After months of searching, the Hessian state government has finally made a decision on who will fill the vacant position on the board of the Bundesbank. According to Tagesspiegel, Fritzi Köhler-Geib is set to take on the role, having previously served as the chief economist at Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) in Frankfurt am Main.
Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) was keen on proposing a politically independent woman for the position. Köhler-Geib brings experience in both the economic and political sectors, having previously worked for the World Bank. Her role as chief economist at KfW has allowed her to delve into economic research and analysis services, with a focus on analyzing economic developments and growth trends in Germany.
The right to nominate the board position that Köhler-Geib will take on formally belongs to the Federal Council. However, Hesse’s delayed decision was attributed to the change in government from black-green to black-red earlier in the year. With Köhler-Geib’s nomination, the Bundesbank’s Executive Board is nearly fully staffed once again after dealing with vacancies in recent times. The federal government is now tasked with selecting a successor for Claudia Buch, who recently resigned from her position as vice president of the Bundesbank.