Karen Skinner

Karen Skinner is Chief Operating Officer of Fitch Ratings. Appointed in July 2017, she is responsible for the processes that govern Fitch’s ratings production and delivery. Based in London, she reports to Ian Linnell, President of Fitch Ratings.

As Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Skinner oversees ratings operations, publishing, product development, business analytics and business transformation.

Previously Ms. Skinner was Managing Director of Strategy and Business Intelligence at Fitch Group, where she worked closely with multiple business partners to deliver strategic change across the business.

In this role, Ms. Skinner led a range of business transformation projects focused on new revenue streams, delivering cost savings and boosting Fitch’s reputation. The team also designed and created business analytics tools that are now in use across the Fitch Group to identify opportunities and make faster, more-informed decisions.

Ms. Skinner joined Fitch in 2000 as head of corporate marketing. In 2003 she was appointed to lead the structured finance business development team where she oversaw activities across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Prior to joining Fitch, Ms. Skinner spent seven years at Schroders, initially in an analytical role covering corporate, financial institution, and sovereign credits; before joining the derivatives sales desk covering a UK client base.

Ms. Skinner has a degree in law (LLB) from Southampton University.