Lawson, who has worked as an economist for a variety of firms in Australia, France, America and the UK, will be responsible for economic forecasting and ideas generation for multi asset investing.
Most recently he was director and senior US economist at BNP Paribas in New York.
In his new role he will report to Andrew Milligan, head of global strategy.
The firm said the move will bolster its economic and research efforts at a time when financial markets are increasingly influenced by politics and regulation.
Standard Life enjoyed a profitable 2012 as its AUM swelled 16% to £83bn. Its Global Absolute Return Strategy (GARS) Fund grew to £21.1bn, and by the end of the year alternative assets accounted for around 21% of total AUM.
