Gita Gopinath : IMF’s First Female Chief Economist

Mysore-born Gita Gopinath has joined International Monetary Fund as its chief economist, becoming the first woman to occupy the top IMF post. Gopinath’s joined last week at a time, when she believes the world is experiencing a retreat from globalisation, posing challenges to multilateral institutions.

Born in Kolkata and raised in Mysuru, Gita Gopinath was officially appointed on October 1, 2018 as Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF’s Research Department by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde. She took over her new position at the IMF after the retirement of Maurice Obstfeld on December 31. She’s the 11th chief economist for the IMF and the first woman to occupy the position.

She currently serves as the John Zwaanstra professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University. She was also the co-editor of the American Economic Review and co-director of the International Finance and Macroeconomics Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. In 2011, she was a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

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