Gita Gopinath's Birthday 2023: 8 Interesting Facts About The IMF's First Deputy Managing Director

Gita Gopinath, born in Kolkata, India, on December 8, 1971, is an Indian-American economist who currently holds the role of the first deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since January 21, 2022. Prior to this, she served as the chief economist of the IMF from 2019 to 2022.

Gita Gopinath's Education

Gopinath began her education at the Delhi Public School and later earned her undergraduate degree in economics from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi in 1992. Subsequently, in 1994, she completed her M.A. degree in economics from the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.

Continuing her academic pursuits, she earned her Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University in 2001. Her doctoral dissertation titled "Three essays on international capital flows: a search theoretic approach" highlighted her early contributions to the field of economics.

Gita Gopinath's Career

Gopinath has held prestigious academic positions at several esteemed institutions. She began as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business in 2001 and later gained tenure as a professor at Harvard University. At Harvard, she held the esteemed John Zwaanstra Professorship in International Studies and Economics.

Apart from academia, Gopinath made significant contributions to global economic policymaking. She was appointment as the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2019, being the first woman to hold this influential position. Since January 21, 2022, she holds the role of the deputy managing director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Here are some interesting facts about her:

1. Gita was the co-editor of the American Economic Review and co-directed the International Finance and Macroeconomics Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

2. She was born to TV Gopinath, a farmer and entrepreneur, and VC Vijayalakshmi from Kannur.

3. Gita wrote approximately 40 research articles covering topics including exchange rates, trade and investment, monetary policy, and international financial crises.

4. After Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, Gita became the third woman and the second Indian to have been a permanent member of the Harvard economics department.

5. Between 2016 and 2018, Gita provided economic advisory services to the Chief Minister of Kerala. Additionally, she served as a member of the Eminent Persons Advisory Group on G-20 Matters for the Ministry of Finance in India.

6. In 2019, she received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest honor for an individual of Indian origin, from Ram Nath Kovind, President of India.

7. She is married to Iqbal Dhaliwal who holds the position of Executive Director at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab within the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

8. Gita co-directs the International Finance and Macroeconomics program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Additionally, she holds a visiting scholar position at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and is a member of the economic advisory panel at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.