OREANDA-NEWS. Fitch Ratings is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Coulton as Chief Economist, responsible for the development of Fitch's economic research on a global basis.

Mr. Coulton joins from Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM) Limited, where he was their Emerging Market Strategist since late 2010. Prior to LGIM, Mr. Coulton spent over ten years with Fitch Ratings, primarily as Head of Global Economics and EMEA Sovereign Ratings, a role he held after several years in Hong Kong as Head of Asia Pacific Sovereign Ratings. Prior to joining Fitch Ratings in 1999, Mr. Coulton was an Economics Adviser at HM Treasury.

Mr. Coulton will join Fitch Ratings on Monday, 5 October, based in London. He will report to James McCormack, Fitch's Global Head of Sovereign and Supranational Ratings, also based in London.

"Economic commentary, analysis and forecasting are integral parts of our sovereign ratings platform and help further differentiate Fitch's views across financial markets. We are delighted to be welcoming back an economist of Brian's calibre. His extensive knowledge of both developed and emerging market economies, understanding of sovereign credit fundamentals and more recent experience on the buy side will bring exceptional breadth and depth to our strong global sovereign ratings platform," said James McCormack.

Mr. Coulton graduated with a BSc in Economics from the University of Wales, Swansea, and holds an MA in Economics from the University of Warwick.