Rain Newton-Smith | |
---|---|
Born | June 1975 (age 49) |
Education | University of Oxford London School of Economics |
Occupation(s) | Director General, Confederation of British Industry |
Term | April 2023 – present |
Predecessor | Tony Danker |
Children | 4 |
Parent | William Newton-Smith |
Rain Newton-Smith (born 1975) is the director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) after being appointed in April 2023. [1] She was the CBI's chief economist from August 2014 to March 2023. [2]
Rain Newton-Smith is the daughter of Canadian-born Oxford philosopher William Newton-Smith (1943–2023) and his first wife Dorris Heffron. [3]
Newton-Smith earned a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) from the University of Oxford, and an MSc in economics from the London School of Economics (LSE). [4] [5]
Newton-Smith spent nine years at the Bank of England where she prepared global forecast reports for the central bank's rate-setting committee. [6] She went on to lead the emerging markets division at the Oxford Economics consultancy specialising in the Chinese economy. [6] Newton-Smith previously held a position advising the UK executive director at the International Monetary Fund. [2]
Newton-Smith was previously chief economist of the CBI, where she served from August 2014 until March 2023. [1] [2] [6] In that role, The Guardian described her as a "vocal commentator on the struggles faced by businesses after the pandemic". [1]
She left the CBI in March 2023 and took up a post at Barclays as a managing director to lead the bank's environmental, social, and corporate governance policy. [6] After the dismissal of Tony Danker in early April 2023 following complaints of misconduct, Newton-Smith was appointed as the CBI's new Director General. [5] [6]
Newton-Smith is married with four daughters. [4] She lives in Oxfordshire. [4]