Yannis STOURNARAS

Bio

Yannis Stournaras graduated from the Department of Economics, University of Athens in 1978. He obtained his post-graduate degrees (MPhil 1980, DPhil 1982) from Oxford University, specializing in Economic Theory and Policy. He was Research Fellow and Lecturer at St. Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, from 1982 to 1986. At the same time he worked at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, specializing in the petroleum market and the consequences of petroleum crises on the global economy. Following his return to Greece he worked as a Special Advisor to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (1986-1989) on Public Enterprises and Incomes Policy issues, and to the Bank of Greece (1989-1994) on Monetary Policy issues.

He is Professor of Economics at the Department of Economics, University of Athens, which he joined in 1989. He has published articles in academic journals on Macroeconomics, Optimum Taxation Theory, Public Debt Dynamics, Economic and Monetary Union, Energy Economics, Monetary Policy, Distortions of Financial Systems. His academic and professional interests focus on the following fields: economic theory, economic policy, international economics, monetary economics, energy economics, public finance, banking, project evaluation and the effects of Economic and Monetary Union on the Greek economy.

From 1994 to July 2000 he was Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors at the Ministry of Economy and Finance and a member of the Monetary Committee (now Economic and Financial Committee) of the European Union.

From 1994 to 1997 he was Vice Chairman of the Public Gas Corporation and a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Debt Management Office (from 1998 until July 2000).

From 2000 to 2004 he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Emporiki Bank and Vice Chairman of the Association of Greek Banks.

From 2005 to August 2008 he was managing director of Kappa Securities, a private sector stockbroker and investment services provider.

From 2009 to 2012 he was Director General of the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), a private sector think-tank.

In May 2012 he joined the then Interim Government as Minister of Development, Competitiveness and Shipping.

After the national elections in June 2012, he became Minister of Finance, until June 2014.

Since June 27th 2014 he is Governor of the Bank of Greece and Member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank.

From February 2020 he is Chairman of the Audit Committee of the European Central Bank.