Thomas Jordan (economist)

Thomas Jakob Ulrich Jordan (Swiss Standard German pronunciation: [ˈtoːmas ˈjaːkɔb ˈʊlrɪç ˈjɔrdan]; born 28 January 1963^[1]) is a Swiss economist and central banker.^[2] He is the former chairman of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank, former chairman of the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group, a former member of the board of directors of the Bank for International Settlements, and a former member of the steering committee of the Financial Stability Board.^[3][4][5]

Jordan was born on 28 January 1963 in the city of Biel/Bienne. He studied economics and business studies at the University of Bern, completing his degree in 1989 and his doctorate in 1993. He wrote a post-doctoral thesis on the subject of European Monetary Union and predicted the sovereign debt crisis and also the bank failures that eventually transpired during three years he spent as a researcher at Harvard University in the United States. He was appointed a lecturer at the University of Bern in 1998 and an honorary professor in 2003.^[3][4] Jordan joined the Swiss National Bank as an economic advisor in 1997 and progressed through various roles. He joined the governing board as an alternate member in 2004 and became a full member in 2007. He was appointed chairman on 18 April 2012, following the resignation of Philipp Hildebrand from that role.^[3][5]

On 1 March 2024, Jordan announced his resignation in September 2024 as chairman of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank.^[6] His successor Martin Schlegel assumed the position on 1 October 2024.^[7]

After leaving his position as SNB Chairman, he became a member of the Board of Directors of Zurich Insurance in 2025^[8] and of Nestlé in 2026.^[9]

Jordan is married and has two sons.^[10]