CBI appoints Stephen Gifford as Director of Economics

The CBI has appointed Stephen Gifford as Director of Economics. He was previously Chief Economist at the accountancy firm Grant Thornton and was responsible for providing economic advice to public and private sector clients.

Most recently, he led a programme of research into high-growth firms as part of the ‘Growth Accelerator’ service funded by the Department for Business and managed a team evaluating the impacts and legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. He has also worked at KPMG and Oxford Economics.

Stephen will take charge of the organisation’s teams responsible for economic analysis, tax and fiscal policy and survey management.

John Cridland, CBI Director-General, says he is delighted to welcome Stephen to the CBI: “His experience and expertise will be crucial to the CBI’s role of promoting growth and jobs in the UK economy.

“In particular, his knowledge of medium-sized businesses will be key to the CBI’s efforts of supporting these firms to fulfill their growth potential.”

Stephen Gifford adds it is a critical time for the UK economy and the CBI is at the heart of the debate on how to get the economy back on track:

“The CBI economics team is valued for its high-quality economic analysis and timely business surveys. I consider myself privileged to be asked to lead a team which has such a history of exceptional analysis.”