| Rain Newton-Smith | |
| Education: | University of Oxford London School of Economics |
| Occupation: | Director General, Confederation of British Industry |
| Term: | April 2023 – present |
| Predecessor: | Tony Danker |
| Children: | 4 |
| Parents: | 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.
Rain Newton-Smith is the daughter of Canadian-born Oxford philosopher William Newton-Smith (1943 - 2023) and his first wife Dorris Heffron.[2]
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).[3]
Newton-Smith spent nine years at the Bank of England where she prepared global forecast reports for the central bank's rate-setting committee.[4] She went on to lead the emerging markets division at the Oxford Economics consultancy specialising in the Chinese economy. Newton-Smith previously held a position advising the UK executive director at the International Monetary Fund.[5]
Newton-Smith was previously chief economist of the CBI, where she served from August 2014 until March 2023. In that role, The Guardian described her as a "vocal commentator on the struggles faced by businesses after the pandemic".
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. 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.[6]
Newton-Smith is married with four daughters. She lives in Oxfordshire.[3]