Chartered Accountants ANZ recruits high-profile chief economist

Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand (CA ANZ) has appointed veteran economist and commentator Professor Richard Holden as chief economist.

Holden, who joins CA ANZ’s advocacy and government affairs teams, will serve primarily in an advocacy and commentary role, primarily providing insight into longer-term economic trends.

Holden, a veteran economist and Harvard alum, currently serves as University of New South Wales’ (UNSW’s) Business School of Economics.

He is also sits on the editorial board of the The Journal of Law and Economics, published by the University of Chicago Press.

CA ANZ chief executive Ainslie van Onselen welcomed Holden’s appointment, which she said would enable the membership body to broaden its influence on key areas of policy reform.

“CA ANZ is often asked for its views on economic matters such as interest rates and inflation, especially heading into a federal election,” van Onselen said.

“Professor Holden’s engagement will enable us to participate more fulsomely in these public debates, strengthening our credentials and capabilities in this space.”

Professor Holden is a Professor of Economics at UNSW Business School, Director of the Manos Innovation Lab in Education at UNSW Business School, co-director of the New Economic Policy Initiative, and president of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

He was also previously on the faculty at the University of Chicago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) Department of Economics and the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Holden is a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and has a PhD in economics from Harvard University. His research focuses on contract theory, organisational economics, law and economics, and political economy.

The academic has written extensively on matters pertaining to the economy, managerial economics and political trends, covering topics such as network capital, political districting, the boundary of the firm, incentives in organisations, mechanism design, voting rules, and blockchain.

CA ANZ is the representative body for more than 139,000 finance and accounting professionals across Australia and New Zealand.