TORONTO, July 25 (Reuters) - Royal Bank of Canada ( RY )

has appointed Frances Donald as its chief economist,

according to a memo sent internally on Thursday, replacing Craig

Wright who retired after 23 years at Canada's No.1 lender.

Donald, who is currently the global chief economist and

strategist at Manulife Investment Management, will join RBC in

late August, the memo said.

Prior to Manulife, Donald worked as a financial economist at

Bank of Nova Scotia ( BNS ) and held roles at Bank of Canada

and Deloitte.

Wright, who made economic forecasts for leaders including

current CEO Dave McKay and former heads John Cleghorn and Gord

Nixon, retired in June.