Anna
Senior Banking Specialist, Banking Treasury
I joined the BIS fresh out of graduate school with a dissertation in macro theory, which is a somewhat unusual field for a BIS economist. After spending a couple of years with the Monetary Policy Unit, I moved to the Secretariat of the Committee on the Global Financial System (CGFS). The CGFS monitors and investigates potential sources of stress in the financial system.
Supporting the Committee helped me understand some of the key financial stability issues faced by central banks. It was also a chance to get more involved in policy work. There are two things I really like about policy work. First, it is very diverse, as the odds of working on the same topic twice are pretty low. Second, projects tend to be short-term, so you see the results of your efforts much sooner than with research.
I have learnt a lot about the practice and theory of central banking in the past few years, because the BIS enjoys a truly global perspective.
I have learnt a lot about the practice and theory of central banking in the past few years, simply by going to meetings and seminars. It has been a fascinating experience, not only because the practice of central banking seems very different from what is taught in graduate school, but also because the BIS enjoys a truly global perspective.
On a practical level, the move to Basel was easy for my family because the pharmaceutical industry is big here. My husband has a background in the life sciences and now works in drug development. Juggling two full-time jobs and two children with busy schedules is not always easy, but the manageable size of the city helps a lot with that. So we are pretty happy with our lives here.
Find out more about what life is like in Basel.