Ministry of Finance budget director Ohad Marani is one of the leading candidates to replace Ministry of Finance director general Avi Ben-Bassat. Marani has served as Israel's economics minister to the US, and is considered to be a professional candidate. If he is appointed director general, he will temporarily continue to hold his present position, in addition to the director general post, until a replacement is found.
Another candidate is former YES CEO Eitan Rub, who served as a personal aide to Yitzhak Moda'i when he was Minister of Finance.
A third candidate is Poalim Capital Markets chairwoman Dr. Leora Meridor, who served as Bank of Israel research department director. Like Ben-Bassat, Meridor resigned from the Bank of Israel in 1995 following differences of opinion over interest rate and exchange rate policy with then- governor Jacob Frenkel.
Minister of Finance Silvan Shalom is looking for a professional candidate for the director general post. He is examining several candidates from both inside and outside the ministry. There is no leading candidate at this time.
Ben-Bassat announced his resignation on Thursday, effective at the end of July, after two years in the post. He convened senior ministry officials today to discuss the State budget and growth forecasts for 2002. Present at the meeting were Marani, Accountant General Nir Gilad, deputy senior assistant director general economics Vered Darr, and senior deputy capital market, insurance, and savings commissioner Eyal Ben Chelouche.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 8 July 2001