Head: Economic Research Department South African Reserve Bank (SARB)

Chris Loewald is a member of the Monetary Policy Committee, the Financial Stability Committee and Head of the Economic Research Department at the SARB, which is responsible for forecasting, global economic analysis and the Monetary Policy Review publication.  Prior to joining the SARB in 2011, he was the Deputy Director-General for Economic Policy at the National Treasury, developed South Africa’s inflation-targeting and exchange-rate policy frameworks, macroeconomic frameworks for successive national budgets, and worked extensively on economic growth and governance, contributing to the Growth Commission of the World Bank, the Committee on IMF Governance Reform, and the development of South Africa’s relationship with the OECD.  Dr Loewald is a director of Economic Research Southern Africa, a non-profit institute that supports and finances academic research in economics. He holds a Master’s degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in International Economics and European Studies from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Investment Strategist

Old Mutual Multi Managers

Izak has been an investment strategist with Old Mutual Multi-Managers since 2013, where he is responsible for macro research. He writes regular market commentary and is often quoted in the media. He holds an MPhil in Philosophy and Political Economy from the University of Cape Town.

Head of Economic Content

Refinitiv

Oliver is Head of Economic Content for Refinitiv’s Datastream platform, which is the oldest and most trusted database covering over 14 million economic time series.  He oversees content, strategy and development of the platform to ensure clients have access to the right data on which to support their business decisions.   Oliver is relatively new to Refinitiv, having started in August of 2020.  Prior to that, he worked as an independent consultant providing a range of economic consultancy services to central government, regulators and FTSE 100 corporations.   Oliver holds a bachelors degree in Economics and a masters degree in Real Estate Development from the University of Westminster. 

International Trade & Development Expert and Admitted Attorney of the High Court of South Africa

Asmita Parshotam is an international trade and development expert and an admitted attorney of the high court of South Africa. Asmita has previously worked at the South African Institute of International Affairs, the European Centre for Development Policy Management in the Netherlands, and  at the World Trade Organisation in Geneva. She read for a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Arts in International Relations, with a focus on political economy and trade, at the University of the Witwatersrand.