Former Senator Mathias Cormann has emerged as one of the prime candidates to head up the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) after playing a pivotal role in Australia’s COVID-19 response as federal Finance Minister. According to reports by the Sunday Morning Herald on Jan. 14, Cormann now stands alongside two other top contenders Sweden’s  Cecilia Malmström, who is the former European Union’s trade commissioner, and Switzerland’s Philipp Hildebrand, the CEO for investment company Blackrock after a phase of screening left only ten nominees. Both Hildebrand and Malmström are strong competition for Cormann, but Prime Minister Scott Morrison believes he is “uniquely qualified” for the responsibility. “His financial stewardship helped to position Australia to withstand better the economic shocks of COVID-19 than most other nations,” Morrison said in his nomination statement. “He has made an indispensable contribution to shaping Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “These experiences will be …