The Spaniard, whose part work experience includes a stint at the Spanish bad bank SAREB, will assume a five-year term on the board of the Slovenian bad bank, the Government Communication Office said.

Barba Silvela's appointment fills one of two vacant non-executive posts on the BAMC board.

Following the axing of Swedish banker Lars Nyberg in October, the bad bank has been operating with only two non-executives members of the board.

Barba Silvela will join chairman of the management board Marko Simoneti and fellow non-executive member Janez Širovnik.

A professor of real estate finance at the IE Business School since 2000, Barba Silvela served as head of transactions at SAREB from January 2013 to August 2014.

He has most seriously served as managing director for real estate at real estate fund Meridia Capital.