Former Spanish central bank governor Pablo Hernández de Cos is the most qualified candidate in a tightly contested race to succeed Christine Lagarde as European Central Bank president, according to a survey of monetary policy experts by OMFIF.
The 20 experts polled by the London-based economic think-tank this month found Hernández de Cos led a list of five top contenders for the job when rating their merits in nine dimensions, including central bank experience, reputation for leadership and consensus building, crisis management ability and experience.
Hernández de Cos, currently general manager of Basel-based Bank for International Settlements, was followed by Bundesbank president Joachim Nagel, former Dutch central bank chief Klaas Knot and outgoing French governor François Villeroy de Galhau.