HSBC appoints chief economist for India and ASEAN

Leif Eskesen will assume responsibility for macroeconomic research on India and Singapore, and will coordinate HSBC’s economic research team for ASEAN markets.

 Eskesen will be based in Singapore, will report locally to Amit Gupta, Head of Global Markets, Singapore, and functionally to Frederic Neumann, Co-Head of Asian Economic Research.

Eskesen joins HSBC from the International Monetary Fund, where he was a Senior Economist and over the past 10 years covering different Asian and European countries, including Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Austria, Croatia and Denmark.

Amit Gupta, Head of Global Markets, HSBC Singapore said: “Leif brings wealth of experience to HSBC, with a strong understanding of Asian macroeconomic policy formulation and comprehensive knowledge of international economic dynamics that affect it. As HSBC continues to expand its operations in India and ASEAN countries while cementing its position as the leading emerging markets bank in the region, Leif is a pivotal inclusion to our business and will provide insight to our global clients into international and domestic economic trends affecting Asian markets.”

In his previous role at the International Monetary Fund, Mr Eskesen was responsible for macroeconomic and financial sector analysis and forecasting for individual countries and regions, including Asia. Moreover, he was engaged in and lead discussions with government decision-makers on appropriate macroeconomic and structural policy priorities, including as a mission chief. Prior to that, he worked for Danmarks Nationalbank, Denmark’s central bank, and Jyske Bank. Mr Eskesen has published a number of papers, including on fiscal policy and labor market issues. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Aarhus in Denmark.