Gita Gopinath becomes the head of IMF- another daughter of India creates History
Gita Gopinath has created history becoming the first woman to hold the post of the chief economist of International Monetary Fund (IMF). She is the second Indian after former RBI chief Raghu ram Rajan to hold this post. The managing director of International Monetary Fund made the appointment that ensured that Harvard’s Gita Gopinath becomes the head of IMF replacing Maury Obstfeld who retires in December.
As Gita Gopinath becomes the head of IMF and creates history and headlines, a lesser known fact about her is ignored. She is also the first woman in history to head the research department; it is this department that publishes the flagship publication of IMF, World Economic Outlook.
As the forty-six-year-old Gita Gopinath becomes the head of IMF, ripples of joy and pride engulf the entire country. She might be a US citizen but was born in Mysuru and was schooled in Kolkata, Delhi, and Mysuru. Gopinath is an alumnus of Lady Sri Ram College of Delhi University; it is here that she had pursued her degree of BA (honors) in Economics. She then went on to complete her masters from Delhi School of Economics and University of Washington. She then joined the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business as an Assistant Professor after she had completed her Ph.D. from Princeton University.
She holds several eminent positions that include Research Associate with the National Bureau of Economic Research and Research Program Member at the International Growth Center at LSE (London School of Economics) and Oxford. She also served as a member of the Eminent Persons Advisory Group on G-20 Matters to the Finance Ministry of India and was also appointed the Economic Adviser to the Chief Minister of Kerala in 2016.
While Gita Gopinath becomes the head of IMF, no one has any reservations on her worth as the perfect candidate for the job. When her appointment was announced, Christine Lagarde, the managing director of IMF said, “Gopinath is one of the world’s outstanding economists, with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership, and extensive international experience. All this makes her exceptionally well-placed to lead our Research Department at this important juncture. I am delighted to name such a talented figure as our chief economist.”
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