Governor Wunsch’s term of office expired on 31 December 2023. Pursuant to the government’s decision, he has been nominated for a second term at the head of the National Bank of Belgium. His reappointment must now be confirmed by royal decree. 

Pierre Wunsch was appointed governor of the National Bank in January 2019.  In this capacity, he also serves as a member of the Governing Council and the General Council of the ECB, a member of the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and chairperson of the NBB’s Resolution Board. In addition, he chairs the audit committee of the Bank for International Settlements and holds offices at the High Council of Finance, the National Accounts Institute and the European Systemic Risk Board. Since 2022, he has been the president of the King Baudouin Foundation.

“In my second term, I look forward to continuing to implement, together with the Bank’s Board of Directors and staff, the strategy we mapped out several years ago, to ensure that the NBB is a modern central bank at the service of society and at the heart of the Eurosystem,” says Governor Wunsch.  “I am thinking, for example, of our new workplace and corporate culture, the Bank’s real estate project, the further optimisation of our internal processes and data collection and analysis, our fresh approach to communication with various stakeholders, our diversity and inclusion efforts, the new emphasis in areas such as financial supervision and research, and our achievements in many other fields.” 

Pierre Wunsch holds a PhD in economics (UCL) and a master in public affairs (Princeton University). He was appointed a director of the National Bank in 2011, deputy governor in 2015 and governor in 2019. Prior to that, he led the federal government’s financial policy unit (2008-2011) and held various positions at energy supplier Electrabel (Engie) and its subsidiary Tractebel.