Katherine Trebeck

Katherine Trebeck is a political economist, writer and advocate for economic system change. She is Economic Change Lead at The Next Economy, and Strategic Advisor to the Centre for Policy Development, and teaches at the University of Edinburgh.

She is a Distinguished Vistor at ANU’s Planetary Health Equity Hothouse, was 2024 thinker-in-residence at the Australian Health Promotion Association, is a New Economics Senior Fellow at the The Zoe Institute, and is a Fellow of The Post Growth Institute.

She co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) and also WEAll Scotland, its Scottish hub, and instigated the group of Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo) – comprising Scotland, New Zealand, Finland, Wales, Iceland, and Canada.

She is a member of the Club of Rome and sits on the boards of Neighbourhood Economics, the Wellbeing Economy Lab Denmark, and the Centre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity .

The economy – how we provide for each other – impacts people’s life chances, how long people live for, and the natural world people depend upon. It can be designed and delivered to work for the few, or it can be designed and delivered to work for all of us. Around the world, people are asking hard questions of the economy and finding it wanting, but they are also imagining better – an economy that serves people and planet, rather than the other way around. Creative, innovative enterprises are at the forefront of these conversations, showing that business can be part of building a future where people and planet thrive. There are examples of these businesses here in Australia and beyond our shores, in big businesses and in small firms, and in all sectors of the economy. This talk will take inspiration from these forerunners to explore an economy that drives collective wellbeing, where businesses are part of solving society’s problems, profitably, rather than profiting from causing those problems.

A special opportunity to talk with Katherine] in a small group setting. There’s no fixed agenda — the MC will introduce Katherine and then guide discussion, so come with your questions ready. A relaxed, informal conversation where you get to dive deep on the wellbeing economy.