Eliza’s breaks down the trends shaping how we live, work, and consume, delivering sharp insights, no-nonsense truths, and fresh takes on our generation, our parents, and what’s next for our kids. She has worked with global powerhouses including Google, PwC, Adidas, McDonald’s, Warner Bros., as well as The Royal Household and the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
Her weekly newsletter #MajorRelate has thousands of subscribers, she also has a monthly column in City AM, and expansive presence on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube make her a go-to voice for audiences looking to cut through the noise and stay ahead.
Her latest book, Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad, became a Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller in 2024, sparking global conversations about the future of wealth, family, and opportunity.
Eliza received her PhD from the University of Warwick and subsequently taught at King’s College, London and the University of Renmin in China. Her writing has been published in The Times, The Guardian and the Financial Times.
The biggest takeaway is that in the 21st century we've firmly moved from a meritocracy—where hard work and education were assumed to be the primary drivers of success—to an inheritocracy, where wealth transfer and family support play an increasingly decisive role in shaping opportunity. This is the economic story of the 21st century and no one is talking about. It is the story behind the story evident in housing, education, entrepreneurship, and even career mobility and the marriage market.
Another major learning is that generational wealth isn’t just about passing on assets; it’s also about passing on knowledge, networks, and values. The Next Gen isn’t just inheriting money—they're inheriting power structures, financial mindsets, and social advantages that further entrench inequality.
Finally, I realized that the conversation around wealth transfer often excludes women. Women will be the primary beneficiaries of the Great Wealth Transfer, yet financial systems and wealth planning have historically been built for men. That needs to change.
For individuals, it means rethinking financial independence—not as something separate from family wealth but as something that is often built on it. It also means that if you don’t have generational wealth, you’ll need to be more strategic about navigating the system.
For policymakers, businesses, and institutions, it means that continuing to reward “hustle culture” and personal ambition without acknowledging financial privilege creates a distorted and unfair playing field.
For families, it’s a wake-up call to have serious conversations about money—how it’s distributed, who controls it, and how it’s passed on.
Relentless curiosity. I never assume I know the full story. I’m the expert, supposedly, but really, I’m the curious child—constantly asking questions, never thinking I know enough, always assuming I might have it wrong. It’s also about not seeing things too rigidly. That openness has allowed me to build a career that spans academia, business, and media, all the while trying to see round corners with the big issues coming down the line.
I deeply admire Prue Leith, the English cook, writer, and businesswoman. I interviewed her a couple of years ago, and she told me a story about when she won Businesswoman of the Year in the 1970s—her son asked her what the prize was for because he had no idea she had a life outside of being a mum. That moment struck me. Back then, women often had to keep their professional lives separate from their roles as mothers. But I’m increasingly of the view that as humans, it’s really important to separate what we do from who we are. Our work can be meaningful, but it shouldn’t be our entire identity. It's a lesson I've learned late in life.
Pilates—and my giant inflated ball to sit on. I spend too much time sitting, so keeping my core engaged is a must. Turns out, the ball actually helps—who knew?
The humanizing of the workplace that might come with AI. As AI takes on more tasks, maintaining the human at work will be essential. We’ve spent years dehumanizing the workplace—automating processes, stripping away individuality, and prioritizing efficiency over experience. But now, businesses will need to reintroduce human connection, creativity, and emotional intelligence as core workplace skills.
I work with businesses on something called the Generational Blueprint, which helps companies prepare all their generations for the age of AI by learning from each other. We need the digital savviness of youth and the critical evaluation skills that come with experience. The companies that master this balance will be the ones that thrive.
I remember becoming obsessed with the works of George Orwell. He’s a brilliant writer—able to make grand sweeping statements that are both nuanced and true. A running thread in his work is an inherent distrust of those in power of course, but he articulated it in a way that was palatable even to those he was criticizing. I love that balance—holding up a mirror, challenging authority while making the critique impossible to ignore.
When I was young, I was also obsessed with 1940s musicals—Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland and Gene Kelly. I loved the optimism in those movies, the can-do attitude. They were always putting on a show, and I loved that! I find them unwatchable now, but I’m convinced that spending so much time immersed in all that optimism had a profound and lasting impact on my mindset. Orwell and Astaire together I guess, makes me a pessimistic optimist!
