Washington, DC –The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced today that Gita Gopinath, its First Deputy Managing Director, will step down at the end of August to rejoin Harvard University’s Department of Economics. She will serve as the inaugural Gregory and Ania Coffey Professor of Economics.
“A brilliant economist with unmatched humility—Gita Gopinath’s legacy at the IMF shaped a critical chapter in global economic policymaking.” — IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva
Gopinath, who joined the IMF in 2019 as Chief Economist and became the Fund’s second-in-command in 2022, has played a pivotal role in navigating the institution through an era marked by extraordinary global disruptions—from the COVID-19 pandemic and inflationary shocks to geopolitical conflicts and shifts in global trade.
“Gita has been an outstanding colleague—an exceptional intellectual leader, dedicated to the mission and members of the Fund,” said IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. “Her analytical rigor and practical policy advice helped steer the Fund through some of the most turbulent periods in recent economic history.”
Georgieva highlighted Gopinath’s leadership across key areas of IMF policy, including fiscal and monetary policy, debt sustainability, international trade, and systemic country surveillance. Notably, Gopinath played a significant role in shaping IMF engagements with countries like Argentina and Ukraine, and she represented the Fund at high-level global forums such as the G7 and G20.
As the IMF’s first female Chief Economist, Gopinath also left a lasting mark through her stewardship of the World Economic Outlook and her intellectual leadership in developing the Integrated Policy Framework—guidance for countries balancing inflation, financial stability, and exchange rate challenges. Her co-authored Pandemic Plan was widely acclaimed for offering a globally coordinated strategy to end the COVID-19 crisis through equitable vaccine access.
Reflecting on her departure, 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 to address global challenges, and to training the next generation of economists.”
Kristalina Georgieva noted that a successor will be announced in due course.
