Belgian Isabel Vansteenkiste named chief adviser to ECB president
Isabel Vansteenkiste, originally from Bruges, has been appointed chief advisor to European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde. She will take up the role on 15 September, succeeding Roland Straub, who becomes deputy director general for market operations.
In her new position, Vansteenkiste will advise the ECB President on a range of economic and strategic policy issues. She will also coordinate preparations for meetings of the Executive Board and Governing Council, as well as oversee high-level international engagements. The ECB did not give a reason for the change.
Vansteenkiste is currently the director general of international and European relations at the ECB, a role she has held since her long career at the institution began in 2002. She holds a PhD in economics from KU Leuven, where she studied under Professor Paul De Grauwe.
Over her ECB career, she has held 11 previous positions, including representing the bank in Portugal as part of the "troika" of the European Commission, the ECB and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was tasked with pulling the country out of the European debt crisis.
Her appointment marks the second time a Belgian has served as chief advisor to the ECB President, following Frank Smets. It also contributes to increasing gender diversity within the bank's top management, which has historically been dominated by men.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO DANIEL ROLAND / AFP
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