Until the appointment of President Suma Chakrabati in 2012, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) appointments were made behind closed doors, with the nationals of France and Germany taking it in turns to occupy the top spot.
But in 2020, when the board of Governors of the EBRD elected a new president to succeed Sir Suma Chakrabarti for a 4-year term, CGD’s Mikaela Gavas interviewed the candidates for the Presidency. In the interviews, the candidates talked about the implications of the planned expansion to Sub-Saharan Africa for the EBRD. This brought transparency to a previously opaque process and encouraged appointment based on merit and substance rather than nationality and political trade-offs.
The interviews were viewed and discussed by EBRD senior management, who fed back how useful they were, and that their contents significantly influenced the decision-making process and final appointment.
