Henrietta Moore
A social anthropologist reshaping our understanding of global prosperity by putting human experience, not just economics, at the center of the conversation.
Born 1957 (age 69)·British social anthropologist·Birthday: May 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
Henrietta Moore operates at the vital intersection of anthropology, economics, and policy, arguing that true prosperity is about more than GDP. Trained as a social anthropologist with field work in Africa, she developed a deep skepticism of top-down, purely statistical models of development. This led her to found the Institute for Global Prosperity at University College London, a hub for redefining what it means for communities to thrive in the 21st century. Moore's work is grounded in local knowledge, employing community researchers to gather data that reflects real lives and aspirations. She champions the idea of 'social prosperity,' which encompasses health, environment, meaningful work, and social connection. By insisting that policy must be co-created with citizens, she provides a powerful, human-centered counter-narrative to traditional growth-focused economics, influencing governments and organizations worldwide to think differently about our collective future.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Henrietta was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Henrietta Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Henrietta's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded and directs the UCL Institute for Global Prosperity, a leading center for rethinking economic and social well-being.
- Appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to the social sciences.
- Holds the Chair in Culture, Philosophy and Design at University College London.
- Authored influential works like 'The Subject of Anthropology' and 'Still Life: Hopes, Desires and Satisfactions.'
Did You Know?
She is a crossbench peer in the House of Lords, having been created a life peer as Baroness Moore of Wolvercote.
Her early anthropological fieldwork focused on the Marakwet people in Kenya.
She has served as a trustee for the British Museum.
Moore has been named one of the 'World's Top 50 Thinkers' by Prospect magazine.
“We must measure what we value, not just value what we measure.”
