Welcome to episode 2 of "How did I get here? Discover Economics"
In this episode, we have Dr Rachel Glennerster. Rachel is the Chief Economist at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). Before that, she was the Chief Economist at the Department for International Development (DFID). From 2004 to 2017 she was Executive Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), an MIT Economics Department research centre that seeks to reduce poverty by ensuring policy is informed by scientific evidence.
In the episode we mention the FCDO Next Generation Economics competition. Make sure you check it out: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fcdo-next-generation-economics-competition
Write about the biggest economic challenges facing your generation between 15 February and 21 May 2021 to enter our Next Generation Economics Competition. You could win £250.

Welcome to Next Generation Economics, a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) competition for anyone currently studying in years 10 to 13 (in England and Wales, or equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland) who is interested in economics. You do not need to have studied economics to take part. Next Generation Economics is your chance to write about the biggest economic challenges facing your generation in 2021.

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What are you going to be when you grow up? A doctor, an astronaut, an engineer, a footballer?

Very few people have ever dreamt that one day they would be an economist. It’s a profession on few young people’s radars, is barely understood and, let’s face it, has an image problem.

Most people picture economists, if they think about them at all, as “men in suits who are crunching numbers, talking about interest rates and making money”.

This series of podcasts aim to challenge – and change – your image of economists. A series of conversations with economists who are working in a variety of different organisations, the podcasts will explore their personal journeys. What inspired them to choose to study economics? How did they get to their current position? What are they currently working on and what are some of the things that they love about economics?

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Anuoluwapo Sharon Adenuga

Communication Strategist (Discover Economics) at The Royal Economic Society

Royal Economic Society

Established by the Royal Economic Society, Discover Economics aims to broaden the appeal of economics as a subject and career for 15–17-year-olds from under-represented groups.

Founder, MSc candidate at LSE, First Class BSc Economics Graduate and experienced communications strategist with a demonstrated history of working in technology and social organisations. Skilled in data analysis, project management and social media, with a particular interest on how diversity influences digital innovation.
Passionate about promoting financial understanding in young women and an avid advocate for increasing diversity in technology and economic institutions.

Welcome to episode 4 of "How did I get here? Discover Economics"
In this episode, we talk to Ben Chu, Economics Editor of The Independent, the UK's largest quality digital news brand. Ben was previously economics editor of BBC Newsnight, the BBCs flagship current affairs programme. He is co-presenter of Coronanomics and is on the International Advisory Board for SPERI, The University of Sheffield’s Political Economy Research Institute

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Research Officer at The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) since August 2019 and before that, Economist at Reserve Bank of Australia for five years.

Helen Hughson has contributed to research on tax policy (including the work of the UK Wealth Tax Commission), inequality, and migration, in her role as a Researcher at the London School of Economics. Previously, she worked for five years at the Reserve Bank of Australia on labour market and international developments, and co-authored working papers on household responses to monetary policy and the market for overnight cash in Australia. Helen holds a MSc in Economics from University College London.

Expertise Details

Tax policy; inequality; migration

Rohin is an independent strategy consultant (specialising in education and learning) and founder of an education technology start-up.

The majority of Rohin's professional work experience has been as a strategy consultant first at Monitor Deloitte and then working independently for a variety of firms. His experience has focussed upon public services (including education), healthcare and technology as well as a number of private equity due diligence assignments. Rohin also spent nine months on secondment to Cabinet Office in 2012 in order to scale National Citizen Service.

In 2017, Rohin founded Think Smart with the aim of tackling the career guidance problem. Think Smart uses problem solving that is sourced directly from professionals in a variety of jobs in order to help people at different stages of their career path think about their next steps in a more informed way. He has worked with clients in Europe and Singapore to date. Rohin also used his start-up experience to help found a new generation mortgage lender: Generation Home. It will allow young people to more easily get onto the housing ladder through the concept of group mortgages.

Rohin has long been passionate about education and spent eight years as a governor of MidKent College, a further education provider based in the Maidstone and Medway areas. He supported mainly on board strategy, understanding the students and their holistic needs and all things digital.

Rohin has an MA in Economics from King's College, Cambridge and an MBA from INSEAD where he was lucky enough to study in both France and Singapore.
https://www.londonmet.ac.uk/about/corporate-governance/board-of-governors/members-of-the-board/rohin-aggarwal/