Coveted accolade awarded to London Business School professor

First female recognised with European economics award

Hélène Rey, Professor of Economics at London Business School, has received the prestigious Yrjö Jahnsson Award, in recognition for her original contributions to international finance.

Professor Rey is the first woman ever to receive the European prize, which is the equivalent of the American Economic Association’s John Bates Clark Medal. Hélène and fellow winner Thomas Piketty, Paris School of Economics, will be presented with the award during the annual EEA Congress in Gothenburg, Sweden from 26-30 August.

Professor Rey says: “Doing economic research is a great adventure. I am very grateful to the Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation for the prize and I am delighted to share it with Thomas Piketty.”

The Yrjö Jahnsson prize, a biennial award established in 1993 by the Finnish Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, has become Europe’s most coveted prize for economists under the age of 45. It celebrates major contributions to theoretical and applied research in European economics.

Professor Rey has pioneered significant progress in her studies of the big international finance questions facing economists and policy makers, especially the determination of exchange rates and international capital flows.

The Award Committee said that it was pleased to be rewarding such talented individuals and congratulated the winners.

The 2013 Yrjö Jahnsson Award Committee comprised: Timothy Besley (Chair), Mathias Dewatripont, Rachel Griffith, Juuso Välimäki and Fabrizio Zilibotti.