The Selection Commission for the board members of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) held interviews with the applicants on Tuesday.
On April 23, out of the 28 candidates submitted to the administration, the commission listened to 8 candidates who were selected unanimously as a result of the discussion.
According to the chairperson of the commission, Tamar Sulukhia, the commission will proceed with its work and will further deliberate on the interviews of these candidates to compile a definitive list for the president.
"We welcome this transparent process initiated by the President of Georgia, ensuring that the selection of members for the Board of the National Bank will be fully transparent to the public.
As for the criteria used to select the shortlist, consensus played a crucial role. Only candidates who received unanimous votes from all commission members were included in the shortlist," explained Tamar Sulukhia.
Economist Soso Berikashvili was one of the first to answer the questions of the commission. He stated that he would be independent if elected as a member of the NBG Board.
When asked how he understands the independence of the National Bank, Soso Berikashvili answered that he understands it as it is written in the law, that the NBG is independent, the members of the board are independent and should not receive tasks from anyone.
"I am in favor of any decision adopted by NBG board member should be public”, - this is how Lasha Kavtaradze, the candidate for the membership of the NBG board and the chief economist at Galt & Taggart answered the commission's question.
Mamuka Djibuti, a candidate for the NBG board membership, explains that his goal in the National Bank is to strengthen the management team of the NBG and thereby bring more benefits to the country. Mamuka Jibuti has been the head of audit service at the National Bank of Georgia since 2007.
"The National Bank must be fully independent from the executive power," - Giorgi Tabuashvili, a candidate for the membership of the NBG Board, said in an interview.
According to Giorgi Tabuashvili, despite the fact that he spent more than half of his working experience in public service, he was never a member of any political party or an active supporter.
Vakhtang Charaia, a candidate for membership of the Board of the National Bank of Georgia, says that he sees his role in the Board in the direction of relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
As Vakhtang Charaia stated in the interview, he knows the needs of the IMF to update the program and believes that he can play a positive role in the relationship with the Fund.
At the meeting held in the President's Administration, the candidate for membership of the board of the National Bank, Archil Iakobashvili named four priorities.
According to him, he applied to the president for NBG Board membership because he wants to strengthen the board of the NBG with his experience. Among his priorities, Iakobashvili mentions the promotion of European integration, the development of the digital GEL, the promotion of larization, and the strengthening of the governance of the NBG Board.
If I will be in the board of NBG, I will be independent in decisions, as always, - Levan Surguladze, a candidate for NBG Board membership, said at the meeting, held in the President's Administration.
According to him, the NBG should be independent in its decisions, and therefore, the independence of NBG board members is important.
The Commission will submit the results of the interview to the President of Georgia on May 1.
On April 10, the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili established the Selection Commission for the members of the National Bank of Georgia (NBG) Board and held its first working meeting. The Commission agreed on the procedure for the selection of candidates, the evaluation criteria and the work schedule.
The members of the Selection Commission are:
• Tamar Sulukhia – The Director of International Economic School (ISET) and ISET Research Institute at Tbilisi State University, the Chairman of the Commission;
• Archil Mestvirishvili – Former Acting President of NBG and board member, IMF’s expert;
• Nikoloz Kavelashvili – The Dean of the School of Business, Technology and Education at Ilia State University;
• Giorgi Khishtovani – Research Director at PMC Research Center;
• Giorgi Isakidze – General Producer TV company Business Media Georgia (BMG);
• Ketevan Tatoshvili – Advisor to the President of Georgia on Relations with International Organizations and Social and Economic Issues.
Currently, there are four vacancies in the Board of the National Bank of Georgia. The Administration of the President has received applications from 28 candidates for membership.
