An Israeli record of sorts was noted at the Bank of Israel recently, as its directors' locator committee announced it had received a staggering number of applications for the bank's directorship.
The Bank's Director-General, Yaakov Danon, announced he would be stepping down in May and since then the locator committee has received 170 applications for the position.
A dozen applicants have passed the committee's initial screening, including the Bank's own Rafael Lankri, who served as chairman of its National Workers committee; Doron Shorrer, former director-general of the Ministry of Transportation; and Matti Tal, head of Bank Hapoalim's Switzerland operation.
The 12 finalists still have to undergo several background checks, mainly in order to detect any possible future conflict of interest. The committee is expected to submit its recommendations for the top three candidates to Governor Stanley Fischer by the end of August.
Fischer handpicked Danon for the position in 2005 without using the locator committee. Once Danon announced he would be leaving, Fischer ordered the committee – headed by former PM's Officer Director Ilan Cohen – to screen for applicants.
Other committee members are: Sam Bronfeld, managing director of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange; Yuval Rachlevsky, former director of wages in the Ministry of Finance; Deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel Prof. Zvi Eckstein; and attorney Tida Shamir, the Bank's legal advisor.
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