Washington: Mysuru-born Gita Gopinath has joined International Monetary Fund (IMF) as its Chief Economist, becoming the first woman to occupy the top IMF post. Gita Gopinath took charge last week at a time when she believes the world is experiencing a retreat from globalisation, posing challenges to multilateral institutions. Her parents T.V. Gopinath and V.C. Vijayalakshmi, both from Kerala, currently reside in Mysuru.

The John Zwaanstra professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University, Gita Gopinath, 47, succeeded Maurice (Maury) Obstfeld as Economic Counsellor and Director of the IMF’s Research Department. Obstfeld retired on Dec. 31.

The 11th Chief Economist of the IMF, Gita Gopinath in a recent interview to ‘The Harvard Gazette’ described her appointment at the IMF as a “tremendous honour” and said the appointment of the first ever woman for this position speaks highly of IMF’s MD Christine Lagarde, who made the announcement on Oct. 1, 2018.