(25 November 2009 – Australia) St George Bank has announced the appointment of Justin Smirk to the position of Senior Economist after conducting an extensive internal and external search.Mr Smirk originally joined St George as part of the bank’s Economic Research Team earlier in the year.
He brings to the position over ten years experience in the financial markets and has previously held roles as senior economist for Westpac and economist for the Reserve Bank of Australia.
As chief economist, Mr Smirk will be the bank’s national spokesperson on the global economy, financial markets and local economic conditions.
As part of Mr Smirk’s role he will analyse trends in the major economies and their impact on Australia.
Mr Smirk will also formulate forecasts on the economy, interest rates and currencies; Mr Smirk will then communicate his findings to staff and customers on how the economic issues may impact their businesses.
Previously the position of senior economist belonged to Besa Deda, who is currently on maternity leave.