HISTORY
Observatory Group was founded in 2007 by John Chamberlin, Jane Hartley, Mary Rosenbaum and Jin Saito, who had all previously worked together at the G7 Group, a macroeconomic research firm. Alan Blinder and Anita Volz Wien, who were partners at the G7 Group, joined Observatory Group as Vice Chairmen. Xinxin Li became a partner in 2013.
In 2014, Jane Hartley became the United States Ambassador to France. John Chamberlin now runs the business from the New York office, along with Anita Volz Wien, who in 2014 was elevated to Chairman. Mary Rosenbaum and Jin Saito run the firm's research and consultancy from the Washington, DC office.
Observatory Group initially covered the G3 (US, Eurozone, Japan) plus China. In early 2015, the firm added India to its geographic coverage area, hiring Surjit Bhalla, based in Delhi, who now covers India for the firm.
Observatory Group congratulates Jane Hartley, one of Observatory Group's co-founders and CEO, on her appointment in the fall of 2014 to become the United States Ambassador to France.
José Luis Alzola, Senior Europe Analyst, Bilbao Spain
José began his career with the Bank of Spain as an economist in the research department. He then served as Deputy Head of Foreign Operations, with responsibilities over foreign exchange reserve management and its coordination with other European central banks. In 1993, José joined Salomon Brothers as the economist for Southern Europe, later serving as Managing Director at Citigroup through 2008, where his responsibilities included the analysis of the economic, monetary and policy trends in the euro area. In 2012-13, José participated in an ad-hoc working group established by the Bank of Spain to draft a proposal for a macro-prudential authority in Spain. José holds a B. A. in Business from the Universidad Comercial de Deusto in Bilbao (Spain), an M.A. in Economics from The University of Chicago, and a degree in Investment Management from the London Business School.
Dr. Surjit Bhalla, Senior India Analyst, New Delhi
Surjit is an economist and policy analyst who has served the government of India in various capacities, as well as global policy and financial institutions. He was a member of the two capital account convertibility committees of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He was also a member on India’s first National Statistical Commission, and has worked extensively with the securities regulator SEBI (e.g. advisory committee on secondary markets, committee on introduction of derivatives, and committee on portfolio management services). He is on the governing board of India’s largest think tank, NCAER, and currently serves on the Government of India’s Task Force on Poverty. He is also a regular contributor, since 2002, to the Aspen Institute program on the World Economy and he is author of academic articles as well as three books on globalization and its effects on the world economy: Devaluing to Prosperity: Misaligned Currencies and Their Growth Consequences (2012); Second Among Equals: The Middle Class Kingdoms of China and India(unpublished, 2007); and Imagine There's No Country: Poverty, Inequality, and Growth in the Era of Globalization (2002). His first book, Between the Wickets: The Who and Why of the Best in CricketCriconomics: Everything you wanted to know about ODI cricket – and more (2015).
Surjit has taught at the Delhi School of Economics and worked at the Rand Corporation, the Brookings Institution, and at both the research and treasury departments of the World Bank. He has also worked at Goldman Sachs (1992–94) and Deutsche Bank (1994–96). In 1996, he moved back to India to found Oxus Research and Investments, a New Delhi-based asset management firm, of which he is the Chairman.
Surjit is also a regular contributor (over 1000 articles) to Indian newspapers, magazines, and television on financial markets, economics, politics and cricket. In 2009, he hosted a weekly interview show called Tough Talk on NDTV, and in 2010, was co-anchor of Bottomline, a news show on markets, also on NDTV. He is known and respected for his frank and reasoned views on economics and politics in academia, among policy makers, and in the media.
Surjit holds a PhD. in Economics from Princeton University, a Masters in Public and International Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, and a BSEE degree from Purdue University.
John Chamberlin, Managing Director, New York
A co-founder of the Observatory Group in 2007, John oversees the firm's coverage of the world's premier macro oriented investors, which include global macro hedge funds, sovereign wealth funds, mutual funds and family offices. In addition to managing the business, John runs the firm's series of meetings with policy makers and subject matter experts. Prior to co-founding Observatory Group, John was managing director for the G7 Group, a macro economic consulting company, from 2001-2007. In the 90s, John worked in sales for a tech startup in Connecticut, as a location scout, location manager and production manager on several independent films in New York, as an English teacher in France, a decorative painter in Virginia and California, tour guide in France, New Zealand and Australia, and deck hand in Washington and Alaska. John holds an M.B.A. in finance from NYU and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.
Edward Kean, Senior Monetary Policy Analyst, Washington DC
Mr. Kean tracks Federal Reserve policy for The Observatory Group. Previously, he was a senior Fed analyst with the G7 Group. He also follows developments on US fiscal and financial regulatory policy.
Mr. Kean had over 20 years of journalistic experience covering the Fed and served as Chief Washington Financial Correspondent for Bridge News.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Kean has developed extensive relationships with Fed policymakers in both Washington and in the regional Fed banks. He currently serves as President of the National Economists Club in Washington, D.C. In addition, he has made regular appearances on PBS’s “Nightly Business Report” to discuss global economic issues. Mr. Kean studied history and economics at American University in Washington and at the University of Maryland, respectively.
Xinxin Li, Managing Director, Senior China Analyst, Washington DC
Mr. Li covers macroeconomic and political developments in China, including monetary, political and regulatory issues. He rejoined Observatory Group after spending 2012-‘13 with CIC (China’s sovereign wealth fund), where he analyzed and supported CIC’s international outreach. Before his stint with CIC, Xinxin served as Observatory Group’s senior China analyst from 2007- ‘12. Previously, Mr. Li spent several years as a diplomat with China’s Foreign Service, and as an investment manager with China International Trust and Investment Co., Ltd (CITIC). Mr. Li holds an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, an M.A. in Finance from Peking University and a B.A. from Beijing Foreign Studies University. In early 2010, he conducted a three-month visiting scholar program at the People’s Bank of China’s (PBOC’s) Research Department in Beijing.
Mary Rosenbaum, Managing Director, Washington D.C.
Ms. Rosenbaum leads the analysis of US monetary and fiscal policies and runs the Washington office of Observatory Group. Before co-founding Observatory Group, she ran the Washington office of the G7 Group. Prior to joining G7 in 2004, she was an economic advisor with McKinsey & Company, where she served as a macroeconomic advisor to consulting teams in Europe, Latin America, and the US. Before McKinsey, Mary was Vice President and Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, where she served as monetary policy advisor to the Bank's president while also directing the Macropolicy Group responsible for domestic and international economic analysis and econometric forecasting. Currently Mary also serves on the Executive Board of the Western Economic Association International. She holds a B.A. in Economics from The George Washington University and an M.A. and M.Phil in Economics from Columbia University.
Jin Saito, Managing Director, Washington DC
Mr. Saito tracks monetary, fiscal, foreign exchange and regulatory policy in Japan. Before co-founding Observatory Group, Jin was Vice President at the G7 Group. Previously, Jin held positions with Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank in Tokyo, where he secured financing and cultivated investment opportunities for DKB clients. He holds a master’s degree in International Economics and Asian Studies from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Anita Volz Wien, Chairman, New York
Anita was previously a partner and Vice Chairman of the G7 group. Earlier, Ms. Wien was Senior Vice President of Oxford Analytica, a political and economic consulting firm, which she joined after a 20 year career in brokerage, investment management and commercial banking. She held positions with European American Bank, Chase, Lehman Brothers (Paris and New York) and was a partner of Brokaw, Schaenen, Clancy and Co., which merged into Weiss Peck and Greer.
A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York and the Women's Forum, Ms. Wien served on the Board of Advisers of "Foreign Affairs". She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Prep for Prep and the Ben Franklin House Foundation (London) and serves on the Advisory Board of Carmel Asset Management. She is a Trustee Emerita of Smith College, where she was on the Executive Committee, and a former board member of the Financial Women's Association, the Women's Campaign Fund and the Lighthouse, Inc. She holds a B.A. in History from Smith College and an M.B.A. in Finance from the New York University Stern School of Business. In 2013, Ms. Wien received the Stern Women in Business Distinguished Alumna award. She is fluent in French and German.
