EIU strengthens leadership team and names Constance Hunter as chief economist

New leaders bring extensive international experience to help drive EIU's ambitions, with a renewed focus on financial markets

LONDON, Sept. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today EIU, the business information arm of The Economist Group, announced the appointments of three senior leadership roles. Constance Hunter, formerly executive vice president, global head of strategy and ESG at AIG, has been appointed chief economist. Ms Hunter will be based in New York and will play a vital role in growing the business in the US.

Ross Bailey, recently global head of data platform at LSEG, joins EIU as the new global head of data and content, while Shantanu Lodh takes on the role of director of engineering. Mr Bailey and Mr Lodh will both be based in London.

Ms Hunter is an experienced economist, investor and leader who brings a data-driven mindset and deep economic insights to EIU. Prior to joining AIG, Ms Hunter served as chief economist at KPMG, where she was also a member of KPMG's pension advisory committee and the growth and strategy leadership team. Ms Hunter has a track record of identifying economic inflection points such as Russia's devaluation, the US mortgage and credit crisis, and the impact of covid-19 on China and the world economy. Ms Hunter's work as past president and board member of the National Association for Business Economics and as a current board member of the National Bureau of Economic Research has enabled her to show leadership skills in addressing a range of issues while also maximising value opportunities for both organisations.

Mr Bailey brings over 20 years of experience in developing and managing data products for the financial and risk communities. Most recently he played a pivotal role in the LSEG/Microsoft partnership developing the strategy to transform data discovery, delivery, and management to the market. Prior to LSEG, Mr Bailey held leadership roles at Refinitiv and Thomson Reuters, where he successfully delivered multiyear product and content transformation initiatives focused on value creation and enhancing the client experience. Both Ms Hunter and Mr Bailey will report directly to Leon Saunders Calvert, president and managing director of Economist Intelligence.

Mr Lodh joins EIU from Shawbrook Bank, an award-winning specialist bank, where he held the position of director of data platforms. Through Shawbrook Bank and his prior roles in the global derivatives (Bank of America Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas) and payments (Bottomline Technologies) industries, Mr Lodh brings extensive experience building and leading modern technology platforms for macroeconomic and financial markets forecasting. Mr Lodh will report into the technology office of The Economist Group, led by Michael Fleshman.

"I am delighted to welcome Constance, Ross and Shantanu to EIU" said Saunders Calvert. "Our expertise in providing macro forecasts to inform policy and global capital flows is already well established and award-winning. With this team, we add industry-leading expertise in data and technology required to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of financial markets clients. Constance also expands our executive presence in the US to help lead and execute our growth strategy."

Ms Hunter added: "I am thrilled to be joining EIU at such a critical time; the intersection of global economics, geopolitics and the growing challenges of integrating the impact of climate volatility into the economic outlook provides an enormous opportunity for EIU to bring differentiated insights to our clients."

About EIU

EIU is the business intelligence arm of The Economist Group, a leading authority on international business and world affairs. Upholding the brand's reputation for uncompromising integrity, rigorous analysis and trusted insights, EIU offers a forward-looking perspective on the global agenda, providing strategic guidance on emerging trends and challenges at both global and national levels.

Founded in 1946, EIU has more than 75 years of expertise in helping financial institutions, governments and multinational corporations navigate complex business environments. EIU's SaaS-based solutions deliver comprehensive political, economic and policy forecasts for 200 geographies, including 130 emerging markets and key industries. These insights are enriched by qualitative analysis from a global network of 400 analysts and in-country contributors.

By combining robust quantitative data with in-depth qualitative insights, EIU enables organisations to make informed decisions, address emerging challenges and plan for sustainable growth.

For more information, please visit www.eiu.com.

SOURCE The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)