Abrdn chief economist quits

Jeremy Lawson
JEREMY LAWSON
Aberdeen Asset Management - Chief Economist
DEPARTURE
Aberdeen Asset Management
ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGEMENT
Date: 6 March 2023
Position: Chief Economist
By Elizabeth Fry

Abrdn's chief economist Jeremy Lawson has departed the fund role after ten years to return to Sydney, where he started his career at the country's central bank.

Lawson called it an immense privilege to work as the firm's global chief economist over such a long period of time.

"I left Australia in 2008 for three years. Almost 15 years and four organisations later, it is time to return home," Lawson said in a LinkedIn post.

"The spectacular city of Sydney beckons, and we can't wait to be around our closest friends and family once more."

During his time away, Lawson served as PNB Paradis as senior economist senior, deputy director at the Institute of International Finance, the Washington DC think tank and a senior economist at the OECD.

Before that, he spent seven years at the Reserve Bank of Australia and a few months as a climate policy advisor for Kevin Rudd in the run-up to the 2007 federal election.

"It is a cliche to say that the people you work with make a career, but it is no less true for it. I was certainly lucky to work with and learn from so many talented and hardworking colleagues. And I'm definitely a much better economist for it.

'Working alongside my research institute staff - past and present - as well as the cross-function climate and sustainability research team I was a part of, was particularly special. I'm incredibly proud of the work we did together."

To thrive as an economist and economic team inside an asset manager, you need the full backing of the organisation and its most senior leaders.

Meanwhile, abrdn's finance chief Stephanie Bruce will leave the company at the end of the year.

Last month, the fund announced locally that it would terminate five funds as part of the consolidation of the local business, the key to which is its recent partnership with SG Hiscock.

In January, the abrdn's head of Australian equities Michelle Lopez resigned to join Pie Funds as head of Australasian equities and portfolio manager.