Neal Austria

Neal Austria is a Senior Research Analyst specializing in the Consumer Discretionary sector at ClearBridge Investments in New York, NY. Since joining ClearBridge in 2009, he has conducted in-depth fundamental and ESG analysis, focusing on issues such as labor management, product quality and safety, health and wellness trends, governance, raw material sourcing, and supply chain practices within the consumer space.

He brings over 23 years of investment industry experience, including prior roles as Equity Research Associate at Merrill Lynch, Equity Research Analyst at Rosetta Group Research, and Mutual Fund Analyst at Morgan Stanley. Throughout his career, Neal has developed particular expertise in identifying trends and investment opportunities within consumer-oriented equities, providing critical research that supports portfolio management decisions across ClearBridge's actively managed strategies.

Neal holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS in Finance and Information Systems from NYU’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. Widely recognized for his comprehensive industry coverage and integration of ESG factors into investment analysis, he regularly contributes thought leadership on consumer sector trends and sustainability issues to industry publications and client communications.