Kate Barker

Who is Kate Barker?

Dame Katharine Mary Barker DBE, generally known as Kate Barker, is a British economist.

Barker grew up in Stoke-on-Trent. She received a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at St Hilda's College, Oxford, in 1979 and worked for a large pension fund in London. She was a Research Officer at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research and was then the Chief European Economist at the Ford Motor Company in Brentwood. From 1994-2001 she was Chief Economic Adviser at the CBI. She was also a member of the HM Treasury's Panel of Independent Economic Advisers 1996-97; and a non-executive Director of the Yorkshire Building Society.

Barker was appointed as an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England with effect from 1 June 2001. The MPC is responsible for setting interest rates to meet the Government's inflation target. She is the first external MPC member to have been appointed for three terms, the latest of which ended on 31 May 2010. She was not eligible for a fourth term. She was appointed as one of two non-executive members of the UK government's Office for Budget Responsibility in June 2011.