UJ student wins prestigious award

SUNDOWNER - UJ graduate meets Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, in budget speech competition.

March 13, 2016

1 minute read

Guy Russell (25), the top UJ Masters student in financial economics, has won the prestigious Nedbank and Old Mutual 2015/2016 Budget Speech Post Graduate Competition in Cape Town. The competition judges financial essays from top economic minds across the country’s universities.

Russell, a resident of Sundowner, represented UJ with his essay ‘How should SA policy makers react to normalisation of monetary policy in the US and more recently, the expansion of quantitative easing in the Eurozone’. It looked at how South Africa should combat the negative effects of the increasing US interest rate and its impact on our economy.

As a finalist in the competition, Russell attended the Budget Speech in Parliment and was awarded the first prize of R150 000 at a banquet dinner on 24 February. He was also invited by the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, to attend a post-budget speech breakfast the next day. “It was a life-changing experience and I encourage other university pupils to enter for the experience and the exposure,” Russell added.

Russell’s other thoughts on South Africa’s economy is based on the country’s water and electricity infrastructure and that it needs support so that the manufacturing industry can flourish. “We need to focus on the key problems before we grow,” Russell added.

Russell matriculated at Randpark High School after which he enrolled at the University of Johannesburg where he graduated with a BCom Honours Cum laude in financial economics. He is currently in his final year of his master’s degree and will continue on with a Ph.D. in financial economics. Russell also works for the South African Reserve Bank.

Details: University of Johannesburg, 011 559 4555; Randpark Ridge High, 011 793 1246.