ADIA looks to GM for economist

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has hired General Motors’ chief economist and director of global economic and industry analysis, Ted Chu, as its chief economist.

Chu, who will move from Detroit, USA, to Abu Dhabi, UAE, will be responsible for producing in-depth international and regional economic analyses and making recommendations. He will also be a member of ADIA’s strategy unit, and will assist in developing, monitoring and assessing investment strategies across asset classes based on current and projected economic trends.

Head of ADIA’s strategy unit, Jean-Paul Villain (pictured), said Chu’s knowledge and insight into global macro-economic trends will contribute significantly to ADIA’s long-term asset allocation strategy and ability to identify new asset class opportunities.

ADIA employs 1,200 people and has internal investment teams in equities, fixed income and treasury, infrastructure, private equity, real estate and alternatives.

Chu has been at General Motors since 2006 where he has been chief economist providing the executive committee with support on key investment decisions, business planning and strategic research. He previously held roles as senior economist Asia Pacific and manager for economic and industry analysis in the Americas, Asia Pacific and Middle East, Africa regions.

He has also held roles at the World Bank, where he was a macroeconomist, and was an associate consultant specialising in energy and environmental economics at Decision Focus, a management science consulting firm in Silicon Valley.

ADIA’s asset allocation