IMF says Gita Gopinath leaving at end of August to return to Harvard

The No. 1 is Gita Gopinath. According to the IMF, the second official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will step down from her position at the end of August and work again at Harvard University.

According to a statement released on Monday, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva will choose Gopinath as her successor.

Gopinath became the fund’s first deputy managing director in January 2022, becoming the first woman to hold that position in the same capacity as its chief economist in 2019.

The US Department of Treasury, which controls the IMF’s largest shareholding, did not immediately respond with a comment. The US Treasury has traditionally suggested candidates for the position of first deputy managing director, while European nations have traditionally chosen the IMF’s managing director.

Gopinath was born in the United States.

Some IMF insiders were caught off guard by the timing of the action, which appears to have been initiated by Gopinath.

Gopinath, who left Harvard to work for the IMF, will work there as an economics professor once more.

At a time when President Donald Trump wants to restructure the world economy and put an end to his country’s long-standing trade deficits caused by high import tariffs from almost all nations, her departure will give the US Treasury a chance to make a recommendation for a successor.

After the Trump administration’s demands for changes to its governance, hiring, and admissions practices, she will now return to the institution.

Georgieva cited Gopinath’s reputation as an “exceptional intellectual leader” when she led the pandemic and subsequent global shocks brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a time of high uncertainty and a rapidly changing global economic environment, Gita led the Fund’s analytical and policy work with clarity, striving for the highest standards of thorough analysis, Georgieva said.

Gopinath has also oversaw the fund’s multilateral analysis and analysis of debt, global trade, and fiscal and monetary policy.

Gopinath thanked Georgieva and Christine Lagarde, the previous IMF chief, for a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to work there, saying she was grateful for the opportunity.