“Economist extraordinaire, commentator, educator, entertainer, optimist, and Beach Boys fan.”

That’s how one former colleague describes AMP Capital’s Chief Economist Shane Oliver, who is celebrating 35 years of uninterrupted service at AMP in 2019.

Beginning with AMP straight out of university Shane has been through the 1987 stock market crash, the economic renewal of the late 1990s, and the technological advancements of the 2000s.

For many Australians Shane is the ‘face’ of AMP.

He is easily associated with the company not just as a regular media commentator on major economic and investment market issues but also as a now prolific tweeter.

AMP Capital CEO Adam Tindall inducted Shane into AMP’s long service club this year, saying Shane is rightly regarded as one of the most “disciplined and practical economists” in the industry.

“Our whole business, staff, clients and adviser network benefit from having Shane as part of our AMP family,” Mr Tindall said.

"... the most quoted economist in Australia.”

And beyond the walls of AMP Shane is equally loved by his peers, journalists, and Twitter followers.

He is relied on as being an expert on the numbers, with a knack for breaking down his complex economic updates into simplified, bite-sized pieces.

Such a prolific online presence is not something Shane would have expected to be associated with when he began with AMP back in 1984.

“I often say turn down the noise, but I have the same problems myself. It’s much easier for me to be distracted now,” Shane said.

“Economists have a problem with verbosity and Twitter really helps me when it comes to being precise. But it’s important you know when to turn it off. I don’t want to be arguing about auction clearance rates on a Saturday night,” he said.

“Social media is important because my job involves being accessible, or at least somewhat accessible. I’ve even taken a media call while I was in a cable car up a mountain in Rio De Janeiro.”

Acts like this – says AMP Capital Head of External Communications Lara Evans – make Shane the “most quoted economist in Australia.”

"It makes me proud to work for a company that wants to help people."

Most of all Shane says he is proud to have worked for AMP during his entire career and believes the company genuinely makes a difference in people’s lives.

“One of the things that appealed to me about working at AMP is that the company has a noble purpose. It makes me proud to work for a company that wants to help people,” Shane said.

“It’s hard to summarise my 35 years with AMP without coming across as glib. I’ve never been at the point where I thought I knew it all,” he said,

“It certainly doesn’t feel like 35 years. It’s gone so fast. New things are always happening and changing my job and I’m sure there’s more change to come.”