Central Bank's Sharon Donnery tipped to be in running for senior job at ECB

Sharon Donnery is a deputy governor at the Central Bank.

Three of Europe’s highest profile female central bankers are emerging as strong candidates for the race to succeed Andrea Enria as the eurozone's top bank watchdog, potentially bringing a woman to the job for the second time.

Likely names on a shortlist due later this year include Bundesbank vice-president Claudia Buch, Bank of Spain deputy governor Margarita Delgado and Sharon Donnery, a deputy governor at the Central Bank of Ireland, according to central bank officials.

While no one has formally thrown their hat in the ring, the officials — some of whom will be involved in picking the candidate — cited Ms Buch, Ms Delgado and Ms Donnery among the most likely contenders. They asked to remain anonymous because the process has yet to begin. 

Their views underscore how much the bench of talent has broadened in recent years, as the European Central Bank makes headway in increasing the share of women in leadership positions, with president Christine Lagarde the most prominent.

The chair of the ECB’s Supervisory Board is the eurozone’s most senior banking regulator, directly overseeing the bloc’s major banks and endowed with a powerful voice to help shape rules that determine the industry’s structure. 

Whoever wins the job will contend with bankers who are chafing at what they regard as excessively intrusive oversight as they seek to lift share prices that have been battered since the 2008 financial crisis.

There are other potential candidates and there is no guarantee the next pick will be a woman, the officials said. Representatives of the three national central banks declined to comment, as did an ECB spokesman.

Mr Enria is scheduled to step down when his five-year non-renewable term ends in December. Back when he won the job in 2018, the Italian was up against Ms Donnery and Frenchman Robert Ophele. His predecessor, Daniele Nouy, was a woman from France. 

• Bloomberg