Inflation and Labour Market

Speaker: Governor Gabriel Makhlouf, Governor, Central Bank of Ireland     

J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics is delighted to host a Thinking Beyond event with guest speaker, Gabriel Makhlouf, Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, featuring remarks by the Governor followed by a Q&A with Professor Alan Ahearne focusing on the inflation and the labour market.

  • Venue: Aula Maxima, Quadrangle Building, University of Galway
  • Date: 21st September 2023 11.00 – 12.30 (networking coffee 10.30 – 11.00)
  • Registration: Please see link above to register

About Thinking Beyond Event Series

Thinking Beyond is an event series for the Public Good at J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, University of Galway. The events bring together experts from a wide range of industry and academic thought leaders to share their insights and best practices with attendees. Our goal is to help business leaders stay ahead of the curve and succeed in today's rapidly changing business landscape.

Gabriel Makhlouf

Governor Gabriel Makhlouf


Gabriel Makhlouf took up his position as Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland on 1 September 2019. He 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.

Before joining the Central Bank Gabriel was Secretary to the New Zealand Treasury and the Government's chief economic and financial adviser from 2011 to 2019. During his time as Secretary, he led reviews of New Zealand's three macroeconomic pillars (monetary, financial stability and fiscal policy) and the development of a new framework for the development of economic and public policy focused on intergenerational wellbeing. In addition Gabriel was New Zealand's Alternate Governor at the World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He was also co-chair of the Trans-Tasman Banking Council.

Previously Gabriel worked in the UK civil service where his roles ranged from policy on domestic and international tax issues through to large-scale operational delivery. He has also chaired the OECD’s Committee on Fiscal Affairs and was responsible for the UK's Government Banking Service.

Professor Alan Ahearne

Prof Alan Ahearne

Alan Ahearne is Professor of Economics at the University of Galway and currently serves as economic adviser to Tánaiste Micheál Martin. Previously, he served on the Board of the Central Bank of Ireland, as Chair of the Joint Department of Finance/ESRI Research Programme on the Macroeconomy, Taxation & Banking, as a member of the External Advisory Group to Ireland’s Parliamentary Budget Office, as Special Adviser to Ireland’s former Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan, as adviser to the IMF, consultant to the U.K. Department for International Development and as a Research Fellow at the Brussels-based think-tank Bruegel. Prior to joining the University of Galway in 2005, he was Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC, where he worked for seven years. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.