Rain Newton-Smith

Rain Newton-Smith
BornJune 1975 (age 49)
EducationUniversity of Oxford
London School of Economics
Occupation(s)Director General, Confederation of British Industry
TermApril 2023 – present
PredecessorTony Danker
Children4
ParentWilliam 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]

Early life

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]

Career

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]

Personal life

Newton-Smith is married with four daughters.[4] She lives in Oxfordshire.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c Isaac, Anna; Partridge, Joanna (11 April 2023). "CBI dismisses director general Tony Danker after conduct complaints". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Partridge, Joanna (2023-04-11). "The 'reformed economist': who is the new chief tasked with saving the CBI?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  3. ^ "W. H. Newton-Smith Obituary". The Globe and Mail. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Rain Newton-Smith named as CBI Director-General". CBI (Press release). 11 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  5. ^ a b Partridge, Joanna (11 April 2023). "The 'reformed economist': who is the new chief tasked with saving the CBI?". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e Nachiappan, Arthi. "Who is Rain Newton-Smith? New CBI director making a swift return". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 21 April 2023.


Business positions
Preceded by Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry
2023–present 		Incumbent