Governor of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH), Jasmina Selimović hosted Mr. Peter Nicholl, who was the governor of the CBBH in the period from October 1997 to December 2004.
After holding several positions during his career at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the World Bank, Mr. Nicholl became Governor of the CBBH in October 1997. His mandate was marked by significant achievements, such as the introduction of the convertible mark into circulation, which replaced the four currencies that were in use at the time, the establishment of modern payment systems, and the linking of the convertible mark to the euro after the withdrawal of the German mark to which the convertible mark was tied, until the moment when the euro became the single European currency.
During his visit to the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Nicholl gave a presentation to CBBH officials and guests, representatives of commercial banks and agencies. The presentation was also attended by the former governors of the CBBH Kemal Kozarić and Senad Softić.
Those present were greeted at the beginning by Governor Selimović, who welcomed and expressed satisfaction with Mr. Nicholl’s visit to the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose legacy is still present.
“Even today, in my day-to-day work, I hear that something was established when Mr. Nicholl was governor. We are working 20 years after that time, and we talk a lot about the time when Mr. Nicholl was here. It is obvious that his legacy is huge”, said Governor Selimović, and while noting that the CBBH continues to successfully maintain a high level of reputation and independence, she recalled one of Mr. Nicholl’s statements that “reputation is hard to gain and easy to lose”.
“As is known, during Mr. Nicholl’s time we got the first official currency, the first banknote, and for that time, high-quality payment systems, and regardless of the price, Mr. Nicholl worked to introduce the highest standards into the operations of the CBBH,” she said. Governor Selimović and thanked Mr. Nicholl for the knowledge and experience he shared and still shares with the employees of the CBBH.
In his presentation, Mr. Nicholl recalled the time when he assumed the position of governor of the CBBH and his experiences in managing the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina during its establishment and the first years of operation. He referred to the successful operation of the CBBH even after his mandate, pointing out that he followed the institution’s work even during crises that did not bypass BiH either.
For his work in the CBBH, Peter Nicholl received the prestigious Central Banking Award two years ago for his exceptional contribution to building institutions.
