Thailand receives seven applicants for central bank governor post
The next Bank of Thailand chief will need to help steer South-east Asia’s second-largest economy through the global trade war
[BANGKOK] Thailand has received seven applications for the role of the next central bank governor, a finance ministry official said on Wednesday (Jun 4), the last day of the application window.
The next Bank of Thailand chief will need to help steer South-east Asia’s second-largest economy through the global trade war after incumbent Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput’s five-year term on Sep 30. He cannot seek another term as he has reached retirement age.
“There were five men and two women,” ministry official Pornchai Thiraveja said of the seven applicants, without naming them.
“Two of the applicants were from government agencies and the rest were from the private sector,” he told reporters. A selection committee plans to shortlist at least two candidates for the finance minister to pick Sethaput’s successor by Jul 2. The appointment will require Cabinet and royal approval.
The committee is scheduled to hold its next meeting on Jun 20 to select candidates for interviews and vision presentations, set for Jun 24, after the application period.
Sathit Limpongpan, head of the selection committee, said the final list of applicants was similar to that which has been reported in local media.
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Two potential candidates on Wednesday confirmed to Reuters they had applied for the job, namely
Somprawin Manprasert, a board member at the National Economic and Social Development Council, and another is Kobsak Pootrakool, chair of the Federation of Thai Capital Market Organizations and director and senior executive vice-president at Bangkok Bank, who has made public his decision to apply.
Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira previously said the next governor must be modern and forward-thinking and able to work with the government and support its policies.
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Sethaput has disagreed with some policies of the ruling Pheu Thai party, which took office in 2023, and long resisted its calls for cuts in interest rates. He has emphasised the need for global central bank independence in his speeches. REUTERS
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