IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath meets PM Narendra Modi ahead of taking over as FDMD

Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Gita Gopinath met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) took to Twitter to share pictures from their meeting revealing that the Indian-American economist had called on PM Modi. The two had last met in 2019 when Gita Gopinath, who was then Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF Research Department, had visited PM Modi in the national capital. 

Gita Gopinath to take over as First Deputy Managing Director at IMF

The visit also assumes significance since it comes at a time when Gita Gopinath is all set to take over as the International Monetary Fund's First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD) next year. As a part of a recent announcement by the world organisation, she will be succeeding Geoffrey Okamoto as the FDMD in 2022 under IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva. In an official press release, IMF announced that Gopinath's appointment came following an early departure of Okamoto. Meanwhile, it is also being stated that Gopinath was scheduled to return to her academic position at Harvard University in January 2022. For now, she has decided to stay and accept the new position. 

"I am honored to become the IMF’s First Deputy Managing Director. With the pandemic, the work of the Fund has never been more important. I look forward to working with my brilliant colleagues to help our membership face these important challenges," she said in her first statement.

"A heartfelt thank you to everyone for sending your best wishes," she added.

More about Gopinath

Presently serving as the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Gita Gopinath is an Indian-born technocrat and a professor of economics at Harvard University. She earned her B.A. from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi and M.A. degree from Delhi School of Economics. In her career, she has helmed various positions as an advisory member to the US Federal Reserve Bank, co-director of the International Finance and Macroeconomics programme of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and also as an economic advisor to the Kerala Chief Minister. She was appointed as the Chief Economist of the IMF in 2018.