Connor has broad expertise in the fundamentals of economic growth, and the development of action-oriented strategies to create sustainable jobs and enterprise. He has worked in both domestic and international contexts, with particular experience in the European Union and the Indo-Pacific region.
Prior to joining Urban Foresight, Connor was a long-standing member of the Government Economic Service based in the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Department for International Development (DFID), where he was the lead economist focused on South East Asia.
He worked on numerous business cases, and led the department’s work on economic recovery from Covid-19 in South East Asia. He managed large scale clean infrastructure investment projects and frequently briefed senior ministers and officials on key economic trends across the region and their implications for the UK.
His background also encompasses trade policy and agreements, having worked on analysis to maximise the benefits of the UK’s independent trade policy. His economic modelling experience was brought to bear on the HMG analysis of EU Exit scenarios, laid in the House of Commons in 2018.
Connor holds an MA in European Economic Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, with a specialism in Public Policy Analysis. He also holds a BSc in Mathematics and Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE).