Vladimír Masár (born 2 May 1958 in Partizánske, Czechoslovakia) served as the first Governor of National Bank of Slovakia between 1993 and 1999.[1] As the first Central Bank governor of a newly independent Slovakia, he was in charge of introducing a stabilizing a new currency - the Slovak crown and building up a professional apparatus and international contacts at the National Bank of Slovakia from the scratch.[2] As a governor, he continued the conservative tradition of Czechoslovak monetary policy and prevented monetary turmoil despite irresponsible fiscal policies of Mečiar's government.[3][4]

Vladimír Masár
Governor of National Bank of Slovakia
In office
29 July 1993 – 29 July 1999
Preceded byOffice created
Deputy Governor Marián Tkáč acted as the interim Governor between 1 January and 29 July 1993
Succeeded byMarián Jusko
Personal details
Born (1958-05-02) 2 May 1958 (age 66)
Partizánske, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia)
Alma materUniversity of Economics, Bratislava
ProfessionBanker, Manager

Career

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After graduating from the University of Economics in Bratislava in 1988 he worked in several commercial banks before becoming deputy Finance minister of the newly founded Slovak Republic. He was chairman of the preparatory commission for the establishment of the National Bank of Slovakia and became its first governor. After the end of his term as a Governor, he became a chairman of the Slovak branch of Deloitte.[5] In May 2020 he retired upon reaching the mandatory retirement age for partners at Deloitte of 62 years.

Controversy

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Shortly before Masár's retirement, Deloitte faced accusations by several high-profile politicians, including the Economy Minister Richard Sulík, of facilitating siphoning away public money.[6] Masár denied all allegations.[7]

Preceded by
incumbent
Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia
1993–1999
Succeeded by

References

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  1. ^ "List of former governors and board members of the National Bank of Slovakia". Retrieved 2022-05-20.
  2. ^ Dyson, Kenneth (2008). The Euro at Ten: Europeanization, Power, and Convergence. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 281. ISBN 978-0191549175.
  3. ^ Johnson, Juliet (11 February 2016). Priests of Prosperity: How Central Bankers Transformed the Postcommunist World. Cornell University Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-1-5017-0374-4.
  4. ^ Horváth, Julius (29 December 2021). A History of Slovak Economic Thought. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-51447-0.
  5. ^ Nicholson, Tom (4 July 2005). "Interview with Vladimír Masár chairman of Deloitte". Slovak Spectator.
  6. ^ "Vladimír Masár (62), Deloitte's President in Slovakia, is retiring". Symsite Research. 3 June 2020.
  7. ^ Onuferová, Marianna (16 June 2020). "Vladimír Masár po 20 rokoch končí v Deloitte, kritizuje Sulíka a vysvetľuje, prečo sa nehanbí za vyznamenanie od Mečiara". Denník E (in Slovak).