This session will explore career pathways that students with different socioeconomic backgrounds can take after studying Economics or related disciplines. The event includes a short presentation on social inclusion and diversity in economics. Then, our great panellists will talk about their career journeys. At the end, participants can discuss their questions with the panel members during the Q&A session.

Date: Tuesday 16 August 2022
Time: 6.00pm AEST
Venue: Online (in-person option available to Monash students only).
Cost: Free

Please register to attend virtually here.

This event is open virtually to both members and non-members of WEN and both men and women are welcome to attend.

Riki Polygenis
Assistant Secretary of the Financial and Monetary Policy Branch at Commonwealth Treasury

Riki Polygenis is an Assistant Secretary at the Australian Treasury, leading the Fiscal and Monetary Policy Branch of Macroeconomic Group. Her branch applies best practice macroeconomic and financial frameworks, analytical tools and data sources to advise on policies and developments with the aim of promoting macroeconomic stability and strong and sustainable growth. Riki’s branch is also responsible Treasury’s advice on financial markets and the links with the real economy. Riki previously headed the Global and Multilateral Branch within Treasury’s International Economics and Security Division which involved representing Australia as the G20 Finance Minister’s Deputy’s Deputy (supporting the Treasurer) and in various G20 working groups.

Riki has extensive experience as a private sector macroeconomist, including as Head of Australian Economics at National Australia Bank, and Co-Head of Australian Economics at ANZ. She started her career as an economist in the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Economic Analysis Department.
Ms Polygenis holds a first class Honours degree in Economics, and a Bachelor of Commerce degree (majoring in finance), both from Monash University. Riki is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), and has been actively involved in the Women in Economics network.

Stoja Andric
Senior Project Manager, Policy and Strategy - Higher Education and Skills in the Victorian Department of Education and Training

Stoja Andric holds a Bachelor of Business and Commerce (Honours in Economics) and a PhD in Economics both from Monash University. Stoja worked at Monash University for over seven years in various roles. She started as a Research Assistant, progressing to Lecturer and Chief Examiner for several units in Economics. After completing her PhD in 2015 and publishing a paper from her PhD thesis, Stoja decided she wanted to pursue a career in public service and started her career at the Productivity Commission (PC) in 2016. At the PC, Stoja worked as a Research Economist on several projects across various areas including education, water reform, regulation of airport services and skills and workforce development.  Her work entailed undertaking research and analysing data/evidence to draw evidence-based conclusions, developing and employing economic/assessment frameworks to craft policy responses, and drafting public reports to communicate the PC’s findings and recommendations on issues raised in inquiries. She spent four years at the PC and in 2020 joined the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) as a Senior Policy Officer to work on skills and training policy. Given the impact of COVID on the labour market and the importance of skills reform for a post COVID economy, she is passionate and motivated to contribute to and shape the future of national skills policy in Victoria and Australia. In early 2022, Stoja started as a Senior Project Manager in the Higher Education and Skills, Policy and Strategy Division in DET, to lead work on negotiating and analysing a new National Skills Agreement and other national reforms relating to skills and training.

Isabelle Layton
Senior Policy Advisor in the Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions

Isabelle Layton is currently working as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Victorian Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, where she has spent the best part of the last two years providing policy advice on the Department’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She completed a Bachelor of Economics at Monash University in 2016, and after working in retail banking, returned to Monash in 2018 to complete an Honours year in Economics. Isabelle wrote her Honours thesis on the gender pay gap across occupations in Australia, which she subsequently presented at the Australian Gender Economics Workshop. In 2019 Isabelle joined Deloitte Access Economics as a Graduate Economist, with a focus on emerging industries including the plant-based meat and medicinal cannabis industries. Isabelle has been a committee member of the Victorian branch of the Women in Economics Network since 2019, and is currently the Chair of the Victorian branch.

Solmaz Moslehi
Moderator
Department of Economics Monash University

Solmaz currently works at Monash University as a Senior Lecturer. Solmaz is an active researcher and has had her work published in high quality journals in the area of macroeconomics, public economics, growth theory and family economics. For example, Solmaz has contributed to the literature that studies the determinants of the composition of government expenditure and the impact of government policies on economic growth. She also works on the interaction between monetary and fiscal policy. Her research examines how household production affects the aggregate economy and reallocation of labour between sectors.

The Women in Economics Network aims to promote and support the careers of female economists and foster greater gender equality and inclusion within the economics profession in Australia. If you would like to show your support for WEN, we invite you to consider joining or renewing your membership. To check the status of your membership, log in to the ESA portal to ensure your membership is current and tick the WEN box in My Profile.

Regards
ESA WEN Victoria Branch