Spain’s former central bank governor Pablo Hernández de Cos and his Dutch counterpart Klaas Knot are European economists’ preferred picks to become the next president of the European Central Bank, according to a Financial Times poll.
The top job at the Frankfurt-based institution will become available in November 2027 when Christine Lagarde’s non-renewable eight-year term expires. But several contenders are already starting to position themselves for the role amid a major reshuffle of the ECB’s top ranks within the next two years.
Both Bundesbank president Joachim Nagel and ECB executive board member Isabel Schnabel have openly expressed interest in succeeding Lagarde, who is the best-paid official in the EU with an estimated annual salary of €726,000.