Frances Donald

Frances Donald is a Canadian-born economist and the Chief Economist of the Royal Bank of Canada. Educated at Queen's University and New York University, she is a key expert on economic issues and is highly sought after by clients, government leaders, policy makers, and media in the U.S. and Canada. She provides unique insights and actionable ideas on the macro-economic environment and financial markets across North America and is recognized for her ability to effectively communicate complex economic issues. In 2019 she was recognized as one of Canada's Most Powerful Women Top 100.^[1]

Frances Donald

Early life and education

Donald was born in Montreal and attended school at the CEGEP John Abbot College.^[2] She obtained her Bachelor of Economics from Queen's University in 2008. Donald worked as a research analyst for the Bank of Canada before attending New York University where she earned her master's degree in economics in 2010.^[3]

Donald worked as a financial economist for Scotiabank in Toronto, and before that as a global macro analyst for Pavilion Global Markets in Montreal.^[4] Her early experience included various positions at Deloitte and Roubini Global Economics.^{[citation needed]}

Chief Economist

In 2024, Donald joined the Royal Bank of Canada as Chief Economist after previously serving as Chief Economist at Manulife since 2019. ^[5] She joined Manulife in 2016 as a senior economist before becoming Head of Macro-Economic Strategy in 2018. In 2019, at age 33 she became the youngest Chief Economist in Canada and one of only two women to hold the title in Canada.^[6]