Dr Eliza Filby

Dr Eliza Filby describes herself as a historian of the present. Whether she’s advising global organisations, keynote speaking to corporate leaders or writing for a wider audience, she helps people understand the long term demographic, economic and social dynamics shaping the world we live in today.

Combining historical perspective with contemporary research and data, she explores how demographic, economic, technological and cultural change is transforming the way we work, build wealth, form families and move through life.

Eliza began her career as an academic. She holds a PhD in contemporary history from the University of Warwick and has taught at King’s College London and Renmin University in Beijing. She has since lectured around the world, including as a guest lecturer at Harvard Law School.

Eliza’s work connects the big shifts transforming modern life, from AI and the future of work to housing, wealth and inheritance, changing family structures, longevity and generational change.

She is the author of three books. Her latest, Inheritocracy: It's Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad (2024), explores the rise of generational wealth and the growing role of family money in shaping opportunity. The book became a Top Ten Sunday Times bestseller.

In recognition of her research on generational change, she was awarded the Europa Forum Millennial Leaders Award.

Eliza works with global corporations, financial institutions and professional services firms to help leaders understand the social and economic forces transforming modern life, from generational change and AI-driven workplaces to the evolving landscape of wealth and social mobility.

She has advised and spoken to senior leaders across international business, governments and professional institutions. Her clients and collaborators include organisations such as Cisco, UBS, Pictet, Aviva, PwC, LGT and Julius Baer.

She has partnered with Google Education on the rise of AI and the future of learning, advised Schroders on the growth of female financial independence, and guest lectured at Harvard Law School on the future of the legal profession.

Alongside her research and advisory work, Eliza writes and speaks widely about the economic and cultural forces shaping the twenty-first century. She is the author of the weekly It's All Relative newsletter, exploring the changing dynamics of work, wealth, family and generational identity.

She is also the creator and host of It's All Relative, the companion YouTube show. The project was recently selected for Goalhanger's inaugural Accelerator Programme, and was described by The Hollywood Reporter as "an exploration of generational shifts, wealth and social history."

Eliza's writing has appeared in the Financial Times, Newsweek and The Spectator. She writes a fortnightly money column for The Times and a monthly work column for City A.M., and regularly appears across international media including the BBC, Bloomberg and NBC, as well as podcasts such as Trevor Noah's What Now?

Her clients and collaborators have included Google, PwC, UBS, Pictet and Aviva, and her commentary appears regularly across national and international media.

Across her writing, speaking and advisory work, Eliza's focus is the same: understanding the forces changing our world and helping people navigate what comes next.

Dr Eliza Filby is a historian, bestselling author and generational strategist who helps organisations understand the long-term dynamics reshaping work, wealth and society.

In an era defined by artificial intelligence, demographic change and the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in history, leaders need more than trend commentary. They need a clear framework for understanding how economic and social change will affect their workforce, customers and institutions.

Through keynote speeches and leadership events, Eliza helps organisations step back from the short-term news cycle and see the bigger picture: how generational change is transforming the workplace, the economy and the structure of opportunity itself.

Eliza speaks regularly to global organisations, investor conferences, leadership teams and policy audiences about the future of work, generational economics and the long-term forces shaping the next twenty years.

Keynote Speech Themes

The Future of Work: AI, Generations and the Collapse of the Career Ladder
Artificial intelligence is transforming professional work just as generational expectations around careers, authority and ambition are shifting.

In this keynote presentation, Dr Eliza Filby explores how these forces are reshaping the modern workplace. As AI disrupts traditional career ladders and organisations struggle to retain younger talent, leaders must rethink how they develop skills, build leadership pipelines and manage ambition across generations.

The result is a clear framework for understanding how technological disruption and generational change are redefining the future of work.

The Great Wealth Transfer: Next-Generation Wealth and the Rise of the Inheritocracy
The twenty-first century will witness the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in history, as trillions pass from Baby Boomers to younger generations.

This keynote explores how that transfer is reshaping the global wealth landscape. From the rise of next-generation wealth holders and the growing economic influence of women, to the changing priorities of UHNW families, the Great Wealth Transfer is transforming how wealth is managed, invested and inherited.

At the same time, the increasing role of family wealth in shaping life chances is creating what Eliza has labelled the “inheritocracy” that is a world in which inheritance, not income, increasingly determines opportunity. This talk examines what these shifts mean for investors, family offices, financial institutions and the future of social mobility.

Horizon Scanning: The Future Life Cycle
The traditional life cycle is being reimagined, but not how we imagine just by simply tagging on years at the end. In this keynote, Eliza explores how longer lives are delaying adulthood, extending careers and redefining retirement. Drawing on demographic data and generational analysis, she examines the profound implications for workforce participation, housing, finance and consumer markets for the next twenty years.

Leaders gain a strategic perspective on how longer, more complex life journeys will reshape organisations and societies over the coming decades.

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Clients often ask about purchasing books for giveaways and delegate packs. Below you’ll find a selection of products by Dr Eliza Filby. Click the images to view on Amazon's website. For bulk orders, please speak with your Booking Agent.