Diane Swonk

As one of the most-respected economists in the world and among the most frequently quoted in the financial press, Diane Swonk is called upon by policy makers and business leaders around the world.

Currently the chief economist for global auditing firm KPMG, Swonk has more than 30 years of experience in financial services and sits on advisory committees to the Federal Reserve Board and its regional banks. She is currently on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce economic advisory board. Having advised the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) for the White House under three presidents, she served the maximum two terms on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)’s panel of economic advisers. She joined the audit and consulting firm Grant Thornton in 2018, where she served as the firm’s chief economist until 2022. She had joined Mesirow Financial after 19 years with Bank One Corporation and its predecessors, working as director of economics/chief economist and senior vice president. She started her career with the legacy First Chicago Corporation in 1985 and quickly moved up the ranks, proving herself as a regional economist with her forecast for a renaissance in the Industrial Midwest just one year later.

The Passionate Economist. She is one of the most sought-after and frequently quoted economists in the financial press. She was named one of the 100 most influential economists in the world for her analysis of the pandemic and its impact on the economy. Chicago magazine once said, “Her name seems the very heartbeat of the business pages.” Listed as one of the “Top Forecasters in the Country” by The Wall Street Journal and rated as one of the most accurate economic forecasters by MSNBC, she has a nearly encyclopedic knowledge of all things economic. Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, she offers audiences a deep, nonpolitical dive into global and domestic economic issues, including where the economy is headed, trade issues, regulation, and the effects of government policy on the markets. She has published a book, The Passionate Economist: Finding the Power and Humanity Behind the Numbers.

The Best of The Best. Swonk has earned many awards over her career. She was named a fellow by the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) for her outstanding contributions to the field of business economics; she continues to dedicate much of her time to improving the quality and timeliness of economic data, a critical aspect of policy making. She was named among the 100 most influential economists in the world. The Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) in Chicago recently chose her to receive a lifetime achievement award. The Chicago Sun Times named her one of the “Most Influential Women in Business in Chicago.”

Swonk serves on the board of the Posse Foundation in Chicago, an organization dedicated to improving access to higher education. She sits on the boards of the Chicago Conservation Center and the NABE Foundation, which awards scholarships to study economics. She has served on boards for the Joffrey Ballet and the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She was a member of the sitting committee and the gender task force at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and continues to advise the economics department at the University of Michigan.

She earned her BA and MA in economics with top honors from the University of Michigan. She was awarded an MBA in finance and strategic planning with top honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

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