TORONTO, ON - December 16, 2015 /CNW/ - Scotiabank today announced the appointment of Jean-François Perrault as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist starting December 31, 2015. He brings a wealth of experience to the role, having held prominent roles with the federal government, The Bank of Canada, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

In his new role, Mr. Perrault will be responsible for providing Scotiabank's senior executives, partners and customers with economic perspectives, insights and forecasts. He will be reporting to Sean McGuckin, Group Head and Chief Financial Officer.

"Jean-François' in-depth analytical knowledge on a wide range of economic and fiscal issues, along with his extensive experience will be a tremendous asset to Scotiabank," said Sean McGuckin, Group Head and Chief Financial Officer at Scotiabank. "I'd also like to thank Warren Jestin for leading the Scotiabank Economics team as Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for the past 25 years and acting as an Ambassador for Scotiabank around the globe. We wish him all the best in his retirement."

Mr. Perrault's appointment follows a decision by current Scotiabank Chief Economist, Warren Jestin to retire, effective March 1, 2016, following a long and distinguished career with Scotiabank spanning nearly four decades.

"I am looking forward to joining Scotiabank's well-respected Economics team and working with Warren Jestin to ensure a smooth transition," said Jean-François Perrault.

Select Career Highlights:

• Educational background: Master's and Bachelor's Degrees in Economics from the University of Ottawa.
• Department of Finance: Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch.
• Department of Finance: Assistant Deputy Minister, International Trade and Finance Branch.
• Bank of Canada: Assistant Chief of the Canadian Projections and Policy Analysis Division, Canadian Economic Analysis Department.
• International Monetary Fund: Senior Adviser to the Executive Director for Canada, the Caribbean and Ireland.
• World Bank: Senior Economist, Economic Policy and Debt Unit.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and parts of Asia. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of approximately 90,000 employees and assets of $856 billion (as at October 31, 2015), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using CNW. For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankNews.