Prof. Dr. Catherine de Vries

About Catherine de Vries

Europe is changing faster than ever. Political fragmentation, geopolitical tensions, and declining trust in institutions increasingly shape the economic and social agenda. What do these developments mean for organizations, leaders, and investors?

Catherine E. de Vries is one of the most influential political scientists in Europe and a sought-after speaker in the fields of European politics, populism, democratic resilience, geopolitics, and social polarization. With her sharp analyses and accessible style, she translates complex political developments into concrete insights for executives, policymakers, and organizations.

Catherine is currently Vice Dean and Professor of Political Science at IE University in Madrid, where she researches the future of Europe, the role of democratic institutions, and the impact of political discontent on societies and markets. She previously held leading academic positions at Bocconi University, the University of Oxford, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, among others.

Internationally, Catherine is recognized as an authority in the fields of political behavior, Euroscepticism, radicalization, and the rise of challenger parties. Her research is published in leading scientific journals, and her books are read worldwide by academics, policymakers, and strategists. Her book Political Entrepreneurship (Princeton University Press) is considered a standard work on the rise of new political movements. Additionally, she reaches a wide Dutch-speaking audience with De Symfonie van Onvrede (Querido Facto), where she analyzes the political and social causes of discontent. Her latest international book, How Europe Survives (Oxford University Press), explores how Europe can maintain its democratic resilience and ability to act in times of geopolitical and social uncertainty.

What distinguishes Catherine as a speaker is her ability to look beyond the headlines. She shows how undercurrents, such as economic uncertainty, migration, inequality, and cultural tension, cause political shifts that have direct consequences for organizations, markets, and leadership.

For business events, Catherine offers exceptional added value for:

• executive teams and boardrooms seeking to understand geopolitical risks;
• public institutions looking for democratic resilience;
• financial and economic sectors wanting to interpret political uncertainty;
• international companies aiming to strategically anticipate European developments.

Her lectures are rich in content, scientifically grounded, and delivered with humor. She combines academic depth with practical relevance, making her keynotes both inspiring and directly applicable.

Topics such as the rise of the far-right, the future of Europe, geopolitical autonomy, polarization, and trust in institutions make her particularly relevant for these times. Catherine helps the audience not only understand what is happening, but especially why and what it means for tomorrow.

Catherine’s lectures offer organizations an intellectual compass in a time of political and social uncertainty.

Her articles regularly appear in outlets such as the Financial Times, and she is a frequent guest on current affairs programs.