Siim Kallas, born in October 1948, is a native of Tallinn, Estonia. Married with two grown up children, he has been Chairman of the Estonian Reform Party since 1994. An economist by training, he is regarded as the father of the currency reform in Estonia, which led directly to the creation of the Estonian currency the Kroon. He has been President of the Bank of Estonia (1991-1995), Minister for Foreign Affairs (1995-1996), Minister for Finance (1999-2002) and Estonian Prime Minister (2002-2003). He played a vital role in the negotiations which brought Estonia into the European Union. A member of the Communist Party from 1972-1999, he was Deputy-Editor of the "Rahava Hääl" newspaper from 1986-1989. He is President of the Estonian Cyclists Union. He has published a book containing his articles and speeches on the market economy.