Gita Gopinath to take on new role at IMF as First Deputy Managing Director

Gita Gopinath, the India-born, first female chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is set to take over from Geoffrey Okamoto as the multilateral institution’s number 2 official in early 2022. The elevation to the post of first deputy managing director (FDMD) came just months after Gopinath had said she intended to re-join Harvard University in January 2022 to retain her tenured facility post after completing three years at the IMF.

In a statement late on Thursday, the IMF said “some realignment in the roles and responsibilities of the fund’s senior management team is being undertaken”. Okamoto plans to return to the private sector.

IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said, “… 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.”