Alister Smith
 

ALISTER SMITH has been general director of the International Trade and Finance Branch of the Canadian Department of Finance since 2003. He is the Canadian alternate governor for the regional development banks and Canada's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) finance deputy. From 1997 to 2002, he was vice president and deputy chief economist of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in Toronto, Canada. From 1988 to 1997, he held a number of senior positions with the Department of Finance, including finance counselor at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC; senior chief, International Economic Relations Division; senior chief, International Finance and Development Division; and director, International Finance and Economic Analysis Division. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from Queen's University, a master's degree in economics from Carleton University, and completed his doctoral coursework in economics at Queen's University, Canada.