KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 17): RHB Banking Group has appointed Dr Arup Raha as its Chief Economist and Head of Research, in place of Mr Lim Chee Sing who retired in June last year.

In a statement today, RHB said Dr Arup has more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry.

It said prior to joining RHB, Dr Arup was managing director and chief economist with CIMB Group, as well as the chief economist with CIMB ASEAN Research Institute.

It said he was responsible for conducting research on Asian economies and financial markets.

RHB said Dr Arup started his career as an economist with The World Bank in Washington and went on to build his career in investment banking.

It added that he has been the chief economist covering Asia for 3 global banks, namely Citigroup, UBS Investment Bank and HSBC.

It said Singapore-based Dr Arup will be overseeing the regional Economics team and leading research across all areas of economics which include equities, fixed income and foreign currency.

RHB Banking group managing director Datuk Khairussaleh Ramli said Arup’s appointment will further strengthen the capabilities of the bank’s research team and will elevate RHB Research into a leading research franchise in the ASEAN region.

Arup has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, a Masters from the Delhi School of Economics and a Ph. D in Economics from Vanderbilt University in the United States.