Vicky Pryce

Vicky Pryce
Pryce in 2014
Born	Vasiliki Kourmouzi (1952-07-15)15 July 1952 Athens, Greece
Occupation	Economist
Spouses	Gareth Pryce ​ ​ (m.1972;div.1981)​ Chris Huhne ​ ​ (m.1984;div.2011)​
Children	5
Criminal charge	Perverting the course of justice

Vasiliki"Vicky"Pryce(néeKourmouzi(Greek:Βασιλική Κουρμούζη); born 15 July 1952)is a Greek-born Britisheconomistand a former Joint Head of the United Kingdom'sGovernment Economic Service.

She is currently the Chief Economic Adviser at theCentre for Economics and Business Research,in London, where she is also a board member.In 2023, Pryce joined theBritish Chambers of Commerce'snewly-launched Economic Advisory Council as a senior member.She is a visiting professor atBirmingham City UniversityandKing's College London.

On 7 March 2013, she and her former husband,Chris Huhne,were convicted ofperverting the course of justiceand sentenced to eight months in prison, when she was convicted after trial and Huhne pleaded guilty. They each served nine weeks in prison.

Early life

Pryce was born inAthens,the middle of three children, described as being "out on the town" at the age of 11, coming home at all hours and later riding a motorbike. She moved toLondonat the age of 17.She studied at theLSE,gaining aBScin Economics and anMScinMonetary Economics.

Career

After university she had, according toNed Temko,a "glittering career"as an economist and then chief economist atWilliams & Glyn's Bank(now part of the Royal Bank of Scotland) from 1973 to 1983; as corporate economist forExxon Europefrom 1983 to 1986;and as chief economist at Peat Marwick McLintock andKPMGfrom 1986 to 2001. When having a child, she took six weeks off for each one.

She left KPMG atBlackfriarsin late 2001, and worked for the London Economics consultancy. As of December 2021, she is on the advisory board of OMFIF where she is regularly involved in meetings regarding the financial and monetary system.In 2023, Pryce became a senior member of theBritish Chambers of Commerce'snewly-launched Economic Advisory Council.The council was established to build on the organisation's Quarterly Economic Survey and "develop policies to get the economy and businesses growing".

Pryce is also patron of Pro Bono Economics and of the charity Working Chance.She is a trustee for Women in Prisonand is a Freeman and Liveryman of the City of London.

Department of Trade and Industry

Pryce joined theDepartment for Trade and Industryin August 2002 as Chief Economic Adviser, the first woman to be appointed to the post, for which the salary was about £110,000.She was also Chairwoman of the GoodCorporation, an organisation promoting ethical business practices.

Pryce was Deputy Head of the UK Government Economic Service from 2004 to 2007, and Joint Head from 2007 to 2010. She was appointed aCompanion of the Order of the Bath(CB) in the2009 Birthday Honoursbut this was cancelled and annulled on 30 July 2013 following her release from prison.

In April 2010, it was announced that she would be leaving theDepartment for Business, Innovation and Skillswhere she was Director General, Economics, and Joint Head of the Government Economic Service, to become senior managing director at the finance consultancy firmFTI Consulting.

Academia

She was a visiting professor atCity University'sCass Business Schoolfrom 2002 to 2006 and from 2008 to 2011, and atImperial College Business Schoolsince 2010; a visiting Fellow atNuffield College, Oxford,since 2008; a Fellow of theSociety of Business Economistssince 2005; and the council of the Royal Society for the Arts from 2008 to 2009.She sat on the Council of theUniversity of Kentand was a Member of the Council of theRoyal Economic Society(REconS) from 2002 to 2007.

In 2010 she became the first female Master of theWorshipful Company of Management Consultants.

As of 2021, Pryce is a visiting professor at Birmingham City Universityand King’s College London.She is also a Fellow and council member of the UK Academy for Social Sciences,a Fellow of the Society of Professional Economists,a companion of the British Academy of Management,an Honorary Senior Fellow at Regent’s University and on the Regent’s University Court,and a fellow of the RADIX centre for Business, Politics and Society.

Books

How to be a Successful Economist

This title, released in late 2022, is a guide for students working towards successful careers in economics.The authors, Vicky Pryce, Andy Ross, Alvin Birdi and Ian Harwood, walk readers through the interview process for graduate positions and the attributes that employers are looking for. Video interviews are also available with the purchase of the book.

Dr Matthew Aldrich, Associate Professor in Economics at the University of East Anglia, described the book as "original" and said "there is no comparable text I know of and the pragmatic issues are covered extremely well".Jarkko Immonen, a careers counsellor at the University of Helsinki, called it a "comprehensive hands-on look at the world of work from an economist's point of view with an emphasis on opportunities and societal relevance".The book was published by Oxford University Press.

Women Vs Capitalism

Subtitled “why we can’t have it all in a free market economy”, Women Vs Capitalism is an urgent call to reform capitalism so that it “stops failing women”.

Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeveswrote inThe Observerthat the 2019 book was “fantastic” and “shines a much-needed light on discrimination”.InThe Guardian,Polly Toynbeesaid it was a “long overdue dissection of the vital subject of gender equality through Vicky Pryce’s forensic economic lens”.

It’s The Economy, Stupid

This 2015 title sets out to be an incisive and accessible voter’s guide to the economy. It answers questions such as “does immigration help or harm theUK economy?”and “are austerity measures the best way to tackle a financial meltdown?”.

It was published byBiteback Publishingand was written with Andy Ross and Peter Urwin.

Why Women Need Quotas

Published in 2015 as part ofBiteback Publishing’sProvocations series, edited byYasmin Alibhai-Brown,Why Women Need Quotas was written with former management editor of theFinancial Times,Stefan Stern.

The book argues that by failing to remove the ‘barriers’ to female progression, the UK is being “starved” of the talent it needs to grow and prosper to its full potential. It goes on to recommend that women be hired even if no one wants them.

Redesigning Manufacturing

Co-authored with Michael Beverland and Beverley Nielsen, this 2015 book suggests that UK manufacturing has an “image problem”. It redresses the situation, which it suggests is more fiction than fact, by focusing on the real successes of the sector and the strategies used by makers to achieve sustainable results.

Prisonomics

Pryce published a book based on her experience atHM Prison East Sutton Parkin October 2013. The book,Prisonomics: Behind Bars in Britain's Failing Prisons,makes claims about the economic and human costs of imprisoning women, with especial reference to herself. Previous convicts have done the same thing, notablyHoratio Bottomley.Royaltieswere donated to the charity Working Chance to help former women prisoners find work.

Greekonomics

In October 2012,Biteback PublishingreleasedGreekonomics,a discussion of the crises in theeurozone,with the focus on the country of her birth. Intended for a broad, not merely an academic, readership, the book discusses what Greek exit from the eurozone might mean.

It was shortlisted for Spear’s best business book of the year award in 2013.

In early July 2013 Vicky Pryce appeared as an expert witness before theHouse of Lordscross-party subcommittee on economic and financial affairs, saying she saw no quick end to theeurozone crisissince structural reform would take a long time. Pryce favouredfiscal policythat included a stimulus package and wanted theEuropean Central Bankto buy bonds.

Conviction

Main article:R v Huhne

Pryce was interviewed twice byEssex Policein 2011 over allegations that, in 2003, she had accepted driving licence penalty points actually incurred by her then husband,Chris Huhne(then an MEP). She falsely claimed that she was driving the car, and accepted the licence penalty points on his behalf so that he could avoid being banned from driving.

In 2012 it was announced that both would be charged with perverting the course of justice.Pryce entered a plea of not guilty, unsuccessfully advancing a defence ofmarital coercionat trial. In March 2013, she was convicted of perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to eight months in prison, the same as Huhne who had pleaded guilty. Pryce served her sentence atHM Prison Holloway.

Pryce and Huhne left prison on licence on 13 May 2013, subject toelectronic tagging.

Personal life

In 1972 she married Gareth Pryce, an LSE post-graduate student, whom she divorced in 1981, having had two daughters with him.In 1984, she marriedChris Huhne,who later became anMEPand then theLiberal DemocratMP forEastleighandSecretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.They had three children.They divorced in January 2011.

External links

• Official website