Personal statement

Mairi Spowage is a Professor of Practice and Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, Scotland’s leading economic research institute, located in the Economics Department at the University of Strathclyde.  

Her areas of expertise include economic policy, economic statistics, national accounting, public sector finances, and economic and fiscal forecasting.

Mairi leads on the Institute's work with various partners, including those in business, the public and third sector. She is regularly asked to give evidence on economic and fiscal matters at Parliamentary Committees in both Holyrood and Westminster. 

Mairi has been appointed to be the Budget Adviser to the Finance and Public Administration Committee for 2021-2026. Mairi is also a Non-Executive Director of the UK Statistics Authority, is on the OBR Advisory panel, and is on the British Chambers of Commerce's Economic Advisory Council. 

Mairi is leading on various projects to improve economic measurement and the use of economic insights to improve policy decisions in Scotland and beyond. She also leads the programme to encourage graduates into careers in analysis through the Economic Futures programme. 

Mairi is on the Leadership team of the Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy and the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence. 

Previously, Mairi was the Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Fiscal Commission and the Head of National Accounts at the Scottish Government, and has over 20 years of experience working in different areas of statistics and analysis, including transport, household surveys and performance measurement.