Spain's `Male or Female' ECB Pick Could Be One of These Names

(Bloomberg) -- The race to be the European Central Bank’s next vice president seems so far to be turning on which man will get the job. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Ireland has thrown its hat in the ring by putting forward central bank governor Philip Lane. Spain, which says it should regain the Executive Board seat it lost six years ago, is said to be planning to nominate Economy Minister Luis de Guindos.

Yet European Parliament lawmakers -- who can’t block the decision by euro-area finance ministers but can hold up the process -- want a shortlist that includes women, who are under-represented at the ECB. On Friday, seven weeks since Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said his country will propose a “male or female” candidate, a government spokesman said the administration still hasn’t decided what to do. Nominations close Feb. 7.

So should Rajoy opt for a woman, here are some prominent Spaniards he might want to consider.

Margarita Delgado

• Head of first inspection department at the Bank of Spain
• Deputy Director General at the Single Supervisory Mechanism, ECB

Emma Navarro

• Head of the Spanish Treasury
• Member of Bank of Spain governing council
• Board member of the CNMV market regulator
• Spain substitute representative at the IMF, G-20 and Eurogroup

Rosa Maria Sanchez-Yebra

• Vice-governor at the Council of Europe Development Bank
• Former head of the Spanish Treasury
• Former chief of staff at the Spanish Economy Ministry
• PhD in pharmacy

Gloria Hernandez

• Chief financial officer at Bankinter
• Former finance director at Banco Pastor
• Former head of the Spanish Treasury, first woman to be appointed to role

Belen Romana

• Non-executive director at Banco Santander
• Former chair of Spain’s bad bank Sareb, resigned after two years
• Former head of the Spanish Treasury

While Rajoy may be willing to change his views on who Spain’s candidate should be, perhaps opting to appease European lawmakers calling for more female representation, that may not be enough to get the former Economy Minister Elena Salgado back on the radar.

Salgado remains one of few Spanish female names who rings a bell in Frankfurt as she attempted to reign in the banking crisis before her tenure ended in 2011. But a series of mishaps in office and the fact that she’s a Socialist -- Rajoy’s rival -- probably make her a no-go.

To contact the reporter on this story: Maria Tadeo in Madrid at mtadeo@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Fergal O'Brien at fobrien@bloomberg.net, Paul Gordon, Zoe Schneeweiss

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