Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 16 hours ago
Charles White-Thomson, Senior Fellow at the Adam Smith Institute and former CEO of Saxo UK delivered our 2024 Ayn Rand Lecture on "The Importance of National Honesty."
In this lecture, Charles defends the concept of honesty, asserting that it is society's most vital defence against decline. As Ayn Rand argued, “honesty is not a social duty, not a sacrifice for the sake of others, but the most profoundly selfish virtue man can practice: his refusal to sacrifice the reality of his own existence to the deluded consciousness of others."
From the First Gulf War to the Barings Bank collapse to the takeover of DLJ by Credit Suisse, Charles embodies the Randian ethic of independence. With 30 years of experience in financial markets, most recently as CEO and SMF1 of Saxo UK, he is recognised for his bold views on UK monetary policy and the economy.
Charles White-Thomson, Senior Fellow at the Adam Smith Institute and former CEO of Saxo UK delivered our 2024 Ayn Rand Lecture on "The Importance of National Honesty."
In this lecture, Charles defends the concept of honesty, asserting that it is society's most vital defence against decline. As Ayn Rand argued, “honesty is not a social duty, not a sacrifice for the sake of others, but the most profoundly selfish virtue man can practice: his refusal to sacrifice the reality of his own existence to the deluded consciousness of others."
From the First Gulf War to the Barings Bank collapse to the takeover of DLJ by Credit Suisse, Charles embodies the Randian ethic of independence. With 30 years of experience in financial markets, most recently as CEO and SMF1 of Saxo UK, he is recognised for his bold views on UK monetary policy and the economy.
