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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Who is Gita Gopinath, Indian-origin economist who quit top IMF post to rejoin Harvard?
Indian-American economist Gita Gopinath, who is serving as the first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), announced that she is stepping down from her position and returning to her academic career. In a social media post, Gopinath said that she is rejoining Harvard University as an economics professor. 'After nearly 7 amazing years at the IMF, I have decided to return to my academic roots,' Gopinath, the first female chief economist in IMF history, said in a post on X. The Indian-origin economist will step down from her position at IMF in August, and rejoin the Harvard Economics Department on September 1 as the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics. Gita Gopinath is an Indian-American economist, currently serving as the the first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since January 21, 2022. Gopinath was born in Kolkata in 1971. She holds an economics degree from the Delhi School of Economics and also from Delhi University. She then moved to the United States to pursue her MA degree from the University of Washington. She later earned her PhD from Princeton University. Gopinath joined the IMF in January 2019 as chief economist and was promoted to the post of first deputy managing director in January 2022. Prior to joining the IMF, Gopinath was the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics at Harvard University's economics department from 2005 to 2022. Before joining Harvard, she was an assistant professor of economics at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business from 2001 to 2005. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva described Gopinath as an 'outstanding colleague—an exceptional intellectual leader, dedicated to the mission and members of the Fund, and a fabulous manager, always showing genuine care for the professional standing and wellbeing of our staff.' Gopinath also co-authored the 'Pandemic Plan' on how to end the COVID-19 crisis, a contribution which has widely been hailed as filling an important global gap by setting targets to vaccinate the world at feasible cost, Georgieva said. (With inputs from PTI)
India Today
2 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Gita Gopinath to leave IMF in August, return to Harvard as Professor
Gita Gopinath, the No. 2 official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will leave her post at the end of August to return to Harvard University, the IMF said in a statement on Indian-born US citizen, Gopinath's departure came as a surprise to some within the IMF and appears to have been initiated by her, according to Reuters. No comment was immediately available from the US Treasury, which holds the dominant US share in the Fund. While European countries traditionally appoint the IMF's managing director, the US Treasury typically recommends the First Deputy Managing WOMAN TO SERVE AS IMF CHIEF ECONOMISTGopinath will become the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics in Harvard's Department of Economics. She first joined the IMF in 2019 as Chief Economist — becoming the first woman to serve in that role. She was promoted to First Deputy Managing Director in January 2022. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva will name a successor to Gopinath 'in due course,' the statement Georgieva offered a glowing tribute, describing Gopinath as 'a rare combination of brilliance and humility,' and credited her with helping steer the IMF through some of the most volatile economic periods in recent history.'Gita came to the Fund as a highly respected academic in macroeconomics and international finance,' Georgieva said. 'Admiration for Gita only grew through her time at the Fund, where her analytical rigor was paired with practical policy advice to the membership during an especially challenging period, which included the pandemic, wars, the cost-of-living crisis, and major shifts in the global trading system.'Gopinath played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic. She co-authored the IMF's Pandemic Plan, a landmark initiative that set global vaccination targets at feasible costs.'As Chief Economist, Gita ensured that the World Economic Outlook remained the preeminent report on the global economy—an especially impressive achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic,' Georgieva also spearheaded the development of the Integrated Policy Framework (IPF), which provides countries with tools to design macroeconomic and financial stability strategies tailored to their needs.'She represented the Fund with integrity and fortitude in many international fora, notably the G-7 and G-20,' Georgieva her farewell message, Gopinath expressed gratitude for a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' to work at the IMF, thanking both Georgieva and former IMF chief Christine Lagarde, who had appointed her as Chief Economist.'I now return to my roots in academia,' Gopinath said, 'where I look forward to continuing to push the research frontier in international finance and macroeconomics to address global challenges, and to training the next generation of economists.'- EndsWith inputs from ReutersMust Watch
Al Etihad
2 days ago
- Business
- Al Etihad
Gita Gopinath to leave IMF, to rejoin Harvard economics faculty
21 July 2025 22:41 WASHINGTON (ALETIHAD)International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva announced on Monday that Gita Gopinath, the Fund's First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD), will step down at the end of August to return to Harvard will take up the position of inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics in the Department of joined the IMF in January 2019 as Chief Economist and was appointed FDMD in January a media statement, Georgieva praised Gopinath as 'an outstanding colleague—an exceptional intellectual leader, dedicated to the mission and members of the Fund, and a fabulous manager, always showing genuine care for the professional standing and wellbeing of our staff.'She continued: 'She came to the Fund as a highly respected academic in macroeconomics and international finance. Admiration for Gita only grew through her time at the Fund, where her analytical rigour was paired with practical policy advice to the membership during an especially challenging period, which included the pandemic, wars, the cost-of-living crisis, and major shifts in the global trading system.'Georgieva also highlighted Gopinath's leadership on policy and surveillance: 'Gita steered the Fund's analytical and policy work with clarity, striving for the highest standards of rigorous analysis at a complex time of high uncertainty and a rapidly changing global economic environment. She oversaw the Fund's multilateral surveillance and analytical work on fiscal and monetary policy, debt, and international trade.'She noted that Gopinath played a key role in country programmes, including for Argentina and Ukraine, and regularly represented the Fund at major international platforms, including the G-7 and G-20.'She has a rare combination of brilliance and humility, which we have all come to admire,' Georgieva added.'As Chief Economist, Gita ensured that the World Economic Outlook remained the preeminent report on the global economy—an especially impressive achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic.''She also spearheaded the Fund's work on the Integrated Policy Framework (IPF), which helps countries develop policies for macroeconomic and financial stability. Gita co-authored the Pandemic Plan on how to end the COVID-19 crisis—an intellectual contribution widely hailed for setting global vaccination targets at a feasible cost.'Commenting on her departure, Gopinath said: 'I am truly grateful for my time at the IMF, first as Chief Economist and then as First Deputy Managing Director. I have had the privilege of working closely with the IMF's brilliant and committed staff, colleagues in management, the Executive Board, and country authorities.'She added: 'I am especially thankful to Kristalina and her predecessor, Christine Lagarde, for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to serve the IMF's membership during a period of unprecedented challenges.' 'I now return to my roots in academia, where I look forward to continuing to push the research frontier in international finance and macroeconomics to address global challenges, and to training the next generation of economists.' Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
