Born in Aberdare, South Wales, Gerald studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford before going on to do an MPhil in Economics at Nuffield College.
Mr Holtham has held various positions in academia including Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and affiliated professor at the Centre of Economic Forecasting at the London Business School. He is currently a Visiting Fellow of the Economic Policy Group at Brookings Institution, Washington DC, and Visiting Professor at the Business School of Cardiff University.
He was Director of the highly influential Institute for Public Policy Research in London from 1994 - 98, and played a leading role in developing the intellectual and policy foundations for the 1997 Labour Government, particularly the introduction of the flagship minimum wage policy and the University for Industry. His work changed the terms of the debate over the way public spending is distributed in the UK.
Mr Holtham is a Member of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Economic Research Advisory Panel and a Board Member at the Institute of Welsh Affairs, and his expertise has been sought across the globe. He has been an Associate Editor at the Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Consultant to the New Zealand Government on foreign liability management, and Consultant to the Japanese Government on economic modelling.
In addition to his contribution to academia and public policy, Mr Holtham has unrivalled investment banking experience. He was the founder of Cadwyn Capital LLP, Wales’ first hedge fund, of which he is currently Managing Partner, and he is Portfolio Manager of the Cadwyn Global Macro Fund. Prior to this, his roles included Chief Investment Officer at Morley Fund Management, the investment arm of Aviva PLC; global strategist at Norwich Union Investment Management and Chief Economist and Deputy Head of Research at Lehman Brothers Europe. He is also a member of the Charity Bank's Welsh Advisory Board.