The new hire had a long career at RBNZ and IMF
Westpac has announced that Kelly Eckhold will be joining the bank in March as its new chief economist in New Zealand.
Catherine McGrath, Westpac NZ chief executive, said Eckhold brings a wealth of crucial expertise from across the financial sector.
“The New Zealand and global economies are finding their way through a period of heightened volatility,” McGrath said. “It’s never been more important to understand the incoming trends and challenges, and what it means for our customers. I look forward to working closely with Kelly and drawing on his insights.”
Eckhold was most recently with the International Monetary Fund, where he worked 11 years on central banking policy in both advanced and emerging markets economies. He was also recently involved in IMF’s five yearly Financial Sector Assessment Program reviews for both the US and UK.
Prior to the IMF, he spent more than 20 years at the Reserve Bank in the economics and financial markets areas. He also provided advice to the governor as part of the monetary policy committee.
Eckhold will fill the role vacated by Dominick Stephens.
McGrath thanked Michael Gordon, who has been acting chief economist, saying he “has done an exceptional job.”
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