Jorgovanka Tabaković was born on 21 March 1960 in Vučitrn. She finished high school in 1977 and enrolled in the Faculty of Economics in Priština. Having obtained the right to an accelerated programme of studies due to a high grade average in the first two years, she graduated on 14 May 1981 as the student of the generation. From 1981 until 1989 she taught economics-related subjects in the Secondary Economics School in Priština. In the following two years, she worked as financial director in the trading company “Grmija“.

In early 1992, she was employed by Prištinska banka a.d., part of the Beogradska banka system, as Deputy General Manager and continued to work in the banking industry until 1999. From 1999 until her appointment as Governor, she worked in the Telecommunications Company “Telekom Srbija”. She held the position of General Manager of the Logistics Department from March 2005 until December 2008, after which she worked as an expert for economic operations.

She defended her MSc thesis “Reform of the Banking System of Yugoslavia” at the Priština Faculty of Economics in 1999. In 2008 she submitted a doctoral thesis proposal entitled “Central Bank Instruments – Reaches and Limitations on the Example of the Republic of Serbia”. She took her PhD in economics in May 2011.

She was elected Member of Parliament in six parliamentary convocations – three times from 1993 to 2000, and three times from 2007 to 2012. She was appointed Chair of the Parliament’s Finance Committee for two terms of office. From March 1998 until October 2000, she served as Minister of Economic and Ownership Transformation in the Serbian Government.

She has authored a number of studies on privatisation and financial markets. Her book “Monetary Policy – No Final Victories” was published in 2018. In 2006 and 2007, she lectured at the Faculty of Management in Novi Sad.

She has served as Governor of the National Bank of Serbia since August 2012. In June 2018 she was re-appointed for another six-year term of office, starting from August 2018.

She is a widow and mother of three children: Ivana, Milena and Nikola.