Dr. Edward George 2018 Speaker

Country Head UK & Head of Group Research

Ecobank, Sub-Saharan Africa

Biography

Dr Edward George is the head of the UK representative office of pan-African bank, Ecobank, as well as being head of group research. Edward oversees the teams in the London office, with a focus on corporate banking, international organisations, treasury, research and digital innovation. As head of research he manages a team of eight analysts based across Middle Africa covering the fixed-income, currencies and commodities space. Edward has a number of specialities, including soft commodities and agribusiness, trade and trade finance, and disruptive technology. He is also the bank’s specialist on Francophone West Africa and Lusophone Africa. Prior to joining Ecobank in March 2011 Edward worked for The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for seven years as a Senior Editor in both the Commodities and Africa Departments. He was responsible for producing and editing reports on Lusophone and Francophone Africa, as well as on 25 industrial raw materials, food, feedstuffs and beverages. Before joining the EIU, Edward worked as a freelance writer covering the politics and economics of Sub-Saharan Africa. A linguist by training, Edward is fluent in French, Spanish and Portuguese and holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Bristol. His PhD thesis on the Cuban intervention in Angola was published as a book by Routledge in 2005 and came out in paperback in 2012.