The story of Fathom

The idea for a boutique macroeconomic consultancy was born in the 1990s at the Bank of England. Once just a pipe dream between friends, the original idea was to bring the analytical rigour of the Bank into the private sector, creating a consultancy with the brainpower to tackle complex and intractable problems, fiercely independent and free from the traditional and hierarchical culture of a central bank.

The vision for Fathom was to connect macroeconomics and financial markets. Within the Bank of England these branches almost never met, and when they did, they spoke different languages. The same division was true in industry; a separation that led to mistakes during the Global Financial Crisis. Fathom’s founders sought to create more rounded, useful economic insights by connecting macro and markets.

Since then, observing the powerful impact of political events on the world economy has led Fathom to specialise in a third element: geopolitics. We see the global economy, markets and geopolitics as inextricably linked, and we position ourselves at this three-way intersection, carefully balancing all three in the work we do.

The word ‘Fathom’ conveys depth, careful measurement, and understanding. Fathom’s mission has always been to seek the truth, to produce original analysis with innovative approaches to give our clients clarity on complex issues. Fathom has expanded and evolved over the past 20 years, but our core values have never wavered.