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

🔴Gita Gopinath, who was scheduled to return to her academic position at Harvard University in January 2022, has served as the IMF's chief economist for three years.

By: ENS Economic Bureau
Washington | Updated: December 4, 2021 01:02 AM IST

IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath (Image: Reuters)

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.”

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