Who is Mark Carney, and why is Justin Trudeau courting him?

The name on the lips of politicos, reporters and Liberal insiders in Ottawa over the past few weeks does not hold a position in government and has never even run for a seat in Parliament: Mark Carney.

But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed to reporters last week that he’s been speaking to Carney “for years” about joining federal politics.

“I think he would be an outstanding addition at a time when Canadians need good people to step up in politics,” Trudeau said last week.

Reports that Carney is being courted to join the Liberals in some fashion come as the incumbent government is flagging in the polls.

So who is Carney, and what could his presence offer for the struggling Liberals? Here’s what to know.

Born in Fort Smith, N.W.T., and raised in Edmonton, Carney earned an undergraduate economics degree from Harvard University and followed that up with master’s and doctoral degrees from Oxford University. He’s a well-known name in global financial circles.

Carney currently serves as chair of Bloomberg LP and the chairman and head of transition investing at Toronto-based alternative investment firm Brookfield Asset Management. Early in his career, he also worked at Goldman Sachs for 13 years.

The economist and banker lends his expertise to financial tech firms like Stripe, where he serves as a board director, as well as to environmental initiatives. Carney is the United Nations’ special envoy for climate action and finance.

He’s also a marathon runner and hockey player.

But most Canadians were first introduced to Carney as the governor of the Bank of Canada. He was appointed by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and replaced David Dodge in the role in 2008 — right before the global financial crisis.

Carney received