Peter Kažimír (born 28 June 1968 in Košice, Czechoslovakia) is a Slovak central banker and former politician, currently serving as the governor of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS). He previously served as the country's Finance Minister under prime ministers Robert Fico and Peter Pellegrini. He was a senior member of the social-democratic SMER-SD party, but left the party after assuming the governorship of NBS.[1]

Peter Kažimír
Governor of National Bank of Slovakia
Assumed office
1 June 2019
Preceded byJozef Makúch
Minister of Finance
In office
4 April 2012 – 11 April 2019
Prime MinisterRobert Fico
Peter Pellegrini
Preceded byIvan Mikloš
Succeeded byPeter Pellegrini (acting)
Ladislav Kamenický
Deputy Prime Minister of Slovakia
In office
4 April 2012 – 23 March 2016
Prime MinisterRobert Fico
Personal details
Born (1968-06-28) 28 June 1968 (age 56)
Košice, Czechoslovakia(now Slovakia)
Political partyDirection-Social Democracy
Domestic partnerKatarína Korecká
Children2
EducationUniversity of Economics in Bratislava

Early life

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Kažimír studied International Commerce at the University of Economics in Bratislava. After graduation, he worked in the private sector as a tax advisor at the firm Schubert & partners. Since early 2000s, he held board-level executive positions at various companies, including VIVANT, Sceptrum Brno, PARTA – GAS, MATTI and DDP Credit Suisse Life & Pensions.[2][3]

Political career

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State Secretary and MP

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In 2006, Kažimír became the State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance. At the same time, he sat on the board of National Nuclear Fund for Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations (NJF).[4] Following the defeat of Direction-Social Democracy (SMER-SD) in 2010 Slovak parliamentary election, Kažimír shortly served as MP. After 2012 Slovak parliamentary election when SMER-SD returned to power, Kažimír became the Minister of Finance.

Minister of Finance

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In 2015, Kažimír was part of a team that secured the investment of Jaguar Land Rover in a £1bn plant, beating off stiff competition from Poland and Mexico.[5]

According to Financial Times, Kažimír developed a strong record on managing Slovakia's public finances since taking office.[6] He earned respect for keeping budget deficits under control and became known for his tough stance in the Eurozone's negotiations with debt-plagued Greece.[7]

 
Kažimír arriving at a Eurogroup meeting in 2016

By November 2017, Kažimír submitted his formal application for succeeding Jeroen Dijsselbloem as the next chairman of the Eurogroup.[8][9] During the vote on 4 December, he withdrew after the first round and Mário Centeno was eventually elected to the post.[10][11]

Central Bank Governorship

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In December 2019, the National Council approved Kažimír as the government's nominee to succeed Jozef Makúch in the office of the president of the National Bank of Slovakia.[12] He took up the post on 1 June 2019.[13]

International organizations

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Personal life

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Kažimír has been married to Katarína Korecká since 2008. They have two children together. He is protective of his private life.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Peter Kažimír skončil v Smere-SD". www.noviny.sk (in Slovak). 3 June 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Osobný profil Peter Kažimír". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Pozrite si životopisy ministrov a premiéra Fica". Webnoviny.sk (in Slovak). 23 March 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Official CV". Government of Slovakia. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  5. ^ Campbell, Peter (8 May 2017). "Minister seeks to steer Slovakia past a "lasagne of evil"". Financial Times.
  6. ^ Brunsden, Jim; Khan, Mehreen (5 November 2017). "Pierre Gramegna emerges as early eurogroup frontrunner". Financial Times.
  7. ^ Jančaríková, Tatiana (23 March 2016). "Slovak president appoints Robert Fico for another term as PM". Reuters.
  8. ^ Strupczewski, Jan (6 November 2017). "Slovakia's Kazimir bids to chair euro zone finance ministers". Reuters.
  9. ^ Strupczewski, Jan (30 November 2017). "Latvia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia bid for Eurogroup chai". Reuters.
  10. ^ Dendrinou, Viktoria; Bodoni, Stephanie; Tomek, Radoslav (4 December 2017). "Portugal's Centeno Gets Top Economic Job in New Euro Chapter". Bloomberg News.
  11. ^ Brunsden, Jim; Khan, Mehreen (4 December 2017). "Portugal's Centeno wins race to become eurogroup president". Financial Times.
  12. ^ Jančaríková, Tatiana (6 December 2018). "Slovak parliament approves finance minister Kazimir as next central bank governor". Reuters.
  13. ^ "Kažimír appointed as new governor of Slovakia's central bank". The Slovak Spectator. 13 March 2019.
  14. ^ Board of Governors European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
  15. ^ "Board of Governors" (PDF). World Bank Group.
  16. ^ "Board of Governors" (PDF). World Bank Group.
  17. ^ "Financmajster Kažimír ukázal svoju partnerku tri týždne po pôrode: Áno, tak som sa vytrepala!". Topky.sk (in Slovak). 4 May 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
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  Media related to Peter Kažimír at Wikimedia Commons

Preceded by Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia
2019-present
Succeeded by
Incumbent