Generation Reinvention # 12: The Future of Boomer Aging in the United Kingdom

On February 1, 2011

When discussing Boomers as Generation Reinvention, we’re not just exploring a phenomenon of population aging and business transformation limited merely to the United States and Canada. Population aging is a global phenomenon and especially prevalent in Europe.

In 2005, the percentage of population over age 60 varied from 9.9 percent in Asia, to 16.2 percent in the U.S., and 20.8 percent in the United Kingdom. Scandinavia then had 21.2 percent of its population over 60. Now in 2011, these countries have grown even older, creating a marketplace revolution around technologies and social policies to serve 50+ adults.

Businesses and individuals seeking reinvention can become a lot more prescient by understanding what is happening with Boomer aging and business developments elsewhere. Since many countries are aging faster than the U.S., foreign adaptation to population aging can provide deeper insights into the future of aging in the U.S.

Our guest today is Dick Stroud, consultant, lecturer, writer, and one of Great Britain’s most influential thinkers about the 50+ market niche. His company 20plus30 specializes in advising companies how to capture the buying power of 50-plus consumers. He is author of “The 50-Plus Market,” an impressive 315-page exploration of business with the lucrative, influential 50+ marketplace. He has taught at the London Business School, American University in London, and Southampton Business School. Before running his own company he worked for IBM and PA Management Consultants.