Dr. Ira Kalish is director of Global Economics at Deloitte Research. He is an expert on global economic issues as well as the effects of economic, demographic, and social trends on the global business environment. He has written reports on the economies and consumer markets of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Mexico, and South America. In addition, he has authored over 150 publications on economic and consumer trends around the world.

Among Ira's recent publications are the quarterly Global Economic Outlook; Global Powers of Retailing 2011; Consumer 2020; Hidden Heroes: Emerging Retail Markets Beyond China; China and India: Comparing the World's Hottest Consumer Markets; China and India: The Reality Beyond the Hype; and China's Consumer Market: Opportunities and Risks.

Ira has given numerous presentations on topics related to the global economy. Among his audiences have been AIG, Auchan, Avon, Best Buy, Boots, CVS, Gap, KKR, Kraft, Levi Strauss, Mattel, Microsoft, Nestle, Nike, the National Retail Federation, Office Max, Oracle, PetSmart, the Retail Week Conference, SAP, Sears, Starbucks, Unilever, Westfield, and the World Retail Congress, to name a few. He has given presentations to business leaders on six continents. In addition, he has been widely quoted in the news media. His remarks have been published by the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, the Economist, the Financial Times, USA Today, the Washington Post, US News and World Report, the Far Eastern Economic Review, Women's Wear Daily, and Advertising Age. He has appeared on CNN, CBS News, CNBC, PBS, and BBC World Service.

Prior to his work at Deloitte, Ira was chief economist at Retail Forward, a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers, a vice president at Bankers Trust Corp., corporate economist at the Eastman Kodak Co., and researcher at the Institute for International Economics. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Vassar College and a Ph.D. in International Economics from Johns Hopkins University.