent observer to international conventions on climate change and sustainable development, and as a mediator or interlocutor for conflict resolution.