Who Is Kevin Warsh, The New US Federal Reserve Chairman?

Kevin Warsh has been appointed as the chair of the US Federal Reserve, replacing Jerome Powell when his term ends on May 15.

Born on April 13, 1970, in Albany, New York, Kevin Maxwell Warsh is an American financier, economic policy expert and long-time central banking official.

He served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors from 2006 to 2011, under Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama. He was one of the youngest governors ever appointed.

Warsh’s academic qualifications include a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a law degree from Harvard Law School and additional studies in economics and finance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Before joining the Federal Reserve, Warsh worked in Morgan Stanley’s mergers and acquisitions department in New York, rising to executive director.

Warsh has long been viewed as a monetary policy expert with a reputation for concern about inflation and a strong understanding of market dynamics.

Trump has repeatedly criticised Powell for not moving fast enough on interest rate cuts, despite having appointed him as Federal Reserve chair in 2017.

The Republican leader has publicly argued that the Fed’s benchmark rate should be brought down to around 1 per cent, well below its current level of roughly 3.6 per cent.

Kevin Warsh has vowed to protect the central bank’s independence and said he would not be the US President’s “sock puppet".