India-born Gita Gopinath appointed IMF Chief Economist; Here is all about the Delhi University alumnus

Gopinath is the second Indian to hold the position after former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan.

Image: Twitter (@IMFNews)

New Delhi: India-born economist Gita Gopinath was today appointed the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Director of the IMF’s Research Department. A Delhi University alumnus, Gopinath, is the second Indian to hold the position after former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan. Announcing the appointment, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde called her "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," she said in a statement. She will be replacing Maury Obstfeld who will retire from IMF in December.

IMF Managing Director Christine @Lagarde appoints Harvard’s Gita Gopinath as IMF Chief Economist, replacing Maury Obstfeld who will retire from IMF in December. https://t.co/M6UV5qH714 pic.twitter.com/k16ztkYIwi

— IMF (@IMFNews) October 1, 2018

Gopinath was born and brought up in India and has US citizenship and has is Overseas Citizen of India. She received her Ph.D in economics from Princeton University in 2001 for her work on international macroeconomics and trade and was an assistant professor at the University of Chicago before moving to Harvard in 2005. Her bachelor's degree was from Lady Sri Ram College in New Delhi. She received the Bhagwati Prize for the best paper published in the Journal of International Economics in 2003 and 2004. In 2014, she was named one of the top 25 economists under 45 by the IMF and she was a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2011. Gita Gopinath has also served as a member of the Eminent Persons Advisory Group on G-20 Matters for India's Ministry of Finance. In 2017 she received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Washington. In 2014, she was named one of the top 25 economists under 45 by the IMF and she was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2011 The director of the IMF's Research Department oversees the World Economic Outlook Report that is considered a major survey of the global economy as well as several other reports and research projects that determine the financial and economic statuses of countries. (Inputs from agencies)