Dame Katharine Mary Barker is a British economist. She is principally noted for her role at the Bank of England and for advising the British government on social issues such as housing and health care.
Early career
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 then worked for a large pension fund in London. She was a research officer at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research and was the chief European economist at the Ford Motor Company in Brentwood. From 1994 to 2001 she was chief economic adviser at the Confederation of British Industry. 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.
Barker is a member of the advisory board of the Centre for Economic Policy at the London School of Economics. She became chair of the advisory board for the Centre for Business Research at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, in October 2012. She is a senior visiting fellow in the Department of Land Economy at Cambridge. She was also a governor at Anglia Ruskin University from 2000 to 2010, and chair of governors 2007–2010; in October 2011, the university awarded her an honorary doctorate. She was chair of the Society of Business Economists from 2013 to 2016. In March 2014 she was appointed a member of the Fiscal Policy Panel of the States of Jersey, and became chairman of the Panel in April 2016. She has been a trustee of the Essex Community Foundation. She was a non-executive director on the board of the Yorkshire Building Society from 2010 to 2017. She was a senior adviser to Credit Suisse 2010–2016. From 2010 to June 2016 she was a non-executive director of Electra Private Equity plc, and interim chairman from November 2015. In September 2014 Dame Kate Barker became chairman of the trustees of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme. She is currently an NED of Taylor Wimpey plc and Man Group plc. In April 2017 she was appointed as a member of the National Infrastructure Commission. In July 2017 she became a member of the council, Oxford University. In July 2019 she joined the UK Cabinet Office's Geospatial Commission as one of four new commissioners. Previously an independent member of the Football Regulatory Authority of the Football Association, she is a Stoke City F.C. fan.
