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(Bloomberg) — Croatia is seriously considering Ante Zigman to head its central bank, according to a person familiar with the government’s thinking.

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Zigman, who has led the Croatian market regulator since 2018, is currently the frontrunner, said the person, speaking on the condition on anonymity as deliberations are private. The list of potential candidates also includes Sandra Svaljek and Michael Faulend, who both hold top jobs at the central bank.

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Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s party is expected to nominate a candidate this week, who would then need to be approved by lawmakers. The new governor — who also becomes a rate setter at the European Central Bank — will take the seat vacated by Boris Vujcic, who’ll become ECB vice president on June 1. 

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Zigman didn’t immediately return calls seeking comment. 

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Earlier in his career, Zigman was an adviser in the central-bank governor’s office and worked as state secretary at the Finance Ministry. His wife, Natasa Mikus Zigman, is Plenkovic’s minister of regional development and European Union funds.

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Zigman currently also is a management board member at the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority and at the European Securities and Markets Authority. He previously worked in the banking sector for some time, including a stint as Raiffeisen Bank’s chief economist in Croatia.

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Little is known about his monetary-policy stance.

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Zigman, 54, is likely to take office in time for the ECB Governing Council’s June 10-11 meeting, when the institution is widely expected to increase interest rates for the first time since 2023. Inflation across the euro area has surged due to the energy shock caused by the war in the Middle East. 

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The appointment of Zigman is part of a bigger influx of fresh names at the ECB, with new French and Estonian governors also starting next month. Three other seats in the top tier of the Frankfurt-based central bank open next year — including that of President Christine Lagarde, whose mandate ends in October.

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