Gabriel Makhlouf

Gabriel Makhlouf (born 1960) is a British public servant and policymaker who took up his position as Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland on 1 September 2019. Makhlouf is a former top UK civil servant and one-time principal private secretary to then chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown, making him the first overseas official to fill the post in the organisation's 76-year history.

Born in Cairo in 1960 to a Cypriot-British father and Greek-Armenian mother, Makhlouf spent his earliest years travelling as his father pursued a career as a United Nations official. The holder of an honours degree in economics from the University of Exeter and a masters in industrial relations from the University of Bath, he began his career in 1984 as a tax inspector.

Career history

• Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (September 2019–present)
• Secretary to the New Zealand Treasury and Government's chief economic and financial adviser (2011–2019)
• Chair of the Committee on Fiscal Affairs at the OECD
• UK civil service roles in tax policy and government banking operations

In his current role, Makhlouf chairs the Central Bank Commission, is a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank, a member of the European Systemic Risk Board, and is Ireland's Alternate Governor at the International Monetary Fund. During his tenure as Secretary to the New Zealand Treasury, he led reviews of New Zealand's three macroeconomic pillars (monetary, financial stability and fiscal policy) and the development of a new framework for economic and public policy focused on intergenerational wellbeing. During his first term, Makhlouf introduced reforms and enhancements that have strengthened the Central Bank.

What Gabriel Makhlouf could bring to his second term at the Central Bank of Ireland: His track record of implementing structural reforms to macroeconomic frameworks, combined with deep experience navigating complex international financial institutions, positions him to address emerging risks in non-bank financial sectors and strengthen Ireland's role within European monetary governance during an increasingly fragmented global economic landscape.