Robert McGarvey

“It was at the London School of Economics back in the ‘80s that I first encountered deeply inquiring minds. It was in that rarified world that I fell headfirst into that fascinating vortex we call history. In the process I became enthralled by economic history and developed an obsession to understand more about capitalism. I am something of an odd duck in the professional world, a non-specialist student of all things economic, which I consider to be the secret to unraveling the mystery of economic and societal transition. My economic journey has led me to visualize capitalism’s Third Wave, an asset revolution characterized by the astonishing rise of intangibles over the past five decades. It is my belief that the incorporation of these unique value drivers into our economic infrastructure will trigger another societal metamorphosis, similar in kind to the Italian Renaissance. In my spare time I’ve focused my time consulting to business leaders, writing on such divergent topics as banking reform, philosophical reorientation, ethics and strategic trends for communities, businesses and First Nations.

I am at heart a Canadian prairie boy, who has been a surfer, world traveller and failed carpenter. True, I did begin my career in the oil industry after graduating in geology from the University of Alberta. I went on to become Managing Director of Merlin Consulting, a London, UK-based consulting firm. It’s somewhat ironic that I now spend most of my time in the sustainability world, helping companies capitalize their intangible assets and to (finally) acknowledge their environmental liabilities.

Along with my friends Andrew Watson and Joe Batty, I am a founder of Rethinking Capital, a London, UK-based, community of experts on intangibles dedicated to transitioning modern capitalism.