KPMG Nabs Respected Grant Thornton Chief Economist Diane Swonk

KPMG has a new chief economist, and it is someone you might have seen on television talking about the U.S. economy on CNBC and MSNBC or providing economic commentary in articles published by the New York Times and Washington Post.

Diane Swonk has joined the Big Four firm to lead its Office of the Chief Economist, which provides insight to clients on the economy and how it impacts strategy, growth, and operations. She will be based in Chicago.

“Our Office of the Chief Economist offers leading economic intelligence to help our clients improve strategic decision-making,” Tandra Jackson, vice chair of growth and strategy at KPMG, said in a press release. “Diane’s broad experience and wide-reaching influence will be tremendously valuable in leading those efforts.”

Swonk comes to KPMG from Grant Thornton, where she spent the past four years as that firm’s chief economist.

In a LinkedIn post on July 19, Swonk wrote, “I am so excited to be joining such an extraordinary team at KPMG US.”

She has more than three decades of experience in financial services and consulting, and serves as an advisor to the Federal Reserve and its regional banks. Swonk also serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce economic advisory board and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Additionally, Swonk also advised the Council of Economic Advisers for the White House under three presidents and served two terms on the Congressional Budget Office’s panel of economic advisors. She was named a fellow by the National Association for Business Economics for her outstanding contributions to the field of business economics and was named among the 100 most influential economists in the world for her analysis of the pandemic. She received a lifetime achievement award from the Association for Corporate Growth.

KPMG noted that Swonk is extremely committed to educational attainment and diversifying the ranks of leadership. She serves on the board of the Posse Foundation in Chicago, an education and leadership program. She works extensively with the Yale Dyslexia and Creative Institute. She just joined the Harris Policy School Council at the University of Chicago after serving for 15 years on the Council for Booth School of Business. She also serves on the board of the Foundation for the National Association for Business Economics (NABE); she serves on the statistics committee for NABE to promote the quality and integrity of U.S. economic data.

Swonk advises the University of Michigan Economics Department, where she earned her B.A. and M.A. in economics with top honors. She earned an MBA in finance and strategic planning with top honors from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.