Mark Carney was the first non-British person to become governor of the Bank of England in its more than 300-year history when he took the job in 2013. He had previously worked at the investment bank Goldman Sachs, and served as the governor of the Bank of Canada, the country's central bank.

OTTAWA—Mark Carney, the former Canadian and U.K. central banker, formally declared his interest in succeeding Justin Trudeau as leader of Canada’s Liberal Party and the country’s prime minister, promising an economic agenda focused on lifting it from a period of stagnant growth.

Mark Carney, the former governor of Canada's central bank, on Thursday launched his bid to succeed Justin Trudeau as Liberal Party leader and prime minister, immediately becoming a frontrunner in the race.