Constance Hunter

Constance Hunter
Alma mater	New York University; Columbia University (School of International and Public Affairs)
Occupation(s)	Economist, business executive
Years active	1994–present
Known for	Accurate economic predictions including the 2001 dot-com bubble, 2007–2008 mortgage crisis, and COVID-19 economic impacts
Title	Chief Economist at Economist Intelligence Unit; Executive Vice President and Global Head of Strategy and ESG at AIG; Former Principal and Chief Economist at KPMG
Board member of	Council on Foreign Relations, National Association for Business Economics (former president), GallopNYC, National Bureau of Economic Research

Constance Hunter is an American economist who previously served as principal and chief economist at KPMG. She has held the position of president at the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) and participates in influential think tanks such as the Council on Foreign Relations. Hunter is acclaimed for her accurate predictions of significant economic events, including the 2001 dot-com bubble, the 2007–2008 mortgage and credit crisis, and the economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education

Hunter completed her undergraduate studies in Economics and Sociology at New York University and obtained a master's degree from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University (SIPA). Additionally, she earned the Certified Business Economist (CBE) credential.

Career

Beginning in the 1990s, Hunter occupied senior positions within asset management firms, such as chief investment officer (CIO) and chief economist roles, prior to her tenure at KPMG. Her professional journey started in 1994 as an economist at Chase Manhattan Bank. Subsequently, she managed hedge fund portfolios focused on former Soviet states at Firebird Management. Hunter also held leadership roles as chief economist at Galtere Ltd. and as managing director and chief economist at Aladdin Capital Management. In 2011, she was appointed deputy CIO at Axa Investment Managers, where she supervised assets exceeding $500 billion. That same year, she was among the first to anticipate a recovery in the U.S. housing market.

Hunter is distinguished for her precise forecasts of critical economic developments: the collapse of the dot-com bubble, the subprime mortgage crisis triggering the 2008 financial meltdown, persistently low bond yields during the housing market rebound starting in 2012, and the worldwide economic consequences of COVID-19. She frequently offers expert economic commentary across various broadcast platforms.

KPMG

In 2013, Hunter assumed the role of chief economist at KPMG, responsible for directing macroeconomic research and economic forecasting. As a former principal at the firm, she joined its strategy leadership team in 2020 and became a member of the advisory board for its pension committee. After the introduction of U.S. tariffs in 2018, she highlighted their disruptive effects on business operations. In 2019, The Wall Street Journal acknowledged her as one of the earliest economists to predict Federal Reserve interest rate reductions and a possible recession.

Hunter also anticipated early on the broad economic fallout from COVID-19 in the United States, identifying a recession beginning in March 2020 along with emerging issues such as employment declines, decreased consumer spending, resistance to mask mandates, virus mutations, political volatility, and recovery complexities. She evaluated federal interest rate adjustments and societal changes influencing economic rebound, as well as COVID-19’s impact on Chinese economies during early 2020. In 2021, Hunter released a report titled "Covid's economic reset: making the quixotic quotidian," projecting economic transformations resulting from societal adaptations.

AIG

In early 2022, Hunter joined AIG as executive vice president and global head of strategy and environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG). This newly established position involves guiding corporate efforts to tackle climate change while advancing AIG’s pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 in accordance with Paris Agreement objectives.

EIU

In September 2024, Hunter took on the role of chief economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the business intelligence branch of The Economist Group.

Boards and associations

Hunter holds membership in the Council on Foreign Relations and was the president of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) from 2019 through 2020. She continues to serve as a NABE Fellow and board director, with a particular emphasis on advancing diversity and inclusion efforts. Hunter is also a board member of the nonprofit organization GallopNYC and actively engages with economic groups such as the New York Association of Business Economists, Money Marketeers, and 100 Women in Finance. Furthermore, she contributes to the advisory board of Social Impact Capital and sits on the board of the National Bureau of Economic Research.