Gita Gopinath, the first woman Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will take over as First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD) on January 21, 2022, when current FDMD Geoffrey Okamoto steps down.
Gopinath has previously stated that she wants to return to Harvard University in January to resume her tenured post as the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics in the Department of Economics. She has been on leave from the public sector since her nomination to the IMF in 2018.
The IMF’s Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, praised Gopinath’s intellectual leadership and her contributions to The World Economic Outlook database, a new analytical approach to help countries respond to international capital flows, and her work on a plan to end the COVID-19 crisis by setting targets to vaccinate the world at a reasonable cost.
‘Especially given that the pandemic has led to an increase in the scale and scope of the macroeconomic challenges facing our member countries, I believe that Gita—universally recognized as one of the world’s leading macroeconomists—has precisely the expertise that we need for the FDMD role at this point. Indeed, her particular skill set—combined with her years of experience at the Fund as Chief Economist—make her uniquely well qualified. She is the right person at the right time’, Georgieva said.
Gopinath is the co-editor of the current Handbook of International Economics. She is a famous scholar in the fields of international finance and macroeconomics and was also a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s economic advisory group and co-director of the International Finance and Macroeconomics programme at the US National Bureau of Economic Research. She served as the Economic Advisor to the CM of Kerala from 2016-2018. She was also a member of the Indian Ministry of Finance’s Eminent Persons Advisory Group on G-20 Matters.
Also Read: Salmon sperm used by Chinese scientists to create eco-friendly plastic
She has received a number of accolades from India as well as from all over the world. Gita Gopinath was named one of the 25 Most Influential Women of the Year by the Financial Times in 2021. She was designated one of Foreign Policy’s Top Global Thinkers in 2019, the IMF named her one of the top 25 economists under 45 in 2014, and the World Economic Forum named her a Young Global Leader (YGL) in 2011. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, India’s highest honour for abroad Indians, was bestowed on her by the Indian government in 2019.
Post Your Comments