Ukraine: break-through or roll-back of reforms? Valeria Gontareva in conversation
Date and time:
Tuesday 26 November, 2019
19:00 - 20:30
Location:
Hong Kong Theatre, London School of Economics
99 Aldwych
London
WC2B 4BG
Valeria Gontareva, former Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, will be in conversation with Francis Malige (EBRD) to discuss the banking reforms she managed and the potential risk of a roll-back following political changes in Ukraine.
Reforms affect vested interest and often come at a high personal cost for those who lead them. From the onset of the reforms, Ms Gontareva was subjected to a campaign of harassment, intimidation and even death threats. Meanwhile, following recent elections, the new government intends to implement a new reform programme to drive economic growth. Is Ukraine on the brink of a reformist break-through or a roll-back of reforms? How will the critical achievements of the financial sector be affected?
Held in partnership with LSE Institute of Global Affairs.
This event will be held in English.
FREE
Speaker
Valeria Gontareva
Valeria Gontareva served as the Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine in 2014-2017. She was the first woman to lead Ukraine’s central bank and oversaw vital reforms to implement a new monetary policy of inflation targeting and flexible exchange rate regime, to clean up Ukraine’s banking sector, strengthen regulatory supervision, and ensure the independence of the National Bank.
Ms Gontareva started her career in financial services in 1993 and built up over two decades of private sector experience at both Ukrainian and international financial institutions before her appointment as Governor of the central bank. Between 1996 and 2000 she worked at the Kyiv branch of Société Générale, moving to ING Bank in 2001 where she rose to first Deputy Chairman of the Board. Between 2007 and 2014 she led Investment Capital Ukraine (now ICU).
Moderator
Francis Malige
Francis Malige is the Managing Director, Financial Institutions for the EBRD. He leads the Bank’s investments in the financial sector, including banks as well as insurance companies, non-bank financial institutions and capital market infrastructure companies, across three continents. Mr Malige joined the EBRD in February 2010 as a Director in the Financial Institutions team, where he successfully developed the Bank’s business in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, Turkey and, later, the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean. From 2014 to 2018, he served as Managing Director, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. Before joining the EBRD, he was Managing Director for Corporate Development at BNP Paribas, focusing on bank acquisitions. His earlier career was in accounting and consulting, at Arthur Andersen and McKinsey & Company.
