IMFs First Female Chief Economist appointed
United Nations sources stated that eminent academic and economic adviser to the Kerala government, Gita Gopinath, was appointed on Monday as Director of the International Monetary Fund’s Research Department. Meanwhile when announcing the appointment, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde called her “one of the world’s outstanding economists with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership and extensive international experience”.
She said in a statement that “All this makes her exceptionally well-placed to lead our Research Department at this important juncture and she is delighted to name such a talented figure as our Chief Economist”. Furthermore the director of the IMF’s Research Department oversees the World Economic Outlook Report that is considered a major survey of the global economy as well as several other reports and research projects that determine the financial and economic statuses of countries.
Moreover she is concurrently the economic adviser to the Chief Minister of
Kerala and, according to her bio at Harvard, she was appointed in 2016 to the
honorary position with the rank of principal secretary and further she has also
served as a member of the Eminent Persons Advisory Group on G-20 Matters for
India’s Ministry of Finance.