Leadership
Gita Gopinath to step down from IMF, rejoin Harvard faculty
Gita Gopinath, the first female Chief Economist in IMF history, is set to rejoin the Harvard Economics Faculty after leaving the IMF at the end of August.
Gita Gopinath, the first female Chief Economist in the history of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and currently serving as First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD), will leave the Fund at the end of August 2025. She is set to return to Harvard University as the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva made the announcement, noting that a successor will be named in due course. Gopinath joined the IMF in January 2019 as Chief Economist and was promoted to FDMD in January 2022.
In her statement, Georgieva praised Gopinath as “an outstanding colleague and exceptional intellectual leader,” who guided the IMF’s policy and analytical work during some of the most turbulent periods in recent economic history—including the pandemic, global inflation, and geopolitical conflicts.
“Gita brought analytical rigor and practical policy advice to the Fund’s membership during an especially challenging period,” Georgieva said. “She oversaw critical work on fiscal and monetary policy, debt, and international trade, and played a key role in country programs including those for Argentina and Ukraine.”
As Chief Economist, Gopinath helped the World Economic Outlook remain the leading report on global economic trends, and spearheaded initiatives like the Integrated Policy Framework (IPF) and a landmark Pandemic Plan aimed at accelerating global vaccination efforts.
Reflecting on her time at the Fund, Gopinath said, “I am truly grateful for my time at the IMF… I now return to my roots in academia, where I look forward to continuing to push the research frontier in international finance and macroeconomics and to training the next generation of economists.”
Her departure marks the end of a transformative chapter for the IMF, shaped by her brilliance, humility, and steadfast leadership.
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