New governor for Reserve Bank

Dr Anna Breman has been named as the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s new governor and will take up the role from December 1.

The deputy governor of Sweden’s central bank since 2019, she has been appointed for a five-year term by Nicola Willis, Minister of Finance.

Breman, pictured, holds a PhD in economics from the Stockholm School of Economics and has previously been group chief economist at Swedbank, a leading Swedish commercial bank. 

She has also worked at the Swedish Ministry of Finance, the World Bank and as an academic economist in the United States.

“Dr Breman comes to New Zealand with an impressive blend of technical skills and organisational leadership experience,” says Willis.

“She was nominated for the role by the Reserve Bank board following a worldwide search in which 300 potential candidates were identified.

“The core criteria against which candidates were assessed were enterprise leadership, technical credentials, stakeholder engagement experience, personal resilience and cultural capability.

“A long list of 10 international and domestic candidates was created drawn from academia, government, financial or regulatory institutions and central bank leadership. Of these candidates, four were shortlisted for interviews with board members during July.”

Willis also praised Christian Hawkesby, who has filled the Governor post since April after the resignation of Adrian Orr but will leave the Reserve Bank on November 30.

Rodger Finlay, deputy chair of the Reserve Bank board, says Breman possesses leadership skills across the broad spectrum of central bank activities and her appointment follows a robust recruitment process. 

“The board was pleased with the quality candidates who were attracted to the role, indicating the Reserve Bank’s strong reputation domestically and internationally,” he adds.