Besa Deda is the Former Chief Economist of the Westpac Group which includes Westpac’s Business Bank, St.George Bank, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA and BT. Besa held this position from 2009 to 2023 and was a key spokesperson on the economy and financial markets. She managed a team of economists, regularly presents to clients and appears in the media.
Besa is also the Chair of the Australian Business Economists, an organisation committed to fostering economic debate on economic issues and policy matters. Besa was appointed the Chief Economist of St.George Bank in 2008, a role which saw her become the first female Chief Economist of a bank in Australia.
Prior to this, she had specialised roles in fixed income, currency strategy, macroeconomics and equities at the Commonwealth Bank. Besa has also worked for the Colonial Group in market risk and economics. She has previously lectured for FINSIA and the SIA and written a regular property column for the Weekend Australian.
Besa holds an economics degree with honours from the University of Sydney and a master’s degree in applied finance from Macquarie University.
Talking Points
Keynote Presentations
Besa creates keynotes based on the following key themes:Keynote Presentations
• Economics – current conditions and outlook
• Global markets
• Housing
• Personal branding
• Leadership
• Diversity and inclusion
• Resilience
Video
IN FULL: Dr Angela Jackson, Besa Deda & Dr Aruna Sathanapally's Address to the National Press Club
Dr Angela Jackson, National Chair of the Women in Economics Network & Lead Economist at Impact Economics and Policy, Besa Deda, Chief Economist of Westpac’s Business Bank & Dr Aruna Sathanapally, CEO of the Grattan Institute will address the National Press Club of Australia for the Women in Economics Network Pre Budget Address.
