David Owen – Keynote Speaker

David Owen is Founder and Chief Economist of Saltmarsh Economics. He was formerly Chief European Economist, Jefferies and before that, Chief Economist, Developed Markets, Dresdner Kleinwort. For many years he Chaired the Investment Committee of Save the Children, UK, and is a former Council Member of the Society of Professional Economists.

He has over 35 years of experience covering the UK and European economies and has led or been part of teams ranked Number 1 in surveys of institutional investors, for both UK and European economics. His time at Jefferies included working very closely with a European government trading desk in the midst of the euro area crisis, following the substantial imbalances that built up prior to the financial crisis.

Apart from its work on the UK economy, the BoE and ECB, Saltmarsh Economics is focused on the economic and policy implications of climate change and the race to net zero, and the growing importance of Alternative Finance for the wider economy.

Saltmarsh have developed various proprietary indicators to help investors better navigate the transition to net zero, and the substantial risks stemming from more extreme climate events. These include over 60 metrics for over 50 countries. They publish regularly on the subject, as well as posting on Substack.

He has a BSc in Mathematics & Economics from Warwick University and a MSc in Economics & Econometrics from Southampton and spends a lot of time on the saltmarshes of Norfolk.