Gita Gopinath facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gita Gopinath
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Gopinath in 2025
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| First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund | |
| Assumed office 21 January 2022 |
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| President | Kristalina Georgieva |
| Preceded by | Geoffrey Okamoto |
| Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund | |
| In office 1 January 2019 – 21 January 2022 |
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| President | Kristalina Georgieva |
| Preceded by | Maurice Obstfeld |
| Succeeded by | Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 December 1971 Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Citizenship |  American |
| Spouse | Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal |
| Relations | A. K. Gopalan Nambiar |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | |
| Awards | Pravasi Bharatiya Samman |
| Academic career | |
| Institution |
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| Doctoral advisor |
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Gita Gopinath (born 8 December 1971) is a well-known Indian-American economist. She holds a very important position as the First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She started this role on 21 January 2022. Before this, she was the chief economist for the IMF from 2019 to 2022.
Before joining the IMF, Gopinath spent two decades working as a professor. She taught economics at Harvard University and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She also helped lead the international finance and macroeconomics program at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Gita Gopinath was chosen as the IMF's chief economist in October 2018. She became famous for calling the worldwide economic slowdown in 2020 "the Great Lockdown." In December 2021, she was promoted to the second-highest position at the IMF, the First Deputy Managing Director.
Early Life and Education
Gita Gopinath was born on 8 December 1971, in Kolkata, India. She grew up in a family from Kannur, Kerala. She is the younger of two daughters.
Gita Gopinath went to Nirmala Convent School in Mysore. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), from Lady Shri Ram College for Women in 1992. She then completed a Master of Arts (M.A.) in economics from Delhi School of Economics in 1994. She continued her studies, getting another M.A. degree from the University of Washington in 1996. In 2001, she earned her Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University. While at Princeton, she received the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Research Award for her studies.
Career Highlights
In 2001, Gita Gopinath began her teaching career as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In 2005, she moved to Harvard University. There, she became a professor of International Studies and Economics, a position she held until 2022. At Harvard, she wrote important papers about global economics.
In October 2018, Gopinath was appointed chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In this role, she helped create the "Pandemic Paper." This was an international plan to help end the COVID-19 pandemic. It set goals for vaccinating people around the world. This work led to the creation of a special task force. This group included leaders from the IMF, World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO), and World Trade Organization (WTO). Their goal was to help end the pandemic and speed up vaccine delivery to countries that needed them most.
In December 2021, Gita Gopinath was promoted to the IMF's new First Deputy Managing Director (FDMD). This is the second-highest position in the organization. The head of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, said that Gopinath's skills and experience were exactly what was needed for this important role.
As the First Deputy Managing Director, Gita Gopinath represents the IMF at major global meetings. She also works closely with governments, the media, and other organizations. She helps guide the IMF's work on economic policies, research, and important publications. She also oversees the work of senior staff.
Awards and Recognition
Gita Gopinath has received many honors for her work. In 2014, the International Monetary Fund named her one of the top 25 economists under 45. The World Economic Forum chose her as a Young Global Leader in 2011.
In 2016, she received the Distinguished Alumna award from the University of Washington. In 2018, she was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Econometric Society. Foreign Policy magazine named her one of the Top Global Thinkers in 2019. That same year, she received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman from the President of India.
In 2021, the Financial Times named Gopinath among the "25 most influential women of the year." She also received awards from the International Economic Association and the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association. The Carnegie Corporation named her among "Great (American) Immigrants." She was also recognized by Bloomberg and Time magazine for breaking barriers.
Personal Life
Gita Gopinath is a citizen of the United States and also holds an Overseas Citizenship of India. She is married to Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal. They met when they were students at the Delhi School of Economics. They have one son, who was born in 2002.
See also
In Spanish: Gita Gopinath para niños
