Lyons will leave as chief economist and group head of global research on Friday. He has been at Standard Chartered for 13 years and is frequently its public voice on China, Asia and a wide range of economic issues.

"I will be taking a short break and will be announcing a new role outside the financial sector the week after next," Lyons said on his Twitter account.

The bank confirmed his departure. "He leaves the bank on very good terms and we wish him all the best in the future," it said, adding that his replacement would be named "in due course".

Lyons has worked in financial services for 25 years, and previously worked at DKB International, Swiss Bank Corporation and Chase Manhattan. He gained an PhD on testing the efficiency of financial futures markets at the University of London.

(Reporting by Steve Slater; Editing by David Goodman)

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