THE MAGAZINE 2020
Economics E CO N O M ICS 2020 culminated in a most successful year for Economics students. The year was filled with inspiring and exciting events and initiatives that provided girls with the opportunities to learn and develop essential skills needed to thrive in the unpredictable world we live in.
Economics Conference Tim Dixon On 6 November, our Senior Economics students were fortunate enough to have a Microsoft Zoom meeting, organised by Economics Captain, Elizabeth Gan, with renowned economist Tim Dixon. Tim is the co-author of one of the chief HSC Economics textbooks that our students work from. Students were fascinated to hear about Tim's past experiences which included writing an Economics textbook whilst still at school, topping the state in Economics, speechwriting for past Australian Prime Ministers, and founding the Jo Cox Foundation in the UK. Tim also provided his observations on current trends in the global economy and study tips for HSC success, all of which were gratefully received by our Pymble girls. Tim is currently working in London as the founder of More In Common; an organisation that provides and researches evidence-based initiatives to help build more united, resilient and inclusive societies.
In March, together with hundreds of secondary school students, 20 Pymble Economics students attended a presentation named ‘The Great Repression’ at the International Convention Centre. The presentation was arranged by global investment firm Magellan and led by their co-founder and Chief Investment Officer, Hamish Douglass. Mr Douglass discussed the recent technological trends shaping our economy including the digitisation of media and the emergence of the gig economy. He considered the current state of financial markets, the new normal environment of low interest rates and explained the likely impacts of negative interest rates. At the conclusion of the event, a Q&A session was held with a former Director of the CIA, Michael Morell, during which he recounted his experience as a key advisor to George W Bush during the September 11 attacks. The event was an excellent and fascinating opportunity to educate our Economics students on a wide range of highly topical issues.
Annalise Martin and Nilan Esmaeili, Year 9
The teams presented
exceptionally well with
niche innovative ideas and
outlined business plans for solving social issues.
Young Entrepreneurs Society In its second year of operation, the Young Entrepreneurs Society (YES) continued to develop students’ must-have skillsets for the 21st century. YES held its second annual Final Pitch Night to celebrate the amazing efforts and achievements that our aspiring entrepreneurs (Years 8 to 12) had made over three terms. Not only was the night awe-inspiring and thoughtprovoking, it was extremely rewarding with valuable insights from the panel judges, Ms Sangeeta Venkatesan, the Chairman of FairVine Super and CEO of Applegrove Capital, and Ms Yuki Thomas, the founder and director of Soulara. Ten projects were showcased on the night. The teams presented exceptionally well with niche innovative ideas and outlined business plans for solving social issues. YES creates an important avenue through which girls can express their creativity, collaboratively work on solving important societal issues and develop innovative concepts ready for pilot testing. Elizabeth Gan, Captain of Economics
Faye Chang, Chloe Hoang, Jenhui Lau, Isabelle Ho and Caitlyn Kim, Year 10
107
